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OSPI

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Autism Resource Center

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Social Stories for Young and Old on Covid 19 - HMEA's Autism Resource Central

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OSPI Q&A: Provision of Services to Students with Disabilities During Closures Due to COVID-19

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OSPI Q&A: Provision of Services to Students with Disabilities During Closures Due to COVID-19

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Updated as of July 10, 2020

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Mercer Island School District

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Successfully Serving Students with Disabilities During COVID-19 (Webinar with Glenna Gallo/OSPI)

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Successfully Serving Students with Disabilities During COVID-19 (Webinar with Glenna Gallo/OSPI)

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National Association of State Directors of Special Education

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Implementing Direct Instruction Successfully: An Online Tutorial

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Implementing Direct Instruction Successfully: An Online Tutorial

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National Institute for Direct Instruction

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The National Institute for Direct Instruction (NIFDI) is the world's foremost Direct Instruction (DI) support provider. This website provides information and resources for administrators, teachers and parents to help them maximize student achievement through DI. The website also contains information on DI's extensive and broad research base, including a searchable database of more than two hundred article summaries.

Consider becoming a member of NIFDI. Members not only help NIFDI fulfill its mission, but they also enjoy member pricing on our materials and events. Learn more about member benefits by clicking on the button to the right.

New to Direct Instruction? Check out our Introduction to Direct Instruction Video Series to learn more!

In Memory of Siegfried "Zig" Engelmann

Memorial to Siegfried Engelmann's Professional Life and Contributions

Tributes and additional information about Siegfried Engelmann

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NIFDI - National Institute for Direct Instruction

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The National Institute for Direct Instruction (NIFDI) is the world's foremost Direct Instruction (DI) support provider. This website provides information and resources for administrators, teachers and parents to help them maximize student achievement through DI. The website also contains information on DI's extensive and broad research base, including a searchable database of more than two hundred article summaries.

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Decision Tree for Provision of In-Person Learning

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Decision Tree for Provision of In-Person Learning

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Washington State Department of Health

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Successfully Serving Students with Disabilities During COVID-19 (Webinar with Glenna Gallo) 

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Successfully Serving Students with Disabilities During COVID-19 (Webinar with Glenna Gallo) 

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August 5, 2020

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Video Conferencing, Web Conferencing, Webinars, Screen Sharing

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Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, conference, huddle, and training rooms, as well as executive offices and classrooms. Founded in 2011, Zoom helps businesses and organizations bring their teams together in a frictionless environment to get more done.

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IDEA Best Practices During the COVID-19 Crisis

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IDEA Best Practices During the COVID-19 Crisis

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Council of the Great City Schools

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Amanda Pharis
amanda@wacharters.org
925.997.5299
Catalyst | PRIDE | Lumen | Summit

Andrew Mitchell
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425.463.9711
Impact | Innovation | Rainier Prep | RVLA

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Education After COVID-19 Cannot Be Reimagined Without a Racial Justice Plan

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Education After COVID-19 Cannot Be Reimagined Without a Racial Justice Plan

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Colin Seale - Forbes

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Without a plan to achieve racial justice in schools, any post-COVID-19 plan for reopening schools is ... [+]
Getty

With schools across the country finishing the academic year remotely, there is little consensus about what schools should look like in the fall. It is highly unlikely that there will be a vaccine or cure that will mitigate the risks of COVID-19 infection in time for the upcoming school year. Understandably, every stakeholder group in K-12 education wants to know what the plan should be and wants to have some input on the plan. This conversation ramped up after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released their considerations for schools earlier this month. The CDC's suggestions included spacing student desks at least 6 feet apart from each other, discouraging sharing, and procuring massive amounts of soap, hand sanitizer, and supplies to clean and disinfect frequently-touched surfaces. But, even with every stakeholder group from parents to teacher unions chiming in with their own ideas about how the school day should be structured and what safety measures should implemented, an important piece is missing.

This piece was missing long before the COVID-19 pandemic dismantled our notions of how we do school and highlighted the deep inequities of our school systems. In his 1967 " Where Do We Go From Here" speech, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. lamented at the reality that Black students in our school systems "lag one to three years behind whites" and receive far less funding. Closing these gaps, which still persist today, are often deemed an appropriate, righteous, and sufficient strategy to create opportunity for groups who have been systemically denied access to opportunity. But what if part of the stubbornness of these gaps comes our failure to consider educational equity as anything more than an academics-only endeavor?

Without a plan to achieve racial justice in schools, any post-COVID-19 plan for reopening schools is inherently flawed. The lived experiences of Black students stretch beyond our schools. They live in our country, where a white woman walking her dog, without a leash, in violation of park rules, feels entitled enough to call the police on a Harvard-educated, avid birdwatcher and stickler for the rules who calls her out - and who also happens to be a Black man. Speaking of a college education, our country's reality includes the fact that Black college graduates are disproportionately likely to carry burdensome student loan debt. Speaking of disproportional, in our country, Black children in preschool are more than twice as likely to be suspended or expelled than other children.

Students and teachers live in a country where the question of whether #BlackLivesMatter is still an open inquiry. It is impossible to separate the urgency of improving education outcomes for Black students from the realities these same students face in their day-to-day experiences. W.E.B. Dubois published The Souls of Black Folk in 1903, where he pondered on the question of blackness in this country by asking "how does it feel to be a problem?" Black students, more than 100 years later, often know more than they would like to about what it means to be a problem. In their lifetimes, they have ample evidence to show them that simply existing can be a threat. Black high school students have seen enough to understand the deadly risks of mundane experiences. Because jogging, asking for help after a car crash, playing loud music, or even just being a successful college graduate relaxing in your own home can be a death sentence for you if you happen to do these things while also being Black.

Education exists within our country's unjust realities. But without an intentional plan to boldly pursue racial justice, our education systems do not just reflect the broader injustices of society, they exacerbate them. In our education system, a 6 year old Black girl was arrested and put in handcuffs after having a temper tantrum. This sparked widespread outrage, but it is a well-documented pattern for the treatment of black girls in our schools. According to Monique Morris, author of Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools, although they are only 16% of girls in our schools, Black girls represent 42% of girls receiving corporal punishment, 45% of girls with one or more out-of-school suspensions, and more than one-third of girls arrested on school campuses. Advocates for increasing closing racial academic achievement gaps cannot close their eyes to the urgent need for racial justice in our schools.

Practically speaking, prioritizing a racial justice component as part of the plan for returning to school in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic is not going to undo centuries of oppression. Still, school systems can make tremendous strides toward racial justice by rejecting a mythical colorblind approach in favor of an approach that is intentionally color-kind. They should recognize the disparate impact of school closures on student subgroups who faced tremendous equity and access issues prior to the pandemic and ensure that whatever plans they are drawing up address this reality. Before they think about reimagining the way students engage in school, systems leaders should overcome the issues of racial justice that lead many educators to act as if they can work aroundlow income parents of color instead of working with and through them. Returning to school with racial justice as a key aspect of a new "normal" does not just mean that leaders should hold more diversity workshops or implicit bias training. It also means that educators must answer the question of how they are explicitly biased and learn how to change this.

This is not to say that urgent efforts to improve educational outcomes for racial subgroups with persistent academic gaps should play second fiddle. A focus on true racial justice recognizes that as unfair as it is that poor, students of color still need to often work twice as hard just to get half as far as others, it is a reality nonetheless. The conversation about the important role academic success plays in breaking cycles of poverty, the disproportionately beneficial impact of a college degree for students of color, and the decreased risk of unemployment and susceptibility to COVID-19 for college graduates is a crucial part of the overall conversation on racial justice, not a counterargument.

The majority of public school students in the United States identify as students of color. Yet, only 7% of Black students attend school systems where the number of Black teachers equals or exceeds the percentage of Black students, a ratio that drops to 4.5 for Asian students and one-tenth of 1% for Latino students attend school systems where the number of Latino students equals or exceeds the percentage of Latino teachers. Study after study confirms the benefits of diversifying the teacher workforce. Diverse leadership matters too, but 80% of school principals are white compared to just 10% who are Black, 7% who are Latino and higher on the leadership ladder, only 6% of district superintendents identify as leaders of color. Our country's mostly white educator workforce must have the tools, skills, and mindsets, to help them achieve racial justice through their work. Sending teachers back to school with a racial justice plan can finally help us cure the centuries-old pandemic of educational inequity.

... Read More

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Education After COVID-19 Cannot Be Reimagined Without A Racial Justice Plan

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With schools across the country finishing the academic year remotely, there is little consensus about what schools should look like in the fall. It is highly unlikely that there will be a vaccine or cure that will mitigate the risks of COVID-19 infection in time for the upcoming school year.

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Collaborative for Exceptional Education

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How to Reopen Schools: Putting Equity at the Center

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How to Reopen Schools: Putting Equity at the Center

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Getting Smart
Brooklyn Lab Charter Schools

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With nearly all U.S. school buildings closed for the year, teachers and leaders have scrambled to support remote learning and respond to the emerging needs of 57 million elementary and secondary students. As challenging as it is today, it's time to begin planning for next year. The damage the pandemic has already caused, its lingering health concerns, and the potential for resurgence make preparation to reopen a complex but urgent affair.

"We have both a historic opportunity and an obligation to create approaches to reopening schools that work for all groups of students all of the time, not just some groups of students some of the time," writes Russlynn Ali, co-founder, and CEO of the XQ Institute.

Based on insights and resources from practitioners and experts, we have created this 10-point plan, with an aim to help educators reimagine and strengthen systems. In particular, we encourage school and system leaders to consider how the needs of people of color and individuals with disabilities will be affected by re-entry. Many re-entry scenarios present a unique challenge to already vulnerable students and families, thereby compounding the equity implications of the pandemic. Using equitable and innovative re-entry approaches, we have an opportunity to design new solutions together that better meet the needs of all learners.

1. Organize and mobilize. Create a cross-functional team to manage programmatic, staffing, facilities, budget, and communication implications of reopening schools. Empower this team to prepare for re-entry, set and manage metrics that matter most in each domain, and ensure performance for:

maintaining health, wellness, and safety of the entire school community (e.g., PPE availability, compliance with distancing);

maximizing student learning and ability to thrive (e.g., access-gap reduction, academic growth);

supporting educators and staff to adapt and respond (e.g., family satisfaction); and

securing a strong financial and operational future (e.g., days of cash on hand).

Lindsay Jones, president of the National Center for Learning Disabilities, urges planning teams to "take the steps needed to ensure that all students from all backgrounds can fully benefit" from what might be extended reliance on educational continuity plans.

The team charged with preparation for re-entry should solicit feedback from students, families, teachers, staff, and other stakeholders through a variety of channels, including virtual town halls, social media, and family surveys. This team also holds public accountability and communications responsibility and should coordinate plans with guidance from regional and state agencies.

2. Develop reopening scenarios. Most schools will be told when to reopen, based on regional public health risks, economic demand, and childcare needs. Schools will be responsible for putting structures in place to safeguard health and wellness and responding to student and family needs. Schools will also need to be ready to act if the virus resurges.

EdTrust CEO John King and AFT President Randi Weingarten urged funding for summer learning experiences. " We must help students catch up from lost learning time, which particularly affects our most vulnerable students. We must plan for the future of education in a way that makes good on our promise to provide every child in America with the tools needed to succeed, regardless of geography or demography."

Reopening in the fall on the regular schedule might be the base case, but alternatives should be considered, including:

opening early to more quickly address learning gaps

opening early with safety precautions (as contemplated in California)

opening on time but ready to shift nimbly to remote learning in the event of resurgence;

opening on time but with time-shifted (learners on different schedules) and/or place-shifted approaches (some learners in temporary facilities and some learners remote to support distancing); or

opening later, given a resurgence.

Come fall, schools might have to toggle between on-site and remote learning, stagger attendance, or use a variety of strategies in response to resurgence. System heads with well-developed plans will have the opportunity to influence state reopening guidelines.

