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Executive Function Challenges in Middle Schoolers | Working Memory

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Learn about executive function challenges in middle schoolers. Find out how to help kids in grades 6 to 8 with executive function skills like working memory.

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Strategy instruction: What you need to know

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Strategy instruction equips students with strategies to acquire, remember, and express information.

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Number Lines for Secondary and Elementary

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Number Lines for Secondary and Elementary

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Rick Wormeli: Redos, Retakes, and Do-Overs, Part One

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Strategy instruction: What you need to know

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Strategy instruction equips students with strategies to acquire, remember, and express information.

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TextProject is the only website with student texts and teacher guides based on the science of reading-available for free download. Download our research-based, open-access resources for teachers, teacher educators, parents, tutors, and students.

TextProject is the only website with high-quality student texts and teacher guides that are all available for free download.

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Leveled | Research-based | Open access

Vocabulary instruction through networks of words

Vocabulary instruction through networks of words

A blog and video series based on evidence from reading research

A blog and video series based on evidence from reading research

Free Classroom Materials for Teaching Reading

Classroom-proven resources including favorite books, reading passages, vocabulary lessons, word pictures, literacy lists & forms.

Free Student Texts

Free texts for reading instruction! TextProject is the sole website with free texts based on the science of reading.

For programs such as BeginningReaders and FYI for Kids, world-renowned researcher and teacher educator, Patricia Cunningham, has written lessons to accompany the texts.

Vocabulary Instruction

Vocabulary is the strongest predictor of reading comprehension. TextProject provides free resources for the four kinds of vocabulary words that contribute to reading comprehension: core, academic, content-area, and literary.

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Strategies, tools, and texts to bring beginning and struggling readers to proficient levels of literacy

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The Sherlock Center is committed to helping students with complex disabilities to participate in the general curriculum. As resources permit, the Sherlock Center creates adapted versions of popular literature for use by students, teachers and families.

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Tar Heel Reader: Picture Supported Accessible Texts

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Tar Heel Reader: Picture Supported Accessible Texts

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Welcome

Welcome to the Tar Heel Reader, a collection of free, easy-to-read, and accessible books on a wide range of topics. Each book can be speech enabled and accessed using multiple interfaces, including touch screens, the IntelliKeys with custom overlays, and 1 to 3 switches. Click here to learn more about alternative access methods.

You may write your own books using pictures from the huge collection at Flickr or pictures you upload. All books should be complete, edited, and revised to the best of your ability before publishing them to the site. While you are working on them, please save them as drafts.

Note the little well icon in the upper left corner of the page; clicking it will allow you to access the main menu. You can also click the settings icon to change settings on some pages.

Your browser is unsupported. The site should work for finding and reading books but you will not have switch access or the ability to write books. We recommend that you upgrade to a modern browser or install Chrome Frame.
You are in Classic mode. You will not have access to all of the features of the site but it may work better on older computers and web browsers. Click this text to leave Classic mode.
Ready to get started?

This site is also available in other languages. To help with translation, contact us.

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Welcome to the Tar Heel Reader, a collection of free, easy-to-read, and accessible books on a wide range of topics. Each book can be speech enabled and accessed using multiple interfaces, including touch screens, the IntelliKeys with custom overlays, and 1 to 3 switches. Click here to learn more about alternative access methods.

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How to Foster Metacognitive Skills for Independent Learning

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TIES TIPS | Foundations of Inclusion | Foundations of Inclusion TIPS

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Inclusive Supports and Strategies to Increase Opportunities to Respond for All Learners

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Inclusive Supports and Strategies to Increase Opportunities to Respond for All Learners

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Parent Input Form from Growing Firsties on Teachers Pay Teachers

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Parent Input Form from Growing Firsties on Teachers Pay Teachers

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B2S Parent Input Form - NOT editable - by Growing Firsties

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Collaborative Planning and Teaching Follow-Up

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Inclusive Scheduling Overview_ Clay County Inclusion Institute

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CAST is a multifaceted organization with a singular ambition: Bust the barriers to learning that millions of people experience every day. We do this by helping educators and organizations apply insights from the learning sciences and leading-edge practices to educational design and implementation.

Learn about our mission and values

UDL-Con: International

This year, for the first time, CAST's Annual Symposium and the UDL-IRN Summit are joining forces to create the world's largest International UDL Convention.

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PreK-12: Instructor-Led Course

In this introductory online course for preK-12 educators, participants learn the research basis for UDL, practical applications of UDL to lesson design, and helpful technology tools that support flexible, inclusive instruction.

Monday, September 11 - Monday, December 11, 2023

PreK-12: Instructor-Led Course

In this introductory online course for preK-12 educators, participants learn the research basis for UDL, practical applications of UDL to lesson design, and helpful technology tools that support flexible, inclusive instruction.

Monday, February 5 - Monday, May 13, 2024

Postsecondary: Instructor-Led Course

Designed exclusively for higher education, this course includes strategies to remove barriers to learning for postsecondary students.

Monday, February 5 - Friday, March 29, 2024

Stories From Our Work

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News from CAST

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Find out more about CAST. We're busting barriers to learning, until learning has no limits®.

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De-Escalation Spaces: Helping Students Manage Emotions

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Benefits of Inclusion: Summary of Evidence

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Benefits of Inclusion: Summary of Evidence

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As an initiative of the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES), the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) was created in 2002 to be a central and trusted source of scientific evidence for what works in education.

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University of Nebraska Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders

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University of Nebraska Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders

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Skip to main content

Strategy instruction is one of the most effective ways of improving academic performance for children with learning difficulties. This site will show you how to do it, will provide examples or strategies, and provide a forum to discuss your experiences and questions.

This web site was made possible by a Comprehensive System of Personnel Development grant from the Nebraska Department of Education.
(Project No. 94-2810-248-4B14-03)

Some parts of this site work best with JavaScript enabled.

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Strategy instruction is one of the most effective ways of improving academic performance for children with learning difficulties. This site will show you how to do it, will provide examples or strategies, and provide a forum to discuss your experiences and questions.

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National Center on Intensive Intervention

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National Center on Intensive Intervention

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Explore all

Educators

Find tools and resources to support general and special education teachers, interventionists, school psychologists, school counselors, and other school-based personnel working with students with intensive academic and behavioral needs.

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Explore all Find tools and resources to support general and special education teachers, interventionists, school psychologists, school counselors, and other school-based personnel working with students with intensive academic and behavioral needs.

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The IRIS Center Peabody College Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN 37203 iris@vanderbilt.edu. The IRIS Center is funded through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) Grant #H325E170001. 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 2021 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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The IRIS Center Peabody College Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN 37203 iris@vanderbilt.edu. The IRIS Center is funded through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) Grant #H325E170001. The contents of this Website do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S.

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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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To support the use of evidence based interventions (EBI) in schools, the Evidence Based Intervention Network (EBIN) was developed to provide guidance in the selection and implementation of EBI in the classroom setting. The EBIN has an extensive resource base including evidence based intervention briefs, video modeling of EBIs, information on selecting and using EBI. Each of these resources has been developed in collaboration with
faculty and students from a variety of universities. We hope you find the information useful to help children who are struggling.

Twitter

The EBI Network has a Twitter feed. Join us at twitter.com/EBINetwork for updates and other relevant tweets.

Recent Related Work

If you're interested in an in depth review of EBI take a look at Effective School Interventions 3rd Ed: Evidence-Based Strategies for Improving Student Outcomes. This book presents best-practice guidelines and step-by-step procedures for 83 interventions that can easily be implemented by teachers and other school-based professionals.

Also consider looking at the books in the Practical Intervention in the Schools Series Book Series. The lead developer of the EBI Network is the editor of the series which has a number of very useful books to support EBI use in the schools.

