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Get Expert Guidance on Using UDL to Implement Florida State Standards

The Every Child Succeeds Act (ESSA), which replaces No Child Left Behind (NCLB) as the federal legislation for K-12 public education, gives states greater responsibility and flexibility to set rigorous academic standards and design high quality assessments that are accessible to all students. The law calls for states to use the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL)—a scientifically that “(A) provides flexibility in the ways information is presented, in the ways students respond or demonstrate knowledge and skills, and in the ways students are engaged; and (B) reduces barriers in instruction, provides appropriate accommodations, supports, and challenges, and maintains high achievement expectations for all students”—in developing assessments (and alternate assessments for students with significant cognitive disabilities) and delivering instruction.

udl-and-florida-state-standardsThe new quick-reference laminated guide Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Florida State Standards (FSS) by Joseph Casbarro is designed to help Florida educators understand and incorporate UDL. It provides an overview UDL, along with strategies for providing multiple means of representation, multiple means of expression, and multiple means of engagement. It also describes specific UDL best practices that enhance implementation of the Language Arts Standards (LAFS) and Mathematics Standards (MAFS). Other features include a UDL lesson planning framework and a review of approaches— such as differentiated instruction, brain-compatible learning, multi-tiered system of supports, cooperative learning and project-based learning— that support UDL in the classroom.

Hot off the press, the guide is now available for purchase on our website. Schools may make tax-exempt purchases online by setting up a “Schools” account. Quantity discounts are offered on this and all laminated reference guides published by National Professional Resources/Dude Publishing.

About the Author

casbarro-j-2010-color-no-bkgrdJoseph Casbarro is the Chief Operating Officer at National Professional Resources. He worked as an educator for 30 years in public schools, holding administrative positions including building principal, director of special programs, and assistant superintendent of schools. He received his PhD in school psychology from Syracuse University and has taught for many years at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Casbarro is the author of the book Test Anxiety & What You Can Do About It, as well as several quick-reference laminated guides published by National Professional Resources/Dude Publishing.

 

Maurice Elias To Give SEL Keynote at NJ Healthy Schools, Healthy Students Conference

Author Maurice Elias, psychology professor at Rutgers University and director of the school’s Social-Emotional Learning Lab, will give the key-note address at the New Jersey School Health and Climate Coalition’s first Healthy Schools, Healthy Students conference series, “School Climate and Bullying: Where Are We Now? What Do We Need to Do?” on August 15, 2016 at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in Princeton, NJ. Dr. Elias’ presentation will explore the key elements necessary for students to thrive socially, academically, emotionally, and physically in school.

Maurice Elias

Maurice Elias

Dr. Elias, a national expert on social emotional learning and social-emotional and character development, worked to establish the field of prevention, school-based preventive intervention, and social competence promotion as a credible, important, and rigorous area of research, practice, and public policy. He is a founding member of the leadership team for the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, or CASEL, which helps make evidence-based social and emotional learning (SEL) an integral part of education from preschool through high school. His publications for National Professional Resources/Dude Publishing include the laminated reference guides School Climate: Building Safe, Supportive, and Engaging Classrooms and Schools and Schools of Social-Emotional Competence and Character.

Attendees to the conference will include representatives from the healthcare and education sectors, state and local government, professional associations, private foundations, and not-for-profit organizations. For additional information visit https://secure.unitedwaynnj.org/SchoolClimateAndBullying2016. To learn more about Dr. Elias and his publication, visit http://www.nprinc.com/maurice-elias.

Now Available: The Bullying Prevention Book of Lists, A Comprehensive Resource for Educators

The new book, The Bullying Prevention Book of Lists, by Dr. Kenneth Shore, is an invaluable resource for any administrator, teacher,The Bullying Prevention Book of Lists or school staff member wanting to understand more about bullying and take meaningful steps to respond to and prevent it. It is designed for readers to be able to quickly access critical information, detailed guidance, and effective strategies.

In ten concise chapters the book addresses a broad spectrum of topics, including the following:

  • The 5 “W”s of bullying: What is it, When does it occur, Where does it take place, Why do young people bully, Who is likely to engage in bullying.
  • Facts and figures on bullying.
  • The effects of bullying on students who are bullied, students who bully other, and students who witness bullying.
  • The legal responsibilities of schools.
  • The meaning and methods of cyberbullying, as well as warning signs and safeguards.
  • Special considerations for legally protected classes of students, including students with disabilities and LGBT students.
  • Building safeguards against bullying into a student’s IEP.
  • Creating a positive and safe school climate for all students.
  • Promoting values of respect, tolerance and honesty.
  • Developing bullying prevention policies.
  • Engaging parents.
  • Choosing and implementing comprehensive bullying prevention programs.
  • Preventing bullying through social emotional learning.
  • Delivering anti-bullying lessons.
  • Decreasing bullying in the schoolyard and on the school bus.