As the active ingredients for success with each reopening scenario are identified, Susan Patrick, the president and CEO of the Aurora Institute, reminds us, "equity must be baked into the recipe for effective reopening-into the culture, structures, and into the daily practices."

"It's not enough to have one reopening plan, and simply hope that all groups of students will benefit equally," says Greg Rodriguez, high school director at Brooklyn LAB. "Unless we are careful, intentional, flexible, and creative in our planning, re-entry will work much better for some students than for others."

It will be critical to maintain flexibility to balance local needs (e.g., serving the children of nurses) with regional realities (e.g., closure of daycare providers for faculty members). Schools will be more effective if they prepare to reduce the friction of transitions.

3. Embrace financial stewardship in the face of uncertainty. Most schools and districts will see a decline in revenue for several years. Public schools must set principles for making hard choices, including how best to balance legal obligations (including maintaining the provision of free and appropriate education) under various resource scenarios. A dynamic and iterative scenario-planning process is required to navigate this unprecedented level of uncertainty.

"As schools think through how to support students upon reentry, they must take full advantage of funds and ensure funds are used wisely for our most vulnerable kids. Now is not the time for small thinking and siloed resources - all of our students, including those with disabilities, must be included and supported," emphasizes Michael Yudin, former Assistant Secretary of Education for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services.

Before cutting critical expenses, it's essential to aggressively preserve revenue. Oliver Sicat, CEO of , suggests that budgeting should strive for the optimal combination of defense (budget cuts) and offense (evolution of services). Options for such offense might contemplate different reopening scenarios and consider investments in extra transportation, student home broadband, new talent models that leverage teacher residency models, facilities modifications, and/or technology to support access. These and other innovations might generate or sustain revenue streams through the downturn. With the oversight and proactive involvement of the school board, leaders must rigorously monitor cash inflows and outflows.

Rosalyn Curato of school finance software provider emphasizes the importance of scenario-planning and priority-based budgeting to provide structure around key choices and to anchor action to the student, our most important stakeholder. "School districts have responded to COVID-19, embracing how budgets evolve as needs change," she says. "We must work together to strike the appropriate balance between providing quality education and doing so in a resource-constrained environment."

Finance should not be siloed; every leader has a stake in student success and therefore plays a pivotal role in scenario-planning. Understanding what you can control and when, communicating proactively and transparently, and creating a culture that can respond and adapt to change will set your organization up for success.

4 . Staff and schedule for flexibility and differentiation. Re-entry planning must be guided by the health, safety, and welfare of each member of the school community, as well as their family members.

Schools will need to be ready to support partial quarantine (groups of learners and/or staff working remotely). Some at-risk staff members may need modified duties but may still be able to support remote learning.

It's likely that in-school hygiene protocols will need to be modified, at least for periods of time. Staggered cohort schedules could minimize contact during transitions. Adjustments to assemblies, lunch, physical education, and electives might reduce transmission.

Given likely reductions in state and local funding, school district and network staffing plans and budgets for 2020-21 should start with a lean base case. In addition, staffing plans should be developed for several social-distancing plans (per the time- and place-shifted scenarios discussed in #3).

It will take more staff to run time-shifted models (i.e., morning and afternoon shifts, a long day with cohorts on three or four staggered schedules, or longer alternating days). These scenarios will be difficult to support with what could be lower state reimbursements and should be approached in coordination with state organizations.

School policies related to travel, new requirements regarding temporary leave (e.g., sick leave, emergency paid sick leave, public health emergency leave) and school safety must be navigated with employee groups. State organizations can help facilitate and provide guidance for these conversations.

If resurgence demands remote learning, schools must acknowledge the challenges teachers will face providing differentiated support remotely. Further, caregivers can face increased stress, reduced schedule control, and barriers to accessing academic language and lessons. Smaller group-based supports (e.g., follow-up, feedback, check-ins, review sessions) matter. Widen the circle of supports to include volunteers, tutors, retirees, or ex-educators. Be sure to engage relevant agencies (e.g., social services, housing). Provide in-person and virtual training to caregivers.

5. Reconnect and reassess. The first week of school (or an early summer kickoff) is a good time to reconnect with students, rebuild culture, and reassess academic and social and emotional growth. The fall is an opportunity to meet learners where they are, support individual learning plans, and shift to competency-based progressions.

Some students may have experienced trauma over the previous six months, and staff and community partners will need to be ready to support those learners. Turnaround for Children recommends rebuilding relationships, resilience, and routines. On , they recommend focusing on physical, emotional, and identity safety, and empowering students to design and use routine planners. They urge schools to co-create norms and routines and provide tiered support systems at all levels.

An predicts a big "COVID-19 slide" in learning. It will be critical to assess where learners are and tailor instruction accordingly. Norm-referenced adaptive diagnostics tools like the MAPS test can provide a quick snapshot of learning levels. Criterion-referenced assessments like from Curriculum Associates may provide even more actionable insights.

Following assessment, placement is a difficult and important first-week decision. In traditional elementary schools, students who are more than a year below grade level may benefit from repeating the grade they were in before closure. The alternative is to add more flexible groupings and stronger supports in grade-span groups to accommodate learning differences.

"Planning for our most complex learners and our students with significant support needs from the beginning will help to mitigate issues that might arise later during the reopening process." says, Kristin Wright, Director of the Special Education Division for the California Department of Education . "This will also help ensure we don't segregate students with disabilities from their peers without disabilities."

In reopening, it will also be critical to set and maintain high expectations for academic growth and competency development. In states where test-based accountability is likely to continue, getting students into their grade-level learning experience is important.

John King and Randi Weingarten suggested "increased social-emotional supports, a positive and welcoming school climate, increased instructional time and attention, and effective dropout prevention and re-engagement programs - especially for the most vulnerable."

Scott Bess, head of Polytechnic High School, reminds us that mastery is more important than seat time in high school academic progress and credits. "No one knows what the fall will bring," he says. "Emphasis on projects and mastery ensures educators have a powerful lever to engage and prepare students."

Jonathan Flynn, who leads family and community engagement at Brooklyn LAB, reminds us to always consider the context of the students' experiences. "The inequities inside school too often compound the challenges many students face outside of school," he says.

Karen Cator, CEO of emphasizes the importance of understanding learner variability, and of looking for evidence-based factors and strategies to educate learners across context and needs. "Students always have had variations that impact how they learn, but re-entry is one time that variabilities must be explicitly understood and cared for," she says.

6 . Practice agency and prioritize engagement.Learner agency-including self-awareness, self-management, self-directed learning, and good decision-making-is critical to success in school and life. Whether you're planning for on-site or remote learning, it's worth considering how learners can practice agency and providing opportunities for learners to demonstrate ownership over the process and progress of their learning.

The National Center for Learning Differences highlights research-based steps that give students choices in the learning process and offer educators opportunities to monitor their overall progress. Students can use strategies to take ownership over this process (including using a learning plan, participating in an IEP meeting, and learning about their rights and needs). The cultivation of self-advocacy skills becomes even more important for families and educators. As from NCLD notes, ensuring that children play an active role in their own education is key "to ensure innovative approaches to learning fully include students with disabilities."

Vulnerable students face more challenges in home-based learning. Students with disabilities often rely on connection with peers and trusted adults, stable routines, and supports the school provides in person. By itself, virtual learning often sets complex learners up for lower success. Schools can help learners navigate requirements by following through on one-on-one outreach such as through phone calls to students and creating additional support structures and incentives to engage students. Non-teaching staff can be deputized for coaching and motivation.

The recently formed Educating All Learners Alliance curates a set of best-in-class tools for instruction and support practices to meet the needs of complex learners.

7. Make use of data and systems to improve educational continuity.The last few months have also underlined the need for every school to have a learning platform to manage content and communication, assignments, and feedback. A good learning-management system helps teachers understand student usage, growth, and mastery, even when they use their own curriculum tools. These few months have also shown how valuable it is to have secure and reliable video-conferencing systems for morning meetings, synchronous classes, advisory sessions, tutoring, and counseling.

After a few months of remote learning, school leaders have a pretty good sense of what's working and what's not, who's learning and who's not. The next six months present an opportunity to reopen in the fall with more robust plans for learning continuity.

It is imperative that districts modernize their data infrastructure to improve data interoperability. Districts can help improve data interoperability by joining Project Unicorn.

The ability to toggle between on-site and remote learning for some or all learners may be critical for the upcoming year. There are ways schools can support families that lack adequate internet connectivity, appropriate learning devices, suitable working space, and tech support. To improve broadband access, schools can provide hotspots and partner with providers to address infrastructure gaps and provide alternative space for students to access devices while practicing distancing.

We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to embrace a vision where schools have the data to illuminate how students are doing academically, as well as the power to engage families and students in understanding their own mastery journey.

8. Reimagine approaches to core school systems. Schools, districts, and networks have a historic opportunity to rethink education by placing the needs of complex learners at the center. Here are a few ways to redesign learning models and how schools interact with families and communities:

Make social and emotional learning central to stated outcomes, priority learning experiences, and reported progress measures.

Add more learner voice and engagement to help students develop agency and to cultivate authentic learning.

Move toward competency by recognizing new evidence of learning, promoting learners based on demonstrated proficiency, and helping learners tell their own story.

Build talent systems that consistently enable a diverse team of skilled, knowledgeable, and devoted educators to build and sustain effective schools.

Transform school board governance so that boards serve as guardians of the community's future.

Julia Freeland Fisher, director of education at the Clayton Christensen Institute, urges schools to plan for opportunities like internships and real-world projects that help students build social capital. "When schools reopen their doors, they should open up new networks, too," she says. "This could include both face-to-face and opportunities for students to forge the sorts of professional connections and mentors that wealthy students might take for granted."

9. Iterate and communicate. Update academic, schedule, technology, and facilities plans based on what's working. Reopening presents the opportunity for you to make your ideas for improvement reality.

Translate an ambitious and hopeful vision into a well-rounded, feasible plan. The League of Innovative Schools takes on big challenges, mobilizing educators, technology, and learning systems to help districts meet those challenges.

As you do something similar, be sure to frequently communicate any updates or changes in protocols, schedules, or options to all stakeholders. The weekly video updates from Broward County Superintendent Robert Runcie are a great example of a big system iterating, improving, and communicating effectively. In neighboring Miami-Dade County Schools, communication with learners and parents via has increased fivefold.

10. Consider the worst but model the best. If anything, this crisis has taught us to expect the unexpected. No one imagined a pandemic that would shut down the global economy. You should anticipate that things will be different than you assume-and prepare contingency plans for heightened need.

We must prepare for re-entry in the shadow of the second wave of virus resurgence. Strong re-entry plans will "all come together" when systems to maintain school community health prove resilient in the face of such resurgence. This will likely entail:

operational systems to effectively monitor and enable evidence-based communication and decision-making throughout the entire period in advance of a vaccine;

family and community partnerships at regulatory and practical levels, including coordination with the department of health, local social service agencies, and innovative welfare services;

dedicated staff capacity for the multifunctional team directing re-entry, ensuring that responses are coordinated and progress and setbacks are overseen;

ongoing, direct communication with key stakeholders, especially families, students, and staff; and

robust data systems to track health, safety, and learning inputs, outputs, and outcomes.

As we return to school, there will be an unprecedented need for mental health services, food, and child care. One of the most important partnerships for schools will be with the public health sector to ensure coordination on testing capacity, contact tracing, and serological surveillance. No entity stands poised to ensure that schools have an equitable and effective effort to support these interventions. The consequences of inadequate preparation for immunocompromised individuals and families, in particular, are unacceptable.

It's clear that we cannot plan for a normal school year. But it's also clear we have an opportunity to create new and better normal if we consider the needs of all learners in re-entry. "We will do our educators and students a disservice if we put all our efforts toward ensuring the 2020-21 school year looks just like last year," says Richard Culatta, president of . "This is a once-in-a-generation moment to rebuild schooling in a way that honors the unique strengths, interests, and abilities of students. This disruption has underscored the need to think beyond rigid schedules and place-based learning, and instead allow for innovation in pedagogy and delivery."

