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What Does Your School’s Student Performance Data Mean

What Does Your School’s Student Performance Data Mean?

Schools are required to share outcomes with parents.  Frequently, schools share information about the state student assessment outcomes on the school’s website or they invite parents to an informational session where they share and explain their outcomes.  Most schools even have a specific plan for addressing gaps or areas of lower performance, and they often share these plans with parents.  But parents need to ask, “Where is my voice in addressing this data?” [Read more…]

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The 10 Best Differentiated Instruction Teaching Strategies for K-12 Classrooms

The 10 Best Differentiated Instruction Teaching Strategies for K-12 Classrooms

Differentiated instruction is essential for meeting the diverse needs of students across all grade levels. Whether you’re teaching kindergarteners or high school seniors, here are my recommended strategies that can help you create a more inclusive and effective learning environment.

1. Flexible Grouping

Flexible grouping involves organizing students into groups based on their learning needs, interests, or abilities. Groups can be formed and reformed as needed, allowing students to work with different peers and on different tasks. This strategy promotes collaboration and ensures that all students receive targeted instruction. [Read more…]

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Internet Safety for Kids

Internet Safety for Kids

When I was in middle school, I recall watching Channel One, a news program for teens, during my homeroom period every day.  The news and the commercials were designed specifically for kids and teens, and I remember one commercial that was played frequently in the early 90s during the daily broadcast of Channel One.  I recall a young girl at the front of the screen, and behind her was a road from the perspective of a driver.  It looked as though we were navigating very quickly through the curves of the road, as the girl narrated.  She talked in a British accent about “The World Wide Web,” something I had never heard of before.  Fast forward to high school when we were all on America Online (AOL) and AOL instant messenger. [Read more…]

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How Parents Help Each Child Succeed in School

How Parents Help Each Child Succeed in School

As a special education teacher, one of the most important lessons I’ve learned is that no two children learn the same way. Every student brings their unique strengths, needs, and learning styles into the classroom, so a one-size-fits-all approach to teaching just doesn’t work. This is where differentiated instruction comes in. Differentiated instruction allows teachers to meet students where they are, provide the support they need, and help them progress at a pace and in a way that works best for them. [Read more…]

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Special Education Parents Provide School Support and Leadership

Special Education Parents Provide School Support and Leadership

Parents of students with special needs know the importance of having a solid plan in place to support their child for success.  All students have varied needs, and students with disabilities need specific supports to help them reach the rigor of the academic standards taught in their classes.  Resource teachers work with the Individual Education Plan (IEP) team to develop a plan for supports, then share this plan with general education teachers and other support providers.  The goal is to ensure accommodations are supports are regularly in place so all of the students can find success.  In inclusive classroom settings, general education and special education teams work together to support these needs.  But, as many classroom teachers will tell you, even this amount of support is sometimes note enough. [Read more…]

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