Finally, Chris Birr also wrote an interesting article in the Wisconsin School Psychology Association Sentinel Volume 16 (3).

In this section a collection of evidence based interventions (academic and behavioral) have been collected and sorted into categories to help you select the right EBI for the job. Short intervention briefs, modeling videos and overviews of the evidence base for the interventions are presented for each EBI. To start using this section please go to the " How to Select an EBI! " page.

This section has assorted resources to assist teachers, school based problem solving teams and schools as they develop their problem solving teams. This section is geared to provide simple materials to help educators select EBI and track effectiveness in an problem solving model.

This section has been added to house a series of documents outlining the foundational skills and information necessary for using a problem solving approach when working with children who exhibit academic or behavioral problems. The following is a list of examples of such skills/information;

What is an evidence based intervention?

What are the common reasons for academic and behavior problems?

Building strong relationships in classrooms

Thank you for visiting the EBI Network! If you have any questions or ideas for the site please contact Dr. Riley-Tillman at rileytillmant@missouri.edu.

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To support the use of evidence based interventions (EBI) in schools, the Evidence Based Intervention Network (EBIN) was developed to provide guidance in the selection and implementation of EBI in the classroom setting. The EBIN has an extensive resource base including evidence based intervention briefs, video modeling of EBIs, information on selecting and using EBI.

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The home of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). FInd more information on PBIS, how to implement PBIS, get resources and materials, and how to get support. Funded by the U.S.

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department of education comprehensive centers

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Welcome to the Center on Instruction, your gateway to a cutting-edge collection of scientifically based research and information on K-12 instruction in reading, math, science, special education, and English language learning. Part of the Comprehensive Center network, the Center on Instruction is one of five content centers serving as resources for the 16 regional U.S.

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PBIS World | A Complete Tier 1 Through Tier 3 Positive Behavior Interventions & Supports System

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PBIS World is in no way affiliated, associated, or connected with any other website, entity, organization, or federal, state, local, or other government agency, department, program, policy, organization, or initiative.

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What’s Metacognition—and Why Does it Matter?

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A quick introduction to metacognition, plus seven questions to help your students become more independent learners.

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social skills activities for special children

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life skills;study and teaching (elementary);united states.

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developmentally disabled children - education (elementary) - united states

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developmentally disabled children - united states - life skills guides

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early childhood education (special education)

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education / special education / learning disabilities

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education of students with behavioral disabilities

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education of students with learning disabilities

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life skills - study and teaching (elementary) - united states

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life skills;study and teaching (elementary);united states.

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social skills - study and teaching (elementary) - united states

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special education - learning disabilities

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special children; special education; children social behavior; students social behavior; social skills; children social skills; modifying children’s behavior; modifying student’s behavior; rules and regulations; rules and regulations at school

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education / special education / learning disabilities

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early childhood education (special education)

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education of students with behavioral disabilities

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Social Skills Activities for Special Children

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Social Skills Activities for Special Children [Mannix, Darlene] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Social Skills Activities for Special Children

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Response to Intervention (RtI) has been described in Florida as a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) for providing high quality instruction and intervention matched to student needs using learning rate over time and level of performance to inform instructional decisions.

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SAMPLE RtI/MTSS School Processes Handbook

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SAMPLE RtI/MTSS School Processes Handbook

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MTSS/RtI "What's My Triangle?"

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That's Not Fair: Fair Isn't Always Equal (Helpful for Providing Accommodations)

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That's Not Fair: Fair Isn't Always Equal (Helpful for Providing Accommodations)

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that's not fair!: a book about how fair is not always equal (the a-team presents) (volume 7)

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That's Not Fair!: A Book About How Fair Is Not Always Equal (The A-Team Presents) (Volume 7)

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That's Not Fair!: A Book About How Fair Is Not Always Equal (The A-Team Presents) (Volume 7) [Butorac, Courtney, Allen, Charity, Zieroth, Emily] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. That's Not Fair!: A Book About How Fair Is Not Always Equal (The A-Team Presents) (Volume 7)

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Join the web's most supportive community of creators and get high-quality tools for hosting, sharing, and streaming videos in gorgeous HD and 4K with no ads.

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Join the web's most supportive community of creators and get high-quality tools for hosting, sharing, and streaming videos in gorgeous HD and 4K with no ads.

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Does Self-Contained Deliver on It's Promises?

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Does Self-Contained Deliver on It's Promises?

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Does self-contained special education deliver etc

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Collaborative Teaching Approaches

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Autism Internet Modules: FREE with account sign-up

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Autism Internet Modules: FREE with account sign-up

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We are excited to announce that a new module, Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) and Autism, has been launched. This module focuses on selecting and implementing AAC to support autistic learners in their ability to effectively express themselves, develop and maintain relationships with others, and engage in their community.

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Modified Lessons for Students with Disabilities

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Modified Lessons for Students with Intellectual Disabilities

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Grading My Student with Significant Cognitive Disabilities in the General Education Classroom

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Grading My Student with Significant Cognitive Disabilities in the General Education Classroom

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Duval County Public Schools STREAM: Collaboration in Microsoft Teams Videos

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Duval County Public Schools STREAM: Collaboration in Microsoft Teams Videos

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Log-in required for this post only.

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Giving their classmates feedback on writing is a complex skill for students to master, but it can be taught with scaffolded modeling.

Bob Daemmrich / Alamy Stock Photo

When I first share with my ninth graders that peer review will be part of our writing process, the response is almost universally negative. Unfortunately, many of my writers have not had the best experience with this activity.

My stronger writers say that they almost never receive feedback that goes beyond basic conventions, while my emerging writers say they feel a lack of confidence in providing feedback beyond basic conventions. This frustration should be no surprise: As educators, we recognize that effective teaching is a complex skill that requires deliberate practice. Likewise, when we ask students to give each other feedback, this too is more complex than simply exchanging papers and locating errors.

To make peer feedback more focused and meaningful, I've found it helpful to define quality feedback, provide structured routines, and teach feedback as I would any other core skill.

Defining Effective Feedback

In my experience, few high school freshmen have mastered the conventions of writing well enough to function as reliable editors. For this reason, I direct my students to reflect upon each other's work-not correct it.

This is confusing because I cannot follow your topic.

I am confused about who "they" are in this sentence.

Explain a little more about why you chose this example from the text.

I like how you repeated key words from your hook here in your conclusion.

My students focus on idea development, clarity, and arrangement to make sense of the writer's text. Of course, scrambled grammar can impact a reader's experience, but rather than have them try to correct a peer's confounding syntax with editing marks, I ask students to write full sentences to one another:

Specific: Comments are linked to a discrete word, phrase, or sentence.

Prescriptive: Like a medical prescription that aims to solve an ailment, prescriptive feedback offers a solution or strategy to improve the work, including possible revisions or links to helpful resources or examples.

Actionable: When the feedback is read, it leaves the peer knowing what steps to take for improvement.

Referenced: The feedback directly references the task criteria, requirements, or target skills.

Kind: It's mandatory that all comments be framed in a kind, supportive way.

I also offer kids a specific acronym to remember what constitutes quality feedback: SPARK. For feedback to be useful to a writer, it should meet as many of these criteria as possible:

Some groups I've taught took to SPARK quickly, while others have needed more practice. For these groups, I create student-friendly versions of a consultancy protocol or tuning protocol to ensure focused discourse, allowing room for all voices.

I also set a guideline for a minimum number of quality comments, but I tell students that less is often more.

Modeling SPARK Feedback

As with any other skill I teach, I begin by modeling SPARK feedback on sample student writing. I interact with students, explaining my thought process as they help pinpoint what about a text is effective or ineffective, as well as how to offer quality SPARK-based comments. From there, as a class we examine other example feedback statements before evaluating their potential usefulness to a writer.

