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This is where I am collecting my "toolkit" as a special education teacher. You'll notice some of the posts have different colors. Below is a guide/key to what the colors mean.

This padlet looks better with your computer in dark mode. I have no idea how garish the colors will look in light mode.

Orange: Best Practice, Teaching Stretegies, Evidence Based Practices

Black: Generic resource/website with helpful tools/information

Purple: Professional Organization

Red: Government websites, databases, and laws

(Photo is from Padlet's AI feature)

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alice in wonderland inspired picture that says "read me"

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IES Reading Interventions for Students in Grades 4-9 (Recommendation 2)

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IES Reading Interventions for Students in Grades 4-9 (Recommendation 2)

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Recommendation: Provide purposeful fluency-building activities to help students read effortlessly.

Fluency is being able to read text accurately, with ease, expression, and pacing. This recommendation's purpose is to improve students' ability to read text with increased ease. It is important to provide a purpose for each repeated reading and explain to students why repeated reading. IES recommends giving students the opportunity to read many different kinds of texts. Reading with fluency improves comprehension for students. Increasing fluency will increase comprehension.

Example: During a fluency lesson/portion of a lesson group read sentences/phrases with the full group. Have students repeat read the phrases (I say, you say). Have students partner read and/or solo read outloud. I enjoy doing stations and having one of the stations be a reading station. My younger students will read to our stuffed animal collection.

What Works Clearinghouse, Providing Reading Interventions for Students in Grades 4–9 4–11.

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Providing Reading Interventions for Students in Grades 4-9 (IES Teaching Practice 1)

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Providing Reading Interventions for Students in Grades 4-9 (IES Teaching Practice 1)

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4 Evidence based recommendations for teachers delivering reading interventions.

Recommendation 1: is building students' decoding skills so they can read complex multisyllabic words. IES recommends identifying the level of students' word reading skills and teach vowel and consonant letter sounds/combinations. Students also need to be taught a routine they can use to decode multisyllabic words. This routine usually includes identifying prefixes and suffixes, identifying single vowels and vowel or vowel/consonant combinations, scoop under each word part as you say it, then say the whole word by blending the parts together into a word that is familiar. Include spelling in the lesson as well as a wide array of activities to allow students practice decoding multisyllabic words.

Example: During a routine decoding session, have students look for prefixes/suffixes. Then we identify the vowels/vowel teams/vowel sounds and use that to find other syllable types (open, closed, vowel team, r-controlled, consonant l-e, etc). Students then scoop each syllable, mark short vowel sounds with a breve and long vowel sounds with a line. Students read each individual syllable scoop then put it together into a word. You could also do an inverse of this for spelling by giving students the word orally and having them try to spell it.

What Works Clearinghouse, Providing Reading Interventions for Students in Grades 4–9 4–11.

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WWC | Providing Reading Interventions for Students in Grades 4–9

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(IES Practice) Provide systematic instruction during intervention to develop student understanding of mathematical ideas

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(IES Practice) Provide systematic instruction during intervention to develop student understanding of mathematical ideas

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This IES recommended practice involves reviewing and integrating previously learned content throughout intervention to ensure that students maintain understanding of concepts and procedures. Ensure that cew concepts and procedures are accessible by using using accessible numbers. Choose numbers that are easier for students to understand and work with. Sequence instruction so that the mathematics students are learning builds slowly and incrementally. Provide visual and verbal supports for new procedures and concepts.

Example: Begin your math lesson with a review problem from the day before/another "mastered" topic (multiplication, addition, etc). Relate the new topic to the review topic if possible. If the review topic was addition you can connect that to a new topic of multiplication by discussing repeated addition. Don't start with multiplication problems like 9x9 or 12x5. Start smaller with numbers students are very comfortable with like 2x4 or 3x3. Use anchor charts to post reminders/visuals.

What Works Clearinghouse. (n.d.). Assisting Students Struggling with Mathematics: Intervention in the Elementary Grades.

National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (U.S. Department of Education)

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Autism Focused Intervention Resources & Modules

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Autism Focused Intervention Resources & Modules

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From AFIRM: The original Autism Focused Intervention Resources and Modules (AFIRM) was funded by the Office of Special Education Programs in the US Department of Education as a subcontract of the IRIS Center from 2014-2016 as an extension of the National Professional Development Center (NPDC) on Autism. During the 2-year funding period, AFIRM developed 27 evidence-based practice (EBP) modules and related resources based on the 2014 NPDC EBP Report. AFIRM continued to provide up-to-date EBP modules and resources based on the 2020 NCAEP EBP Report with the assistance of CAPTAIN of Marin County Office of Education from 2021-2022

NOTE: As an Autistic individual, I want to caution educators working with Autistic students against blindly implementing any practice with their students. Please ensure that the goals you set for your students are also based on what your students want and need, not just on what you think they need. The goal should never be to "cure" or "mask" Autism. It should be to give Autistic people the tools and skills they need to make choices and be as independent and successful as possible.

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Access free AFIRM online modules and resources for evidence-based practices

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The Council for Exceptional Children is a professional organization that is dedicated to improving the success of children and youth with disabilities. It advocates for fair governmental policies, provides professional development, and helps professionals receive necessary resources. CEC's vision from their website is "high-quality education that is inclusive and equitable for individuals with disabilities". Their mission is "Cultivating, supporting, and empowering education professionals who work with individuals with disabilities by: Advocating for education professionals and for individuals with disabilities, and/or gifts and talents; Advancing professional practice and scholarly research;

Promoting diversity, equity, inclusivity, and accessibility; Building networks, partnerships, and communities"

There are policies, standards, professional development, and free resources. There are resources specifically for parents as well as for educators.

Council for Exceptional Children: The Premier Association for Special Education Professionals. Council for Exceptional Children. (n.d.). https://exceptionalchildren.org/

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Council for Exceptional Children | The premier association for special education professionals

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The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)'s Partner Solutions Directory is an online resource for special education products, services, and programming support! Search for a topic and quickly receive a list of partners who provide products, services, or programming supporting your work and career.
View More Partner Solutions

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Council for Exceptional Children | The premier association for special education professionals

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The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) is the largest international professional organization dedicated to improving the educational success of children and youth with disabilities and/or gifts and talents.

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National Association of Special Education Teachers 

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National Association of Special Education Teachers 

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The National Association of Special Education Teachers is a professional organization that is designed to support special education teachers. The goal of NASET is to support educators and ensure that all children and students with special needs/disabilities receive the best education possible.

This organization is for former, current, and future special education teachers. It is a membership based organization but there are some free resources/forums on the site. The resources on the site include information about ABA, fetal alcohol syndrome, deafness, cerebral palsy, interventions, literary/journal resources, occupational therapy and psychological information. There is also a Q & A about IDEA and disability law for students.

National Association of Special Education Teachers. NASET News Alert RSS. (2025, February 23). https://www.naset.org/

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Take a moment to review the various e-Publications, professional development and special education resources.

NASET is proud to offer its' members free access to one of the most extensive and comprehensive sources of Professional Development courses available today. With over 100 courses ranging from 1 to 3 hours each, NASET provides it's members the opportunity for over 100 hours of professional development included with your membership in NASET.

Professional Development Courses (101 courses) - Free with Membership!

Board Certification in Special Education establishes a much needed standard for professionals, across disciplines, who work with exceptional children.

NASET provides the multiple areas with valuable information about IEPs. From a ePublication IEP Components to mutlple articles resources, forms, NASET has a wealth of information for the special education professional.

The online Special Educator e-Journal is published monthly throughout the year and provides timely information on what's current in special education.

This list is provided to all members of NASET to help facilitate the numerous tasks required on a daily basis. All documents are available to view online or download as a PDF file for offline printing.

NASET's Week in Review is a weekly emailed publication that provides members with some of the most interesting stories, topics and issues reported during the week in the field of special education.

NASET News Alerts provide the latest special education news as it happens. News Alerts are emailed, posted and through RSS feeds.

This series provides NASET members with an in-depth look at the step-by-step process of assessing students for eligibility and educational placement in special education.

This series is devoted to lesser known disorders that you may encounter in special education. While not as prevalent as other disorders experienced by most special education teachers, you should be aware of these disorders in order to become more knowledgeable, and increase your ability to assist patents of children with these disorders if they should appear in your classroom or school. Each month we will present a list of 3 disorders that appear in the special education population. Some of these disorders may contain subtypes which will also be presented.

The NASET LD Report is an education resource that provides NASET members with a comprehensive overview of learning disabilities. The NASET LD Report covers many areas of study in the field of LD.

The Practical Teacher is a monthly education resource that provides NASET members with practical tools, strategies, and relevant information that they can use both in and outside of the classroom.

Parent Teacher Conference Handouts can be given at the end of parent teacher conferences to reinforce concepts and help parents better understand information discussed at the conference. New additions are added monthly.

The NASET RTI Roundtable is an educational resource that provides members with the latest information on RTI.

The NASET Autism Spectrum Disorder Series is an education resource that focused on the research, writing, and practical information that we have obtained on causes, characteristics, eligibility, assessment, and teaching strategies.

NASET's Behavior Management Series is a unique guide for all teachers in helping to understand what their student's behavior really means and how to identify and resolve the issue. This series offers teachers the insight into the inner dynamics, conflicts, fears, symptoms, tension, and so on of students who may be experiencing difficulty learning or behaving in the classroom.

The Classroom Management Series provide teachers with practical guidelines covering a variety of topics and supportive information which may help improve their classroom.

A Journal of Research Based Articles in Special Education are provided courtesy of The Journal of the American Academy of Special Education Professionals (). Each issue contains articles that are derived from multiple authors and are based upon the latest research in our profession.

This series is devoted exclusively to students with severe disabilities. This series will cover all aspects of students with severe disabilities focusing especially on understanding this population and what skills and information are necessary if you are asked to teach this population of students.

At NASET, we get many questions from our members about certain areas of interest. The NASET Q & A Corner provides all members with the opportunities to have access to these questions, and more importantly, answers to them from professionals in the field.

This series is intended to provide teachers, related service personnel, administrators, and other individuals charged with assisting in the development of the paraprofessional workforce with information and strategies to build strong, effective, supportive teams to ensure successful educational services for all students.

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National Association of Special Education Teachers: Teachers Teaching Exceptional Children

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Special Education Web Site - Teachers Teaching Special Education National Association of Special Education Teachers

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Division for Emotional Behavioral Health

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Division for Emotional Behavioral Health

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One of the Council for Exceptional Children's 18 Special Interest Divisions. It's goal is to support the learning and growth of students with behavioral and/or emotioanl disorders.

