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  • Shopping Cart of Accommodations

    Shopping Cart of Accommodations

    Teachers have a thousand tasks to complete every day. Identifying and sharing accommodations is an important one that takes time. This blog post shows a resource that allows teachers to literally shop for accommodations like they shop for items on Amazon or Target. Overview Accomods is an online source of accommodations for special education and…

  • Teacher Burn Out – Magnified

    Teacher Burn Out – Magnified

    Teacher frustration and burn out was a thing before the Pandemic. Now?! “Why Education Is About To Reach A Crisis Of Epic Proportions” Forbes Article In a recent FORBES article, the writer, Marc C. Perna, addresses Pandemic related and significant teacher stress. He cites the following: A “vicious cycle” about increased demands on teachers undercutting…

  • Accommodations and Modifications for Special Education – Resources and Lists

    Accommodations and Modifications for Special Education – Resources and Lists

    Here are links to sites and documents that are a resource of lists of modifications and accommodations for special education. Nine Types of Curriculum Adaptations School Accommodations and Modifications Accommodations, Modifications, and Interventions…What’s the Difference? Accommodations and Modifications – IRIS CENTER (Vanderbilt University) MathVIDS Common Accommodations and Modifications in School Examples of Accommodations & Modifications…

  • New IEP for CT

    New IEP for CT

    Connecticut has a new IEP template rolling out in 2022. A key feature is that elements of the IEP that are connected are now on the same page (below). I personally think this is outstanding, and at the time of writing this, I am still exploring. Here is a link to find the document. Here…

  • Progress, but in What Direction!?

    Progress, but in What Direction!?

    In the video, Charles Barkley has made great progress getting to Annapolis for the NCAA Basketball Tournament. Problem is, the tournament was in Indianapolis. For obvious reasons, in special education we frequently discuss and recognize progress. As in the commercial, there can be a lot of progress, but in what direction? Is it moving the…

  • The Next First Domino

    Each year spent with a student with special needs is the first year of a chain of subsequent years, like a line of dominoes. EXCEPT, there are multiple lines of dominoes and a teacher may be tipping over the first domino in a line of several possible lines of dominoes. One line may topple towards…

  • Inclusion vs Proximity

    Inclusion vs Proximity

    Some educators and parents of students with special needs are unclear about what is meant by the term inclusion. Some think it is having the student with a disability in the same location as “nondisabled peers.” Some think it involves doing the same exact tasks or academic work. Sesame Street figured this question out years…

  • Classroom Management – Point Sheets

    Classroom Management – Point Sheets

    Here are some point sheets or check lists I have used to help shape behavior. This is a follow up to the post on classroom management. Left: for groups Middle: for individuals Right: for students with autism who would benefit from visual schedules

  • “They Will Never Need This Math”

    As a parent of a child with a disability and as a math educator, I am repeatedly struck by the fact that a group of adults (educators and professionals) convene to discuss and plan how to help a child. A great deal of time, resources, and money is concentrated on that child. Awesome! Unfortunately, in…

  • Prerequisites for Algebra – An Illusion

    Prerequisites for Algebra – An Illusion

    The orange circle on the right looks bigger, but in fact both are the same size. The deception is based on the additional sensory input. Similarly, the prerequisites for taking algebra are often considered to be basic skills. This is largely an illusion. I routinely encounter students who are referred to me for help as…