It is well understood that there is a critical connection between educational research, classroom practice, and student achievement. The challenge frequently is transferring research into classroom practice. In this issue and future issues of the T-TAC Network News, you will find practical ideas for classroom implementation and resources to assist you in utilizing practices that are based on the best available research evidence.
T–TAC ODU SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE TO YOU AND YOUR COLLEAGUES
Dr. Kerry Lambert, Project Director
Welcome back to school! The Virginia Department of Education’s Training and Technical Assistance Center at Old Dominion University is pleased to be of service to you and to support your efforts to implement high-quality educational programs for students with disabilities. While T-TAC ODU staff members are working to accomplish the state improvement goals through our participation on statewide projects, we continue to develop plans for meeting the needs that you identify. See the conference section of the newsletter for the many staff development opportunities that are available this fall and winter. In response to requests for assistance with reading, the Reading Institute for Elementary Special Education Teachers and Educators Serving Students with Disabilities is back by popular demand. The Institute begins on November 4 so sign up early—slots fill quickly. New ASOLs for writing were introduced last year, and teachers have been seeking support for teaching writing to students with Intellectual Disabilities (ID). See the upcoming workshops designed to assist teachers with writing instruction for students with ID. For other announcements, and to register for upcoming professional development in the areas of math, early childhood curriculum, and functional behavioral assessment, visit the T-TAC ODU website (ttac.odu.edu) for local/regional conferences. Also, be sure to visit TTAC Online (www.ttaconline.org) for statewide and national conference announcements and to set up your personal space where you can house a vast array of useful resources.
We are pleased that many of you have signed up for the T-TAC Network News in electronic format. We would greatly appreciate your assistance with facilitating teacher subscriptions to the T-TAC Network News by encouraging new teachers to register online. This can be accomplished by suggesting that they visit ttac.odu.edu and click on the tab for subscriptions. Also, you can inform new teachers of T-TAC ODU services by sharing the attached “Pull and Post (broken link)” page that describes the variety of T-TAC services that are offered. Thank you for your assistance with spreading the word about our assistance!
Also, if you are working at a different school than last year, please inform us of your new address by completing the attached (broken link)We continue to mail some T-TAC ODU workshop/conference announcements and registration forms via the postal service and we want to give you every opportunity to register for a training event in which you may be interested. We look forward to serving you in the upcoming school year.