To also give students the chance to practice giving feedback independently, I distribute the same example paragraph. We use group and class discussions to share the variety of feedback offered.

When it's time for live peer review, I assess performance by giving students feedback on their feedback. After that, students share particularly useful examples. Before students leave class, they share on exit tickets what they feel was the best feedback they offered, as well as the best feedback they received.

In the end, good peer review should provide the writer with meaningful information for improvement, while developing the reviewer's ability to analyze a text's effectiveness.

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Giving their classmates feedback on writing is a complex skill for students to master, but it can be taught with scaffolded modeling.

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Roles & Responsibilities: Collaboration Tool

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Roles & Responsibilities: Collaboration Tool

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Roles & Responsibilities: ESE and Gen. Ed. Teachers

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Roles & Responsibilities: ESE and Gen. Ed. Teachers

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Arlington ISD Special Education Department

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Collaborative Teaching - Station - Supports for Transitions & Independence - Sam Houston HS

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You may have read my previous blog posts where I shared gems about our work in Making Meaning with supporting Individualized Daily Reading Conferences and building a body of knowledge. The "what a gem" theme continues in this blog which features our formative (class and group) assessments. The class and group assessments are designed to support instructional decision-making, which is a key element in the assessments provided across CCC's Collaborative Literacy programs- Making Meaning, Being a Writer, and Being a Reader.

Class or Group Assessments

Assessment "operates as part of instruction rather than separate from it." As part of this assessment best practice, "the teacher can simultaneously gather information on the student's development." ( Best Practice, Fourth Edition)

Our Collaborative Literacy programs are written with this assessment best practice in mind. Across the programs, teachers are offered regular opportunities to assess the learning and needs of the class. During the class/group assessments, the teacher is provided the opportunity to observe the students through the lens of the focused questions provided. A "Class Assessment Note" or "Group Assessment Note" in the Teacher's Manual will alert you when an assessment is suggested, usually once per week or once per set (in the case of the Being a Reader small-group reading lessons). Each "Class Assessment Note" or "Group Assessment Note" in the Teacher's Manual has a corresponding "Class Assessment Record" or "Group Assessment Record" sheet located in the Assessment Resource Book, or on the CCC Learning Hub.

"Most, Some, or Few"

"The common feature of observational notes is that teachers save time for regularly recording them; they develop a format that works for them; and they consistently use these notes, both to guide instruction and to communicate about children's progress." (Best Practice, Fourth Edition)

Our CCC Collaborative Literacy programs are designed to offer a format for collecting formative data regularly. When using the class/group assessment, the teacher observes if most, some, or only a few of the students are able accomplish what the focus question is asking (see examples below). The difficulty, for me at least, has been to determine how to use the data to guide instruction. The gem has been gaining an understanding of the power of "most, some, or few."

The Power of "Most, Some, or Few" within the Lesson

Being aware of "most, some, or few" within the given lesson can support making on-the-spot instructional decisions. For example, if most students are exhibiting the desired skill or are comfortable with the instruction you know you can move on in the lesson or week's instruction. If some students are exhibiting the desired skill you might use a Teacher Note or ELL Note to scaffold learning or you might use the "students might say" or "you might say" information to provide an example or model your thinking. If only a few students are participating, you might decide to include an additional turn and talk to support student thinking or you might ask additional probing questions ( What in the text got you thinking that? or Say more about that?) to gain more understanding of what the student(s) are offering in the conversations. You might re-read a portion of text to deepen understanding, clarify or support student thinking. Most importantly, you will be making an instructional decision based on the "most, some, or few" data that best meets the needs of the students.

The Power of "Most, Some, or Few" Beyond the Lesson

Being aware of "most, some, or few" supports the decisions you make beyond a given lesson. You might use that information to determine that reteaching is needed for the entire class or group. You might determine whether meeting with a small group of students to support instruction would be beneficial in addressing their needs. You might focus the scope of your conferences to further scaffold learning. Most importantly, you will be making instructional decisions based on "most, some, or few" which supports student success across a unit or set of instruction.

As you engage in teaching CCC's Collaborative Literacy programs, what gems have you found to support both teaching and learning?
Making Meaning, Grade 3 Being a Reader, Set 9 Being a Writer, Grade 3

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The Power of "Most, Some, or Few" | Center for the Collaborative Classroom

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You may have read my previous blog posts where I shared gems about our work in Making Meaning with supporting Individualized Daily Reading Conferences and building a body of knowledge. The "what a gem" theme continues in this blog which features our formative (class and group) assessments.

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Parallels in Time: Extensive History of Disability in Culture

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Parallels in Time: Extensive History of Disability in Culture

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The Minnesota Governor's Council on Devlopmental Disabilities

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Parallels In Time | A History of Developmental Disabilities

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Parallels In Time, a History of Developmental Disabilities

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Students with disabilities perform better on tests when they spend more time in general education classrooms, according to a recent study on student inclusion from Indiana University.

Keeping students with disabilities in general education classroom settings - or not - is an ongoing debate, but study co-author and director of the Center on Education and Lifelong Learning Sandi Cole says the new data offers clear evidence highlighting the significance of where kids learn.

She says it prompts new questions for schools to better serve students with disabilities.

"Where is the child, how do we make sure that the child is included in [general education]? And then how do we make that happen successfully?" Cole says.

Researchers matched students with a "statistical twin" based on their third grade test scores, attendance, and primary disability in order to compare their progress on the ISTEP between third and eighth grade. Cole says students who spent at least 80 percent of their learning time in general education settings made significantly more progress than their statistical twins who didn't.

Cole says it's a significant step to help parents advocate for their child's education, and for policy makers and school leaders to figure out ways to best serve students with disabilities. Indiana had around 174,863 special education students during the 2017-18 school year.

"In reality then, what we're trying to do is get them back in to a place that they may not have needed to be excluded from in the very first place," she says.

Cole acknowledges there are still plenty of questions about how to bring students with disabilities into general classrooms more often and well, but the findings reveal another important element for the state to consider.

"Our general education teachers in Indiana are doing something right. Schools are doing something right," she says. "So now let's find out what is it that they're doing well. What is it that's making it work?"

Cole says the next step is to collaborate with fellow researchers to take a closer look at what happens to students with disabilities in life after high school.

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Study: General Education Classrooms Boost Performance Of Students With Disabilities

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Students with disabilities perform better on tests when they spend more time in general education classrooms, according to a recent study on student inclusion from Indiana University. Keeping students with disabilities in general education classroom settings - or not - is an ongoing debate, but study co-author and director of the Center on Education and Lifelong Learning Sandi Cole says the new data offers clear evidence highlighting the significance of where kids learn.

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Autism is a developmental disorder that can affect how the brain processes information. People with autism have a spectrum of abilities and disabilities. Some are unable to speak, or care for themselves, while others can live on their own and have unique skills like excellent memory or attention to detail. No matter where they are on the spectrum, many adults with autism have a difficult time finding a job. Even making it past a first interview can be challenging. But that may be starting to change. As we found out, more companies are discovering the potential of people with autism, and some are now actively recruiting for talent on the spectrum.

Doing a television interview can be nerve wracking for anyone, but for people with autism, it's potentially overwhelming. The cameras, lights, microphones, not to mention having to shake hands with a stranger.

But last winter, before the pandemic, five adults on the autism spectrum agreed to talk with us about their struggles finding work.

Erik Rolan: I was unemployed for three years. I just kept receiving one rejection after the other.

Erik Rolan has a bachelor's degree in sociology.

Anderson Cooper: How many jobs do you think you applied for?

Erik Rolan: Countless. I can't even count. About hundreds.

Anderson Cooper: How did that feel to get so many rejections?