In an extensive Resources section, Dr. Shore recommends useful organizations and websites for school staff, parents and students, as well as links to downloadable surveys and guidance documents, and fiction and non-fiction books for students in elementary, middle and high school. Selected short and full-length films, songs, and anecdotes of celebrities who were bullied are also included in the Resources section.

The book is now available for purchase at http://www.nprinc.com/the-bullying-prevention-book-of-lists/.

About the Author:

Dr. Kenneth Shore has written numerous books, including The ABC’s of Bullying Prevention: A Comprehensive Schoolwide Approach,  and the laminated reference guides, An Educator’s Guide to Bullying Prevention; Classroom Management: A Guide for Elementary Teachers; A Teacher’s Guide to Working With Parents; A Parent’s Guide to Working With Teachers, and Bullying Prevention for Students with Disabilities (all published by NPR, Inc./Dude Publishing). In addition, he is the featured presenter in the video series, “The ABC’s of Bullying Prevention.”

Did You Know? 5 Facts About Bullying [Infographic]

There is not an educator in America today for whom bullying is not a concern and bullying prevention is not a responsibility. In this infographic, we outline the most common types of bullying, as well as identify some hard to believe statistics about bullying in schools.

bullying prevention infographic - 5 Facts About Bullying

The Bullying Prevention Book of Lists

In his new book, The Bullying Prevention Book of Lists: A Practical, Easy-to-Use Guide for All School Staff, Dr. Kenneth Shore presents need-to-know information on the various types of bullying and offers practical and realistic strategies for responding to bullying incidents and preventing them. Designed to provide school administrators, teachers, and support with quick access to key information and practical strategies. Order your copy today for just $12.95 at www.NPRinc.com.

Stay tuned, more great infographics from www.NPRinc.com are coming your way! Want to receive free resources in your inbox? Join our exclusive offers list today!

Co-Teaching and Technology Laminated Guide Resources

The new laminated reference guide Co-Teaching and Technology: Enhancing Communication and Collaboration by Marilyn Friend and Brian Friedlander recommends free and low-cost technology tools that co-teachers can use to improve collaboration, co-planning, differentiation, data collection, instruction, student engagement and more. Readers of the guide will find explanations of the programs and applications listed below, along with suggestions for how to use the tools in co-taught classrooms.  The following are quick-access links to the tools referenced in the guide, which is available for purchase at http://www.nprinc.com/co-teaching-and-technology/.

Cloud Computing Tools:

Planning Tools:

Data Collection Tools:

Tools for Instruction:

QR Code Generators

NPR Inc. Authors Present at CEC Special Education Convention & Expo

Exhibit-with-banner2We at National Professional Resources are proud to publish books and laminated reference guides for educators by some of the top experts in the field. Next week, at the CEC 2016 Special Education Convention & Expo in St. Louis, several of our authors will be presenting and hosting workshops. If you are at the conference, please try to check out some of these exciting sessions, listed below. Products by these experts will be available for purchase at a deeply discounted rate at our booth, #829.

Don’t forget to come by Booth #829 and say hello– and enter to win a presenter prize package! See you there!

 

New Laminated Guide, Using Data to Improve Student Learning, Now Available

The Newest in Our Line of Quick-Reference Laminated Guides for Educators

Using-Data-to-Improve-Student-Learning-Cover-UDSLFrom David Bateman and Jenifer Cline comes the new 6-page, quick-reference laminated guide for educators, Using Data To Improve Student Learning: Making It Meaningful to Classroom Teachers. The guide is a practical tool for helping teachers understand, collect, and interpret data, and use it for data-based instruction.

The guide answers the questions

  • What Are Data, Testing, Assessment and Evaluation?
  • What Are Different Forms of Assessment?
  • What Are Standardized Assessments?
  • How Are Standardized Assessments Normed?
  • What Are Criterion-Referenced Assessments?
  • What Are the Purposes of Standardized Tests?

Additional information is provided on how scores are computed and reported for different tests, and what various types of scores reveal about a student’s learning. The authors also gives examples of non-standardized data that should be used in conjunction with standardized data to get a holistic understanding of the student.