Council for Exceptional Children. (n.d.). Division of Emotional and Behavioral Health. Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders. https://debh.exceptionalchildren.org/

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Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders

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Teacher Educators of Children with Behavior Disorders (TECBD) Conference

Teacher Educators of Children with Behavior Disorders (TECBD) Conference The annual Teacher Educators for Children with Behavior Disorders (TECBD) conference is the premier educational research conference for teacher educators working with children and youth with severe behavioral disorders. The 2022 TECBD Conference will be a hybrid event. The agenda will include workshops, strands, and general sessions delivered in a variety of formats.

In-person at the Tempe Mission Palms Hotel November 16-17

Virtually on November 18

DEBH Foundation & Awards 2024 Announcement

As educators and researchers, fall is a time to start thinking about the upcoming academic year. Is there a project you would like funding for? A professional development opportunity you would like to attend? Additional funds to help pay for your education? The DEBH Foundation & Awards has multiple grants and scholarships. See flyer and links for more information and submission.

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Council for Learning Disabilities. Council for Learning Disabilities | The Council for Learning Disabilities (CLD) is an international organization that promotes evidence-based teaching, collaboration, research, leadership, and advocacy. (2023, January 3). https://council-for-learning-disabilities.org/about-council-learning-disabilities/

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The Council for Learning Disabilities (CLD) is an international organization composed of professionals who represent diverse disciplines, is committed to enhancing the education and quality of life for individuals with learning disabilities across the life span. CLD accomplishes this by promoting and disseminating evidence-based research and practices related to the education of individuals with learning disabilities. In addition, CLD fosters (a) collaboration among professionals; (b) the development of leaders in the field; and (c) advocacy for policies that support individuals with learning disabilities at local, state, and national levels.

Vision Statement

All individuals with learning disabilities are empowered to achieve their potential.

If you wish to become more actively involved in CLD, check out a local/state chapter in your area. Chapters sponsor local and regional activities for individuals who want to keep current with the rapidly growing information base about people with learning disabilities. They also provide the opportunity for professionals to come together for discussion and camaraderie. For more information on membership.

We hope you will take the time to learn more about CLD, our conferences, our journals, and other work of our organization. We also hope you will consider joining us in promoting a greater understanding of learning disabilities.

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Mission Statement The Council for Learning Disabilities (CLD) is an international organization composed of professionals who represent diverse disciplines, is committed to enhancing the education and quality of life for individuals with learning disabilities across the life span.

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American Council for the Blind Resources for Parents and Teachers of Blind and Visually Impaired Children

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American Council for the Blind Resources for Parents and Teachers of Blind and Visually Impaired Children

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The following organizations provide information, products and/or services to parents or teachers of blind and visually impaired children. In addition to these organizations, contact your state education department for early intervention and childhood learning enhancement information. This list is neither intended as a complete list nor as an endorsement of any organization or publication listed.

Organizations
Books, Publications, and Other Products
Toys, Games, Books and Software for Blind and Visually Impaired Children

ACB Families

Provides support and information for parents of blind and visually impaired children, holds an annual conference and publishes a newsletter.

Affordable Colleges Online

1101 Red Ventures Drive
Fort Mill, SC 29707
Email:[email protected]
Website: http://www.affordablecollegesonline.org/college-resource-center/resources-for-students-with-disabilities/

Has online guidebook, "College Resources for Students with Disabilities."

American Printing House for the Blind

Manufactures educational aids for blind and visually impaired people, has an educational research program and sells books in braille, large print, disk and audio format. Has database for locating textbooks and other materials in accessible media. Has FamilyConnect Center with useful information for parents, families and teachers.

Association for Education & Rehabilitation of the Blind & Visually Impaired (AER)

An organization which renders support and assistance to professionals in all phases of education and rehabilitation of blind and visually impaired children and adults.

Center for Parent Information and Resources

Serves as a central resource of information and products to the community of Parent Training Information (PTI) Centers and the Community Parent Resource Centers (CPRCs), so that they can focus their efforts on serving families of children with disabilities. Materials are available in English and Spanish.

Council for Exceptional Children

Works to improve the educational outcome of students with disabilities, has information on educational opportunities, and publishes a number of books and journals on disabilities and gifted education. Also has a learning library containing live and pre-recorded webinars.

Easterseals Inc.

Services for individuals with disabilities and special needs. Major services include medical rehabilitation, job training and employment, inclusive, child care, camping, recreation and adult day services.

EduBirdie

Toll-free: 1-888-337-5415
Website: https://edubirdie.com/blog/resources-for-students-with-disabilities

Has a list of helpful resources for students with disabilities.

The Hadley Institute for the Blind

The Hadley School for the Blind offers over tuition-free distance education courses to blind and visually impaired students. Class offerings include braille, daily living skills, adjustment to vision loss, recreation (from games to bird watching to gardening - and more), technology (Android, Apple, Alexa, Zoom, and more), and work-related topics.

National Association of Private Special Education Centers (NAPSEC)

NAPSEC's member programs provide educational therapeutic services to both publicly and privately placed individuals who are not able to be successfully educated in the regular education environment. These services include infants and toddlers that are served by our early intervention service members and our postsecondary college experience and adult living programs that serve individuals who have graduated or who are over 21 and are no longer eligible for services under IDEA.

National Family Association for Deaf-Blind

NFADB exists to empower the families of individuals who are deaf-blind and advocate for their unique needs. It trains and supports families as they advocate for the needs of their child and family; connects families to other families with similar interests and needs; collaborates with other organizations to make sure the voices of consumers and families are heard at the state and national levels; and advises professionals researching best practices for educating, training and assisting individuals who are deaf-blind.

National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled

NLS offers a number of helpful resources for parents in accessible format available through your regional NLS library. NLS also provides reference services on blindness-related topics.

The National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation (NOAH)

NOAH is a volunteer group for people with albinism and their families. It works on self-help and promotes research and education. It publishes a quarterly magazine, "Albinism InSight" and information bulletins on topics specific to living with albinism, sponsors workshops and conferences on albinism, and has a network of local chapters and contact people. NOAH also offers scholarships to Space Camp, as well as college scholarships.

PACER, Inc.

8161 Normandale Blvd.
Minneapolis, MN 55437-1044
(952) 838-9000
Toll-free: 1-800-537-2237
Fax: (952) 838-0199
To send an email, go to https://www.pacer.org/forms/.
Website: https://www.pacer.org/

Offers individual help by telephone, email or by postal mail. Provides free written materials for parents and professionals, and workshops for parents of children and young adults with disabilities. Has an assistive technology lending library, a camp for girls, a youth event group, a grandparent group, and so much more.

Pediatric Retinal Research Foundation

The foundation's mission is to support the community of families impacted by blinding pediatric retinal diseases and champion the quest for cure.

Wayfinder Child Development Services (formerly Blind Babies Foundation)

In California, offers no-cost home-based early intervention, giving support and advocacy to families, and in-service training and consultation for professionals.

Wayfinder Family Services (formerly Junior Blind of America)

Provides expert, individualized support and services to children, youth and adults, from those who have vision loss or profound special needs to foster youth with serious medical conditions or trauma, and their families. Runs Camp Bloomfield, a summer residential camp for blind and visually impaired children, those with special needs, and other sessions for foster/adoptive families. Also runs an early intervention program for children from birth to 3 years old; a special education school for ages 5 to 21 for those with moderate to severe disabilities; and group homes for children and adults.

ACB Students

A membership organization of blind and visually impaired college students with support and information available through their state chapters and their annual meeting.

Brookline Booksmith

Offers audio books via download, as well as hard-copy print books.

Brookes Publishing

PO Box 10624
Baltimore, MD 21285-0624
Toll-free: 1-800-638-3775
Fax: (410) 337-8539
Website: https://brookespublishing.com/

Publishes books helpful to families with children with disabilities.

Exceptional Teaching Inc.

Offers a wide assortment of educational games and toys for teaching exceptional children. There are motivational reading games, teaching aids for those with special needs and learning disabilities, living aids products for blind individuals, and much more! You will find an assortment of braille products and braille curriculum, too, including the Mangold Basic Braille Program, and the SAL2 Mangold Braille Reading Program, one for young readers and one for teens and adults.

Lighthouse Guild

250 W. 64th St.
New York, NY 10023
Toll-free: 1-800-284-4422
Website: https://lighthouseguild.org/

Has a National Tele-Support Network for Parents of Children with Visual Impairment. Also offers a parent blog and parent support newsletter, as well as a teen telephone support group.

Special Needs Project - America's Disability Bookstore

Offers books on disabilities, assistive technology, fidget items, books on parenting and special needs, and more.

The National Research and Training Center on Blindness/Low Vision

108 Herbert - South, Room 150
Industrial Education Department Building
PO Drawer 6189
Mississippi State University
Mississippi State, MS 39762
(602) 325-2001
Fax: (602) 325-8989
Email:[email protected]
Website: https://www.blind.msstate.edu/

The NRTC has published "Career Advantage for V.I.P.s" and other books, many of which are available to download directly from the web site.

National Braille Press

Publishes books on computer use and access, self-help, and lifelong learning, as well as children's braille and braille-and-print books. Has children's braille book club, the maps from The Princeton Braillists, and many more offerings. Also produces "Our Special" magazine, written and edited by blind women; it covers careers, fashion, parenting, cooking, crafts, travel, maternity, dating, health and more.

Oakmont Visual Aids Workshop

The Oakmont Visual Aids Workshop is a group of 45-50 senior volunteers who hand-make 38 items, which include books in Braille with tactile illustrations, puzzles, braille flash cards, games, and math and alphabet study aids using donated materials. Call to request a catalog, or view the items online.

PRO-ED, Inc.

Their focus is primarily special education. Offers a wide variety of publications and assessment tools for students with various disabilities, including autism, intellectual disabilities, learning disabilities, and more.

ZERO TO THREE: National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families

This group works to spread information on successful programs and new approaches in child development to professionals and parents. Publishes the "Zero to Three Journal" and a variety of fact sheets.

A Gentle Wind

A Gentle Wind is an indie record label for quality and award-winning songs and stories for children. The majority of its recordings are music. They are available through our website on CD, and many of them are available for download through popular platforms as well.

American Foundation for the Blind

1101 Wilson Blvd., 6th Floor
Arlington, VA 22209
(212) 502-7600
To send email, go to https://www.afb.org/about-afb/contact-afb.
Website: www.afb.org
Helen Keller Archive: https://www.afb.org/HelenKellerArchive

AFB offers a Helen Keller Kids' Museum online.

American Printing House for the Blind

Toll-free: 1-800-223-1839
Email:[email protected]
Website: www.aph.org
FamilyConnect site: https://familyconnect.org/

Items include early childhood development items, large type and tactile maps and globes, puzzles and toys, wooden construction sets, children's books and more. Now offers Braille Bug, an interactive site created to teach sighted children about braille and to encourage literacy among all children, sighted and visually impaired. It has games, information about braille and Louis Braille, and much more! Also has the FamilyConnect site, designed for parents and chock full of useful information, from "after the diagnosis" to educational resources in English and Spanish.