Erik Rolan: Well, I felt useless. I felt like I wasn't getting anywhere with life.

Brian Evans and Phillip Mitchell were diagnosed with autism as young children. Sarah Klaich and Brennen Novak not until high school.

Anderson Cooper: How does being a person with autism make you different than a person who doesn't have autism? Do you see differences?

Phillip Mitchell: Oh, yes. I do see differences from person to person. With me, for example, I'm good with numbers and I'm good with mathematics.

Sarah Klaich: Differences in communication are pretty common from what I've seen, like, especially with like non-verbal communication like body language and stuff.

Anderson Cooper: What would you like people to understand about autism?

Sarah Klaich: The lack of or the ability to communicate doesn't equal intelligence.

Dave Friedman: Clearly they have talents and skills...

Dave Friedman hired Sarah and the four others at Autonomy Works, a tech firm he started in 2012 to proofread digital content and manage data for dozens of companies like Nike and Nissan. There are 32 adults on the spectrum here -- now working from home due to COVID-19 -- including Friedman's 25 year old son, Matt.

Dave Friedman: Nothing beats sort of sitting in my office and looking over here and seeing Matt at work. And the job has really given him sort of a whole other purpose in life.

Anderson Cooper: Do you like the job?

Matt Friedman: Yeah. I like that it's a quiet office environment.

Anderson Cooper: Do you remember getting your first paycheck?

Matt Friedman: June 22, 2015.

Anderson Cooper: You remember the date? That's--

Matt Friedman: Yeah.

Anderson Cooper: Did you worry a lot about what would happen to Matt when he became an adult?

Dave Friedman: For a long time, we didn't. He's really talented with numbers, really good with detail, so we figured that there had to be jobs out there for him. What we found was-- was horrifying. Like there's-- there are no jobs.

Anderson Cooper: A child with autism reaching 18 or 21 and suddenly it's--

Dave Friedman: The cliff.

Anderson Cooper: People have talked about a cliff?

Dave Friedman: Yeah.

Anderson Cooper: Or graduating to their parents' couch?

Dave Friedman: Yeah. What ends up happening is they transition from a structured school setting into their parents' house with really very few prospects.

The idea for Autonomy Works came to Friedman when he was head of marketing at Sears. He oversaw hundreds of employees checking the accuracy of advertisements in newspapers.

Dave Friedman: And the thought occurred to me, "Matt could do this." This appeals to exactly the kind of way that Matt thinks and processes information.

Anderson Cooper: It's a lot of very small detailed information.

Dave Friedman: Yeah it seems like a small thing. It seems like $21.24 versus $29.24. But there's tens of thousands of dollars of costs that sit in that error.

Autonomy Works employees monitor more than 2,300 websites a month for accuracy and quality. Friedman says their extreme attention to detail has led to a 90% reduction in product and pricing errors. And they're so good at sustaining focus, productivity is up 30%.

Brennen Novak: I have a great memory and so when I do a task once I can usually produce it exactly the same way.

Anderson Cooper: Do you get bored?

Brennen Novak: For me, I don't get bored at all doing our work.

Sarah Klaich: Part of it is the repetition. I can get into, like, a rhythm with certain tasks.

Anderson Cooper: You like the rhythm?

Sarah Klaich: Yeah. If I was in a job that was constantly changing it wouldn't fit me very well because, like, my mind would be all over the place.

Not all people with autism would be able to work in an office environment like this. The Centers for Disease Control estimates about a third of people on the spectrum have significant intellectual disabilities.

Dave Friedman: Autism is a spectrum. It impacts people in a-- in a wildly different array of-- of ways, from people who are unable to feed themselves or care for themselves, all the way up to people where you would never even know that they were on the spectrum and don't-- can get through life without any sort of supports.

At Autonomy Works, employees can wear noise-cancelling headphones and take breaks in a quiet room, where lights are dimmed to reduce sensory overload. Friedman says the most important accomodation companies can make is to change the way they interview applicants on the spectrum.

Dave Friedman: For a person with autism, the first 15 or 30 seconds of an interaction are by far their worst. They're high anxiety about meeting a new person, trying to interpret interpersonal cues, trying to plan out a conversation to have with that person.

Anderson Cooper: And those first 15 seconds, that's when the other person, a job interviewer say, is making their first and lasting impression about someone?

Dave Friedman: Exactly. Hiring managers just aren't taking the time to go past that first 30 seconds and understand the skills, the talents, and the capabilities that exist within those individuals.

Shukla: There are complexities that are inherently inside of these very large data sets.

At the global accounting firm Ernst & Young, they've scrapped the traditional interview process for applicants with autism. They've replaced it with a series of problem-solving challenges...

Shukla: And so if I could ask you all to come up.

Testing aptitude, creativity, and teamwork.

Jayram: I think for this subject we should do analysis.

In a demonstration last February in Chicago, before the pandemic required they work from home, four current Ernst and Young employees on the autism spectrum were given millions of lines of data to quickly analyze, and explain how they'd present it to a client.

Stephen: If we find that there are errors, we can loop back over to this step.

Ernst & Young has used this technique to hire dozens of employees with autism who work around the world in fields like artificial intelligence, blockchain technology, and cybersecurity.

Anderson Cooper: Is this about corporate responsibility, doing the right thing, being altruistic?

Kelly Grier: Make no mistake about it, this is absolutely a business imperative, and it makes great sense from a business perspective.

Kelly Grier, Ernst & Young's U.S. chairwoman, says the employees they've hired have saved the company millions of dollars by looking at problems in a different way, and creating algorithms to shortcut and automate processes.

Kelly Grier: That is one of the things every one of our clients is focused on right now: How do they use data differently to create competitive advantages, or to stave off vulnerability? And it is a very, very rare skill set in high demand. There's still so many people on the spectrum that are underemployed or unemployed. And they've got this incredible talent that is going unused at the moment.

Last year Vanderbilt University opened the Frist Center for Autism and Innovation. A groundbreaking research center, where scientists and others are developing tools and technology to transform the workplace for people on the autism spectrum.

They're creating computer simulated job interviews, specially designed driving challenges and a block design test to help a company assess a potential employee's visual problem-solving abilities.

Maithilee Kunda is a computer scientist at the Frist Center.

Maithilee Kunda: So, this is a wearable eye tracker. Right here and here are two little, tiny cameras and they're actually facing inward and they're recording your eyes.

The infrared cameras detect where your pupils are pointing.

Dan Burger, a data scientist at the center, who is on the autism spectrum, volunteered to take the block design test to compare his visual problem solving abilities with mine. For 10 minutes he assembled a series of increasingly complex block patterns.

Next it was my turn. Dan made it look easy. For me, it wasn't.

Anderson Cooper: At this point my head is hurting. Should it be hurting?

I completed the puzzles, but Dan did them faster and was more efficient.

How can you tell? Look at the square on the right of your screen. Dan methodically placed the blocks left to right, line by line. And amazingly, he usually only had to look at the sample pattern once before placing a block.

I wasn't organized at all. I placed blocks randomly. And had to look back and forth 13 times at the sample pattern before figuring out how to place the last block.

Anderson Cooper: My mind is a sieve, essentially. Like, I'm not holding onto any of that information so I'm constantly having to refer back to the original. Whereas--

Maithilee Kunda: Right.

Anderson Cooper: --Dan, he memorizes it.

Maithilee Kunda: Yeah, it's very interesting--

Anderson Cooper: So, it's a completely different way of processing information or trying to solve problems?

Maithilee Kunda: Yes, yeah, it is.

Maithilee Kunda hopes employers might use tests like this to more accurately assess the capabilities of people on the autism spectrum.