The guide is now in-stock and available for immediate shipping. Bulk discounts are available for 10 or more copies. For more information on this product and to order, visit http://www.nprinc.com/using-data-to-improve-student-learning/.

About the Authors:

David Bateman, PhD is a professor in the department of Educational Leadership and Special Education at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania where he teaches courses to future teachers and administrators in learning disabilities, special education law, and the introduction to special education. He has been a classroom teacher of students with learning disabilities, behavior disorders, intellectual disabilities, and hearing impairments. He is currently Public Policy Chair of the Division for Learning Disabilities and is active in the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities in Washington, DC. Bateman is the co-author of A Principal’s Guide to Special Education, and The Special Education Program Administrator’s Handbook, and A Teacher’s Guide to Special Education.

Jennifer Cline is a special education administrator in Great Falls Public Schools in Great Falls, Montana. has worked as a special education administrator for the past 10 years both has a special education cooperative director and a district level special education administrator. An active member of CASE and CEC, Ms. Cline has served as the president of Montana CASE and on the professional development committee for CASE. She is coauthor of the A Teacher’s Guide to Special Education, Efficient and Effective Management of Resources.

The authors will be presenting a full day workshop at the 2016 CEC Special Education Convention and Expo on Wednesday, April 13, “Workshop 5: What All Administrators Need to Know About Special Education.”

The Inclusive Education Checklist is Here!

Now Available for Purchase: The Inclusive Education Checklist: A Self-Assessment of Best Practices

The Inclusive Education Checklistinclusive-education-checklist-cover-icbo is an indispensable tool for assisting schools, districts, administrators, policy makers, community members and professionals interested in education, as well as parents and youth, assess, develop, implement, sustain, and continuously improve quality inclusive services for students with disabilities.

Authors Richard Villa and Jacqueline Thousand describe 15 inclusive education best practices and then provide a list of 8-32 indicator questions for each best practice. Readers are instructed to provide a 1-5 rating for each indicator question, and then tally the results. The authors explain how to interpret the total score, mean score, and range of scores. With this data, educators can assess the general degree to which a best practice is being implemented and the extent of school progress toward achieving that best practice. Scores will also indicate the variability of implementation and a general course of action going forward.

The 15 inclusive education best practices examined in the book are:

  1. Understanding what inclusion is and is not
  2. Home-school-community collaboration
  3. Administrative practices supportive of inclusive education
  4. Redefined roles and responsibilities of general educators; special educators, related services personnel, English language learning and other specialists; and paraeducators
  5. Collaborative planning and creative problem solving for school and post-secondary options
  6. Co-teaching
  7. Student-centered strength-based assessment
  8. Strategies for facilitating access to the general education curriculum
  9. Differentiation of instruction
  10. Student empowerment and natural supports
  11. Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS)/Response to Instruction and Intervention (RtI2)
  12. Positive behavioral supports
  13. Integrated delivery of related services
  14. Transition planning
  15. Site-based continuous planning for sustainability of inclusive education best practices

The book is now in stock and available for immediate shipment. For more information and to order, please visit www.nprinc.com/the-inclusive-education-checklist/.

What Readers Are Saying About The Inclusive Education Checklist

“I believe this book is essential for inclusive school best practice accountability measures! There is a huge need to assess current practices and promote best practices within inclusive education services and supports. Richard Villa and Jacqueline Thousand have written the most important assessment tool for schools to celebrate inclusive education accomplishments and further their services to best practice. This will also help struggling schools get on the journey towards reimagining and establishing quality student-centered services that meet the needs of all learners. I highly recommend this book for all schools that are focused on providing quality effective education for all learners in their school community.” – Patrick Schwartz, Ph.D., Professor, Diversity in Learning and Teaching Program Teacher Preparation, National Louis University

“This book is a beautiful resource to help schools use real data to improve their abilities to be inclusive. Incredibly useful in providing concrete ideas of best practice in a way to lets teams assess, discuss and improve.” – George Theoharis, Ph.D., Department Chair, Teaching and Leadership, Syracuse University

Once again Villa and Thousand have given us a practical guide to creating inclusive schools. This books is unique in that it allows collaborative teams to self-assess and determine goals and actions to initiate, implement, and sustain inclusive education. It is an excellent resource that meets teams where they are on the journey of inclusion and guides them forward!” – Jodi Robledo, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Special Education Program Coordinator, California State University San Marcos

About the Authors

IMG_1414Richard A. Villa, Ed.D., is President of Bayridge Consortium, Inc. His primary field of expertise is the development of administrative and instructional support systems for educating all students within general education settings. He has authored seventeen books and has presented at international, national, and state education conferences.