As natural and human-made systems collide in unprecedented ways, young people are growing up in a world where novelty, complexity, and mutuality are the norm. How we respond in adaptive, thoughtful, inclusive, and creative ways will be the most important lessons we teach.

For more see:
Stay in-the-know with innovations in learning by signing up for the weekly Getting Smart has launched the Getting Through series to support educators, leaders, and families on the path forward during such an uncertain time. This series will provide resources and inspiration as we face long term school closures, new learning environments, and address equity and access from a new lens. Whether you are just getting started with distance or online learning, or you've had plans in place and have the opportunity to share your work and guidance with others, there is a place for your voice and an opportunity to learn. We're going to get through this together, and we invite you to join us. Please email Editor@GettingSmart.com with any questions or content you'd like considered for publication. We also invite you to join the conversation and on social media using #GettingThrough. .

Eric Tucker is the co-founder and Executive Director of Brooklyn Laboratory Charter Schools. He has served as a teacher and instructional leader in Providence and Chicago. He is former Director at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and the co-founder and Executive Director of the National Association for Urban Debate Leagues. Eric co-edited The Sage Handbook of Measurement.

Tom Vander Ark is author of Better Together, Smart Parents, Smart Cities, Getting Smart and The Power of Place. He is co-founder of Getting Smart and Learn Capital and serves on the boards of Education Board Partners, 4.0 Schools, Digital Learning Institute, Latinx Education Collaborative, Mastery Transcript Consortium and eduInnovation. Follow Tom on Twitter, @tvanderark.

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How to Reopen Schools: A 10-Point Plan Putting Equity at the Center | Getting Smart

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With nearly all U.S. school buildings closed for the year, teachers and leaders have scrambled to support remote learning and respond to the emerging needs of 57 million elementary and secondary students. As challenging as it is today, it's time to begin planning for next year.

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Collated Guidance, Resources, Technology, and Tools

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PARTNERS .

Coronavirus is posing unprecedented challenges to public schools around the country. To help ensure the continuity of special education services during remote instruction and to spotlight best practice approaches for schools and educators, an alliance of national education organizations has come together to ensure equity for all learners. EducatingAllLearners.org creates a hub of curated tools, strategies, tips and best practices for supporting students with disabilities online. Our goal is to both curate and creates special education resources for educators to serve students who learn differently during this time of challenge.

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PARTNERS . Coronavirus is posing unprecedented challenges to public schools around the country. To help ensure the continuity of special education services during remote instruction and to spotlight best practice approaches for schools and educators, an alliance of national education organizations has come together to ensure equity for all learners.

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Distance Learning Engagement for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities

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Distance Learning Engagement for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities

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TIES Center

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Building Engagement with Distance Learning provides a framework for supporting all students, including those with significant cognitive disabilities, to actively engage:

Engage with classmates

Learn grade-level general education curriculum

Learn other essential skills

Think about distance learning for students with disabilities as happening in phases. The First Phase is just starting. The focus is on getting something going for students, even if it is not perfect. The Second Phase is thinking more holistically about the students, how to embed learning opportunities in their home environments, moving forward with greater collaboration with team members, including parents and siblings, and using online tools to provide greater access and engagement. The Third Phase is when programs integrate the principles of quality inclusive practices and effective instruction into distance learning. Eventually, there will be a time to pause and reflect on what we have learned during this period of significant change to understand how the knowledge and skills that were gained transfer back into the classroom. The TIES Center is focusing its work on moving forward to the Second Phase and then the Third Phase, particularly for students with significant cognitive disabilities.

Please check out additional TIPS in this series for practical illustrations of how this can be done. New illustrations will be added weekly. We are also soliciting suggestions and questions via the TIES Facebook page.

A Framework for Building Engagement with Distance Learning

EVERY student, including students with significant cognitive disabilities, has the same inclusive environment right now. It is called home. At the same time, they need to remain connected to their larger inclusive community at school. As we navigate this new norm, it is important to realize that learning opportunities are abundant and can be generalized across the day for all students. Focusing on IEP priorities within this new learning situation can be done successfully and inclusively.

Distance learning presents a myriad of teachable moments that connect to the primary underpinnings of inclusive education - its emphasis on access to and engagement with grade level, standards-based academics; communicative competence; relationships and belonging; and learning life-long essential skills in real places with real people. Capitalizing on the thousands of teachable opportunities that occur throughout a day can, in fact, reinforce the value of thinking about IEP priorities in terms of the whole child across the whole day. We know students are more than just learners for the 6-7 hours that they are typically in school. In this sense, creating distance learning in an inclusive way presents an exciting opportunity. We are able to structure learning and establish IEP priorities within the most natural and inclusive context, their home.

Looking at the learning opportunities that exist for all students across the day(Participating in Routines and Transitions, Engaging in Grade Level Academics and Other Essential Skills, and Interacting with Others), we can prioritize learning opportunities for students with the most significant disabilities. All of these examples can be modified or expanded upon depending on the individual student's strengths and identified needs. It is important to remember that engagement begins with the sense of community all students feel, even with distance learning.

Participating in Routines and Transitions

When the class is meeting online, a student is responsible for finding a quiet spot in the home, collecting appropriate materials and setting up a workspace for themselves, turning on computer/device, and logging into the virtual classroom on time with increasing levels of independence, with prompts as necessary (imagine them sitting at the kitchen table, what skills could they be learning that are lifelong and essential to be online, with their class, more independently?).

Following a schedule with increased independence (using high or low tech options such as online calendars and alerts, visuals, oven timers, handwritten list, or even post-it notes around the home) to plan, coordinate and engage in activities across the day;

Begin, engage in and sustain work (especially non-preferred activities) for increased amounts of time, and work toward needing varied or fewer prompts.

Engaging in Grade Level Academics and Other Essential Skills

Engaging in universally designed academics to the greatest degree possible, with the assistance of graphic organizers, word banks, visuals, audio and speech to text options, project-based learning, and support from siblings and parents.

Using technology in an increasingly independent fashion (e.g. use of Google Classroom or Schoology; Google Suite or Microsoft Office apps; Zoom; emailing teachers and peers about what they are learning, questions they have, turning in assignments and continuing the email conversation by checking in and responding.

Using Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC) systems to participate during online class discussions (preparing beforehand if necessary) and during home routines; use of a switch to show choice/preference; use of various devices such as iPad, Chromebook, laptops, watches.

Increasing self-advocacy skills through realizing they have an issue that requires assistance, identifying who they could ask for help (parents, teacher, peers, siblings), and then seeking assistance for the issue more independently across the day.

Interacting With Others

Participating in small and large group learning with peers online (morning meetings, meetups, class discussions, peer partner opportunities, projects)

Learning how, and engaging in, age-appropriate means of staying in touch with peers and creating community with one another (e.g. text, FaceTime, other social media options, e-pals, recreation/leisure activities such as online gaming)

Using an AAC device to ask/answer questions during online discussions or classes; offer answers prepared in advance or in the moment; tell a joke of the day, or check in on people they care about.

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Building Engagement with Distance Learning | Distance Learning Engagement An Overview Framework

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Building Engagement with Distance Learning provides a framework for supporting all students, including those with significant cognitive disabilities, to actively engage: Engage with classmates Learn grade-level general education curriculum Learn other essential skills Think about distance learning for students with disabilities as happening in phases. The First Phase is just starting.

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How to Vet Free Digital Resources for Home Learning

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How to Vet Free Digital Resources for Home Learning

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Kennedy Krieger Institute

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Due to the current coronavirus pandemic, school closures have left teachers and families scrambling to support learning at home. The Linking Research to Classrooms blog has expanded our scope to support both teachers and parents in designing meaningful learning experiences for all students. Previous posts have discussed connecting while social distancing and creating a daily home schedule to help maintain much-needed routine. This post will dive into the world of free online learning materials.

Vetting the Mountain of Digital Resources:

In an act of solidarity, tons of online resources are being shared on various digital platforms. This deluge of recommended resources can be overwhelming, especially since it can be hard to know which resources are worthwhile and meet educational standards. To help navigate this process and narrow down the resources worth recommending to fellow teachers or parents, consider the following questions when evaluating a new digital resource:

1. Does the activity really require technology?
TheAmerican Academy of Pediatrics screen time recommendations have not changed! Screen time for school-aged kids should be limited, even during a period of distance learning. Distance learning doesn't have to only occur in front of a screen! For example, do you need to use an app to play the game Memory, or can you use household items instead?

2. Is it free for everyone?
We should only recommend apps and sites that are free! Everyone is stressed, we don't need families to be sorting out which digital resources they can afford to use. There are many great resources that are free and don't require a subscription or upfront cost.

3. Is it accessible across all platforms?
Only recommend apps and sites that are usable across platforms (e.g., does it work on iOS and android products? Does it work on the web?). Again, families shouldn't have to sort out which apps and sites they will be able to use based on the platforms they own or have access to.

4. Does it include features to allow everyone access to the content? We need to vet recommendations for digital accessibility (e.g., closed-captioning, read-aloud functionality). For example, if a YouTuber is providing story time videos, but they don't have good captions, then you shouldn't recommend that resource. Make sure you consider your students' access needs before you share resources with families. The National Center for Accessible Educational Materials can be a great resource for thinking through access.

Keep it Simple with Some Go-To Digital Learning Sites:

We created a short list of go-to digital resources that are free, work across digital platforms, and offer accessibility features. All of these resources have been evaluated using the questions outlined above.

This site has just become free for all! Brainpop! includes videos, activities, readings, games, and links related to lots of different topics and education levels. The video topics align with subjects covered in middle and high school classes. Brainpop Junior is a similar format, but designed for elementary students. Brainpop ELL is designed for English Language Learners. Brainpop games is a game-based learning site that helps students practice and learn academic skills through playing digital games. Taken together, the various Brainpop! products offer a great collection of learning resources that are engaging while covering a wide range of topics.

PBS Kids targets pre-school and early elementary aged students, and offers videos and games related to popular shows like Sesame Street and Daniel Tiger. These shows fit within the America Academy of Pediatrics guidelines for "high quality programing." In fact, multiple studies have demonstrated that Sesame Street improves student learning.

Kanopy Kids offers access to free e-books, movies, and read-aloud stories via your public library access. If you don't already have a library card, you can call your local library for login information (As a side note, check out your local library's website too! Many libraries are providing resources for reading activities that you can do with kids).

Crash Course is a YouTube channel that covers a plethora of academic topics. It is designed for high school students to learn difficult topics through storytelling and imagery. Much like Crash Course, Crash Course Kids offers videos about academic topics for elementary and middle school aged students.

If you are a parent and/or teacher who would like to share digital resources that fit this three-step-criteria, please feel free to contact us! We'd love to hear from you and share your resources with our readers.

If you have questions or specific content you'd like us to cover, don't hesitate to reach out HERE. Take care!

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How to Vet Free Digital Resources for Home Learning

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Due to the current coronavirus pandemic, school closures have left teachers and families scrambling to support learning at home. The Linking Research to Classrooms blog has expanded our scope to support both teachers and parents in designing meaningful learning experiences for all students.

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The SY 2020-21 PLC will focus on COVID-responsive best practices, meeting bi-weekly via Zoom beginning October 5th at 3:45pm. Please reach out to Katy Bateman at the UW Haring Center at kjb27@uw.edu with any questions or for help connecting with the PLC and related resources.

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National Center for Special Education in Charter Schools

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National Center for Special Education in Charter Schools

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COVID-19 and Students with Disabilities

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National Center for Special Education in Charter Schools

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We advocate for students with disabilities to ensure that if they are interested in attending charter schools, they are able to access and thrive in schools designed to enable all students to succeed.

