Do you ever get into a groove during a planning period only to realize you have less than 3 minutes to transition what you’re doing before all of your students rush back through your door? Panic sets in when your much needed prep time comes to an end and a quick feeling of overwhelm takes over. Been there? Life is full of transitions though, isn't it? We find ourselves sailing through different stages, like a ship coursing through the changing tides. For students with moderate to severe disabilities, navigating these transition times can often feel like setting sail into uncharted waters. But, with the right tools and strategies, we can help empower our students to navigate transition times with ease.
TeachTown, a leading provider of special education curriculum software for students with moderate to severe disabilities, proudly underscores the effectiveness of its standards-based, adapted curriculum, enCORE. In a rigorous 6-month study of enCORE Elementary in a K-5 self-contained classroom, students gained, retained, and generalized targeted ELA and Math skills.
Great news for special education administrators! The back to school sprint just got a little easier with 3 brand new data management features within the TeachTown learning platform: Bulk export, Duplicates and Merging. Special education administrators can now utilize bulk import and export of student and teacher lists, identify potential duplicates, and merge when appropriate to do so. These new tech tools support mass updates for licensing and rostering (and give you back hours of your time).
It’s common for people to use the phrases Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and Discrete Trial Training interchangeably. Yet, those of us who work in ABA know that while there is a relationship between the two, they are not the same thing. For example, you may say school and classroom interchangeably in conversation, yet most recognize that there is a clear difference. The school is the main structure, and the classroom is a segment of the school. Make sense? Discrete Trial Training, often called DTT, is just one piece that falls under the broader picture of Applied Behavior Analysis. Let’s take a closer look.
We are grateful to partner with you to deliver high-quality, individualized education for your most complex learners. TeachTown is committed to providing the best-in-class special education solutions for your students with moderate to severe disabilities and the special education teams who serve them. We are focused exclusively on you! To further support the invaluable work you do every day, we have made significant curriculum and platform investments over the past year and a half, including a near 400% increase in our engineering & technical teams. Additionally, we have made several strategic enhancements to our curriculum based on the voices that matter most – special education teachers and leaders. You now have access to a K-12 adapted core curriculum, lesson flexibility, standards-based reporting, breaking news resources, an in-app onboarding explorer, a new professional development program, and much more. In this first annual product newsletter, we share the key developments of the 2022-2023 school year and preview a few exciting things on the horizon. Let’s dive in!
For many individuals with autism spectrum disorder, communication and social interaction may present a challenge. If a teacher were to approach a typically developing student and say, “Hey, Sally! How was your weekend?” - Sally may make eye contact with this teacher and say, “Great! How was yours?” For many students with autism, this interaction looks different. If the same teacher said the same phrase to a student with autism, “Hey Sally! How is your day going?,” the particular student may look toward the ground, or cover their ears, or reply back in a repetitive sequence. Social skills can be learned, however. Prosocial behaviors can be taught by a variety of professionals using a multitude of techniques, including Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), to students with autism.
We are excited to announce our brand new standards-based report available to all current enCORE K-12 users. This new report option gives teachers and administrators the ability to demonstrate and analyze progress on lessons associated with state and/or national standards. IEP compliance just got a lot easier!
While it is common practice for students in general education to have access to a standards-based curriculum, this is not always the case for students with moderate to severe disabilities receiving special education services. Despite the need, districts are often met with limited funding and resources, among other reasons, that may prevent the purchase and implementation of an adapted curriculum. Let’s take a closer look at the benefits of an adapted curriculum and how to determine if an adapted curriculum is the right fit in your district.
We are pleased to announce the release of Extended School Year (ESY) 2023! ESY is a 4-week extended school year curriculum for K-12 students with moderate to severe disabilities. This year’s theme is “Summer in My Community: Choose Your Own Adventure!” Students will engage with rich content about learning, exploring, and contributing to the community they live in.
As an educator, fall, winter, spring and summer vacations are often welcome breaks from the hustle and bustle of standard school routines. I think we can all agree that rest and relaxation are key in preventing burnout, right? This holds true for your students with moderate to severe disabilities, too. While we want to ensure that relaxation is baked into a break from school, it’s also important to provide parents/families with tips to provide structure, predictability and a sense of security for your students with extensive support needs during a break from their usual routine.