Maithilee Kunda: You know, you imagine, like, TSA baggage screening is something that's super visual. Or when you're inspecting batteries coming off the line for quality control. So there's-- there's lots of different jobs that this is relevant for.

Dan Burger's unique abilities caught the attention of Keivan Stassun, an astrophysics professor at Vanderbilt. His son is on the autism spectrum, and Stassun helped start the Frist Center.

Anderson Cooper: Why did you want Dan here at the center?

Keivan Stassun: I brought him on board with my astrophysics research group originally because we were dealing with these massive amounts of data from space telescopes. And I needed help, from someone who had Dan's unique talents to help us look for patterns in data.

Anderson Cooper: So one of the skills that you have is looking at large amounts of information?

Dan Burger: I think my greatest skill is I see things differently from other people.

Keivan Stassun: This is a picture of the Seven Sisters.

Dan's challenge was to make sense of data from NASA's Kepler Telescope. His solution? He built an interactive software program called Filtergraph.

Keivan Stassun: Using Dan's software tool, we were just able to slice and dice the data, spin it around in different ways, until something visually popped.

What popped was a breakthrough in astrophysics. Dan's Filtergraph produced a new way of judging the size and age of stars based on how vigorously they flicker in the night sky.

Keivan Stassun: Dan may be too modest to tell you, but he is // the inventor of record of this platform. And NASA has licensed it--

Anderson Cooper: NASA is using Filtergraph--

Dan Burger: Yes.

Anderson Cooper: --that you invented?

Dan Burger: Yes.

Anderson Cooper: I mean, the brilliance that Dan, that you have, that's gonna become increasingly important.There's only gonna be more and more data coming down the road.

Dan Burger: And I feel like people who can understand the data, that's going to be more important.

Anderson Cooper: There's a lot of people who are unemployed who are on the spectrum. Do you have any advice for them?

Dan Burger: Oh, gosh. I feel like there are a lot of strengths to being on the spectrum. And I think imagination is a huge key trait.

We found about 30 large companies actively seeking employees on the autism spectrum, including Microsoft, JP Morgan and Ford, but there are still so many people with autism who are unemployed, and the numbers are growing. In the next decade, researchers at Drexel University estimate as many as 1.1 million Americans with autism will turn 18.

Back at Autonomy Works outside Chicago, Brian, Sarah, Brennen, Phillip, and Erik told us they hope more companies will start to recognize the untapped potential of people on the spectrum.

Anderson Cooper: What does having a job mean to you?

Brian Evans: For me, having a job is important because it provides me with much-needed structure in my life.

Phillip Mitchell: Having the job is important to me because otherwise I would become very financially dependent on my parent, asking them, "Can you buy me this? Can you buy me that?"

Brennen Novak: It's just been nice to be able to go home and talk to my parents about what I did during the day.

Anderson Cooper: Yeah. They must be very proud of you.

Brennen Novak: Yeah. They always say they're not surprised. So...
Produced by Denise Schrier Cetta. Associate producer, Katie Brennan. Edited by Daniel J. Glucksman.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Recruiting for talent on the autism spectrum

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Autism is a developmental disorder that can affect how the brain processes information. People with autism have a spectrum of abilities and disabilities. Some are unable to speak, or care for themselves, while others can live on their own and have unique skills like excellent memory or attention to detail.

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Addvantages Learning Center | South Jersey

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Brain Training for those with Executive Functioning Skills Deficits

Executive functioning skills are comprised of a set of cognitive processing skills which are necessary to learn, work, live, and function on a daily basis. We have known about executive functioning skills for years because they have been and continue to studied by neuroscientists. Why then is executive functioning the new 'buzz word?' It's basically like teaching an old dog a new trick. The thinking goes something like this...... this is the way we have always done it and we will continue to do it. Change is avoided by staying in the comfort zone by ignoring 21st century scientific research and new technology. 'Executive functioning is so 'popular' now that when schools and even private practitioners promote, it's implied they are using the latest methods to develop them. In reality, most are simply teaching ways to go around them by using strategies and study skills. This does nothing to enable students to become independent learners! Would you rather walk rather with a cane the rest of your life or get an operation that goes to the source to fix it? I think I know what your answer would be!

FREE 30 Minute Session

When EFS are not remediated the impact on school is profound and will continue to hold students of all ages back the rest of their lives. They are at a greater risk failing, expulsion, dropping out of school and trouble holding down jobs and to become financially independent. It's often unrecognized by many parents and teachers. It's an invisible problem that can easily be mistaken for laziness because others can only see 'the tip of the iceberg' and not the base that supports it.

Executive Functioning Skills are a Set of Skills Needed to be Independent in ALL areas of Life

Impulse Control
Ability to think before speaking, resist temptation, think about choices and consequences of behaviors before acting.

Flexible Thinking
Ability to think about different ways to solve problems, adjust to new situations, learn from mistakes, cope with routine changes, try new things, switch from task to another, and learn new things.

Emotional Control
Ability to regulate emotions, choosing which emotions are appropriate in any given situation, maintaining emotions under pressure.

Working Memory
Ability to follow instructions, pay attention, use relevant information while in the middle of an activity.

Self-Monitoring
Ability to have self-awareness of how one is doing in the moment to make adjustments of actions/behaviors to the current situation.

Planning and Prioritizing
Ability to plan daily tasks to meet short and long-term responsibilities.

Task Initiation
Ability to motivate self to begin tasks by directing behaviors and actions.

Organization
Gather and keep track of information and belongings.

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Executive Functioning - Addvantages Learning Center | South Jersey

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Brain Training for those with Executive Functioning Skills Deficits Executive functioning skills are comprised of a set of cognitive processing skills which are necessary to learn, work, live, and function on a daily basis. We have known about executive functioning skills for years because they have been and continue to studied by neuroscientists.

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This is based on the highly original work of the late Mary Colley of DANDA.

Please feel free to download and repost.

An A3 poster version is available for £9.99 plus postage (free to non-profits, just postage :).
Contact us here

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This is based on the highly original work of the late Mary Colley of DANDA. Please feel free to download and repost. An A3 poster version is available for £9.99 plus postage (free to non-profits, just postage :). Contact us here

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Who can provide Specially Designed Instruction?

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Who can provide Specially Designed Instruction?

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We believe in the power of technology to help all students achieve high academic standards! As a part of the Florida's MTSS Projects, the online resource library is designed to help districts and schools implement a universal, differentiated core curriculum based on the Florida B.E.S.T. Standards. The assistive technologies available in this library can be used to identify which technologies will best support students with disabilities to participate and progress in this core curriculum. The Universal Design for Learning technologies can be used to identify effective, instructional pedagogies that support highly effective learning environments. Accounts are only available to individuals approved by the district ESE Directors and staff members of BEESS Discretionary Projects.

· The loan periods are 4-week or 6-week loans.
Updated Return Guidance
· If you are unsure of what return label to use, please contact us and we will email you a return label.

· Directions on how you can find current orders on loan:

1. Log into your account at https://www.at-udl.net

http://bit.ly/LOAN_LIBRARY_Video2 (move the timeline ahead to 6:50)

We would like to thank you in advance for your cooperation. With all of us working as a team, we can ensure that students' needs are supported.

Should you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected]

Funding for this service is provided by the Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services , Florida Dept of Education. The inclusion of technologies in this library should not be considered as an endorsement of any particular item or device. The instructional appropriateness of any of these technologies must be determined at the local level.

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The ASD Video Glossary is a web-based tool built to help families and professionals learn more about the early signs of autism. This tool was developed by the Florida State University Autism Institute in collaboration with First Signs and Autism Speaks and has been available to the public free of charge since 2007.

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Why friendships are important for children and teenagers

Friendships help all children and teenagers develop socially and emotionally.