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Providing Supports to Students with Low-Incidence Disabilities

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[Marshall] SWD Distance Learning - Low-Incidence Disabilities Support.pdf

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Shared Curriculum and Resource List

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Project Success Shared Curriculum & Resource List

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Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute

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Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute

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Supporting Students with Disabilities in K-12 Online and Blended Learning

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Introduction

The field of online and blended learning has a rich history of pursuing personalized and competency-based education. As evidence, consider that at the time of writing this, iNACOL, a major advocacy organization in K-12 online and blended learning had over 50 resources tagged under personalized learning (iNACOL, 2018). This approach to education - an approach that recognizes that each child comes with unique strengths and weaknesses - represents an opportunity to break away from commonly-held mindsets that view students with disabilities from a deficit perspective that often fails to recognize the exceptional strengths these students also possess. All students, not just students with disabilities, benefit from specialized supports and services to differentiate instruction within online programs. Thus, while this report focuses more specifically on supporting students with disabilities in online and blended environments, much of the information here may help all students.

As an aside, it is expected that many readers of this report will be familiar with the background on special education law. Appendix A is provided for those less fluent in this area. Appendix A provides a primer on both Michigan and federal law pertaining to students with disabilities and may be important background context for the rest of the report.

IEP Teams and Online Provider Considerations

Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the Individual Educational Program (IEP) teams, and those helping to design or deliver the online or blended learning experience, to keep in the forefront of their decision making the difference between the promise of the potential of the technology and the individual needs of the student in question. However, that is not to say that an online or blended learning program will be appropriate for every student and meet every learning need. According to Rice, Deschaine, and Mellard (2018), it is important "... to take a more cautious route because we take seriously the responsibility to make online learning available to everyone, everywhere. To ensure that these goals of increased access are met, educators and scholars need to ask important questions about who is participating in K-12 online learning and whether all students are benefiting (p. 118).

Providing proper supports to students with disabilities in online and blended learning environments requires the attention of all involved in the planning and execution of the student's educational program and plan as well as the aforementioned comprehensive approach to the child. Attention to sound instructional strategies that differentiate learning opportunities, expected learning outcomes, student-specific supports, and student voice can help maximize student success. Because IEP teams play such an integral role in the educational experience of students with disabilities, each individual role on the IEP team can play an important part in shaping the best experience.

Students

Students have always played a central role in their own learning; but with the advent of online and blended learning opportunities, this role is even more pronounced. Students who are affected by disabilities have an important perspective related to their own learning needs and abilities, and their voice needs to be heard. They need to have the opportunity to express the ways that their learning abilities and challenges can influence the development of a quality support program developed for the online and blended learning platforms.

According to the Michigan Administrative Rules for Special Education (MARSE) with Related IDEA Federal Regulations (Michigan Department of Education, 2018), to the greatest extent possible, students should be members of the planning team that is putting together the education plans, programs, goals, objectives, and evaluations for their special education program; this would extend to online and blended learning environments. To be active participants in this process, students must be self-aware of both their abilities and areas in which they struggle, be able to self-advocate and state their needs to the adults responsible for creating and providing the programs and services, and be able to provide feedback throughout their education so revisions can be made to the programs and supports as necessary. Such awareness will likely be difficult for students with no prior familiarity with online learning. Consideration should be given to preparing students through information about or orientations to online learning prior to completing plans so that students can gain a more informed perspective from which to speak and make decisions.

Instructional Staff (General Education Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Paraprofessionals, and Ancillary Support Staff)

Educators continue to have a central role in any educational program developed for students eligible for special education programs and services. Issues related to curriculum, instruction, assessment, materials, methodology, and technology all need to be attended to in order to ensure that the required supports are in place to assist and allow the students with disabilities to be educated in the least restrictive environment in online and blended learning settings.

Educators need to be open minded about instructional potential and advocate for the presentation of all perspectives during the planning process. The needs of the student, parents, programs, and the teachers themselves should be discussed prior to the implementation of a plan. Consequently, educators need to have a great deal of training, information, ideas, and resources to aid them in supporting the needs of students in online and blended learning environments.

Mentors

Students who have disabilities often need additional peer or instructor supports to help them navigate the instructional opportunities and requirements that they experience in school. When appropriate, individuals who act as supports in educational environments should be active members in the development of educational interventions and the implementation of the programs and services, as well as in the evaluation of the program and service effectiveness. In Michigan, online learners are required to have a school employee - or in some cases, the parent - assigned as a mentor. Peers can also be a source of support to students, modeling appropriate behavior in class and in social situtations, for example. Although it may not be realistic, ideally, mentors and peers would have the technological, social, and academic skills necessary to help guide their students. In addition, their insights can be of considerable benefit as a source of informal formative assessment to assist the other team members as they attempt to appropriately plan for and support the student. For more information about these types of supports please see the Grand Valley State University's Statewide Autism Resources.

Parents

Parents are the first teachers of their children and play an important role in their longitudinal educational, social, behavioral, and affective development. As such, parents should be ready to discuss the aspirations and fears they have related to their child's programs. Additionally, parents have a great deal to offer in discussions related to the desired outcomes of yearly plans and the influence online and blended learning have in meeting those desired outcomes. The importance of parents being active members in discussions and plans that are designed and developed to meet the needs of their children receiving special services in online and blended settings cannot be overstated because they will not have the ease that comes from experience interacting with students and other members of the support team in a traditional setting; instead, they will be navigating the technology and design of a unfamiliar modality of teaching and learning.

Parents are provided a great deal of support, deference, and responsibilities for the appropriate programming for their children who are eligible for special education services in Michigan. A top priority of parental involvement in all IEP programs is related to identifying the student's strengths and weaknesses and the most appropriate ways to meet their needs. For our discussion, this input of student capabilities extends to the online and blended learning environment and the areas where supports would be necessary. Since their information and input is critical to success in online learning, all parental input and participation should be officially documented by the IEP team.

Many parents who have not experienced online or blended learning may be inadequately prepared for optimal participation in IEP meetings without being provided the information about what to expect with online learning. One resource that may help educate parents is Michigan Virtual's Parent Guide to Online Learning (2017). Parents wanting more information about their roles and responsibilities related to the educational opportunities for their children are encouraged to contact the administrator of the program responsible for the provision of special education programs and services for their child.

Administrators

Administrators are ultimately responsible for the provision of quality education programs and services for students under their care within their programs. The issues related to providing thoughtful and quality online and blended services and programs for students with disabilities might at first be viewed as a challenging task by most educators. It is the administrator's responsibility to help allay the fears and trepidations of the students, parents, staff, and faculty through the advocacy for good assessment, quality technological supports, integrity of content delivery, powerful and poignant professional development for all involved, and a commitment towards implementation with fidelity across all aspects of the program.

Administrators often are legally the only ones who can obligate the school to provide services and who have the responsibility to allocate school resources to create learning opportunities outside of the traditional educational community where the student receives instruction. A willingness to explore options and to identify resources is necessary to meet the individual learning needs of the students with disabilities.

Online Providers

Though not typically on an IEP team, providers of online and blended programs are the subject and content experts related to the courses not being offered by the school or district. As such, they should be able to discuss the ways that they have met the individualized educational needs of students in the past and recommend appropriate, student-centered programs and services necessary to meet the specifically-designed instructional supports developed for the student under consideration. Online providers need to reflect upon all feedback provided from other IEP team members as they attempt to improve the courses within the Universal Design in Learning (UDL) framework, thus leading to greater accessibility and success for the students with disabilities.

Representatives from the organization who can speak for the program and allocate supports and resources should be ready to discuss ways that they will be able to address the needs of students who have disabilities from an instructional, academic, social, emotional, or intellectual programming perspective.

Course Designers

Course designers are experts in providing quality instructional experiences so that the goals and objectives of the curriculum can be mastered. These professionals are in a unique position to support the differentiated and individual educational needs of students with disabilities.

Course designers can discuss the scope and sequence of the instruction, the pace with which the instruction can be delivered, and the ways that activities and expectations for performance have been designed to support the needs of students in the general education setting. This information is invaluable to a team that has been assembled to develop individualized supports for students who have disabilities. Course designers must understand how individual educational needs affect the general education expectation and progression of content, as well as potential ways that the course can accommodate individual student's programmatic needs.

Categorical or Eligibility Criteria and Characteristics

As IEP teams meet to construct their plans, they should ensure the plans are informed by the specifics of the student's disability. As explained earlier, MARSE (Michigan Department of Education, 2018), provides guidance for programming requirements for students with disabilities. According to MARSE, a student with a disability is defined as:

a person who has been evaluated according to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and these rules, and is determined by an individualized education program team, an individualized family service plan team, or an administrative law judge to have one or more of the impairments specified in this part that necessitates special education or related services, or both, who is not more than 25 years of age as of September 1 of the school year of enrollment, and who has not graduated from high school. A student who reaches the age of 26 years after September 1 is a "student with a disability" and entitled to continue a special education program or service until the end of that school year. (p. 26-27)

The following sections provide content for each of the recognized eligibility categories that exist in the MARSE rules. It is important to recognize that for students to receive special educational services under Michigan law, the school district needs to conduct an eligibility determination. Once eligibility is ascertained, it then becomes the responsibility of the district to make a good faith effort in providing an appropriate IEP with programs and services specifically tailored to meet the needs of the child. Readers wishing a more extensive discourse on the issues of eligibility and programmatic access should contact the Supervisor or Director of Special Education in the district where the student is receiving their academic instruction.

The following eligibility categories exist in Michigan for the provision of special education programs and services: autism, cognitive impairments, other health impairments, emotional impairments, deaf or hard of hearing, visual impairments, physical impairments, specific learning disability, speech and language impairment, and traumatic brain injury. Each subsection below will provide direction about where to go for definitional and determination information and will offer a few pedagogical considerations that might be of use when educators and instructional personnel are providing support programs and services in online and blended learning environments.

Autism

Definition and Determination

For more information on how Autism is defined and determined in Michigan, please refer to page 44-46 of the MARSE (Michigan Department of Education, 2018).

Pedagogical Considerations

Since autism is a spectrum disorder, educators will find themselves dealing with a wide range of situations that have an impact on appropriate educational functioning and abilities in an online or blended learning environment. When developing programs and services to meet the needs of students who have autism, the following pedagogical considerations should be discussed:

For further educational implications of how autism might affect the online or blended learning environment, please consult with your team members, especially the Teacher Consultant for Students with Autism or Disabilities. The team might also want to consider the following resources as they plan for supporting students with autism in online and blended learning environments:

Cognitive Impairments

Definition and Determination

For more information on how cognitive impairment is defined and determined in Michigan, please refer to page 28 of the MARSE (Michigan Department of Education, 2018).

Pedagogical Considerations

Those wanting to provide appropriate educational programs and supports for students eligible for services under the cognitive impairment program requirements might want to consider the following pedagogical suggestions:

Attempt to provide repetition of content using multiple modalities when providing instruction. Most educational materials are written; capitalize on the wide variety of multimedia capabilities afforded by the online or blended environments to help demonstrate content concepts.

Take the steps necessary to assess student understanding of content in appropriate ways. Written reports may not allow students to provide the breadth or depth of their understanding in a way that a verbal presentation might. Additionally, online or blended environments provide students with cognitive impairments the opportunity to use differentiated output through technological tools.

New or novel situations may cause confusion and have an impact on educational performance. Realize that students may have issues with adaptive behavior. Take the time to explain changes in instructional routines and use this as an opportunity to pre-teach content. Providing instructional videos or screen shots of the specific behaviors that are expected in the online or blended learning environment will assist in the development of new skills. Communicate the changes to the mentor and parent so they can provide support and answer questions the student may have.

Be explicit in letting the students know what is expected of them for educational performance. Provide examples from past student work projects so the students with cognitive impairments has a better understanding of the features they must attend to.

When appropriate, let students work with peers or mentors so they have another perspective on the academic content. Using the chat, discussion board, or video conferencing features that are part of the online or blended environment will allow students the opportunity to socially interact with peers or mentors as they collaboratively work through the assignment.

