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 VDOE's 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.
Be sure to visit our Focus Areas and Projects pages for more specific information and support options.
Focus areas and projects
Resources and Information Links
October is Disability History and Awareness Month (DHAM)
Youth with disabilities, their parents, teachers, and staff members from VDOE, Virginia Board for People with Disabilities, Virginia Commonwealth University’s (VCU) Partnership for People with Disabilities, Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center (PEATC), VDOE’s Training and Technical Assistance Centers (TTAC), and the many Parent Resource Centers (PRC) continue to collaborate and develop a variety of resources that can be used to promote and highlight DHAM in Virginia.
Turning the Page with Assistive Technology for Literacy
The Virginia Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Instructional Services, in partnership with the Virginia Assistive Technology Network and Accessible Instructional Materials Virginia (AIM-VA), invites general education teachers, reading specialists, special education teachers, and administrators to attend a four-part webinar series entitled Turning the Page with Assistive Technology (AT) for Literacy. The webinars will outline the research base that supports AT for reading and writing, explore low and high tech AT options that support instruction for students of all ages, and explain how to access accessible instructional materials for students.
Guidance for Learning Loss and Recovery Services
Students with disabilities may encounter learning loss as a result of school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of these circumstances, educators may need to determine if educational gaps in learning or loss of skills may exist. After careful review of data, IEP Teams would make decisions about unfinished learning and the need for recovery services
Special Education Resources Website
The VDOE TTAC at Radford University has developed a new Special Education Resources website, with information regarding IEP Components, Specially Designed Instruction, High Leverage Practices, and Family Engagement.
Sign Up for our RU TTAC Regional News & Notes Newsletter
High Leverage Practices for Students with Disabilities
In partnership with the Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability and Reform (CEEDAR), the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) has developed and published a set of high-leverage practices (HLPs) for special educators and teacher candidates. The HLPs are organized around four aspects of practice:
- Collaboration
- Assessment
- Social/emotional/behavioral
- Instruction
From these four aspects of practice, there are 22 practices intended to address the most critical practices that every K–12 special education teacher should master and be able to demonstrate. The selected practices are used frequently in classrooms and have been shown to improve student outcomes if successfully implemented.
Co-Teaching Resources Website
Please visit our separate Co-Teaching Resources Website for information and resources about co-planning, instructional models, co-assessing, building relationships, roles/responsibilities, co-teaching virtually, and specially designed instruction.
What is an Ombudsman?
The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) has developed a one page, easy-to-understand, comprehensive summary of the role and responsibilities of the Parent Ombudsman for Special Education that addresses the specific supports the Parent Ombudsman can provide to parents. This Ombudsman for Special Education flyer is housed on our newly created Parent Ombudsman for Special Education webpage.
For more information on the role of the Parent Ombudsman at the VDOE, please refer to Superintendent's Memo 040-21: Parent Ombudsman for Special Education.
You may also contact our Special Education Parent Ombudsman, Gloria Dalton, directly at Gloria.Dalton@doe.virginia.gov or toll free, by phone, at (800) 422-2083.
COVID-19 INFORMATION
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 this VDOE website link.
Additional Resources from VDOE
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 recorded sessions to Virginia educators.
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
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.”
Recorded Webinar and Participant Resources for Virginia's Inclusive Practices Action Planning Tool
Virginia Department of Education, VDOE, and Stetson & Associates, Inc.
A recently recorded webinar, Inclusive Practices Action Planning Tool, presented by Dr. Frances Stetson and participant resources have been added to the Inclusive Practices in Successful Schools: Virginia Action Planning Guide Module.
VDOE Social Emotional Learning Webpage
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.
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.
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.
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