BOOMERANG

Boomerang! is an audio program for kids ages 6-12. In each hour-long episode, kids will present stories about big ideas: science, current events, history, economics, poetry, jokes, geography, mysteries, and much more. Episode 49 features "The Dirt on Food." Other classic episodes feature Rachel Carson, Sophie Scholl, Dr. Seuss, among others.

CAPTEK/Science Products for the Blind

The company sells talking currency counters/identifiers, talking coin counters/sorters, talking credit card terminals, light sensors, talking calculator/shop tools, magnifiers, telescopes.

Enabling Devices

This company offers a catalog of specially adapted toys, sensory devices, books, useful devices, activity guides and product tips, product comparison charts, and many other items.

Learning Ally

Founded in 1948 as Recording for the Blind, Learning Ally serves K-12, college and graduate students, as well as veterans and lifelong learners - all of whom cannot read standard print due to blindness, visual impairment, dyslexia, or other learning disabilities. Learning Ally's collection consists of more than 70,000 digitally recorded textbooks and literature titles - delivered through Internet downloads, mainstream computers and devices like iPhone and iPad, as well as specialized assistive technology devices.

LS&S, LLC

145 River Rock Dr.
Buffalo, NY 14207
(716) 348-3500
Toll-free: 1-800-468-4789
Fax: (716) 873-3848
Toll-free fax: 1-877-498-1482
To send email, go to https://lssproducts.com/contact-us/.
Website: https://www.lssproducts.com/

Products include bell soccer balls, bell football, bell basketball, soft, fabric-covered foam balls, large magnetic letters and numbers, alphabet braille blocks, number braille blocks, tactile alphabet book, Wikki Stix, braille board books, raised-line coloring books, bump dots, and more.

Perkins Access

175 N. Beacon St.
Watertown, MA 02472
(617) 972-7308
Fax: (617) 926-2027
To send email, go to https://perkinsaccess.org/contact-us/.
Website: https://www.perkins.org/access

Provides accessibility consulting services, helping organizations provide adaptive work and learning environments that enable every individual to recognize his or her potential.

School Specialty

W6316 Design Drive
Greenville, WI 54942
Phone: 1-888-388-3224
To send email, go to https://help.schoolspecialty.com/s/contact-support.
Website: https://www.schoolspecialty.com/

Has a variety of catalogs with useful products for teachers, parents, and professionals. Catalogs include early childhood, special education, arts and crafts, physical education, and education essentials, among others.

Seedlings Braille Books for Children

In addition to braille chapter books, Seedlings offers print and braille books, as well as print and braille picture books, e-braille books, shirts and other novelty items.

TFH Special Needs Toys

Products include toys and games, music CDs, wind chimes, fans, light panels, mirrors that make noise, aromatherapy, scentsory putty, bead balls, gel balls, tactile matching mazes, and much more.

The Toy Foundation

The Toy Foundation (TTF) is a 501(c)(3) children's charity whose mission is to provide joy and comfort to children in need through the experience of toys and play. Donates millions of dollars' worth of toys to children in need annually.

VTech Electronics North America, LLC

1156 W. Shure Dr., Suite 200
Arlington Heights, IL 60004
Toll-free: 1-800-521-2010
Fax: (847) 400-3601
To send email, go to https://www.vtechkids.com/support/support_form/.
Website: https://www.vtechkids.com/

Carries a variety of talking products, including stuffed toys and electronic educational/fun products.

ZBS Foundation

174 N. River Rd.
Fort Edward, NY 12828
Email:[email protected]
Website: https://www.zbs.org/index_new.php/home

Produces science fiction-fantasy, mystery, humor, film noir, drama and poetry, and spiritual material on CD and downloadable MP3 files for the whole family.

Updated May 9, 2023

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Resources for Parents and Teachers of Blind and Visually Impaired Children

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The following organizations provide information, products and/or services to parents or teachers of blind and visually impaired children. In addition to these organizations, contact your state education department for early intervention and childhood learning enhancement information. This list is neither intended as a complete list nor as an endorsement of any organization or publication listed.

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American Speech Language Hearing Association

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American Speech Language Hearing Association

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The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) is the national professional, scientific, and credentialing association for 241,000 members, certificate holders, and affiliates who are audiologists; speech-language pathologists; speech, language, and hearing scientists; audiology and speech-language pathology assistants; and students.

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National Center for Learning Disabilities: Resources for Educators

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National Center for Learning Disabilities: Resources for Educators

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There is a list of resources on this site including:

Federal State Snapshots of Learning Disabilities

Significant Disproportionality in Special Education

Inclusive, Innovative Assessments for Students with Learning Disabilities

Data Snapshots

Overviews of laws, bills, and policies

Resources. National Center for Learning Disabilities. (2024, May 7). https://ncld.org/resources/?resource-cat=8

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National Center for Learning Disabilities

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I'M LOOKING FOR RESOURCES FOR...

Federal State Snapshots of Learning Disabilities

Federal State Snapshots of Learning Disabilities provide comprehensive data on the prevalence, support systems, and educational outcomes for individuals with learning disabilities across the United States.

Unlocking Futures

This report sheds light on the inequities of the juvenile justice system as it relates to students with disabilities.

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Resources - National Center for Learning Disabilities

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Explore a wealth of valuable resources on NCLD's dedicated page. From informative articles to helpful guides and downloadable tools, our resources cover a wide range of topics to empower and educate you. Whether you're looking for expert advice, templates, or the latest insights, our resources are your go-to destination for knowledge and support.

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"At RethinkEd, we believe learning should bring out the best in everyone. We bring cutting-edge strategies to administrators, educators, students, parents, and caregivers to support effective, high-quality education of the whole child.

RethinkEd was founded on a simple, yet powerful idea:

To literally re-think education.

To make it better and easier.

To unburden school districts and empower educators.

To improve outcomes and elevate accountability.

To promote collaboration and inspire learning.

And, most importantly, to make a difference in the school day for everyone – administrators, educators, and students.

As a division of RethinkFirst, an award-winning technology developer of cloud-based tools, training, and supports, RethinkEd is pioneering EdTech. We’re relentless in pursuing innovative ways to put evidence-based, data-informed, digitally delivered instruction and assessments into the hands of educators, clinicians, and parents who share our single-minded focus: To help all children succeed. "

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Innovative Solutions for Healthier Schools | RethinkEd

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Combining technology and research to deliver industry leading solutions in SEL, mental health, professional development, and special education.

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Learning Disabilities Association of America

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Learning Disabilities Association of America

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Has resources for parents, teachers, students, adults, and professionals with learning disabilities.

Learning Disabilities Association of America. (n.d.). https://ldaamerica.org/

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Since 1963,LDA has provided support to people with learning disabilities, their parents, teachers and other professionals with cutting edge information on learning disabilities, practical solutions, and a comprehensive network of resources. These services make LDA the leading resource for information on learning disabilities.

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Learning Disabilities Association of America - Support. Educate. Advocate.

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Since 1963 ,LDA has provided support to people with learning disabilities, their parents, teachers and other professionals with cutting edge information on learning disabilities, practical solutions, and a comprehensive network of resources. These services make LDA the leading resource for information on learning disabilities.

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The Institute of Education Sciences is "the nation's leading source for rigorous, independent education research, evaluation, and statistics."

IES funds education science, evaluates federal programs, supports evidence based policies and practices, collects and reports education statistics, and oversees the scientific peer review process for IES reports and grand applications.

The practice guide offers research and science backed practices to improve student outcomes.

Institute of Educational Sciences. Institute of Education Sciences (IES). (n.d.). https://ies.ed.gov/

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Welcome to the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), the nation’s leading source for rigorous, independent education research, evaluation and statistics.

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Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

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Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

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Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

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Information about the the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the law that governs education for children with disabilities, including the law’s statutes, regulations, and associated policies.

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Information about the reauthorization of ESEA to ESSA.

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North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI)

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North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI)

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Highlights

Online Licensure System Tutorials
Instructional videos and guides to help navigate the educator licensing system for North Carolina.

2023-24 State Salary Schedule
Salary schedules and daily rates for state legislated certified salaries, and salary ranges for non-certified personnel.

NC Supports Military Enlistment
Resources to help students learn more about military enlistment as a post-secondary career option and tools to explore skill strengths and potential jobs, in the military, and beyond.

Testing and Accountability Resources
Support material related to state-developed assessments for educators and administrators.

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Public Schools of North Carolina Homepage

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Learn more about Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance from the U.S. Department of Education.

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About: RGR partners with educators to "integrate research-driven, systematic literacy methods". Focus on rigorous standards, science of reading, orthographic mapping, building reading foundations.

Resources:

Curriculum for purchase (vocabulary, interventions, etc) (paid)

Free Resources Blog- reviews different curriculums, strategies, activities, etc (free)

Free summer school program (free* some paid/content requires sign up)

Letter Tile Freeplay- A great online letter tile mat where students can build words (free)

Heart Word Magic- videos and animations for teaching high frequency/sight words. (free)

Free Diagnostic Reading Survey to assess reading levels (free * with the intention of leading to purchase of curriculum/required sign up)

Grouping Matrix- resource to help collect data, group, and progress monitor students (free* with intention of leading to purchase)

Oral Language Screener (paid)

My favorite: I love the letter tile freeplay. I like it better than other letter tile apps online because you can literally pull down/move letter tiles around yourself as if it were an actual magnet letter tile board.

Really Great Reading. (n.d.). https://www.reallygreatreading.com/

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Really Great Reading | Specialists in Reading Education

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About: Florida Center for Reading Research Center Activities is created by a team of researchers. They create activities from Pre-K through 5th grade. Each activity has a component and subcomponent. There's a name for each activity, number, and objective. The activity sheets list materials, directions, and examples. Most activities have printable components/pages.

Activities in the following areas (components):

phonological awareness

Phonics & Advanced Phonics

Fluency

Vocabulary

Comprehension

Florida Center for Reading Research. (n.d.). https://fcrr.org/

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Fourth and Fifth Grade | Florida Center for Reading Research

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Fourth Grade and Fifth Grade Student Center Activities Advanced Phonics | Fluency | Vocabulary | Comprehension

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Ditch That Textbook- templates & resources

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Ditch That Textbook- templates & resources

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Ditch That Textbook is run by Matt Miller. The focus is for blended learning. You can look for keynote speeches and workshops, sign up for the newsletter, access templates, ai teacher resources, and more.