Online and blended learning opportunities often are the saving grace for students with cognitive impairments. Many prefer the low stress and impact of reduced face-to-face interactions while being able to focus more intentionally on the content. This loss of physical proximity can also contribute to confusion about performance for all concerned. It is strongly suggested that online and blended program personnel provide direct one-on-one "office hours" or tutorials, at least initially, until all involved have a better feel for the areas of strength and need that might exist from the learner's perspective, the instructor's perspective, the mentor's perspective, or from a technology integration perspective.

For further educational implications of how cognitive impairments might affect the learning environment, please consult with your team members, especially the Teacher Consultant for Students with Cognitive Impairments or Disabilities. The team might also want to consider the following as they plan for supporting students in online and blended learning environments:

Other Health Impairments

(h4)Definition and Determination

For more information on how other health impairment is defined and determined in Michigan, please refer to page 33-34 of the MARSE (Michigan Department of Education, 2018).

Pedagogical Considerations

The complexity and multiplicity of issues that students eligible for services under the other health impairments programming rules requires professionals to consider a wide variety of pedagogical interventions. Some of these might include:

Understand the impact that the student's condition has on their stamina, patience, and ability to interact with others in the environment. Students that are emotionally or physically stressed may not have the ability to process content at the moment, and the use of recorded content either for instruction or student assignments might allow them to participate more fully in the program. Although online and blended learning environments might be a less stressful situation, with more relaxed social interactions, at times, these settings can cause a great deal of stress on the student experiencing the impact of their health impairments.

Educational programs, even those delivered in online or blended learning formats, often require students to attend to long periods of content or activity. For students with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) it might be important for them to have instructional content or activities broken into smaller segments, thus allowing them to focus on the objectives in a way that does not cause undue stress or anxiety.

Often, students with other health impairments are unable to meet deadlines for tests and assignments due to medical issues related to their impairments. When this happens, the use of the technological features of the LMS might assist with the need to extend time to complete assignments. Medical conditions and the progression of disease or injury affect students differently. Recognize these situations when putting together units of instruction and personalizing instruction for these students.

It is important for the IEP Team members and instructional staff to understand the ways that the progression of the disease might affect the educational functioning of students in online and blended learning environments. Different seasons, or stages of the disease might deleteriously impact the student's functioning more than other times.

Due to the variety of health-related issues that might be covered under this category of service, recognize that the incorporation of specialized equipment or assistive technology might be necessary for online or blended learning instruction. It is important for all members of the team to be familiar with the extra supports that the assistive technological capabilities provide, the limitations of the systems, and the impact the assistive technology has on both learner and teacher behavior.

Working closely with the Assistive Technology consultant to ensure that all systems are compliant with the technical standards necessary to meet federal and state guidelines though the resources provided by the Alt+Shift program through the IDEA Grant Funded Initiative through the Michigan Department of Education, Office of Special Education (Michigan Office of Special Education, n.d.). Taking this step increases legal compliance to technical issues and situations, and more importantly, helps to provide appropriate supports for the student.

IEP Teams should provide an appropriate level of adult or peer supports necessary to help assist the student with medical issues to better understand initial content, to practice or rehearse instructional strategies, or to appropriately assess educational functioning.

Online and blended learning opportunities often are the saving grace for students with health impairments. Many prefer and may require the low stress and impact of reduced face-to-face interactions while being able to focus more intentionally on the content. This loss of physical proximity could contribute to confusion about performance for all concerned. It is strongly suggested that online and blended program personnel provide direct one-on-one "office hours" or tutorials, at least initially, until all involved have a better feel for the areas of strength and need that might exist from the learner's perspective, the instructor's perspective, the mentor's perspective, or from a technology integration perspective.

For further educational implications of how other health impairments might affect the learning environment, please consult with your team members, especially the Teacher Consultant for Students with Other Health Impairments or Disabilities, Assistive Technology Consultants, Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, or School Nurses. The team might also want to consider the following as they plan for supporting students in online and blended learning environments:

Emotional Impairments

Definition and Determination

For more information on how emotional impairment is defined and determined in Michigan, please refer to page 29-30 of the MARSE (Michigan Department of Education, 2018).

Pedagogical Considerations

Most teachers have the ability to meet the cognitive and affective needs of their students in the general education environment. Students that have issues with affective, social, or emotional interactions with teachers and peers often require more nuanced attention to the way in which social interactions occur within the learning environment, since these have the distinct potential of having a dramatic impact on student academic achievement. To this end, teachers providing service in online and blended environments might want to consider the following:

Recognize that all students eligible for services are different. Some students might exhibit extremely outgoing behaviors, while others might exhibit behaviors that are very withdrawn and isolated. This might be difficult to identify in your interactions with the students in online or blended learning settings. Working closely with the team - especially the mentor - to identify how the student presents themselves in face-to-face settings might provide ideas for ways to effectively support behaviors in the virtual environment.

Make expectations clear and be very consistent in application of consequences in order to provide a structured environment. This can best be done by having rules, procedures, routines, policies, or expectations specifically addressed in educational and behavioral materials. Online and blended learning environments have a great deal of structure built into the program. For example, the length of instructional videos can be curtailed to meet the instructional needs of students. The IEP Team should use this structure as a support when making behavioral requirements known to the student.

Provide the students with self-monitoring resources, such as check lists, rubrics, or planning guides. This helps them visually scaffold expectations and provides cognitive supports when affective challenges present themselves. Using multimedia examples that focus on the expected work and behaviors is a good way to assist students' understanding, and practice good online and blended learning academic and social behaviors.

Be proactive in your schedule and pacing of content to ensure that unstructured time and activities have clear parameters and expectations for personal, as well as interpersonal behavior. Proactively providing clear examples of acceptable behavior is a good way to support expectations for social interactions. Digital citizenship and acceptable use policies provide supports when dealing with expected student behaviors in online and blended learning environments.

Realize that students might need to be gradually introduced to some instructional formats or delivery systems due to specific aspects of their disability. For example, group work might need to wait until the student is able to demonstrate the ability to work productively with others on tasks. Using the full range of resources available in the LMS might allow you to differentiate or personalize student responses or assignments when the assigned format might be a challenge to the student.

Encourage students to engage in the identification and labeling of their own internal emotional states, and to share those in an appropriate way with the instructional staff. Allowing the students to address issues before they become problems is particularly important to establish and maintain accepting and supportive learning environments. Having student supports built into the online or blended learning structure can be useful when students need extra support or assistance during synchronous and asynchronous sessions.

Offer one-on-one "office hours" or tutorials, at least initially, until all involved have a better feel for the areas of strength and need that might exist from the learner's perspective, the instructor's perspective, the mentor's perspective, or from a technology integration perspective. Online and blended learning opportunities can be a welcome option for students with emotional impairments. Many prefer and may require the low stress and impact of reduced face-to-face interactions while being able to focus more intentionally on the content; however, the loss of physical proximity could contribute to confusion about performance for all concerned.

The strategies and suggestions contained within the student's IEP will go a long way in helping to support and structure learning expectations in an online or blended environment.

For further educational implications of how emotional impairments might impact the learning environment, please consult with your team members, especially the Teacher Consultant for Students with Emotional Impairments or Disabilities, School Social Worker, School Counselors, and School Nurse. The team might also want to consider the following as they plan for supporting students in online and blended learning environments:

Deaf or Hard of Hearing

Definition and Determination

For more information on how deaf or hard of hearing is defined and determined in Michigan, please refer to page 30-31 of the MARSE (Michigan Department of Education, 2018).

Pedagogical Considerations

The ability of teachers and educational staff to effectively support students in online or blended learning environments who are deaf or hard of hearing might be outside of the experiential base of most educators. Since much of the online or blended environment requires the use of multimedia materials, it is important that teams consult with professionals trained in the educational programming for students with hearing issues, as well as professionals who are trained in the use of assistive technology, both on the learner's systems, the teacher's systems, and with the LMS and platform. Other considerations include:

Working closely with the Assistive Technology consultant to ensure that all systems are compliant with the technical standards necessary to meet federal and state guidelines though the resources provided by the Alt+Shift program through the IDEA Grant Funded Initiative through the Michigan Department of Education, Office of Special Education (Michigan Office of Special Education, n.d.). Taking this step increases legal compliance to technical issues and situations and, more importantly, helps to provide appropriate supports for the student. In online and blended learning environments this might include, but is not limited to, sign language interpreters, interveners, closed captioning, or assistive technology devices.

Taking the time to provide students with the training necessary for them to feel comfortable with assistive technology systems so they are competent users of those supports within the online or blended learning environments. Having staff, faculty, parents, as well as students receive training on these supports provide a basis of understanding for program assessment and evaluation.

Augmenting instruction through written materials. Instructional staff should also ensure that there are written supports for the social interactions that occur within the LMS. In online and blended environments, this means these supports should be embedded within every aspect of the LMS.

Being proactive in ensuring that the auditory aspects of the instructional environment are compatible with any student hearing aids or cochlear implants. Create time for instructional faculty, support faculty, and the students to "test drive" any systems before the student is expected to use them in the online or blended learning classroom.

Ensuring that the acoustics of both the student's learning environments, as well as that of the teacher, have been checked for their instructional effectiveness. Attend especially to the background noise that might result when other students participate auditorially. Providing all students technological dos and don'ts related to the need to minimize background noise when speaking benefits all students but is especially important for students with hearing impairments.

Remembering that students who are deaf or hard of hearing often use visual cues and are tuned in to the lips and face of the speaker for cues. Ensure that all participants in the online or blended learning environment face the video camera and speak in a way that supports the visual needs of the students.

Using appropriate lighting to support the student's ability to gain visual information, thus making better sense of the educational and social expectations within the online and blended environments.

Being aware that providing visually busy content to students with hearing impairments may cause confusion and create misunderstandings of content that could be difficult to remediate.

Ensuring that the visuals used to support instruction in online or blended learning settings focus on the key instructional goals, objectives, and elements.

Offering one-on-one "office hours" or tutorials, at least initially, until all involved have a better feel for the areas of strength and need that might exist from the learner's perspective, the instructor's perspective, the mentor's perspective, or from a technology integration perspective. Some students prefer the low stress and impact of reduced face-to-face interactions in online and blended learning environments while being able to focus more intentionally on the content; however, the loss of physical proximity could contribute to confusion about performance for all concerned.

For further educational implications of how deaf or hard of hearing impairments might impact the learning environment, please onsult with your team members, especially the Teacher Consultant for Students with Hearing Impairments or Disabilities, Audiologists, Sign Language Interpreters, or Program Interveners. The team might also want to consider the following as they plan for supporting students in online and blended learning environments:

Visual Impairments

Definition and Determination

For more information on how visual impairment is defined and determined in Michigan, please refer to page 31-32 of the MARSE (Michigan Department of Education, 2018).

Pedagogical Considerations

As with supporting students eligible for services under deaf or hard of hearing criteria, students eligible for services under the visual impairment criteria will probably need the support of specially trained professionals to assist the educational team in identifying ways to support students in online and blended learning environments. These additional areas should also be considered for supporting students in an online or blended learning environment:

For further educational implications of how visual impairments might affect the learning environment, please consult with your team members, especially the Teacher Consultant for Students with Visual Impairments or Disabilities and Orientation and Mobility Specialists. The team might also want to consider the following as they plan for supporting students in online and blended learning environments:

Physical Impairments

Definition and Determination

For more information on how physical impairment is defined and determined in Michigan, please refer to page 32-33 of the MARSE (Michigan Department of Education, 2018).

Pedagogical Considerations

Students affected by physical impairments will probably require a great deal of physical environmental modifications to support their mobility and learning needs. Programs that support students who have physical disabilities through the use of online or blended learning need to have a solid understanding of the ways that the student's educational functioning might be affected by physical conditions and be able to adapt learning environments creatively to meet their specific educational needs.

