Focus Areas

Ever wondered, what is Assistive Technology (AT)? Can I get it for my students? Well, basically the answer is yes for students with an IEP. But what is Assistive Technology and how does my student get it? First, Assistive Technology is considered a device or a service. An AT device is any item, piece of…

Are Social Stories evidence-based and helpful to our students with autism? Explore the research, educator perspectives, autistic perspectives, benefits, limitations, and practical examples.

Start the Year with Strong Routines A new school year is the best time to build routines that last. What you do in the first few weeks sets the pattern for the rest of the year. How you introduce new words. How you check for understanding. How you scaffold discussion. These early habits shape how…

Mathematics is sometimes experienced by students as a passive and anxiety-inducing subject: listen to the teacher, copy the procedure, complete the worksheet, and hope the answer is correct. But mathematics learning can look very different when student engagement, movement, and continuous formative assessment work together. Rather than asking students to sit still and absorb mathematics,…

For students with intellectual disabilities and extensive support needs, being present during instruction isn’t the same as being actively involved in learning. Consider a read-aloud. One student may listen to the text. Another may watch as the teacher points to pictures. A third may observe classmates answering questions. All three students are participating in some sense—but how often does…

The School Planning using TFI Data Infographic provides a five step process for analyzing TFI and discipline outcome data to make informed decisions about supports that may benefit particular grade levels, staff in given locations and also when identifying groups of students that may need additional support. Again, this allows for maximizing efficiency and effectiveness…

The following two infographics are provided as a quick reference for schools and divisions implementing PBIS, or if your division is not implementing PBIS, they may simply be useful when looking at discipline outcome data. Beginning with the Division Planning using TFI Data Infographic, the Division Leadership Team is able to look at the aggregated…

Each school year is filled with excitement! Continuous School Improvement Plans have been created; great ones even have SMART goals! A calendar of school holidays, events, professional learning, meetings, assessments, etc. has been established. And let’s not forget about DATA. Each school year is FILLED with DATA! Sometimes there’s so much data that it can…

Listening to Learn: Our 5 Favorite Podcast Picks!  We’re rounding out our May Friday 5 Favorites with The Bright Morning Podcast, found on Spotify,  Apple Podcasts and YouTube. “Best-selling author and coaching expert, Elena Aguilar, shares her wisdom about coaching, leading teams, and designing and facilitating transformational professional development.” Also, take a few moments to…