Friends and friendships can boost your child's confidence. They can also give your child experience in managing emotions, responding to the feelings of others, negotiating, cooperating and problem-solving.

Autism and friendships

Autistic children and teenagers are usually keen on friendship. But they often need support to understand and learn skills for making and keeping friends. These skills might include:

starting and having conversations

working out what other people are thinking and feeling

taking part in activities with other children

understanding facial expressions and body language

adjusting to new social situations

solving social problems, like how to sort out disagreements

finding and meeting people with similar interests.

Social skills can help autistic children and teenagers know how to act when they're trying to make new friends. Role-play, video-modelling, social stories, visual prompts and social skills training can help with social skills for autistic children and social skills for autistic teenagers.

Making friends: helping autistic children and teenagers

You can give your child opportunities to meet new people and make friends. Here are some ideas.

Find out what activities your child enjoys
Identify your child's interests and strengths, and help your child meet children who enjoy similar things. This could be through a playgroup, a special interest club at school, or an after-school class.

Invite potential friends to your home or on outings
If your child goes to school, you could ask your child if there's someone in their class that they'd like to be friends with. You could ask your child's teacher which children are showing interest in your child, or which children have similar interests.

It can help to plan things that your child might like to do with others. You can plan these activities with your child if that works:

For younger children, try fun activities and games that also encourage cooperative play. Some children do better with structured activities that don't involve open-ended, imaginative play.

For teenagers, try outdoor activities like tennis, or indoor ones like baking or playing a video game. If your child and their friend share an interest, they could do something related to that.

Some children and teenagers feel more comfortable at home, but others might not want someone else to touch their favourite things. If this sounds like your child, you could put away the things that your child doesn't want to share or you could organise something out of the house - for example, a trip to the playground for younger children, or to a museum or aquarium for teenagers.

Use resources in your community
Enrolling your child in playgroups and after-school activities can help to promote friendships. You could try activities that are related to your child's interests, like astronomy, chess, Lego or computer coding clubs. Structured activity groups often work well for autistic children and teenagers - for example, Girl Guides, Scouts or martial arts.

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Friends and peers: autistic children and teenagers

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With help, autistic children and teenagers can learn to make and keep friends. Start by helping them meet and socialise with peers who share their interests.

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Does Self-Contained Deliver on Its Promises?

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Does Self-Contained Deliver on Its Promises?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Does self-contained special education deliver etc

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TATS is funded by the State of Florida, Department of Education, Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services (BEESS), through federal assistance under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Part B, Section 619.

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"You're Going to Love This Kid!": Teaching Students with Autism in the Inclusive Classroom, Second Edition

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
When a student fails to grasp social norms, routines, and expectations, like walking down the hall, using restroom facilities, following lunch procedure, using manners, using greetings, asking for help properly, etc

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Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD®)

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Home - Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD®)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Leading the Way in the Successful Treatment of Autism The Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD®) is the nation's leading treatment provider with over 30 years of experience. GET STARTED Understanding Autism Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder marked by impaired social interaction, limited communication, behavioral challenges, and a limited range of [...]

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WPTV News - FL Palm Beaches and Treasure Coast

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
School superintendent responds to 'no zero' grading

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.authors[].name
WPTV News - FL Palm Beaches and Treasure Coast

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Teacher's defend 'no-zero' grading policy

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Formative Assessments:  Using Feedback to Guide Instruction

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SP&P (ESE Policies & Procedures, FL DOE): Search by county

# data[].attributes.subject
SP&P (ESE Policies & Procedures, FL DOE): Search by county

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FREE SHIPPING on all professional books!

Parent's Concerns about Grading Changes
Hi Rick:
I went full blast ahead and began implementation of the "fair isn't always equal" policy. It was very SUCCESSFUL with faculty - I mapped out a 10-day plan prior to the first day of school - and yes, we're taking baby steps, focusing on skills-based grading, no zeros and reassessment.
Yesterday was our first day of school. Below I have copied part of what a parent wrote to our principal. I have an idea of how to respond, but you are brilliant with words, so before I advise our principal, I wanted to know if you could give me some advice."

Parent's Letter
(Child) came home extremely distraught today. She informed me that the grading/homework system has changed so that it seems to encourage students who may not be high achievers (even below average) to succeed and get the same grades as those that do. Based on what she's told me, students such as herself, who work very hard to get "A" and "B" grades will be achieving these grades while working hard and studying. While the students that don't work as hard - or hard at all - will be "rewarded" by being "allowed" to re-take tests and hand in homework late without any consequences (as long as it's handed in before the end of the quarter).

If this is so, why should any student work hard to succeed if they will be "handed" a "do-over" and end up with a "B" grade at least. This truly does not seem fair to hard-working students and also is not indicative of the real world. It's also sending a very bad message to those who do not aim high, incorrectly giving them the impression that they will be rewarded for late, lazy or inadequate work. This is truly unacceptable. They will not be allowed to repeatedly re-take tests until they get a "B" in college, and what kind of message is this sending to those that work hard and to those that don't?

Why are low-to-mid achievers being rewarded when the high achievers are not? What benefits do the high achievers get? My daughter was so proud to be an honor roll student, but based on this system, everyone will be an honor roll student! I definitely need you to put this in perspective for me, because if this is going to be the case, we will seriously consider moving our daughter to a better performing school. I cannot see how this wouldn't lower the reputation and standards of __________ School.

Rick's response:

Thanks for writing, and for taking on these new challenges. It's good to hear of the great successes you're having with faculty too. Keep on taking those baby steps!

My first thought in reading this is that somehow communication with parents broke down. That's very fixable. The problem would be whether this parent was rational in her stance (I'm assuming it's a mom writing, but that may be wrong). She comes across as someone who simply hasn't thought about it much, someone making an impulsive reaction rather than a well-considered one. We all do that from time to time, especially when it comes to our own kids, so I'm not too worried about the parent. She says she wants perspective; that's hopeful.

I've annotated my comments throughout (in bold and brackets). I hope this is helpful. Let me know how it goes.