Ditch That Textbook has many things for teachers on their site including books, resources, and templates. The templates' main goal is to save teachers time and getting students to work quickly. There are templates for games, interactive activities, graphic organizers, lesson plans, communication templates, feedback templates, exit ticket templates, back to school templates, end of year templates, and social media templates.

Ditch that textbook templates and resources. Ditch That Textbook. (2025, March 30). https://ditchthattextbook.com/resources/templates/

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Don't do the work if you don't have to.Our templates get your students to work quickly.Download or make a copy. Adjust as necessary. Assign to your

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Diffit is another resource website that is similar to AI resources. It pulls from and cites its sources. Diffit describes its services as:

Differentiate, extend, or add resources for existing content - using any text, PDF, book, article URL or YouTube video. Great for:

Adapting, re-leveling, and translating existing curriculum or articles

Getting standards-aligned questions, summaries, and extension activities for any content

Instructional strategy aligned activities for individual work, centers rotations, entire lesson plans, sub plans, and so much more

Generate informational texts on any topic - all from real, cited sources. Perfect for:

When you don’t already have the curriculum you need

Creating readings and activities aligned to student interests, to build background knowledge, or to extend learning

Get student-ready activities: Choose from a growing library of ready to use templates for your Diffit content, and export in Google Slides, Forms, Docs, Powerpoints, Word, or Printable PDFs.

I like using this tool to help my co-teachers and other teachers differentiate their lessons.

Diffit. (n.d.). https://web.diffit.me/

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Use existing curriculum, or generate standards-aligned content with real, cited sources.

Choose a grade level and language, and watch Diffit create complete, differentiated resources. ✅

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Use existing curriculum, or generate standards-aligned content with real, cited sources. Choose a grade level and language, and watch Diffit create complete, differentiated resources. ✅

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Building Thinking Classrooms is an educational approach by Dr. Peter Liljedahl. that encourages students to think deeply and longer. He spent 15 years researching and came up with 14 practices to grow thinking, collaboration, perseverance, and risk-taking. A book was published in 2020 about the research. It is mainly focused on math. Co-workers have shared that the groups on facebook have many great ideas for teachers to use and try as well.

Building Thinking Classrooms: Teaching Practices for Enhancing Learning Mathematics. BTC Site. (n.d.). https://www.buildingthinkingclassrooms.com/

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Building Thinking Classrooms?

Sparked by observing teachers struggle to implement rich mathematics tasks to engage students in deep thinking, Peter Liljedahl has translated his 15 years of research into a set of 14 optimal practices for thinking that create an ideal setting for deep mathematics learning to occur. When combined, these unique research-based practices create the optimal conditions for learner-centered, student-owned deep mathematical thinking and learning, and have the power to transform mathematics classrooms like never before.

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Building Thinking Classrooms | Teaching Practices for Enhancing Learning Mathematics

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Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics helps teachers implement 14 optimal practices for thinking that create an ideal setting for deep mathematics learning to occur.

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UFLI - University of Florida Literacy Institute

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UFLI - University of Florida Literacy Institute

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UFLI is a free literacy/phonics curriculum that anyone can access. There are materials and a teacher manual that can be purchased. This is a systematic and research backed curriculum that works through phonics. There are powerpoints/google slides, at home practice sheets, roll & reads, and decodables.

There is an online blending board, word work mats, and a game generator.

I like using this resource as introduction lessons for my students on different phonics topics. The roll and reads are also really helpful for my students.

University of Florida. (n.d.). Ufli Foundations Toolbox. U F Literacy Institute. https://ufli.education.ufl.edu/foundations/toolbox/

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Lesson Resources

The UFLI Foundations Toolbox contains all the lesson resources to accompany the lesson plans provided in the UFLI Foundations manual. (Don't have a manual yet? Click here to order one) Every lesson has companion resources that will help you implement the lessons efficiently, effectively, and consistently.

Some of the companion lesson resources you will find below include:

Lesson slide decks (in PowerPoint and Google Slide formats)

Decodable passages

Homework sheets

Games and activities for additional practice

We have grouped the lessons into smaller units so you can access these resources more easily. Scroll down to use the buttons below to find the resources for each lesson or groups of lessons.

Please note that we are still building out these free resources, and we will be editing this page over the next few weeks. We wanted you to be able to access some materials as soon as possible, but be sure to come back later to see the rest!
New to UFLI Foundations? Learn about its development, check out a sample lesson plan, view the scope and sequence, and more.

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The UFLI Foundations Toolbox contains all the lesson resources to accompany the lesson plans provided in the UFLI Foundations manual. (Don't have a manual yet? Click here to order one) Every lesson has companion resources that will help you implement the lessons efficiently, effectively, and consistently.

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Math Drills is a website to find math worksheets for a variety of math subjects from number sense to decimals, to base ten, to other fact worksheets. This is a great source when you need some progress monitoring or practice worksheets on various math topics.

Free math worksheets. Drills. (n.d.). https://math-drills.com/

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Math-Drills.com includes over sixty-four thousand free math worksheets that may be used to help students learn math. Our math worksheets are available on a broad range of topics including number sense, arithmetic, pre-algebra, geometry, measurement, money concepts and much more. There are two interactive math features: the math flash cards and dots math game.

Math-Drills.com was launched in 2005 with around 400 math worksheets. Since then, tens of thousands more math worksheets have been added. The website and content continues to be improved based on feedback and suggestions from our users and our own knowledge of effective math practices.

Most Math-Drills users are classroom teachers or parents. Classroom teachers use our math worksheets to assess student mastery of basic math facts, to give students extra math practice, to teach new math strategies, and to save precious planning time. Parents use our math worksheets to give their children extra math practice over school breaks and to enhance their math education. Home schools use our math worksheets in their programs to develop and strengthen math skills in their children.

Most Popular Free Math Worksheets this Week

Supporting Student Learning with Free Math Worksheets by Math-Drills

Math-Drills believes that education should be accessible to all children despite their socioeconomic situation or any other factors. Since it began in 2005, all the math worksheets on Math-Drills have been free-to-use with students learning math. The Math-Drills website works well on any device and worksheets can be printed or used on a screen.

Math-Drills worksheets are also used in special education, adult education, tutoring, colleges, high schools, prisons and a variety of other situations. Special education teachers especially like that we break down math skills and provide large-print options. Adult learners appreciate the simple uncluttered format that our worksheets offer. Tutors use our math worksheets to reduce their costs and focus on student learning. High school, college and university educators sometimes need remedial resources for students to allow them to continue with more advanced topics.

Students who practice their math skills with our math worksheets over school breaks keep their math skills sharp for upcoming school terms. Because we provide answer keys, students are able to self-assess and use the immediate feedback provided by an answer key to analyze and correct errors in their work. Our interactive (fillable) math worksheets allow them to fill in their answers on the screen and save or print the results.
Math-Drills.com Tour on YouTube.
Join the Math-Drills Newsletter

Join our newsletter to find out about new math worksheets and other information related to the website.

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Math-Drills includes over 58 thousand free math worksheets for students in elementary and middle school. Our easy to print math worksheets are free to use in your school or home.

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Formative and Summative Assessments for K-2 Math Students in accordance with NC legislative and State Board Requirements. These assessments have the goal of documenting, assessing, and progress monitoring students throughout the year on their proficiency of the standards of North Carolina SCoS. These assessments provide information about progress of each student, provide teachers with information about their upcoming classes, inform parents about their children's growth/proficiency, provide school/districts information about student success.

K-2 Math Assessment. NC DPI. (n.d.). https://www.dpi.nc.gov/districts-schools/classroom-resources/academic-standards/standard-course-study/mathematics/k-2-math-assessment

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In response to North Carolina legislative and State Board requirements, the NC Department of Public Instruction provides Public School Units (PSU) with state-developed assessments to be implemented for kindergarten, first, and second grades. These assessments are to include documented, on-going individualized assessments throughout the year and a summative evaluation at the end of the year. These assessments monitor proficiency of the standards in the North Carolina Standard Course of Study.

Assessments may take the form of these state-developed materials, adaptations of these materials, or unique assessments adopted by local school boards. The intended purposes of these assessments are:

To provide information about progress of each student for instructional adaptations and early interventions.

To provide next-year teachers with information about the status of each of their incoming students.

To inform parents about the status of their children relative to grade-level standards at the end of the year.

To provide the school and school district information about the achievement status and progress of groups of students in grades K, 1, and 2.

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In response to North Carolina legislative and State Board requirements, the NC Department of Public Instruction provides Public School Units (PSU) with state-developed assessments to be implemented for kindergarten, first, and second grades. These assessments are to include documented, on-going individualized assessments throughout the year and a summative evaluation at the end of the year.

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Tools 4 NC Teachers offers a collection of topics, resources, parent resources, standards, standards breakdwons, and instructional frameworks for teachers of K-8 Math. The document for each grade level is intended to connect and sequence mathematical ideas and help teacher plan instruction for their students. The content is structured into clusters that increase in depth over time. Clusters include content standards and timelines for instruction. Standards are introduced but not necessarily expected to be mastered within that cluster as the clusters build on each other. The clusters include practices to support each cluster's content, standard connections, and portions of standards that are introduced and build on each other as the clusters progress.

Each cluster also has a section that describes concepts and connections with the standards that are necessary for students to use in mathematics. There are also student learning progressions and problem solving situations.

Whoosh Agency. (n.d.). Tools 4 NC Teachers. https://tools4ncteachers.com/

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Neurowild is created by Emily Hammond and Autistic and ADHD Speech Pathologist. She is an illustrator, artist, and a mom. She creates resources for parents, neurodivergent people, and educators. She works to reframe education and create resources that embrace neurodiverse minds and support their learning. I find these resources and her posts on instagram to be really informative and help me as an educator shift my perspectives on common problems/situations faced by neurodivergent children in public education.

Instagram:

Hammond, E. (n.d.). Neurowild. @neurowild_. https://www.instagram.com/neurowild_/?hl=en

Teachers Pay Teachers:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/browse?search=neurowild

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Reframing Autism is an Australian Charity ran by Autistic people for Autistic people. The charity is based off of the experiences of Autistic people and those who love, support, and parent them. It is also based on the most innovative, respectful, and inclusive research that has been coproduced with the Autistic community. The charity follows four guiding elements of respect, accept, embrace, and empower.

There is a plethora of great resources regarding Autism for both Autistic people and allies. This can be a great resource for people working with Autistic folks to help them understand and reframe their thoughts on Autism.

Reframing Autism. (2024, August 11). https://reframingautism.org.au/

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The Reframing Autism team would like to acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the lands on which we have the privilege to learn, work, and grow. Whilst we gather on many different parts of this Country, the RA team walk on the land of the Birpai, Awabakal, Wattamattagal, Whadjak, Amangu, Bunurong and Kaurna Yarta peoples.