In general, educators might want to consider the following when providing supports to students affected by physical disabilities in their online and blended learning environments:

For further educational implications of how physical impairments might affect the learning environment, please consult with your team members, especially the Teacher Consultant for Students with Physical Impairments or Disabilities, the Occupational Therapists, the Physical Therapists, and the School Nurse. The team might also want to consider the following as they plan for supporting students in online and blended learning environments:

Specific Learning Disability

Definition and Determination

For more information on how specific learning disability is defined and determined in Michigan, please refer to page 36-38 of the MARSE (Michigan Department of Education, 2018).

Pedagogical Considerations

Students affected by specific learning disabilities often have difficulty in areas of academic performance, and meeting the demands placed upon them in the learning environment. Quite often, students exhibit inconsistent patterns of school performance, having strengths and abilities in some areas of school performance, but not in others. Educators interested in providing appropriate instructional and program supports in online and blended learning environments are encouraged to look at the student's functioning in the areas of written expression, reading ability, and mathematics. More specific suggestions include attending to the following:

For further educational implications of how specific learning disabilities might impact the learning environment, please consult with your team members, especially the Teacher Consultant for Students with Specific Leaning Impairments or Disabilities. The team might also want to consider the following as they plan for supporting students in online and blended learning environments:

Speech and Language Impairment

Definition and Determination

For more information on how speech and language impairment is defined and determined in Michigan, please refer to page 34-35 of the MARSE (Michigan Department of Education, 2018).

Pedagogical Considerations

Speech and language issues can influence the way that students receive and understand content, as well as the way in which they are able to demonstrate competency, provide feedback, and interact with others verbally and socially. It is important for professionals supporting students with speech and language impairments in online and blended learning environments to be aware of the specific ways in which the student's learning needs are affected by their disability. Some common considerations are listed below.

For students with receptive speech and language impairments:

Reduce auditory and visual distractions within the online or blended learning environment. Extra stimuli in the learning environment can confuse and interfere with the student's ability to attend to instruction, listen to comments, follow directions, and respond appropriately to interactions.

Provide cues to students so they can distinguish when instruction has begun, so they can better focus on the interactions during that segment of the course.

Provide visuals and concrete examples during instruction. These provide supports for when the verbal components of the instruction have been completed.

Make sure that your speech can be heard and understood by the student. Speak slowly and clearly, at a reasonable pace, and provide opportunities for questioning.

For students with expressive speech and language impairments:

Provide students opportunities to demonstrate competency of the content by using alternative methods for assignments. Have multiple ways to assess course content and provide students options for task and assignment completion.

Provide students extra time to respond when they ask or answer questions.

Realize that students might have difficulty participating in discussions or group work due to their difficulties with articulation, fluency, or voice.

Consider using written discussion boards within the online or blended learning LMS as an alternative to group work.

Work closely with the assistive technology support team to minimize the exacerbation of the student's speech production problems by the auditory hardware that is used by all the students. It may be necessary to work the issue out through technological intervention.

For any student with speech and language impairments, offer one-on-one "office hours" or tutorials, at least initially, until all involved have a better feel for the areas of strength and need that might exist from the learner's perspective, the instructor's perspective, the mentor's perspective, or from a technology integration perspective. Online and blended learning present different opportunities for students with speech and language issues. Many prefer and may require the low stress and impact of reduced face-to-face interactions while being able to focus more intentionally on the content; however, the loss of physical proximity could contribute to confusion about performance for all concerned, and office hours are one way of monitoring progress.

For further educational implications of how speech and language impairments might impact the learning environment, please consult with your team members, especially the Speech and Language Consultant. The team might also want to consider the following as they plan for supporting students in online and blended learning environments:

Traumatic Brain Injury

Definition and Determination

For more information on how traumatic brain injury is defined and determined in Michigan, please refer to page 46-47 of the MARSE (Michigan Department of Education, 2018).

Pedagogical Considerations

The reasons for eligibility under traumatic brain injury vary widely. Each student presents a differing educational scope of need. Make sure that you consult with appropriate medical personnel to understand how the student's injury might affect functioning within online or blended educational learning environments. We know more than ever before about brain anatomy and the impact that insult or injury to specific regions have on the processing of information. Although we have come a long way, the science of learning and understanding localized to sections of the brain are not exact. Some broad considerations that teams should attend to include:

It is important to realize that the student has acquired this injury because of a traumatic event. Emotional issues in dealing with the acceptance of his or her condition might get in the way of cognitive ability. Make sure that appropriate team members are available to assist with any affective or behavioral manifestations that might occur due to acceptance of their injury. In online and blended learning environments, this might present itself in anger, depression, or withdrawal from the academic work, or the people within the setting.

The area of brain that has experienced the trauma will have a dramatic impact on the needs and the abilities of the student in the online and blended learning environment. To support this, provide content that allows students to experience their content in the modalities they are most capable of using, and minimize the use of content in the modalities they have the most difficulty with.

When you design the instruction, make sure that you capitalize on the capabilities that exist within the LMS of the online and blended learning course to provide multiple ways to consider content using visuals, auditory files, texts, and multimedia content.

During instruction, focus instructional materials in the student's least affected modality, while still providing instruction in the modalities that are affected by the injury. This multisensory approach to instruction helps the student receive content and information in multiple channels.

Provide the students with the opportunity to restate back to you what it is covered in class and for the requirements for activities.

Offer one-on-one "office hours" or tutorials, at least initially, until all involved have a better feel for the areas of strength and need that might exist from the learner's perspective, the instructor's perspective, the mentor's perspective, or a technology integration perspective. Online and blended learning opportunities present a comfortable alternative for students with traumatic brain injuries. Many prefer and may require the low stress and impact of reduced face-to-face interactions while being able to focus more intentionally on the content; however, the loss of physical proximity could contribute to confusion about performance for all concerned, and office hours are one way of monitoring progress.

For further educational implications of how traumatic brain injury might affect the learning environment, please consult with your team members. The team might also want to consider the following as they for supporting students in online and blended learning environments:

Additional Considerations

Along with the above consideration, there are a few additional areas that should be considered when developing supports for students with disabilities in online and blended environments.

District Policies and Procedures

Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the student's local district or management company to develop and provide special education supports for students with recognized needs under federal and state mandates. Programs need to have appropriate and effective policies in place to ensure that those responsible for the development and provision of online or blended learning programs have the support and direction necessary to ensure that the programs meet the regulatory, fiscal, compliance, and managerial requirements that the organization adheres to for other programmatic offerings. In addition, issues specific to the provision of online or blended learning programs need to be considered when the policies and procedures are promulgated and revised.

Acceptable use policies ensure that programmatic resources are used in a way consistent with appropriate educational programs and services. Having systems developed and maintained in a way to meet the regulatory and legal issues associated with the laws listed above should be ensconced within the policy and procedures for the program. Finally, issues related to acquisition, lending, upgrade, and support need to be stipulated so all participants understand their limits and responsibilities when appropriating the hardware, software, and resources within the online and blended learning program.

Professional Development

Professionals that support students in online or blended learning environments often have a great deal to learn about the most effective way to support student learning with technology. Increasing curricular demands, as well as increases in technological capabilities, often stretch the professional development needs and capabilities of professionals. This is further exacerbated when students' specific needs, codified in individualized programming requirements, add increased demands for professional development supports for faculty and staff working in online and blended learning projects.

One of the greatest challenges for effective professional development supports revolves around the infancy of the research base related to effective programming for students impacted with disabilities within online and blended learning environments. The best things that educators can do is to apply what we currently know about effective online education, effective special education programs and services, quality instruction and methodology, and combine those into a plan that is tailored to meet the individual learning and educational needs of the student impacted by disabilities.

Financial Considerations

Providing appropriate programs and supports often requires school programs to make an investment in instructional materials, transportation, training, equipment, personnel, and facilities. All these areas will need to be addressed when providing programs to support students impacted by disabilities within online and blended learning environments.

Many potential local, state, federal, and grant resources are available. Districts and programs wrestling with the provision of effective online and blended learning options for students should have discussions with their school business officials, child accounting personnel, and directors of special education to ascertain the financial supports and resources that are available, as well as any financial compliance considerations that need to be adhered to before embarking upon planning for the online or blended learning educational program.

Other Supports and Resources

It would be incredibly difficult to discuss all the potential challenges that might exist when districts or programs plan for effective instruction for students impacted by disabilities. Therefore, Appendix B although not intended to be exhaustive, might provide an opportunity to discuss areas that need to be resolved for effective programs and services in online or blended learning environments to occur.

Summary

Supporting students impacted by disabilities in online and blended programs, at first blush, might appear to be a daunting task. There are many technical, legal, logistical, instructional, and educational considerations that need to be made for effective programs and supports to occur. However, for many students impacted by disabilities, the online and blended learning environment might be an opportunity for them to attend to the academics and supports required for educational achievement through targeted educational opportunities, projects, and supports that online or blended learning might offer them.

There are considerable issues that need to be addressed before programs launch into the provision of services that are specifically designed to meet the individualized education needs of students eligible for special education programs and services. This document provides a broad level of support to encourage appropriate development of programs and services for student eligible for special education services. However, this is not an exhaustive coverage of all issues. Discussions with appropriate staff within the district need to be held to identify existing and future supports for effective online and blended learning options built around the student's individual learning needs.

References

Association of Assistive Technology Act Programs (n.d.). ATAP: Summary of the AT act. Retrieved from https://www.ataporg.org/.

Burgstahler, S. (2001). Real connections: Making distance learning accessible to everyone. Retrieved from ERIC database https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED475789.pdf (ED 475789).

Center for Educational Networking. (2018). Center for Educational Networking. Retrieved from https://www.cenmi.org/.

Deschaine, M. E. (2018). When policies that impact students with significant disabilities in Michigan backfire. In Conchas, G. Q., Gottfried, M., Hinga, B., & Oseguera, L. (Eds.). Policy goes to school: Case studies on the limitations and possibilities of educational innovation (pp. 25-38). New York, NY: Routledge.

Grainger, R. S., Alpin, C., & Ponnappa-Brenner, G. (2008). Supporting learners with cognitive impairments in online environments. TechTrends, 52(1), 63-69. Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11528-008-0114-4.pdf

Hoffman, B., Hartley, K., & Boone, R. (2005). Reaching accessibility: Guidelines for creating and refining digital learning materials. Intervention in School and Clinic, 40(3), 171-176. Retrieved from http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/10534512050400030601

iNACOL. (2018, September 7, 2018). Resource Search. Alexandria, VA: Author. Retrieved from https://www.inacol.org/resources/resource-search/?search=&resource_topics=18&resource_types=0&years=&authors=0&organizations=0&sort=date

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 20 U.S.C. § 1400 (2004). Retrieved from https://sites.ed.gov/idea/

Kinash, S., Crichton, S., & Kim-Rupnow, W. S. (2004). A review of 2000-2003 literature at the intersection of online learning and disability. American Journal of Distance Education, 18(1), 5-19.

Michigan Department of Education. (n.d.). Flexible learning options. Lansing, MI: Author. Retrieved from https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/MARSE_Supplemented_with_IDEA_Regs_379598_7.pdf.

Michigan Department of Education. (2018). Michigan administrative rules for special education (MARSE) with related IDEA federal regulations. Lansing, MI: Author. Retrieved from https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/MARSE_Supplemented_with_IDEA_Regs_379598_7.pdf.

Michigan Legislature. (n.d.). Michigan Revised School Code (Act 451 of 1976). Retrieved from https://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/mcl/pdf/mcl-act-451-of-1976.pdf.

Michigan Legislature. (2018). Michigan legislature - Section 388.1621f. Retrieved from http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(fxaovw5od4hfxa0ggkufdsfz))/mileg.aspx?page=GetObject&objectname=mcl-388-1621f

Michigan Office of Special Education. (n.d.). Alt+Shift. Rethink the possible. Realize potential. Retrieved from https://www.altshift.education/resources

Michigan Virtual. (2017). Parent guide to online learning. Lansing, MI: Michigan Virtual University. Available from https://mvlri.org/resources/guides/parent-guide/

REMC Association of Michigan. (2018). About - REMC home. Retrieved from http://www.remc.org/about/

Rice, M., Deschaine, M. E., & Mellard, D. (2018). Describing online learning programs and practices that serve diverse learners. Journal of Online Learning Research, 4(2), 117-121.

