Why a Comprehensive Special Education Evaluation?
Toad-ally Exceptional Learners
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8M ago
The Framework The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires that special education evaluations be sufficiently comprehensive to make eligibility decisions and identify the student’s educational needs, whether or not commonly linked to the disability category in which the student has been classified (34 CFR 300.304). Comprehensive evaluations are conducted in a culturally and linguistically responsive manner; non-discriminatory for students of all cultural, racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and other backgrounds. When conducting special education evaluations, IEP teams must follo ..read more
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The Surprising Way iReady Data Can Transform Student Outcomes
Toad-ally Exceptional Learners
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9M ago
With everything I have to deal with as a special education teacher, why in the world would I ever focus on a student's vocabulary. The answer is quite simple. It impacts EVERYTHING!!! What does this have to do with planning? Planning for students to make IEP goals is ALL based on data. Read on to see how I start planning for my OG groups by answering the larger questions about what in the world is up with my student's vocabulary scores? Is there anything I can do to increase their vocabulary? I spend the bulk of my teaching time (like everyone else) on phonemic awareness and phonics with a sid ..read more
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Why Unlocking Vocabulary is Key to Bridging the Gap for Students
Toad-ally Exceptional Learners
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9M ago
The hard thing about waiting three months for iReady's classroom diagnostic data is not knowing how students will do after 10 weeks of intervention. My state and building use iReady diagnostics three times a year for READ Plans and intervention data. (more on come on iReady-both loves and dislikes) As a special education teacher, I only use this data to compare students to their peer group and see what kind of gains they had over the year. (I have a whole blog post coming on how my building uses iReady.) My building relies on this information to make predictions about State testing outcomes an ..read more
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What I use to help me make Data Driven Decisions
Toad-ally Exceptional Learners
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9M ago
I was wrapping up my post-observation meeting with my principal and data came up. He asked, “How did I come to the decision to teach what I did?” So, I pulled out a copy of my Assessment Data Analysis. I love LOVE using this form. {Catch the video to see how I fill it out and grab your own copy.} The cool thing about this form is the power, control, and guidance it gives you over your data.  It is also open-ended enough to use any pre-assessment you want. Well, within reason.  The data I used was from my Orton-Gillingham groups, their most recent pre-test from my Phonics Progress Mon ..read more
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How I use games to increase students' phonics word level fluency
Toad-ally Exceptional Learners
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9M ago
I sat with my grade level team, reviewing this month’s oral reading fluency data and they could not stop asking me how I moved my group.  In a word – games.  The team had decided to work on accuracy instead of words correct. (I’m not sure there is a great way to increase reading fluency but okay I’m in.) Sometimes starting small is way better than not starting at all and this group has never ventured into the world of using one's data for anything.  So… This year, grade-level teams are working with our Coach to create monthly data-based goals. We just started using Benchmark Adv ..read more
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Feeling unsure about a student's phonics level? This new resource will instantly help
Toad-ally Exceptional Learners
by
9M ago
Have you ever sat in a meeting reviewing phonics data and someone asks if the student has mastered reading digraphs because the student doesn't demonstrate this in their small group? Whether in an RTI meeting or just reviewing the data, this information helps plan the student's specific next steps.  If your phonics program is like mine--it didn't come with a quick way to progress monitor a student after you have taught a sound (phonogram). And sometimes you need more than dictation and how they read in the last decodable text. You need more than a gut check BUT you need a number to prove ..read more
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POW: Readers Needing More Support--Adapted Books with High Frequency Words
Toad-ally Exceptional Learners
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9M ago
How do I get my readers more exposure to high-frequency or Red Words??? ADAPTED BOOKS I love adapted books. My students LOVE them too! They are one of my favorite tools in my classroom. When it comes to building language skills or more experience with text--adapted books are a great way to effectively target specific skills in a way that is engaging for students.  What is an Adapted Book? Adapted books are books that have been modified in some way and often make it easier for students with disabilities to use but I also find adapted books are more engaging for all students to read and ..read more
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3 Fan Favoriate Phonemic Awareness Ideas (that are free)
Toad-ally Exceptional Learners
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9M ago
  What is Phonemic Awareness? Phonemic Awareness (PA) is: the ability to hear and manipulate the sounds in spoken words and the understanding that spoken words and syllables are made up of sequences of speech sounds essential to learning to read in an alphabetic writing system, because letters represent sounds or phonemes. Without phonemic awareness, phonics makes little sense fundamental to mapping speech to print. If a child cannot hear that "man" and "moon" begin with the same sound or cannot blend the sounds /rrrrrruuuuuunnnnn/ into the word "run", he or she may have great diffic ..read more
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Evidence Based Practices and the Big 5
Toad-ally Exceptional Learners
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9M ago
Remember the Elementary Secondary Education Act defines evidence-based practices as those “effective educational strategies supported by evidence and research”.  When teachers use evidence-based practices with fidelity, they can be confident their teaching is likely to support student learning. Evidence-based practices in education are the same.  They are backed by rigorous, high-standard research, replicated with positive outcomes, and backed by their effects on student outcomes.  EBPs take the guesswork out of teaching by providing specific approaches and programs that ..read more
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Evidence Based or Best Practice: The Beginning
Toad-ally Exceptional Learners
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9M ago
Balanced literacy. Orton-Gilliamham. Think-Alouds. Graphic Organizers. Direct instruction. OMG!!!  Have you ever sat staring at your plans and IEPs and wonder how the #@& am I going to move this kid? Simply because of where the student sits in relation to their grade-level peers.  I have.  OR  I have so many with the same need but they didn’t make as much progress as I was hoping. (Or they needed to.) Buildings don’t buy curriculum programs with special education students in mind. They might ask (if you're lucky) for your input. To be real, they buy with the larger in m ..read more
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