We are committed to honouring the rich culture of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of this Country, and the diversity and learning opportunities with which they provide us. We extend our gratitude and respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and to all Elders past, present, and emerging, for their wisdom, their resilience, and for helping this Country to heal.

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Reframing Autism | Celebrating & nurturing Autistic identity

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We are an Autistic-led charity & association, reframing the understanding of Autism through education to change how society perceives Autism.

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All Kinds of Minds features a learning library with a vast collection of articles and strategies around common learning challenges. There is a tool called Attuning a Student helps identify learners' strengths and challenges and develops learning profiles to help build tools for success. There is also a Learner Sketch Tool that is focused on providing learners with personalized strategies to improve their learning outcome and offers educators with information and strategies.

Within the learning library you can choose from different subject areas/challenge areas for students. From there you can choose skills and it will show you subskills for that task, common obstacles to those subskills, and additional helpful tips.

All Kinds of Minds. (2025, March 14). https://allkindsofminds.org/

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Q.E.D. Foundation is an organization of adults and youth working together to create and sustain student-centered learning communities. Our work is based on relationships and practices that first and foremost support students' growth and learning while simultaneously improving the health of our communities and our society.

Young people are our most important resource for the future. As we at QED have learned from experience, when students work in concert with adults who are deeply invested in their success, they bring powerful voice and vision to the work of redesigning our school communities. Their participation in the work empowers and sustains their voices and vision.

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We are all learners with aspirations and passions that deserve to be supported in every way possible. Learning changes lives by helping us develop the will, knowledge, skill, and capacity to achieve our aspirations. Learning needs to happen in different ways so we use various strengths and resources to engage with the world around us.

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Boom Learning | Empowering teachers and students

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Boom Cards transform the classroom into an interactive, gamified learning experience with data to track progress and identify learning gaps.

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Instantly access over 40,000 of the best books & videos for kids on Epic

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Response to Intervention | RTI | RTI Resources | Intervention Central

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Intervention Central is the leading resource for Response to Intervention (RTI) tools and resources, including academic and behavior interventions for classroom management.

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Log in to i-Ready®, online assessment and instruction that helps teachers provide all students a path to proficiency and growth in reading and mathematics.

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World's most popular online marketplace for original educational resources with more than four million resources available for use today.

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Learn to Type | Type Better | Type Faster - Typing.com

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World's most popular free typing program! Typing.com's K-12 typing curriculum features touch typing, digital citizenship, coding lessons, and games.

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This resource padlet provides a comprehensive but not exhaustive toolkit for special education teachers, bringing together some essential organizations, legal frameworks, evidence-based practices, and practical teaching resources. The materials are thoughtfully organized to support educators in creating inclusive and effective learning environments for students.

The professional organizations listed provides teachers access to specialized knowledge, professional development, and community support. These organizations provide research-backed guidance, personal experiences, and advocacy resources.

I included some legal resources because it is vital for Special Educators to understand the policies and legalities of our field. These resources mainly focus on IDEA and Section 504. They link to the government webpages that not only offer the policies themselves but supportive tools and guidelines to help educators understand them.

Legal Framework & Policy Resources

The inclusion of platforms like Teachers Pay Teachers, Diffit, Florida Center for Reading Research, and UFLI demonstrates awareness that teachers benefit from ready-to-use materials and differentiation tools. These resources help bridge the gap between theory/best practice that is so often discussed in courses and classroom application.

I didn't have a big idea in mind when collecting these resources. I asked coworkers to send me what they use/love and did some of my own research/digging as well as included sources I already knew about/use in my own classroom. Looking over everything, I can see how multi-faceted special education is by the need for such varied tools for EC teachers. The resources I gathered emphasize both compliance and instructional effectiveness as complementary rather than competing priorities. A big commonality across the resources is the emphasis on structured and systematic approaches to instruction. This pattern suggests that predictable instructional frameworks benefit students with diverse learning needs while allowing for personalization within those structures.

I tried to include a variety of specificity. Legal guidelines can be broad so I also tried to include some more specific sources such as best practices and research backed strategies.

I hope to start with the legal resources to become more familiar with the laws surrounding special education. I feel this is an area I personally am weaker in. From there, I can use the other resources to ensure I am in compliance with the law and the specific strategies to ensure effectiveness in my teaching.

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MagicSchool.ai - AI for teachers - lesson planning and more!

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Join over a million teachers saving hours of time using the #1 AI Platform for Education, MagicSchool, to help lesson plan, differentiate, write assessments, write IEPs, communicate clearly, and more!

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Five Reasons Why Presuming Competence is Always a Good Idea

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Five Reasons Why Presuming Competence is Always a Good Idea

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I think all teachers have had students who led them to that "ah-ha" experience that helped them realize why they got into teaching in the first place. The students were eager, curious, funny, stubborn, persistent, or just plain nice kids. It happened for me back in 1992. I was doing some school reform and inclusive education work with a newly built high school in southern New Hampshire. On my first day at the school, I met two incoming 9th graders, both of whom had pretty significant disabilities. Let's call them John and Rob. John looked terrified as he made his way down the busy hallways. He didn't use his voice to communicate, but cobbled together some gestures and signs to try to make himself understood. He seemed unable to read and his most recent three-year re-evaluation revealed an I.Q. of 42. He had some compulsive behaviors and was very anxious most of the time. He was shy and withdrawn, clumsy and overweight.

The second student I met that day couldn't have been more different. Rob appeared to be thriving in 9th grade, giving high-5's to just about everyone he met as he walked through the busy hallways between classes. He seemed cooperative and was a real jokester. He had recently learned to use a communication board and was a whiz at spelling, although he, too, did not use his voice to communicate. In fact, I heard a classmate tell him "Hey, slow down, slow down, I can't keep up with you!" I learned that he was an assistant manager of the football team and he wore his team jersey proudly.

When I looked through John's cumulative file, I saw a pretty typical educational history for a student with his "developmental disability" profile. He had been in all self-contained classes through 8th grade except for art and physical education. His IEP goals focused on pre-academic skills (e.g., matching, 1:1 correspondence, letter identification); as well as on self-care, vocational, and life-skills. He spent most of every day with other students who had significant disabilities and he participated in Special Olympics.

Rob's educational program was quite different. He was included in all general education classes. His IEP contained goals and objectives that reflected the essential elements of the general education curriculum, as well as objectives related to reading, managing his belongings, participating in extracurricular activities, and communication skills.

In speaking with John and Rob's parents, I saw starkly different future expectations for these young men. John's parents thought he would live in a group home, work in a sheltered workshop, and spend most of his time with other people who had significant disabilities. Rob's parents expected him to eventually live away from home, perhaps with roommates who might get free rent in order to provide some support to him. They thought Rob might work in the family pizza business or perhaps in a fitness facility because he liked sports and was so gregarious. They hoped that the friendships he had developed in school would continue on into adult life and that those friends who stayed in the area would hang out together doing what other 20-somethings do in their spare time.

When I talk about these two students in workshops, I ask people to come up with a hypothesis about why their educational programs and futures looked so different. Several people always say "Well, it looks like John is a lot lower functioning than Rob." And there it is. Across the U.S. , only 16% of students who are labelled as having an intellectual disability are included in general education classes for most of their school day. Over 50% of students taking alternate assessments do not have the assistive technology (including augmentative communication) that they need in order to demonstrate what they really know. Our judgments about students' intellectual capacities affect every decision we make about their educational programs, their communication systems and supports, the social activities we support them to participate in, and the futures we imagine.

OK, time to fess up. There actually weren't two students at the high school. Just one and his name was Amro Diab. Amro had been in self-contained classes his whole life before moving into 9th grade. A key special education teacher who served in the role of Inclusion Facilitator at his new high school, together with some folks from the Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire, developed Amro's educational program based on the idea of presuming his competence. They believed that with the right supports, Amro could learn the essential elements of the general education curriculum, communicate effectively, have a full social life based on shared interests with his classmates, and graduate to an inclusive adult life in the community. With these supports, he went from being like "John" to being like "Rob." Who changed more? The student or the assumptions held by those around him?

This notion of presuming competence tends to be a deeply held belief and those who hold it don't need I.Q. or other test scores to back them up. For them, and for me, it's the "least dangerous assumption" I can make about any student or any person. As I've thought more deeply about this idea over the last 30 years - and yes, there have been students who've challenged my beliefs - I've identified five reasons why presuming competence will always guide my work.

First, people's expectations matter. When teachers expect students to do well, they do even better than expected.

Second, I.Q. and other tests that purport to measure human capacity are terribly flawed. They usually tell us what students can't do rather than what they might do if they had good instruction and high quality supports. Basing a student's whole educational career and future on a test score just seems fraught with potential harm.

Third, a growing body of research shows "unexpected" abilities in people who had been identified as intellectually disabled until they were provided with a means to communicate. Think Hellen Keller or Larry Bissonnette.

Fourth, to presume in competence could cause irreparable harm to our students if we are wrong.

And finally, even if we are wrong about presuming a student's ability to learn and to communicate in ways that are on par with his classmates without disabilities, being wrong about that isn't as dangerous as the alternative.

- Cheryl Jorgensen

I am an inclusive education consultant who works with schools and families to support students' welcomed membership, reciprocal social relationships, full participation, and authentic learning of the general education curriculum within general education instruction in the general education classroom.

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Five Reasons Why Presuming Competence is ALWAYS a Good Idea - SWIFT

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I think all teachers have had students who led them to that "ah-ha" experience that helped them realize why they got into teaching in the first place. The students were eager, curious, funny, stubborn, persistent, or just plain nice kids. It happened for me back in 1992.

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Inquiry Based Learning to Boost Student Engagement

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Inquiry Based Learning to Boost Student Engagement

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Inquiry-Based Learning to Boost Student Engagement

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Learn ways to boost student engagement, comprehension, and recall through inquiry-based learning in n2y’s blog article.

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Children With Disabilities- Disability Definitions 

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Children With Disabilities- Disability Definitions 

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Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

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300.8 Child with a disability.

(1) Child with a disability means a child evaluated in accordance with §§300.304 through 300.311 as having an intellectual disability, a hearing impairment (including deafness), a speech or language impairment, a visual impairment (including blindness), a serious emotional disturbance (referred to in this part as "emotional disturbance"), an orthopedic impairment, autism, traumatic brain injury, an other health impairment, a specific learning disability, deaf-blindness, or multiple disabilities, and who, by reason thereof, needs special education and related services.

(i) Subject to paragraph (a)(2)(ii) of this section, if it is determined, through an appropriate evaluation under §§300.304 through 300.311, that a child has one of the disabilities identified in paragraph (a)(1) of this section, but only needs a related service and not special education, the child is not a child with a disability under this part.

