TTAC Services
The Virginia Department of Education’s state-wide Training & Technical Assistance Centers (TTACs) provide professional development and support designed to assist schools in addressing accountability and improvement goals for students with disabilities.
The TTAC at Radford University serves public schools, teachers, students and parents of Southwest Virginia through assistance that brings about systematic change in the way schools serve children and youth. TTAC services are provided primarily through embedded professional development. During the COVID-19 pandemic, our coordinators are available to assist you virtually or via email. Continue to check our website for updates and resources, and don’t hesitate to reach out to our coordinators directly by email or submit a Request for Services if you have any questions or need further assistance.
Student Involvement in the IEP Process Utilizing I’m Determined Tools Professional Learning Sessions
Students who participate in their own IEP meetings often know more about their disability, rights, goals, and accommodations. Through this participation, they have the opportunity to practice many skills that help facilitate their independence, ability to overcome obstacles, and ability to lead more self-determined lives.
Have you been hoping to get your students more involved in the IEP process? Join us for a series of 45 minute professional learning sessions to provide your students with the skills they need to take a more active role in their IEP meetings using the I’m Determined resource tools. All sessions will be held using Zoom.
Interactive Map – Reopening of School Divisions in the Commonwealth
The Virginia Department of Education has created an interactive map that illustrates how the Commonwealth’s 132 school divisions are reopening in August and September. The map is updated as VDOE learns of decisions by local school boards to revisit reopening plans approved earlier in the summer.
Information Regarding Phased School Reopening
Dr. James Lane, Virginia's Superintendent of Public Schools, issued guidance to assist Virginia’s 132 school divisions as they implement the phased approach to reopening schools. The guidance document, “Recover, Redesign, Restart 2020,” includes recommendations to protect the health and well-being of students, and respond to the impact of COVID-19 on learning, during each of the three phases of the governor’s reopening plan. The information contained in this plan is continually updated, so please use the link to check it often.
The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) is committed to providing school divisions with additional updates as they become available, and has created a new School Reopening Frequently Asked Questions page that pertains specifically to the phased reopening guidance.
State Superintendent Announces Further Expansion of Virtual Virginia
Superintendent of Public Instruction James Lane recently announced that every teacher in the commonwealth’s public schools will be able to host virtual classes on the Virginia Department of Education’s Virtual Virginia online learning system throughout the 2020-2021 school year. The expanded access to Virtual Virginia is available at no cost to school divisions through $3.5 million in support from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, also known as the CARES Act.
“This expansion provides additional options for school divisions that are reopening with limitations on in-person instruction and for school divisions that may have to revert to distance learning during the year because of a COVID-19 outbreak,” Lane said. "On behalf of our schools, I thank Governor Ralph Northam for his leadership in designating these CARES Act funds for Virtual Virginia so our students can continue to learn during the challenging school year ahead."
The expansion of Virtual Virginia also includes the creation of digital content for grades K-8. Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, the online learning system focused exclusively on providing high school credit-bearing courses in mathematics, English, science, history and world languages.
COVID-19 INFORMATION LINKS
The Virginia Department of Education’s (VDOE) Department of Special Education and Student Services (SESS) continues to update the special education and student services specific Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document. This document is a supplement to the general agency VDOE FAQ document that contains more general inquiries. You can find the FAQ and its updates on the VDOE website link below.
The Virginia Department of Education web page link below provides division and building-level administrators, school health coordinators and educators with ready access to up-to-date resources and information about COVID-19 and the steps schools should take to safeguard the health of students and staff.
This link from the United States Department of Education Office for Civil Rights, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services provides guidance for addressing the Risk of COVID-19 in Preschool, Elementary and Secondary Schools While Serving Children with Disabilities.
Commonwealth Learning Partnership Sharing Google for Education Information
The Commonwealth Learning Partnership is pleased to share information from Google for Education who recently announced over 50 new features launching this fall and winter. Information about G Suite for Education and G Suite Enterprise for Education will be shared in 30-minute, demo-based sessions. Sessions will cover how to incorporate them into your hybrid or virtual learning environments. Registration is free, but required.
New VDOE Virtual Teaching & Learning Hub!
Visit the Virtual Teaching & Learning Hub to discover best practices for supporting virtual learning, find tips on lesson planning and assessment strategies, and access professional learning resources.
VDOE Social Emotional Learning Webpage (NEW)
The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) has added a new webpage to address social emotional learning (SEL). The VDOE’s social emotional learning (SEL) efforts are driven by our commitment to ensure that every student in Virginia attends a school that maximizes their potential and prepares them for the future: academically, socially, and emotionally.
What Families of Students With Disabilities Need to Know During COVID-19 School Closure
The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) cares about the well-being of both you and your child, especially as we face the COVID-19 pandemic. We are all in this together and our first priority is to keep our families and ourselves safe by seeking out meaningful supports. We should make every effort to stay positive and patient with one another and be compassionate in the understanding that everyone--administrators, teachers, students, and families--are going through this together. Please consider the following tips and resources when working with your child’s school team.
TIPS AND RESOURCES FOR CONSIDERATION
Students with Disabilities in Mathematics: Frequently Asked Questions (PDF) is a companion to the Evidenced Based Specially Designed Instruction in Mathematics Resource Guide. This document provides an overview of the characteristics of mathematics disability, as well as information about accommodations, modifications, and assistive technology that can support a student with a disability in mathematics.