_______ came home extremely distraught today. [Her teachers did not explain this well enough; otherwise she would not be upset. She would be hopeful and excited. Students get this right away, so something fell through here.] She informed me that the grading/homework system has changed so, that it seems to encourage students who may not be high achievers (even below average), to succeed and get the same grades as those that do. [Exactly. Those who are not high achievers are encouraged to become so. We want them to be successful and even achieve at high levels. Where's the concern here? Don't we want all students to be successful? It's hard to name a school where this is not the mission. This is what all parents and teachers want.]. Based on what she's told me, students such as herself, who work very hard to get "A" and "B" grades will be achieving these grades while working hard and studying. [Yes, and to be honest, they will be working harder than they normally do because teachers are much more evidentiary - specific, high-quality evidence of learning must be submitted. There is no "padding" or buffering grades with extra points here and there for behaviors and products not directly listed in the criteria for excellence. This is actually more demanding of students, not less.] While the students that don't work as hard - or hard at all - will be "rewarded" by being "allowed" to re-take tests and hand in homework late without any consequences (as long as it's handed in before the end of the quarter). [We need to change the metaphor: Grades are not rewards, affirmation, validation, or compensation. They are communication; that's it. If we keep them as rewards, students, teachers, and parents all enter a bartering relationship, and that is incompatible with evidence-based grading (standards-based grading). Grades are first and foremost an accurate report of what students know and can do against standards, not reward for hard work. A student works for six weeks on a project but his project represents only a "D" level of mastery. He worked sincerely and did not slack off or demonstrate anything less than full integrity, but he just couldn't get it correct - He still doesn't get higher than a "D" just because he worked hard and was so sincere. If he were to get a "C" or higher because we factored in all his hard work, this would knowingly falsify a grade and that is an ethical breach. Is this what the parent is asking the teacher to do in these circumstances - falsify a grade? If so, that parent is better off taking her child to another school with less integrity. Grades have nothing to do with reward. The students who re-do work of any sort may not go on with the rest of their lives until the work is done, or at least they will be burdened with it while trying to take the next steps in their lives. They have a series of re-learning and re-assessment experiences to do, and this re-do experience haunts their every moment until it's re-done. It's much, much harder to re-do than it is to do it correctly the first time around. (I would list for parents all the steps required in re-doing work here.) In addition, it's a false assumption that students build moral fiber and respect for deadlines by slapping them with an "F" or a "0" for work not done. This teaches nothing but resentment and cheating. To recover in full from being irresponsible or from not knowing something teaches way more than attaching a label to the earlier poor work. If we don't let students re-do assignments and assessments, then we've turned over their education to their immature selves, and that's abdicating our responsibilities as teachers. We've also said three things that are unacceptable: 1) This assignment has no educational value yet I gave it to you anyway, 2) Since you didn't do all this work, I'm going to let you off the hook from doing it (How does that teach responsibility?), and 3) It's okay if you don't learn this, which is the most heinous one of all. If a student is acting irresponsibly, we don't back off and wag an admonishing finger from afar, we jump in and walk the student through his full recovery.] If this is so, why should any student work hard to succeed if they will be "handed" a "do-over" and end up with a "B" grade at least. [As implied by the comments above, students very quickly realize the heavy demands of re-doing work, and they avoid this as much as possible. They find the re-doing process very demanding - It's no treat for any student. It represents hope and true adult leadership of youth.] This truly does not seem fair to hard-working students and also is not indicative of the real world. [Re-think this: We're not teaching adults, we're teaching students. To demand adult-level proficiency when they are first morphing into young adults is abusive, not sound pedagogy. Try learning to play a new musical instrument or learning a new software package on the computer. You're a thousand times better after months of practice than you are in the first week. According to several studies in cognitive science, the typical person must do something new 24 times or more just to get to 80% proficiency. We want students to become proficient, but it takes time to reach that stage. Pilots take off and land hundreds of times every year as practice - in flight simulators - to maintain their proficiency in navigating airplanes with real passengers. Website developers create dozens or hundreds of Websites before they become proficient and efficient. Surgeons practice on dozens of cadavers and simulators before doing real surgeries. We know that practice is valuable to learning. If that's the case, every student should do 24 or more persuasive essays just to learn how to do them well. We don't have time for that in a typical school year, but for the few times when we push for the important stuff to be truly learned, parents should celebrate a teacher who demands work be re-done. It is FAR MORE preparatory for the real world to re-do.] It's also sending a very bad message to those who do not aim high, incorrectly giving them the impression that they will be rewarded for late, lazy or inadequate work. This is truly unacceptable. [You're right, and it's not acceptable: No lazy or inadequate work will be accepted. That's why we're standards-based. The student does the assignment until it meets the standard, and the evaluative criteria are intense. To say it must all be done at the same level of quality as everyone else by this one particular day of this particular week flies in the face of all we know about how humans learn. We all learn at different rates. This stance hides behind the factory model of schooling, and we have all the proof in the world that it is not the best way to teach students of any age. We're simply catching up to the promise of what schooling can be.] They will not be allowed to repeatedly re-take tests until they get a "B" in college, and what kind of message is this sending to those that work hard and to those that don't? [Actually, this is not true in all universities. It's a very clear and constructive message: Stay on course, work hard, ask questions when you don't understand, and try to keep up with deadlines so you don't have to go through the re-do process. As mentioned above, this teaches students how to manage their time and respect deadlines far more than receiving an "F" does.] Why are low-to-mid achievers being rewarded when the high achievers are not? [There is absolutely no reward for either group other than the sense of well-being that is felt when a person achieves well, in addition to the chance to pursue other opportunities once that level has been achieved. Those feelings are very motivating, and without hope of obtaining them there is no motivation to continue for those who struggle, and there is only panic in those who are high achieving yet fall short on this one assignment. We're here to coach students through these moments, and that means walking side by side with students as they recover in full, not judging them failures and moving on.] What benefits do the high achievers get? [They learn more, mature faster, and they have far more doors opened to them. They take more responsibility for themselves and are far more autonomous in college and career training paths.] My daughter was so proud to be an honor roll student, but based on this system, everyone will be an honor roll student! [Wouldn't that be terrific? Everyone is successful? Wow! That's exactly what every school says in its mission statement and literature. Is your daughter's only source of identity and pride that she surpassed others? Is that really what we want to promote to the next generation? If so, she will be sorely ill-prepared for the larger world. How about instead, she thinks: "I worked hard, learned and grew a lot, thought of ideas I never considered before, made a contribution to the world, became something more than I was when I started -- and so did my friends. This was a good year."?] I definitely need you to put this in perspective for me, because if this is going to be the case, we will seriously consider moving our daughter to a better performing school. [This parent has presented no evidence on the performance of the school, only on her concerns with the policy. Again, this is understandable if she's upset, but you may want to point this out to her - the school's performance hasn't been discussed.] I cannot see how this wouldn't lower the reputation and standards of __________ School. [It actually would increase the reputation and standards of the school. The Admissions Committee would be grateful: The grades would mean something. Students would actually know their stuff or they wouldn't get high marks, and they will far more independent and good time managers than students from schools who don't teach this way.]

Parent's Concerns about Grading Changes
Hi Rick:
I went full blast ahead and began implementation of the "fair isn't always equal" policy. It was very SUCCESSFUL with faculty - I mapped out a 10-day plan prior to the first day of school - and yes, we're taking baby steps, focusing on skills-based grading, no zeros and reassessment.
Yesterday was our first day of school. Below I have copied part of what a parent wrote to our principal. I have an idea of how to respond, but you are brilliant with words, so before I advise our principal, I wanted to know if you could give me some advice."

Parent's Letter
(Child) came home extremely distraught today. She informed me that the grading/homework system has changed so that it seems to encourage students who may not be high achievers (even below average) to succeed and get the same grades as those that do. Based on what she's told me, students such as herself, who work very hard to get "A" and "B" grades will be achieving these grades while working hard and studying. While the students that don't work as hard - or hard at all - will be "rewarded" by being "allowed" to re-take tests and hand in homework late without any consequences (as long as it's handed in before the end of the quarter).

If this is so, why should any student work hard to succeed if they will be "handed" a "do-over" and end up with a "B" grade at least. This truly does not seem fair to hard-working students and also is not indicative of the real world. It's also sending a very bad message to those who do not aim high, incorrectly giving them the impression that they will be rewarded for late, lazy or inadequate work. This is truly unacceptable. They will not be allowed to repeatedly re-take tests until they get a "B" in college, and what kind of message is this sending to those that work hard and to those that don't?

Why are low-to-mid achievers being rewarded when the high achievers are not? What benefits do the high achievers get? My daughter was so proud to be an honor roll student, but based on this system, everyone will be an honor roll student! I definitely need you to put this in perspective for me, because if this is going to be the case, we will seriously consider moving our daughter to a better performing school. I cannot see how this wouldn't lower the reputation and standards of __________ School.

Rick's response:

Thanks for writing, and for taking on these new challenges. It's good to hear of the great successes you're having with faculty too. Keep on taking those baby steps!

My first thought in reading this is that somehow communication with parents broke down. That's very fixable. The problem would be whether this parent was rational in her stance (I'm assuming it's a mom writing, but that may be wrong). She comes across as someone who simply hasn't thought about it much, someone making an impulsive reaction rather than a well-considered one. We all do that from time to time, especially when it comes to our own kids, so I'm not too worried about the parent. She says she wants perspective; that's hopeful.