(ii) If, consistent with §300.39(a)(2), the related service required by the child is considered special education rather than a related service under State standards, the child would be determined to be a child with a disability under paragraph (a)(1) of this section.

(b) Children aged three through nine experiencing developmental delays. Child with a disability for children aged three through nine (or any subset of that age range, including ages three through five), may, subject to the conditions described in §300.111(b), include a child-

(1) Who is experiencing developmental delays, as defined by the State and as measured by appropriate diagnostic instruments and procedures, in one or more of the following areas: Physical development, cognitive development, communication development, social or emotional development, or adaptive development; and

(2) Who, by reason thereof, needs special education and related services.

(c) Definitions of disability terms. The terms used in this definition of a child with a disability are defined as follows:

(i) Autism means a developmental disability significantly affecting verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction, generally evident before age three, that adversely affects a child's educational performance. Other characteristics often associated with autism are engagement in repetitive activities and stereotyped movements, resistance to environmental change or change in daily routines, and unusual responses to sensory experiences.

(ii) Autism does not apply if a child's educational performance is adversely affected primarily because the child has an emotional disturbance, as defined in paragraph (c)(4) of this section.

(iii) A child who manifests the characteristics of autism after age three could be identified as having autism if the criteria in paragraph (c)(1)(i) of this section are satisfied.

(2) Deaf-blindness means concomitant hearing and visual impairments, the combination of which causes such severe communication and other developmental and educational needs that they cannot be accommodated in special education programs solely for children with deafness or children with blindness.

(3) Deafness means a hearing impairment that is so severe that the child is impaired in processing linguistic information through hearing, with or without amplification, that adversely affects a child's educational performance.

(i) Emotional disturbance means a condition exhibiting one or more of the following characteristics over a long period of time and to a marked degree that adversely affects a child's educational performance:

(A) An inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors.

(B) An inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers.

(C) Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances.

(D) A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression.

(E) A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems.

(ii) Emotional disturbance includes schizophrenia. The term does not apply to children who are socially maladjusted, unless it is determined that they have an emotional disturbance under paragraph (c)(4)(i) of this section.

(5) Hearing impairment means an impairment in hearing, whether permanent or fluctuating, that adversely affects a child's educational performance but that is not included under the definition of deafness in this section.

(6) Intellectual disability means significantly subaverage general intellectual functioning, existing concurrently with deficits in adaptive behavior and manifested during the developmental period, that adversely affects a child's educational performance. The term "intellectual disability" was formerly termed "mental retardation."

(7) Multiple disabilities means concomitant impairments (such as intellectual disability-blindness or intellectual disability-orthopedic impairment), the combination of which causes such severe educational needs that they cannot be accommodated in special education programs solely for one of the impairments. Multiple disabilities does not include deaf-blindness.

(8) Orthopedic impairment means a severe orthopedic impairment that adversely affects a child's educational performance. The term includes impairments caused by a congenital anomaly, impairments caused by disease (e.g., poliomyelitis, bone tuberculosis), and impairments from other causes (e.g., cerebral palsy, amputations, and fractures or burns that cause contractures).

(9) Other health impairment means having limited strength, vitality, or alertness, including a heightened alertness to environmental stimuli, that results in limited alertness with respect to the educational environment, that-

(i) Is due to chronic or acute health problems such as asthma, attention deficit disorder or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, diabetes, epilepsy, a heart condition, hemophilia, lead poisoning, leukemia, nephritis, rheumatic fever, sickle cell anemia, and Tourette syndrome; and

(ii) Adversely affects a child's educational performance.

(10) Specific learning disability-

(i) General. Specific learning disability means a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself in the imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or to do mathematical calculations, including conditions such as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia.

(ii) Disorders not included. Specific learning disability does not include learning problems that are primarily the result of visual, hearing, or motor disabilities, of intellectual disability, of emotional disturbance, or of environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage.

(11) Speech or language impairment means a communication disorder, such as stuttering, impaired articulation, a language impairment, or a voice impairment, that adversely affects a child's educational performance.

(12) Traumatic brain injury means an acquired injury to the brain caused by an external physical force, resulting in total or partial functional disability or psychosocial impairment, or both, that adversely affects a child's educational performance. Traumatic brain injury applies to open or closed head injuries resulting in impairments in one or more areas, such as cognition; language; memory; attention; reasoning; abstract thinking; judgment; problem-solving; sensory, perceptual, and motor abilities; psychosocial behavior; physical functions; information processing; and speech. Traumatic brain injury does not apply to brain injuries that are congenital or degenerative, or to brain injuries induced by birth trauma.

(13) Visual impairment including blindness means an impairment in vision that, even with correction, adversely affects a child's educational performance. The term includes both partial sight and blindness.

[71 FR 46753, Aug. 14, 2006, as amended at 72 FR 61306, Oct. 30, 2007; 82 FR 31912, July 11, 2017]

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Sec. 300.8 Child with a disability - Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

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300.8 Child with a disability. (a) General. (1) Child with a disability means a child evaluated in accordance with §§300.304 through 300.311 as having an intellectual disability, a hearing impairment (including deafness), a speech or language impairment, a visual impairment (including blindness), a serious emotional disturbance (referred to in this part as "emotional disturbance"), an...

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Characteristics of Children with Learning Disabilities

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Characteristics of Children with Learning Disabilities

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IRIS Peabody Vanderbilt Professional Development & Resources

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IRIS Peabody Vanderbilt Professional Development & Resources

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"We initially chose IRIS because of the past experiences and their credible research-based, high-quality modules that align with specific areas of growth and need to support a state-directed corrective action plan in our region."

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"We initially chose IRIS because of the past experiences and their credible research-based, high-quality modules that align with specific areas of growth and need to support a state-directed corrective action plan in our region."

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This is a good introduction to what RTI is. Iris has archived the course/videos because they said information may be dated, but the link is still active so people can still interact/participate with it.

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This module outlines the differences between the IQ-achievement discrepancy model and the response-to-intervention (RTI) approach. It also offers a brief overview of each tier in the RTI model and explains its benefits (est. completion time: 1 hour).
This module was developed in collaboration with the Tennessee State Improvement Grant and the Tennessee Department of Education.
Work through the sections of this module in the order presented in the STAR graphic above.

Related to this module

Copyright 2022 Vanderbilt University. All rights reserved.

The IRIS Center Peabody College Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN 37203 [email protected]. The IRIS Center is funded through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) Grant #H325E220001. The contents of this Website do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. Project Officer, Sarah Allen.

Copyright 2023 Vanderbilt University. All rights reserved.

* For refund and privacy policy information visit our Help & Support page.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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This module outlines the differences between the IQ-achievement discrepancy model and the response-to-intervention (RTI) approach. It also offers a brief overview of each tier in the RTI model and explains its benefits (est. completion time: 1 hour). This module was developed in collaboration with the Tennessee State Improvement Grant and the Tennessee Department of Education.

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Page 2: High-Quality Instruction: Instructional Practices

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Teachers can increase students’ reading success in early grades by implementing high-quality instruction. High-quality instruction refers to the utilization of both research-validated instructional practices and core reading programs. Implementing high-quality instruction allows teachers to rule out inadequate instruction as a reason for poor reading performance. Information about core reading programs can be found on the[.....]

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Page 3: Evidence-Based Mathematics Practices

Once they have adopted a standards-based curriculum, teachers can begin to help their students to learn the identified concepts and procedures. The most effective way to teach concepts and procedures is to implement evidence-based practices (EBPs)-practices and strategies that have been shown to be effective through rigorous research. When teachers implement EBPs along with a standards-based curriculum, they are providing high-quality mathematics instruction.

For Your Information

Though the terms evidence-based practices and evidence-based programs are often used interchangeably, experts and practitioners are now recognizing the importance of differentiating between them. The definitions below reflect the distinct characteristics of each.

Evidence-Based Practice: Any of a wide number of discrete skills, techniques, or strategies which have been demonstrated through experimental research or large-scale field studies to be effective.

Evidence-Based Program: A collection of practices that experimental research studies or large-scale research field studies have proven effective.

Why Should Teachers Use EBPs?

Most of us have a strong tendency to make choices or take actions with which we have some sense of familiarity, and classroom teachers are no exception. This tendency often leads educators to shape their instruction around practices and methods to which they have grown accustomed. These might be commonly used practices or ones that they have noticed their colleagues use in their own classrooms. They might even be practices or strategies that they learned from their own teachers during their time in school.

Unfortunately, many of these methods have been shown to be ineffective, or else there is no data to support their effectiveness. The solution is for teachers to make certain that they are using EBPs in their classroom instruction. There are good reasons for doing so. From a purely practical standpoint, the use of EBPs is mandated by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA '04). These federal laws require teachers to use, to the greatest extent possible, academic and behavioral practices and programs grounded in scientifically based research.
Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
Federal school reform legislation originally enacted in 1965 that aimed to increase school accountability for student learning, offer more choices for parents and students, create greater flexibility for schools in the use of funds, and emphasize early-reading intervention. This act now mandates the use of academic and behavioral evidence-based practices. When this act was reauthorized in 2001, it was referred to as the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 2015 and will go into effect in fall 2017.
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA '04)
Name given in 1990 to the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA) and used for all reauthorizations of the law that guarantees students with disabilities the right to a free appropriate education in the least restrictive environment.
scientifically based research
Research that uses a rigorous and systematic design and high-quality data analyses, and that is published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Beyond the issue of legal obligation, however, is the fact that EBPs significantly increase the prospects of student achievement and learning. Among the benefits of using EBPs:

Increased likelihood of positive student mathematics outcomes

Increased accountability because there are data to back up the selection of a practice or program, which in turn facilitates support from administrators, parents, and others

Less wasted time and fewer wasted resources because educators start off with an effective practice or program rather than attempting to select one through trial-and-error

Increased likelihood of being responsive to learners' needs

Higher probability of convincing students to try a practice or program because there is evidence that it works

Now that we have discussed why teachers should use EBPs in their classrooms, let's turn our attention to how they can go about selecting them and implementing them with fidelity.

Identifying and Selecting EBPs

A variety of reputable sources-the What Works Clearinghouse and Best Evidence Encyclopedia among them-are available to help educators seeking to identify evidence-based practices and programs. Visiting these sites, teachers will find not only general overviews of EBPs but also research findings and effectiveness ratings. Attention to this information is important. Not every EBP is appropriate for every situation or setting. The closer a given practice or program matches student needs, the greater the likelihood it will lead to a desired outcome. For example, a 3rd-grade teacher with a large proportion of ELLs in her classroom should look for a mathematics program that has been shown to be effective with all students, including those who are learning English.