Family Guide to At-Home Learning
This Family Guide to At-Home Learning from the CEEDAR Center at the University of Florida has practical strategies that work for helping children of all ages who may be struggling with an at-home learning task. Families may find these strategies useful when helping their children complete various reading, math, and/or behavioral tasks at home.
Special Education Instructional Services (SEIS) Resource Repository
The Department of Special Education and Student Services, Office of Instructional Services has previewed new instructional resources to benefit educators and instructional leaders in the field. These resources are focused on serving students with disabilities on a variety of topics and content areas, and are reflective of the current challenges of serving students with disabilities during extended school closures as a result of COVID-19.
Questions about the resources can be directed to the office's email address at spedinstruction@doe.virginia.gov.
New Resource from NCEO
The National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) recently published Five Formative Assessment Strategies to Improve Distance Learning Outcomes for Students with Disabilities. This Brief describes the use of formative assessment processes with students with disabilities during distance learning. Formative assessment is important for all kinds of learning, and especially focuses students on learning and evidence of learning. This Brief presents five strategies that can be used to support student understanding of their own learning. This has the potential to be a powerful antidote to the “check-box” approach some students may bring to online learning where they focus on compliance with following directions and completing a list of assignments.
UFLI Virtual Instruction Resources: Teaching Reading Online
This is a six part recorded webinar series for teachers, tutors, and parents to support online reading instruction. The topics include: an introduction to teaching reading online, a virtual learning resource hub, online tech tools, management tips, and K-2 and 3-5 literacy instruction. Click HERE to access any of these recorded sessions.
Additional Resources from VDOE
Virginia Learns Anywhere
As part of VDOE's ongoing commitment and work to provide support to school divisions, a Continuity for Learning (C4L) Task Force has been working on a guidance document to share with school divisions for educators to meet the immediate needs of supporting learning outside our brick and mortar classrooms. This document, Virginia Learns Anywhere, is available online.
Many educators from across the Commonwealth participated in the development of this document. A huge thank you to all who answered the call and worked around the clock to ensure we are maximizing the potential of all learners anywhere.
New Learning Disabilities in Mathematics Companion Guides
The Learning Disabilities in Mathematics Resources page includes links to two new VDOE companion guides. Check out Students with Disabilities in Mathematics: Frequently Asked Questions and Evidence-Based Specially Designed Instruction in Mathematics.
Comprehensive Literacy Webinar Series
The Comprehensive Literacy Webinar Series focuses on best practices in literacy instruction and resources available to school divisions. Through the diverse expertise of our partners and presenters, the Virginia Department of Education's goal is to offer timely, research-based, and instructionally sound sessions to Virginia educators. Webinars take place on Thursday afternoons for the next several weeks at 3:00. Recordings are being made available.
Open Educational Resources
#GoOpenVA - Open Educational Resources. Virginia's teachers are encouraged to utilize the free instructional resources available through the #GoOpenVA website. These resources are available to all Virginia educators using their local division log-in credentials.
A selection of resources from local school divisions has been uploaded to the Open Educational Resource (OER) to the COVID-19 Extended Closing Resources Collection. School divisions are encouraged to add instructional content to Virginia's OER repository, in general, but items specifically related to this closure can be uploaded into this collection through the goopenva.org website. For additional information, please review Superintendent's Memo 013-20.
VDOE Fall 2020 Mathematics Webinar Series
The VDOE will be hosting a series of various webinars during Fall 2020 to support mathematics instruction, including Evidence Based Specially Designed Instruction in Mathematics for students with disabilities. Mathematics leaders and educators are encouraged to participate. WEBINAR INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION LINKS ARE ON OUR MATHEMATICS PAGE. Additional sessions may be forthcoming and information will be shared when available.
Just in Time Mathematics Quick Checks are Now Available!
The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) Just in Time Mathematics Quick Checks are formative assessments that align to the 2016 Mathematics Standards of Learning (SOL). These resources, developed by Virginia teachers and mathematics leaders, are designed to help teachers identify students with unfinished learning and assist in planning instruction to fill potential gaps “just in time.”
Focus areas and projects
VDOE Assistive Technology Network
The Assistive Technology Network of Virginia addresses priorities of VDOE with coordination, implementation, and dissemination of information about the laws which define AT devices and services, the process of AT Consideration by Individualized Education Program (IEP) teams, AT assessment, Augmentative and Augmentative Communication (AAC), and AT resources.
In support of these priorities, the network has several initiatives which include:
- Developing resources and documents for AT Considerations and Assessment
- Developing and supporting local and regional AT teams with information, resources and training, including the annual Virtual TechKnowledgy Conference
- Integrating AT solutions across the curriculum
For more information, visit the Assistive Technology Network website.
School Divisions Served by Radford University TTAC
| Region 6 Schools |
Region 7 Schools | ||
|---|---|---|---|
VDOE Regional TTACS
The TTAC at Radford University works collaboratively with other centers and organizations across the state of Virginia. The TTACs at Virginia Tech and Radford University share a special partnership, working together to serve the needs of Superintendents’ Regions 6 and 7.
Regional TTAC Links:
- Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA
- Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA
- The College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA
- George Mason University, Fairfax, VA
- James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA
- Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
- Radford University, Radford, VA
The TTAC Online website was created by VDOE to be a resource for professionals and family members of children and youth with disabilities (birth to 22). The website offers a wide range of Resources, Events (training, conferences, and webinars/webcasts) and Online Training opportunities in the form of Webshops and www.Workshops.