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C § 794 (d) (1998). Retrieved from https://section508.gov/

Simmons, T., Bauder, D., Abell, M., & Penrod, W. (2008). Delivering the general curriculum: Pre-service teacher perspectives regarding a technological approach for students with moderate and severe disabilities. Information Technology and Disabilities Journal, 12(1). Retrieved from http://itd.athenpro.org/volume12/number1/simmons.html

United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division. (n.d.). Part 36 nondiscrimination on the basis of disability in public accommodations and commercial facilities. Retrieved from https://www.ada.gov/regs2010/titleIII_2010/titleIII_2010_regulations.htm

United States Department of Labor. (n.d.). OASAM - Office of the assistant secretary for administration and management (OASAM) - United States department of labor. Retrieved from https://www.dol.gov/agencies/oasam

World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). (n.d.). Web content accessibility guidelines (WCAG) overview Retrieved from https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/

World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). (n.d.). Web content accessibility guideline (WCAG) 2.0. Retrieved from http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/

Appendix A

Legal Basis for Services

Providing educational programs and services to students who have disabilities began with legal initiatives in the mid-1970s. Michigan's legal requirements to provide services to these students predates the federal legal requirements for similar services. Michigan has a long history of advocating for students affected by disabilities in ways that exceed federal requirements in breadth, depth, and scope. This continues to be true as the state remains focused on the educational and programmatic needs of students, regardless of need, in face-to-face, online, and blended educational environments.

This section will focus on some salient legal requirements from both the state of Michigan, as well as a federal government perspective. The legal history of both jurisdictions is long and has the potential to be nuanced based on the specifics of each individual situation. The content here is not intended to be exhaustive coverage of the legal requirements for programs and services; it neither constitutes legal advice, nor should it substitute for legal guidance by counsel. The coverage here is intended to provide support for future investigations by organizations and individuals wishing to gain basic information related to the broad requirements that guide effective educational programs and supports for students who have disabilities.

State of Michigan Legal Considerations

The following legal documents should be considered when proposing and implementing an individualized educational plan (IEP) of service for students affected by disabilities within online and blended learning environments.

Michigan State School Code

The Revised School Code (Act 451 of 1976) (Michigan Legislature, n. d.) is an act that:

provides a system of public instruction in elementary and secondary schools; to revise, consolidate, and clarify the laws relating to elementary and secondary education; to provide for the organization, regulation, and maintenance of schools, school districts, public school academies, intermediate school districts, and other public school entities; to prescribe rights, powers, duties, and privileges of schools, school districts, public school academies, intermediate school districts, and other public school entities; to provide for the regulation of school teachers and certain other school employees. (p. 1)

Requirements for the education provision of all students, in all settings, is established within the Michigan School Code. Understanding the legislative scope that the state of Michigan expects from educational entities in a holistic fashion provides support when attempting to operationalize individualized educational plans and supports to students who have disabilities.

Michigan Administrative Rules for Special Education (MARSE)

Parts of the MARSE with Related IDEA Federal Regulations (Michigan Department of Education, 2018) deal with programs and services for students affected by disabilities are included in the larger Michigan Administrative Rules. Pages 24 and 25 of MARSE provides a definition of special education. It is important for educators, families, and professionals to understand that the definition and rules provided by the state are a result of both legislation, litigation, and rulemaking. As such, these rules provide the supports necessary to guide the development of appropriate educational programs and services to meet the multiplicity of needs that students who have disabilities bring to educational settings, both face-to-face, as well as in online or blended environments.

Special education services are provided to students with eligible conditions to assist them in meeting graduation requirements for general education curriculum established by their local school district that is in alignment with the Michigan School Code. The intent of special education supports and services is to provide students who have disabilities the individualized, appropriate educational supports necessary to assist them in being successful with general education content, within the general education environment, to the greatest extent possible.

It is important for all individuals who are working to provide quality educational support services in online and blended environments to understand the students, how their eligibility for services affects their ability to perform educationally within the general education environment, how the they are able to progress within the general education curriculum, and the ways that appropriate individualized programs and supports might be used effectively within online and blended learning environments.

Section 21f

Section 21f of the State School Aid Act (Michigan Legislature, 2018) is specific to conditions for students wishing to take courses in online or blended learning environments within Michigan. Section 21f allows K-12 students enrolled in a public school or district (full- or part-time) to enroll in up to two online courses per academic term. Districts may deny such enrollment requests as defined in a limited number of circumstances. A student may be enrolled in more than two online courses if the district, the parents, and the student agree that it is in the student's best interest. In such an instance, the district must have an education development plan stating such in their records.

For some students affected by disabilities, the provisions of Section 21f provide a great deal of flexibility in meeting their individual educational needs in a supportive environment that allows the students to focus more upon content in a less socially and behaviorally demanding or distractive learning environment. Section 21f is one proactive educational provision that should be considered when determining if an online or blended learning opportunity is appropriate for students who have a disability.

Michigan Career and College Ready Provisions

Contained within the Michigan School Code (Michigan Legislature, n.d.) are provisions that allow students to be given an opportunity to design flexible learning options that lead to a high school diploma, while still meeting the basic requirements established by the local school board. These provisions for a different set of learning opportunities and curricular expectations are available to all students. The appropriateness of each of these should be considered when attempting to provide support programs and services to students eligible for special education services.

Some of the flexible learning options include:

Virtual Learning Options (described above)

Offline and Project-Based Seat Time Waivers (STWs)

Options for Hours and Days Waivers

Work-Based Learning Experiences

College Course Enrollment and Early/Middle Colleges

Career and Technical Education (CTE) Options

Testing Out

Personal Curriculum

An articulation of each of these programs is beyond the scope of this document. However, it is important to remember that none of these options exist in isolation, and a combination of these opportunities might be appropriate within online or blended learning environments to meet the individualized learning needs of students who have disabilities. For more information, please consult the Michigan Department of Education's Flexible Learning Options (n.d.) document.

Federal Legal Considerations

In addition to state provisions to support students affected by disabilities, there are also corresponding federal legal statutes and requirements that require adherence. A brief discussion will provide a cursory understanding of the requirements with further resources to consider when participating in a planning meeting to address the individual learning needs of students who have disabilities within online or blended learning environments.

Special education programs and services through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

The provisions for special education services for students eligible for individualized programs and services are included within the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (2004) The federal statutes are the minimal level of service required by the federal government for states receiving federal funds. However, as in the case of Michigan, states can choose to offer services beyond those required of the federal government. In the MARSE document (Michigan Department of Education, 2018), there is a side-by-side comparison of the Michigan requirements and definitions for special education programs and services with those provided through IDEA (United States Department of Education, n.d.). For those unfamiliar with special education and the federal requirements, it is strongly suggested that you consider reviewing the resources provided through the United States Department of Education Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services.

Civil rights reasonable accommodations to access through the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973

Although rules and regulations for special education services are found in the MARSE requirements, some students with disabilities may not be eligible for special education programs and services because their level of academic functioning is greater than the levels specified in special education law; these students might be entitled to academic accommodations based on federal civil rights laws through Section 504 accommodations. This distinction, although apparently nuanced, is incredibly important to understand, since requirements for programmatic supports and the provision of services can be dramatically different, as are the legal requirements for eligibility, program development, evaluation, and due process. For those unfamiliar with these distinctions, it is recommended that you consult the Special Education Supervisor or Director in your district for more direction.

Unlike special education laws that provide opportunities for individualized programs and services to meet educational goals and objectives, the federal provisions listed below provide students with recognized and documented disabilities federal support to effectively access educational programs and services.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Although the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) usually is associated with covering employment issues, there are times when the ADA covers access to educational programs for people affected by federally recognized disabilities. Title III of the ADA

prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in the activities of places of public accommodations (businesses that are generally open to the public and that fall into one of 12 categories listed in the ADA, such as restaurants, movie theaters, schools, day care facilities, recreation facilities, and doctors' offices) and requires newly constructed or altered places of public accommodation-as well as commercial facilities (privately owned, nonresidential facilities such as factories, warehouses, or office buildings)-to comply with the ADA Standards. (United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, n.d.).

Eligible students are not allowed to be discriminated against due to a legally recognized disability in educational settings. This law has tremendous impact on the ways that identified computer facilities are designed to maximize access to all students, especially for students who have physical or visual disabilities.

Section 504 of the Rehabilitations Act of 1973 (Section 504)

Section 504 of the Rehabilitations Act of 1973 (Section 504), the precursor to the ADA, states that schools need to provide supports to meet the needs of students with disabilities in a manner consistent with the way that they provide supports to meet the needs of students who are not affected by disabilities. The intent of this law is to give students eligible under a federally-recognized category the services and supports necessary for them to access the general education curriculum and environment. Generally, students with Section 504 accommodations receive services that are not as extensive as those that students who are eligible for special education services receive, since they do not qualify for special education services.

Areas where this particular law might be appropriate are in the design and access of computer labs, ergonomics of equipment, and the availability of training for staff to ensure compliance with the act's requirements. Other areas of the program might also be affected. Consult with a legal professional for more program specific requirements and recommendations.

Section 508 of the Rehabilitations Act of 1973 (Section 508)

Section 508 of the Rehabilitations Act of 1973 (Section 508) is of primary importance and concern for educational programs providing online and blended learning opportunities for students with disabilities. The intent of this act is for organizations receiving federal funds to provide access to online content in a way that is accessible to all users, regardless of the level or type of disability the end user might experience. Programs need to ensure that their online and multimedia content are accessible for all users.

To support Section 508, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG 2.0) ⁹ provide a checklist for programs to help ensure compliance with the issues related to accessibility of multimedia content in online and blended programs. This information is a good first step for consideration. It is recommended that the instructional team faithfully consider all portions of the technical compliance aspects to provide a quality instructional and educational experience for all students.

Assistive Technology Act of 1998

The Assistive Technology Act supports state efforts to improve the provision of assistive technology to individuals of all ages with disabilities through comprehensive statewide programs of technology-related assistance...

To provide States with financial assistance that supports programs designed to maximize the ability of individuals with disabilities and their family members, guardians, advocates, and authorized representatives to obtain assistive technology devices and assistive technology service s (Association of Assistive Technology Act Programs, n.d., para. 2).

The federal government has made access for all students to quality educational programs and services a priority. The increase in technological capabilities for instructional technology has provided tremendous supports for students who have disabilities and require assistive technology. This support aids not just the student, but also the programs and family members that help them understand the ways that assistive technology can be incorporated into their learning to increase educational flexibility and academic achievement.

Cautions

It is vitally important that providers of online and blended educational services for students with disabilities realize their legal obligation to meet both the spirit of the laws and regulations, but also the letter of the programs established in individually developed student educational plans. Litigation of these cases within each of these areas have caused courts to rule in favor of the spirit of the law when deciding for many plaintiffs. It is important to remember that these laws were promulgated to assist individuals who have disabilities in gaining access to buildings, programs, and services. Therefore, for programs to ignore these important federal legislative initiatives sends the wrong signal to the constituent users of the programs and services being provided in online and blended learning programs.

It is important to recognize that these laws require a solid understanding of the rules and requirements, and it is important for all involved to be cognizant of their requirements. Programs providing services to students affected by disabilities in online and blended environments should have qualified, trained professionals available to help the team interpret how state and federal laws affect the learning environment.

Additionally, it is important for school administrators to work with the Special Education administrators within their Intermediate School District (ISD), Regional Educational Service Agency (RESA), or Regional Educational Service District (RESD) when discussing issues related to school finance or compliance for the special education programs and services being offered to the student in the online or blended learning environment. The reliance upon special education millages for program costs varies across the state (Deschaine, 2018), and the responsibilities for the expenditures of special education services also varies based upon the ISD's, RESA's, or RESD's Special Education Plan. Working closely with the administrators in these larger regional districts will provide support and insight that will be important when determining the best way to support students with disabilities in online or blended learning environments.