Click here for a list of Web-based resources for determining whether a practice or program is evidence-based.
Web-based resources for determining whether a practice is evidence-based
This online clearinghouse offers information on the researched evaluations of numerous educational programs in a coherently arranged and easy-to-navigate format.

Explore this Website to find "a cutting-edge collection of scientifically based research and information on K-12 instruction in reading, math, science, special education, and English language learning." On hand are links to resources for struggling readers, literary resources for adolescents, an introduction to progress monitoring in math, and many, many others.

On hand here is a host of materials related to "Early Childhood Education," "Math and Science," and "School Improvement," among many others. Included in the offerings from the Office of Planning, Evaluation & Policy Development (OPEPD) are multi-media "Inside Classroom" clips and an Online Workshop.

Hosted by the University of Missouri, the Evidence-Based Intervention Network was "developed to provide guidance in the selection and implementation of EBI in the classroom setting." Visitors to the site will find resources on Early Learning in Mathematics (ELM), evidence-based mathematics assessments, and literature reviews and summaries of current research.

Part of the American Institutes for Research Network, the National Center on Intensive Intervention hosts and provides links to resources on an incredible number of academic topics and instructional practices. Among their offerings related to mathematics are sample lessons and activities, a wide variety of instructional videos, diagnostic assessments, and resources for intensive interventions, among much more.

The Promising Practices Network-a project of the RAND Corporation-highlights "summaries of programs and practices that are proven to improve outcomes for children." Pre-screened and evaluated programs on hand here include Early Intervention in Reading, I CAN Learn Pre-Algebra and Algebra, and Good Behavior Game, among many, many others.

Browse this site to read the latest from the U.S. Department of Education on topics related to "Adolescent Literary," "Beginning Reading," "Dropout Prevention," "Early Childhood Education," "Elementary School Math," "English Language Learners," "Middle School Math," and "Character Education." Online resources allow users to create their own "Effectiveness Rating" chart.
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Implementing EBPs with Fidelity

Selecting an EBP, however, is just the first step. Once chosen, the practice or program must then be implemented with fidelity, or in the manner intended by its researchers or developers. Research indicates that one of the most common reasons that educators fail to see the results they anticipate is that they have not implemented the practice or program as intended. Generally, to implement an EBP with fidelity, a teacher should:

Receive adequate training and ongoing support

Adhere to the procedures of the instructional practice or program (e.g., implement with groups of the correct size)

Implement the practice or program as frequently as recommended (e.g., daily, three times per week)

Implement the practice or program for the recommended amount of time (e.g., one semester, one academic year)

Skillfully implement the instructional procedures

Though correct implementation of an EBP increases the likelihood of improved performance, there will nevertheless typically be a small percentage of students who do not respond to it. For this reason, teachers should collect data on each student's response to determine whether the practice or program is beneficial for each student.

Sarah Powell, a researcher in the area of mathematics strategies, discusses why educators should implement EBPs and the importance of doing so with fidelity (time: 2:21).

Sarah Powell, PhD
Assistant Professor, Special Education
University of Texas at Austin

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View Transcript
Transcript: Sarah Powell, PhD

It's really important to use evidence-based practices in mathematics so that we are not wasting the time of students. We need to be very efficient with the instruction that we provide to students. And that's not only true for students with learning difficulties, but that's true for every student in the mathematics classroom. We only have 180 days in a school year with these students. Many times, it's less when we put in field trips and absences and things like that. And there's a lot of mathematics that needs to be taught in any school year. So the importance of evidence-based practices is to get right at the heart of how to teach mathematics and how students learn mathematics. And we also have to rely on the research over the last 10, 20, 30 years. It's nice to try out new things, but we're not always sure if those are working, and we don't want to waste teachers' time, and we don't want to waste students' time.

There are quite a few resources out there that help us identify evidence-based practices. We can go to the original sources, which would be research journals or practitioner journals, but most people don't access those because they're long and hard reads. So there's some really good Websites that we can use that synthesize evidence-based practices in mathematics. Once you choose an evidence-based program or an evidence-based strategy to implement, we need to make sure that the teacher or you implement it as it was designed, and usually in the research world we say that you need to be implementing about 90 percent of the parts or components of an intervention to be implementing that intervention with fidelity. If you don't implement it in such a way then you can't really expect the same results that came from the original research study or the original research studies.

There are always going to be a few students that are what we call non-responders to a specific intervention or a specific strategy, and that's okay. Then we have to fine tune what we're doing or go a different direction and find what works for those students. We need to think of students as individuals, and what works for most may not work for one, and then we have to figure out what works for that one student. The nice thing about evidence-based practices is that we know that they do work for most, so it's a really good starting point.

For Your Information

To learn more about identifying EBPs, implementing them with fidelity, and evaluating whether they are beneficial for individual students, view the following IRIS Modules:

EBPs for Mathematics

Research on effective instructional practices in mathematics is an emerging field, and over time new practices for teaching mathematical skills and concepts will most likely be identified. This module will highlight four practices that show moderate to strong evidence for improving student outcomes in mathematics.
strong evidence
A rating used by the What Works Clearinghouse to designate a practice or program which is supported by high quality research. The research links a practice with positive results and adequately rules out other possible causes of those positive results.
moderate evidence
A rating used by the What Works Clearinghouse to designate that a practice or program is supported by high quality, yet limited, research. The research indicates that the practice or program yields positive results but does not adequately rule out other possible causes of those positive results.

Explicit, systematic instruction

Visual representations

Schema instruction

Metacognitive strategies

As you read about these four practices, you will notice some overlap. For instance, explicit, systematic instruction is a particularly effective method of teaching mathematics procedures. But it is also a key component of teaching the other three practices to students.

HLP and CCSSM Standards Alignment

High-leverage practices (HLPs) in special education are foundational practices shown to improve outcomes for students with disabilities. HLPs, which all special education teachers should implement, are divided into four areas: collaboration, assessment, social/emotional/behavioral practices, and instruction. As each of the EBPs (listed above) are described on the following pages, we will connect them to the relevant HLPs and CCSSM Standards for Mathematical Practice, when applicable. For more information about each of these, click on the links below.

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IRIS | Page 3: Evidence-Based Mathematics Practices

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Once they have adopted a standards-based curriculum, teachers can begin to help their students to learn the identified concepts and procedures. The most effective way to teach concepts and procedures is to implement evidence-based practices (EBPs)-practices and strategies that have been shown to be effective through rigorous research.

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Challenge

View the movie below and then proceed to the Initial Thoughts section (time: 2:52).

Transcript: Challenge

Mr. Anaya is a first-year special education teacher at Washington County Elementary School. The assistant principal, Mrs. Pederson, has just emailed him about an upcoming IEP meeting for Sienna, a 4th-grade student whose initial evaluation was just completed. This will be Mr. Anaya's first IEP team meeting. He learned a lot about IEPs in college and had lots of practice writing the various components as part of his course assignments. He even attended several IEP meetings during his student-teaching semester. But now he's going to be involved in the process for real and is a bit nervous. If the IEP team determines that Sienna is eligible for special education services, Mr. Anaya wants to make sure that she has a high-quality IEP that is geared to address her individual needs. He also wants to be sure her IEP contains challenging and meaningful learning goals that will guide his instruction.

To prepare for the IEP meeting, Mr. Anaya talks to Mrs. Pederson.

Mr. Anaya: I noticed the meeting is only scheduled for 45 minutes. I'm wondering how we're going to get everything done in such a short timeframe.

Mrs. Pederson: Don't worry. There's plenty of time. Mrs. Esposito has already started pulling Sienna's learning goals into her IEP. She's using a computerized program.

Mr. Anaya: Really? You can do that?

Mrs. Pederson: Oh, yeah! It's got a bank of pre-developed items to select from. It's super easy to use. The IEP's practically done. We just have to share it with the parents and have them sign it.

Mr. Anaya: But if I'm the one going to the IEP meeting, why is Mrs. Esposito working on the IEP?

Mrs. Pederson: Well, Mrs. Esposito has an available slot in her classroom, so she will probably be Sienna's teacher. I asked you to attend because she's not available at that time. As long as we have a special education teacher at the meeting, it really doesn't matter who it is. Anyway, Mrs. Dubois-you've met her, right?-she's Sienna's 4th-grade teacher. Well, she can only be there for 20 minutes while her class is at recess. I think it'll be a quick meeting.

Mr. Anaya is now more nervous than ever. The process at Washington County Elementary is quite different from what he learned about in college, and it is nothing like what he experienced during student teaching. He wonders whether he should just sit quietly during this meeting and then take a more active role in future meetings, once he has learned how Washington County Elementary does things.

Here is your Challenge:

What is an IEP?

What is the IEP process?

What is included in the IEP document?

The IRIS Center Peabody College Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN 37203 [email protected] The IRIS Center is funded through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) Grant #H325E220001. The contents of this Website do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. Project Officer, Sarah Allen.

Copyright 2023 Vanderbilt University. All rights reserved.

* For refund and privacy policy information visit our Help & Support page.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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View the movie below and then proceed to the Initial Thoughts section (time: 2:52). Transcript: Challenge Mr. Anaya is a first-year special education teacher at Washington County Elementary School. The assistant principal, Mrs. Pederson, has just emailed him about an upcoming IEP meeting for Sienna, a 4th-grade student whose initial evaluation was just completed.

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Challenge

View the movie below and then proceed to the Initial Thoughts section (time: 1:24).

Transcript: Challenge

Ms. Begay has just been hired as a first-year fourth-grade teacher at Silverado Elementary School. At the school orientation for new staff, the principal discussed the most recent state assessment results and informed the new teachers that they would be required to incorporate state standards and curricular goals into their instructional lesson planning. As Ms. Begay begins to develop her units and lessons for the upcoming year, she focuses on one semester at a time. She recognizes that she needs to address the state standards in her lessons and begins to reflect on how to make that work for her group of students. She knows that she will have students of varying backgrounds and abilities, and wants to make sure the curriculum meets the needs of all of her students, since she is not sure if all students are even at grade level. She also wants to ensure that her students are actively engaged in learning and find the lessons exciting. She is concerned that teaching to the standards will be boring and will just be "teaching to the test."

Here's your Challenge:

How will Ms. Begay know she is teaching her students everything they need to learn this year?

What should Ms. Begay find out about her students before planning her curriculum units and lessons?

How will Ms. Begay know if her lesson plans are effective and her students are learning?

What should Ms. Begay know about creating effective lesson plans?

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View the movie below and then proceed to the Initial Thoughts section (time: 1:24). Transcript: Challenge Ms. Begay has just been hired as a first-year fourth-grade teacher at Silverado Elementary School. At the school orientation for new staff, the principal discussed the most recent state assessment results and informed the new teachers that they would be required to incorporate state standards and curricular goals into their instructional lesson planning.

