Articles of Interest
House tables bill to help veterans become teachers | urcapitalnews
Henrico superintendent receives top regional award
PCPS encouraging parents to ‘Meet Before You Post’
AP Course Supported By Some Fairfax Board Members As Youngkin Reviews | Vienna, VA Patch
NNPS to add 30 security officers; hire Director of Safe Schools
Virginia Beach students voice concerns over proposed transgender policies in schools
Hanover County is training tomorrow’s teachers today
Henrico Schools see ‘noticeable’ increase in disciplinary incidents since COVID
DOE Updates
Opportunities to Participate in the Review and Revision of the 2017 English Standards of Learning
On February 2, 2023, the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) presented to the Board of Education the review and revision process of the 2017 English Standards of Learning. Superintendent’s Memo 027-23 shares information regarding how to provide feedback and public comment on the 2017 English Standards of Learning.
Free Webinar Series
Stetson & Associates, Inc. is offering a free webinar series to support educators and ensure educational excellence for all students. A team of experts will provide information, tools, and resources on topics from effective inclusion and scheduling to behavior basics and specially designed instruction.
The webinar series will be held during February-April on Tuesdays at 2 p.m. Dates and session titles with registration links are listed below. Educational leadership from special and general education are welcome and encouraged to attend any of the webinars.
- February 28, 2023: Side by Side: Teachers and Paraeducators in the Classroom
Relevant for teachers or paraeducators, this webinar provides innovative planning and discussion tools to build effective working relationships and improve the impact of their work in the classroom. Participants will describe the roles of the paraeducator, distinguish between the roles of a teacher and a paraeducator, respond to scenarios, and gain tools and techniques for using the resource of paraeducators more effectively. - March 7, 2023: Facilitating IEP Meetings
This webinar will introduce participants to the facilitated individualized education program (IEP) process and identify critical communication skills and process strategies for effective facilitation. Additionally, strategies for dealing effectively with challenging situations in IEP meetings will be explored. - March 21, 2023: Moving Speech Services out of the Closet and into the Classroom
This webinar will share American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) supported tools that facilitate school-based scheduling, lesson planning and collaboration, and role responsibilities that facilitate instructional partnerships and promote the implementation of inclusive speech services. The value added from speech services can support student personal competences, a teacher’s use of instructional strategies, and overall improved student outcomes. - April 4, 2023: Progress Monitoring
This webinar will explore the how and why of progress monitoring as an integral part of IEP implementation. As educators prepare progress reports and analyze student data, what responsibility belongs to the special educator, the general educator, and what is shared? This session will explore those questions as well as provide tools and strategies that can be used for each component of the progress monitoring process. - April 18, 2023: Paraeducators: Providing Meaningful Support to Improve Student Outcomes
This webinar will address ways to build capacity in paraeducators to gain a deeper understanding of the needs of their students and feel equipped to support students in a more effective and efficient way. Participants will discuss the difference between an accommodation and a modification and understand there is a hierarchy of instructional support; review the use of documentation tools to capture the type and level of support provided to students; and review various effective instructional and positive behavior strategies that work to support students across disability categories. - May 2, 2023: Instructional Coaching
Instructional coaching offers such an alternative whereby a mentor/coach works with teachers to provide a steady stream of job-embedded feedback based on classroom observations to accomplish a mutually agreed upon goal and increase student success. This webinar will present the research-based foundation of the “coaching cycle” and the characteristics common to successful applications by leaders who have worked around barriers to adapt the cycle to local needs.
May 16, 2023: Evaluating Accommodations in the IEP
This webinar will focus on the importance of evaluating the effectiveness of current accommodations while ensuring the IEP committee is recommending accommodations that align to present levels of performance and truly reflect what the student needs to be successful.