I've annotated my comments throughout (in bold and brackets). I hope this is helpful. Let me know how it goes.

_______ came home extremely distraught today. [Her teachers did not explain this well enough; otherwise she would not be upset. She would be hopeful and excited. Students get this right away, so something fell through here.] She informed me that the grading/homework system has changed so, that it seems to encourage students who may not be high achievers (even below average), to succeed and get the same grades as those that do. [Exactly. Those who are not high achievers are encouraged to become so. We want them to be successful and even achieve at high levels. Where's the concern here? Don't we want all students to be successful? It's hard to name a school where this is not the mission. This is what all parents and teachers want.]. Based on what she's told me, students such as herself, who work very hard to get "A" and "B" grades will be achieving these grades while working hard and studying. [Yes, and to be honest, they will be working harder than they normally do because teachers are much more evidentiary - specific, high-quality evidence of learning must be submitted. There is no "padding" or buffering grades with extra points here and there for behaviors and products not directly listed in the criteria for excellence. This is actually more demanding of students, not less.] While the students that don't work as hard - or hard at all - will be "rewarded" by being "allowed" to re-take tests and hand in homework late without any consequences (as long as it's handed in before the end of the quarter). [We need to change the metaphor: Grades are not rewards, affirmation, validation, or compensation. They are communication; that's it. If we keep them as rewards, students, teachers, and parents all enter a bartering relationship, and that is incompatible with evidence-based grading (standards-based grading). Grades are first and foremost an accurate report of what students know and can do against standards, not reward for hard work. A student works for six weeks on a project but his project represents only a "D" level of mastery. He worked sincerely and did not slack off or demonstrate anything less than full integrity, but he just couldn't get it correct - He still doesn't get higher than a "D" just because he worked hard and was so sincere. If he were to get a "C" or higher because we factored in all his hard work, this would knowingly falsify a grade and that is an ethical breach. Is this what the parent is asking the teacher to do in these circumstances - falsify a grade? If so, that parent is better off taking her child to another school with less integrity. Grades have nothing to do with reward. The students who re-do work of any sort may not go on with the rest of their lives until the work is done, or at least they will be burdened with it while trying to take the next steps in their lives. They have a series of re-learning and re-assessment experiences to do, and this re-do experience haunts their every moment until it's re-done. It's much, much harder to re-do than it is to do it correctly the first time around. (I would list for parents all the steps required in re-doing work here.) In addition, it's a false assumption that students build moral fiber and respect for deadlines by slapping them with an "F" or a "0" for work not done. This teaches nothing but resentment and cheating. To recover in full from being irresponsible or from not knowing something teaches way more than attaching a label to the earlier poor work. If we don't let students re-do assignments and assessments, then we've turned over their education to their immature selves, and that's abdicating our responsibilities as teachers. We've also said three things that are unacceptable: 1) This assignment has no educational value yet I gave it to you anyway, 2) Since you didn't do all this work, I'm going to let you off the hook from doing it (How does that teach responsibility?), and 3) It's okay if you don't learn this, which is the most heinous one of all. If a student is acting irresponsibly, we don't back off and wag an admonishing finger from afar, we jump in and walk the student through his full recovery.] If this is so, why should any student work hard to succeed if they will be "handed" a "do-over" and end up with a "B" grade at least. [As implied by the comments above, students very quickly realize the heavy demands of re-doing work, and they avoid this as much as possible. They find the re-doing process very demanding - It's no treat for any student. It represents hope and true adult leadership of youth.] This truly does not seem fair to hard-working students and also is not indicative of the real world. [Re-think this: We're not teaching adults, we're teaching students. To demand adult-level proficiency when they are first morphing into young adults is abusive, not sound pedagogy. Try learning to play a new musical instrument or learning a new software package on the computer. You're a thousand times better after months of practice than you are in the first week. According to several studies in cognitive science, the typical person must do something new 24 times or more just to get to 80% proficiency. We want students to become proficient, but it takes time to reach that stage. Pilots take off and land hundreds of times every year as practice - in flight simulators - to maintain their proficiency in navigating airplanes with real passengers. Website developers create dozens or hundreds of Websites before they become proficient and efficient. Surgeons practice on dozens of cadavers and simulators before doing real surgeries. We know that practice is valuable to learning. If that's the case, every student should do 24 or more persuasive essays just to learn how to do them well. We don't have time for that in a typical school year, but for the few times when we push for the important stuff to be truly learned, parents should celebrate a teacher who demands work be re-done. It is FAR MORE preparatory for the real world to re-do.] It's also sending a very bad message to those who do not aim high, incorrectly giving them the impression that they will be rewarded for late, lazy or inadequate work. This is truly unacceptable. [You're right, and it's not acceptable: No lazy or inadequate work will be accepted. That's why we're standards-based. The student does the assignment until it meets the standard, and the evaluative criteria are intense. To say it must all be done at the same level of quality as everyone else by this one particular day of this particular week flies in the face of all we know about how humans learn. We all learn at different rates. This stance hides behind the factory model of schooling, and we have all the proof in the world that it is not the best way to teach students of any age. We're simply catching up to the promise of what schooling can be.] They will not be allowed to repeatedly re-take tests until they get a "B" in college, and what kind of message is this sending to those that work hard and to those that don't? [Actually, this is not true in all universities. It's a very clear and constructive message: Stay on course, work hard, ask questions when you don't understand, and try to keep up with deadlines so you don't have to go through the re-do process. As mentioned above, this teaches students how to manage their time and respect deadlines far more than receiving an "F" does.] Why are low-to-mid achievers being rewarded when the high achievers are not? [There is absolutely no reward for either group other than the sense of well-being that is felt when a person achieves well, in addition to the chance to pursue other opportunities once that level has been achieved. Those feelings are very motivating, and without hope of obtaining them there is no motivation to continue for those who struggle, and there is only panic in those who are high achieving yet fall short on this one assignment. We're here to coach students through these moments, and that means walking side by side with students as they recover in full, not judging them failures and moving on.] What benefits do the high achievers get? [They learn more, mature faster, and they have far more doors opened to them. They take more responsibility for themselves and are far more autonomous in college and career training paths.] My daughter was so proud to be an honor roll student, but based on this system, everyone will be an honor roll student! [Wouldn't that be terrific? Everyone is successful? Wow! That's exactly what every school says in its mission statement and literature. Is your daughter's only source of identity and pride that she surpassed others? Is that really what we want to promote to the next generation? If so, she will be sorely ill-prepared for the larger world. How about instead, she thinks: "I worked hard, learned and grew a lot, thought of ideas I never considered before, made a contribution to the world, became something more than I was when I started -- and so did my friends. This was a good year."?] I definitely need you to put this in perspective for me, because if this is going to be the case, we will seriously consider moving our daughter to a better performing school. [This parent has presented no evidence on the performance of the school, only on her concerns with the policy. Again, this is understandable if she's upset, but you may want to point this out to her - the school's performance hasn't been discussed.] I cannot see how this wouldn't lower the reputation and standards of __________ School. [It actually would increase the reputation and standards of the school. The Admissions Committee would be grateful: The grades would mean something. Students would actually know their stuff or they wouldn't get high marks, and they will far more independent and good time managers than students from schools who don't teach this way.]

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Parent's Concerns about Grading ChangesHi Rick:I went full blast ahead and began implementation of the "fair isn't always equal" policy. It was very SUCCESSFUL with faculty - I mapped out a 10-day plan prior to the first day of school - and yes, we're taking baby steps, focusing on skills-based grading, no zeros and reassessment.

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Kid Snippets: "Math Class" (Imagined by Kids)

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Instructional Strategies -- PreTeaching vs Reteaching

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Scaffolding Discussion Skills With a Socratic Circle