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As the students file out of Janet's classroom, I sit in the back corner, scribbling a few final notes. Defeat in her eyes, Janet drops into a seat next to me with a sigh.

"I love these kids," she declares, as if trying to convince me. "I adore them. But my hope is fading."

"Why's that?" I ask, stuffing my notes into a folder.

"They're smart. I know they're smart, but . . ."

And then the deficit floodgates open: "They don't care about school. They're unmotivated. And their parents-I'm lucky if two or three of them show up for conferences. No wonder the kids are unprepared to learn."

At Janet's invitation, I spent dozens of hours in her classroom, meeting her students, observing her teaching, helping her navigate the complexities of an urban midwestern elementary classroom with a growing percentage of students in poverty. I observed powerful moments of teaching and learning, caring and support. And I witnessed moments of internal conflict in Janet, when what she wanted to believe about her students collided with her prejudices.

Like most educators, Janet is determined to create an environment in which each student reaches his or her full potential. And like many of us, despite overflowing with good intentions, Janet has bought into the most common and dangerous myths about poverty.

Chief among these is the "culture of poverty" myth-the idea that poor people share more or less monolithic and predictable beliefs, values, and behaviors. For educators like Janet to be the best teachers they can be for all students, they need to challenge this myth and reach a deeper understanding of class and poverty.

Roots of the Culture of Poverty Concept

Oscar Lewis coined the term culture of poverty in his 1961 book The Children of Sanchez. Lewis based his thesis on his ethnographic studies of small Mexican communities. His studies uncovered approximately 50 attributes shared within these communities: frequent violence, a lack of a sense of history, a neglect of planning for the future, and so on. Despite studying very small communities, Lewis extrapolated his findings to suggest a universal culture of poverty. More than 45 years later, the premise of the culture of poverty paradigm remains the same: that people in poverty share a consistent and observable "culture."

Lewis ignited a debate about the nature of poverty that continues today. But just as important-especially in the age of data-driven decision making-he inspired a flood of research. Researchers around the world tested the culture of poverty concept empirically (see Billings, 1974; Carmon, 1985; Jones & Luo, 1999). Others analyzed the overall body of evidence regarding the culture of poverty paradigm (see Abell & Lyon, 1979; Ortiz & Briggs, 2003; Rodman, 1977).

These studies raise a variety of questions and come to a variety of conclusions about poverty. But on this they all agree: There is no such thing as a culture of poverty. Differences in values and behaviors among poor people are just as great as those between poor and wealthy people.

In actuality, the culture of poverty concept is constructed from a collection of smaller stereotypes which, however false, seem to have crept into mainstream thinking as unquestioned fact. Let's look at some examples.

MYTH: Poor people are unmotivated and have weak work ethics.

The Reality: Poor people do not have weaker work ethics or lower levels of motivation than wealthier people (Iversen & Farber, 1996; Wilson, 1997). Although poor people are often stereotyped as lazy, 83 percent of children from low-income families have at least one employed parent; close to 60 percent have at least one parent who works full-time and year-round (National Center for Children in Poverty, 2004). In fact, the severe shortage of living-wage jobs means that many poor adults must work two, three, or four jobs. According to the Economic Policy Institute (2002), poor working adults spend more hours working each week than their wealthier counterparts.

MYTH: Poor parents are uninvolved in their children's learning, largely because they do not value education.

The Reality: Low-income parents hold the same attitudes about education that wealthy parents do (Compton-Lilly, 2003; Lareau & Horvat, 1999; Leichter, 1978). Low-income parents are less likely to attend school functions or volunteer in their children's classrooms (National Center for Education Statistics, 2005)-not because they care less about education, but because they have less access to school involvement than their wealthier peers. They are more likely to work multiple jobs, to work evenings, to have jobs without paid leave, and to be unable to afford child care and public transportation. It might be said more accurately that schools that fail to take these considerations into account do not value the involvement of poor families as much as they value the involvement of other families.

MYTH: Poor people are linguistically deficient.

The Reality: All people, regardless of the languages and language varieties they speak, use a full continuum of language registers (Bomer, Dworin, May, & Semingson, 2008). What's more, linguists have known for decades that all language varieties are highly structured with complex grammatical rules (Gee, 2004; Hess, 1974; Miller, Cho, & Bracey, 2005). What often are assumed to be deficient varieties of English-Appalachian varieties, perhaps, or what some refer to as Black English Vernacular-are no less sophisticated than so-called "standard English."

MYTH: Poor people tend to abuse drugs and alcohol.

The Reality: Poor people are no more likely than their wealthier counterparts to abuse alcohol or drugs. Although drug sales are more visible in poor neighborhoods, drug use is equally distributed across poor, middle class, and wealthy communities (Saxe, Kadushin, Tighe, Rindskopf, & Beveridge, 2001). Chen, Sheth, Krejci, and Wallace (2003) found that alcohol consumption is significantly higher among upper middle class white high school students than among poor black high school students. Their finding supports a history of research showing that alcohol abuse is far more prevalent among wealthy people than among poor people (Diala, Muntaner, & Walrath, 2004; Galea, Ahern, Tracy, & Vlahov, 2007). In other words, considering alcohol and illicit drugs together, wealthy people are more likely than poor people to be substance abusers.

The Culture of Classism

The myth of a "culture of poverty" distracts us from a dangerous culture that does exist-the culture of classism. This culture continues to harden in our schools today. It leads the most well intentioned of us, like my friend Janet, into low expectations for low-income students. It makes teachers fear their most powerless pupils. And, worst of all, it diverts attention from what people in poverty do have in common: inequitable access to basic human rights.

The most destructive tool of the culture of classism is deficit theory. In education, we often talk about the deficit perspective-defining students by their weaknesses rather than their strengths. Deficit theory takes this attitude a step further, suggesting that poor people are poor because of their own moral and intellectual deficiencies (Collins, 1988). Deficit theorists use two strategies for propagating this world view: (1) drawing on well-established stereotypes, and (2) ignoring systemic conditions, such as inequitable access to high-quality schooling, that support the cycle of poverty.

The implications of deficit theory reach far beyond individual bias. If we convince ourselves that poverty results not from gross inequities (in which we might be complicit) but from poor people's own deficiencies, we are much less likely to support authentic antipoverty policy and programs. Further, if we believe, however wrongly, that poor people don't value education, then we dodge any responsibility to redress the gross education inequities with which they contend. This application of deficit theory establishes the idea of what Gans (1995) calls the undeserving poor -a segment of our society that simply does not deserve a fair shake.

If the goal of deficit theory is to justify a system that privileges economically advantaged students at the expense of working-class and poor students, then it appears to be working marvelously. In our determination to "fix" the mythical culture of poor students, we ignore the ways in which our society cheats them out of opportunities that their wealthier peers take for granted. We ignore the fact that poor people suffer disproportionately the effects of nearly every major social ill. They lack access to health care, living-wage jobs, safe and affordable housing, clean air and water, and so on (Books, 2004)-conditions that limit their abilities to achieve to their full potential.

Perhaps most of us, as educators, feel powerless to address these bigger issues. But the question is this: Are we willing, at the very least, to tackle the classism in our own schools and classrooms?

This classism is plentiful and well documented (Kozol, 1992). For example, compared with their wealthier peers, poor students are more likely to attend schools that have less funding (Carey, 2005); lower teacher salaries (Karoly, 2001); more limited computer and Internet access (Gorski, 2003); larger class sizes; higher student-to-teacher ratios; a less-rigorous curriculum; and fewer experienced teachers (Barton, 2004). The National Commission on Teaching and America's Future (2004) also found that low-income schools were more likely to suffer from cockroach or rat infestation, dirty or inoperative student bathrooms, large numbers of teacher vacancies and substitute teachers, more teachers who are not licensed in their subject areas, insufficient or outdated classroom materials, and inadequate or nonexistent learning facilities, such as science labs.

Here in Minnesota, several school districts offer universal half-day kindergarten but allow those families that can afford to do so to pay for full-day services. Our poor students scarcely make it out of early childhood without paying the price for our culture of classism. Deficit theory requires us to ignore these inequities-or worse, to see them as normal and justified.

What does this mean? Regardless of how much students in poverty value education, they must overcome tremendous inequities to learn. Perhaps the greatest myth of all is the one that dubs education the "great equalizer." Without considerable change, it cannot be anything of the sort.

What Can We Do?

The socioeconomic opportunity gap can be eliminated only when we stop trying to "fix" poor students and start addressing the ways in which our schools perpetuate classism. This includes destroying the inequities listed above as well as abolishing such practices as tracking and ability grouping, segregational redistricting, and the privatization of public schools. We must demand the best possible education for all students-higher-order pedagogies, innovative learning materials, and holistic teaching and learning. But first, we must demand basic human rights for all people: adequate housing and health care, living-wage jobs, and so on.

Of course, we ought not tell students who suffer today that, if they can wait for this education revolution, everything will fall into place. So as we prepare ourselves for bigger changes, we must

Educate ourselves about class and poverty.

Reject deficit theory and help students and colleagues unlearn misperceptions about poverty.

Make school involvement accessible to all families.

Follow Janet's lead, inviting colleagues to observe our teaching for signs of class bias.

Continue reaching out to low-income families even when they appear unresponsive (and without assuming, if they are unresponsive, that we know why).

Respond when colleagues stereotype poor students or parents.

Never assume that all students have equitable access to such learning resources as computers and the Internet, and never assign work requiring this access without providing in-school time to complete it.

Ensure that learning materials do not stereotype poor people.

Fight to keep low-income students from being assigned unjustly to special education or low academic tracks.

Make curriculum relevant to poor students, drawing on and validating their experiences and intelligences.

Teach about issues related to class and poverty-including consumer culture, the dissolution of labor unions, and environmental injustice-and about movements for class equity.

Teach about the antipoverty work of Martin Luther King Jr., Helen Keller, the Black Panthers, César Chávez, and other U.S. icons-and about why this dimension of their legacies has been erased from our national consciousness.

Fight to ensure that school meal programs offer healthy options.

Examine proposed corporate-school partnerships, rejecting those that require the adoption of specific curriculums or pedagogies.

Most important, we must consider how our own class biases affect our interactions with and expectations of our students. And then we must ask ourselves, Where, in reality, does the deficit lie? Does it lie in poor people, the most disenfranchised people among us? Does it lie in the education system itself-in, as Jonathan Kozol says, the savage inequalities of our schools? Or does it lie in us-educators with unquestionably good intentions who too often fall to the temptation of the quick fix, the easily digestible framework that never requires us to consider how we comply with the culture of classism.

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Believing that poor people are different from those with higher incomes is dangerous and wrong.