Appendix B

Pedagogy and Technology

It would be quite difficult to discuss all the potential challenges that might exist when districts or programs plan for effective instruction for students affected by disabilities. Therefore, Appendix B, although not intended to be exhaustive, may provide an opportunity to discuss areas that need to be resolved for the establishment of effective programs and services in online or blended learning environments. Fortunately, there are many valuable supports and resources available to assist in effective program planning, instruction, and supports when providing online or blended education to students living with a variety of disabilities. The following resources can offer additional support.

Michigan Virtual

Michigan Virtual has been in existence for 20 years to support quality online and blended learning environments for all students. Michigan Virtual is a result of Michigan legislation codified in the school code, and the programs, services and supports that they provide are completed under the direction of a group of professionals with a variety of experiences.

Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning (MACUL)

The Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning (MACUL) helps educators identify sound educational practices related to technology as well as understand the implications of rapid changes in technology. Recognizing the challenges in preparing students, we strive to encompass the entire educational community from preschool through college level.

MACUL's Special Interest Group for Inclusive Learning (SIG INC)

The organization's website states the purpose of SIG INC is to share knowledge concerning specialized technology and effective practices for enhancing opportunities for students with disabilities. SIG INC promotes professional learning for educators as they strive to meet students' diverse learning needs.

MACUL's Special Interest Group for Online and Blended Learning (SIG OBL)

According to their website, the mission of SIG OBL is to support educators and students in their work with online and blended learning. SIG OBL provides a forum for online learning, blended learning, mobile learning devices, and instructional tools and strategies for teaching and learning online.

Regional Educational Media Center (REMC) Association of Michigan

There are many ways that educators of students affected by disabilities need supports in online and blended learning environments. The local REMC Association of Michigan may be of added support and assistance to teams as they design and develop appropriate interventions. Their mission and scope, as described on their website is to "provide proactive leadership to the Michigan educational community by participating with other organizations in building a vision that supports quality teaching and learning and provides equity to Michigan's pre-K-12 students.

"The REMC Association of Michigan will accomplish this within the framework of the following principles:

Improve learning for all students.

Support constituents and improve teaching and learning statewide through future-focused collaboration, leadership, and service.

Empower teachers to create high quality, engaging instructional environments when they have access to the necessary skills, tools, and rich sources of information.

Provide effective cost savings through statewide cooperative purchasing, which allows local resources to be reallocated to enhance teaching and learning.

Advance statewide connectivity through delivery systems and infrastructure."

International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE)

According to their website, ISTE "inspires the creation of solutions and connections that improve opportunities for all learners by delivering: practical guidance, evidence-based professional learning, virtual networks, thought-provoking events and the ISTE Standards." Standards have been developed that describe the technology skills and competencies that students, teachers, and administrators should possess in technology rich environments. These resources would be an excellent resource for teams that are trying to ascertain the feasibility of online or blended learning environments as an option for students living with disabilities.

Legal/Legislative Supports

Michigan has several formal programs that provide direct services and indirect consultation to school districts and programs needing support in providing adequate educational services to students who have by disabilities, regardless of format or delivery system.

Center for Educational Networking of Michigan (CEN)

CEN of Michigan is an IDEA Grant Funded Initiative through the Michigan Department of Education, Office of Special Education. In addition to direct services, CEN provides a repository of documents related to the legal requirements for special education programs and services and also provides assistive technology supports for programs assisting students eligible for special education services.

Intermediate School Districts (ISDs)

The state of Michigan has 56 ISDs. The programs and services offered by ISDs provide and coordinate direct essential services to constituent local education agencies and school districts within their boundaries to facilitate programming, teaching, and learning for all students. Many ISDs provide direct programs or consultative services for students who have disabilities.

Programs experiencing challenges in meeting the educational needs of students living with a disability in online and blended settings should consider contacting the Director of Special Education in their ISD that is responsible for special education supports. To find the ISD responsible for supporting local programs, the following maps might be of assistance. The first is provided by the State of Michigan. The second is provided by the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators.

General Supports

The intent of this document is to assist in the creation and implementation of appropriate educational programs and services for those living with disabilities as they engage in online or blended programs. A brief description of the ways that disabilities has been included, but there are other information options available. There are many professional and advocacy organizations or associate resources for content that can be helpful for those wishing to find out more about the ways specific components of an eligibility category might possibly affect functioning in online or blended learning environments.

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Supporting Students with Disabilities in K-12 Online and Blended Learning | Michigan Virtual

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The field of online and blended learning has a rich history of pursuing personalized and competency-based education. As evidence, consider that at the time of writing this, iNACOL, a major advocacy organization in K-12 online and blended learning had over 50 resources tagged under personalized learning (iNACOL, 2018).

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Supporting Multi-Lingual Learners and English Language Learners During the COVID-19 Shutdown

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Parents: Supporting Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic

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Parents: Supporting Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic

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IRIS Center

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This resource offers tips to support your child's learning at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Este recurso también está disponible en español: Padres: Apoyo del aprendizaje durante la pandemia del COVID-19.

Note: Getting around an IRIS Module is a snap. Click on the 1 in the graphic below to begin. Then follow the links at the bottom of each page or on the left side of your screen.

Work through the sections of this module in the order presented in the STAR graphic above.

Related to this module

Copyright 2021 Vanderbilt University. All rights reserved.

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Parents: Supporting Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic

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This resource offers tips to support your child's learning at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Este recurso también está disponible en español: Padres: Apoyo del aprendizaje durante la pandemia del COVID-19. Note: Getting around an IRIS Module is a snap. Click on the 1 in the graphic below to begin.

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In collaboration with the special education team, school apportionment and financial services has compiled a questions and answers document around claiming funding for transition recovery services.

This information session for districts provides an overview of Special Education Recovery Services and Transition Recovery Services for students with disabilities, including students beyond age 21.

Washington's Roadmap for Special Education Recovery Services: 2021 & Beyond Published 5/7/2021
The purpose of this resource is to help Individualized Education Program (IEP) teams determine recovery services needed for students with disabilities due to the impact of COVID-19 and is supplemental to OSPI general education guidance. Recovery Services is a term used by OSPI to describe the special education and related services and supports provided to students with disabilities to address the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and spring 2020 school facility closures.

To support family and community engagement throughout the recovery services process, this guidance has been translated into twelve additional languages:

Special Education Guidance Brief for In-Person Learning: Spring 2021 Published 1/20/2021
The purpose of this resource is to review guidance and recommendations to schools and families about providing in-person special education services across all grade levels, preschool to age 21. This document opens with a review of guidance, follows with a planning checklist, and closes with some related resource links. To support family and community engagement throughout the educational process, the guidance has been translated into twelve additional languages:

Special Education Reopening Guidance: LRE Case Study Updated 9/29/2020
This resource outlines case studies for providing specially designed instruction (SDI) and related services across school reopening models, including considerations for identifying settings and least restrictive environment (LRE). The case studies examples include elementary, middle school and behavior, secondary transition, and preschool. There is also an appendix with frequently asked questions.

This resource outlines case studies for providing specially designed instruction (SDI) and related services across school reopening models, including considerations for identifying settings and least restrictive environment (LRE). The case studies examples include elementary, middle school and behavior, secondary transition, and preschool. There is also an appendix with frequently asked questions.

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This page provides resources for Washington State schools and districts to guide decisions and provision of FAPE for students receiving special education during the COVID pandemic. [accordions][accordion title="Special Education Resources for Families during COVID"] Family Information Session: Secondary Transition Services | Recording | Presentation slides Posted 6/3/21 This

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Supporting Inclusionary Practices During School Facility Closure

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Supporting Inclusionary Practices During School Facility Closure

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OSPI

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Supporting Migrant Students Under Title I, Part C During School Closures

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Supporting Migrant Students Under Title I, Part C During School Closures

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OSPI

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Supporting English Learners During School Closures

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Supporting English Learners During School Closures

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OSPI

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The TMC E-Library of resources continues to be available and is regularly updated.

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The TMC and Seneca Family of Agencies are partnering to provide high-quality related services and assessments for eligibility to schools in the Puget Sound region using the PresenceLearning platform. Providers will reach out to connect with case managers to arrange for delivery of these services.

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School Closure Tracking Template for Students with IEPs

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School Closure Tracking Template for Students with IEPs

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OSPI

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Sample Data Collection Sheet for Parents

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Sample Data Collection Sheet for Parents

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UW Haring Center

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Sample Narrative Describing SDI Delivery During COVID-19

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Sample Narrative Describing SDI Delivery During COVID-19

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UW Haring Center

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Spokane Public Schools

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The State Board of Education (SBE) is currently drafting new guidance on graduating seniors. One of the current solutions is for teachers to use "Pass" (P) grades for seniors. The SBE is working on a method to waive credits for seniors as well.

Yes, teachers are working and are available to support students and families.

Conversations surrounding funding are currently taking place at the district and state level.

Teachers will determine when it is appropriate to provide feedback and assign grades to individual assignments. Students overall grade(s) will not be negatively impacted during the school closure.

Should the closure persist past the initial six week timeframe, the district will provide updated guidance.

Students will be assessed on an individual basis for supports that are in addition to school-wide services. Our school counselors are reaching out to students to offer support via telephone, and video conferencing during the closure. If you have concerns about your child, please reach out to your school counselor for support.

Initial evaluation/assessments will be re-scheduled for when school re-opens. Re-evaluation can proceed if the team feels they have sufficient data to support continuation of services.

Our staff will work as quickly as possible to schedule missed Child Find/IEP/Evaluation meetings once school resumes. Guidance from OSPI is that districts will have 30 days to get paperwork current once we return.

Related service providers (OT's, PT's, SLP's) are available via email. Please reach out to your child's teacher or related service provider if you have questions around how you can provide support for your student at home during the closure.

Yes, our bilingual specialists are available to translate emails and phone calls as needed. If we do not have a specialist available for a language our district as access to language line.

In general, ESY services are intended to help maintain skills, not provide new learning. IEP teams will meet once school is back in session to determine the need for ESY or compensatory services on a case by case basis.

IEP teams will meet when school re-opens in order to evaluate regression and determine next steps.

Please call Jeannie Brown (509) 354-7393 and she will help get your student registered.

Modifications will be provided by the special education teacher. If you feel the work provided by the general education teacher is not appropriate for your student, please contact your student's special education teacher and request more options.

Yes, the parent could participate by phone as in any other IEP meeting, if the technology makes it equitable across participants. Some online platforms, such as Zoom, have the ability for participants to call in to the meeting.

Yes, parents are welcomed to extend the invite to whomever they would like to attend the virtual IEP meeting.

Special education staff may still hold Child Find/IEP/Evaluation meetings during the closure. These meetings will however be held either over the phone or virtually. If you prefer to wait until after the closure and have a face-to-face meeting that is okay as well. Per OSPI we will be documenting any Child Find/IEP/Evaluation meetings that are late due to COVID-19.

Laptops will be available for students to check out based on need and availability. Internet access will be supported by providing hotspots and coordinating with community partners. Check the SPS website March 17 to learn about the check-out process.

Starting Monday March 23 rd, you make pick up your student's device at the school during the school's posted office hours. The device will be available for pick up along with a device check-out form.

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Special Education / Special ed services during the COVID-19 closure

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The State Board of Education (SBE) is currently drafting new guidance on graduating seniors. One of the current solutions is for teachers to use "Pass" (P) grades for seniors. The SBE is working on a method to waive credits for seniors as well. Yes, teachers are working and are available to support students and families.

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Sample Communication to Parents: SPED Services During COVID-19

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Sample Communication to Parents: SPED Services During COVID-19

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TMC

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Supporting Individuals with Autism During Uncertain Times

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Positive and Productive Childcare While Kids are Not in School

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Positive and Productive Childcare While the Kids Are Not in School