Jacqueline S. Thousand, Ph.D., is a nationally known teacher, author, systems change consultant, and disability rights and inclusive education advocate. She is the author of numerous books, research articles, and chapters on issues related to inclusive schooling, organizational change strategies, differentiated instruction and universal design, co-teaching and collaborative teaming, cooperative group learning, creative problem solving, and positive behavioral supports. She is a professor at California State University San Marcos.

Strategies to Overcome Test Anxiety: Focus on Mindfulness

If there’s one thing that everyone in education— from students, to parents, to teachers, to administrators— seems to agree on presently it’s that the recent increase in testing is stressing students out. In fact, in a recent online survey of 22,000 high school-age youth, conducted by the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation, one of the most common responses to the question of how do you currently feel in school was “Stressed” (29%).  For many students, this stress causes cognitive, emotional and psychological symptoms, which can negatively impact test performance.

Dr. Joseph Casbarro, author of the book Test Anxiety and What You Can Do About It,  recently completed a new laminated reference guide for NPR, Inc. on this topic, entitled, Test Anxiety: Strategies to Improve Student Performance. This guide, available in early January 2016, presents a dozen strategies that teachers and parents can use with students to help them overcome excessive test anxiety.

Among the strategies recommended is mindfulness and meditation. The guide describes mindfulness— a state of active, open attention to the present— and offers a quick-start meditation for cultivating mindfulness, as shown below. It also provides links to many additional mindfulness resources. Mindfulness has wide-ranging benefits for children of all ages, as well as adults (teachers, administrators, parents). In addition to the exercise referenced below, check out some of these other excellent resources for beginners.

Quick Start Mindfulness Meditation

Establish the correct posture (bottoms of feet on floor, straight but not stiff upper body, hands at the top of your legs with arms at side, chin dropped slightly, downward gaze or eyes closed), then simply follow your breath as it goes in and out. When you notice your attention wander, simply return it to the breath, without judgment. Start with a couple of minutes (2-3) then work up to 10 minutes or more (set a timer). Encourage students to practice at home regularly as well.

Marilyn Friend, Toby Karten & Lisa Dieker Headline Workshop Series: Improving Student Outcomes

Comprehensive School Solution (CSS), the new training division of National Professional Resources (NPR, Inc.), has partnered with the Center for Educational Innovation (CEI) to present series of professional development workshops designed to assist educators working with students with special needs. Three of our most popular authors—Marilyn Friend, Toby Karten, and Lisa Dieker—will each be presenting two full-day workshops at different locations in New York City, in December, February, and March, respectively. Register now for early-bird pricing!

A description of each presentation follows. Each session includes complimentary breakfast and lunch, as well as training materials.

marilyn-friend-presenter

Marilyn Friend

Co-Teaching: Classroom Partnerships for Student Success with Marilyn Friend

Explore different models of co-teaching, the necessary elements for successful co-teaching partnerships, and the ways in which co-teaching can improve student outcomes. Learn about the interrelationship of co-teaching with specially designed instruction (SDI) and Common Core State Standards (CCSS).

Marilyn Friend, PhD, past president of CEC and professor emeritus at UNC, is the foremost authority on co-teaching, having authored several best-selling publications, as well as co-authored three of the most widely used college textbooks on special education.

 

toby-karten

Toby Karten

Implementing the Common Core Standards for Students with Special Needs with Toby Karten
February 1 & 2, 2016

Align K-12 standards to research-based instructional practices that respect learning differences. Learn ways of creatively connecting CCSS to students with and without IEPs who are instructed across the least restrictive environment (LRE) continuum.

Toby Karten has extensive experience with NYC schools as a teacher, instructional coach, and professional development provider. Her internationally best-selling books explore effective inclusion strategies that respect students’ diverse abilities, skills, and knowledge.

 

lisa-dieker

Lisa Dieker

Co-Teaching in Secondary Schools with Lisa Dieker
March 9 & 10, 2016

Learn best practices and winning techniques for implementing co-teaching in the unique settings of middle and high school. Develop effective lesson plans and enhance co-teaching partnerships.

Lisa Dieker, PhD, a professor and Lockheed Martin eminent scholar and the coordinator of the University of Central Florida’s PhD program in special education, has produced six books and two videos focused on effective strategies for inclusion and co-teaching.

 

Brought to you by CSS & CEI

Comprehensive School Solutions (CSS), a training division of NPR, Inc., offers affordable, customizable professional training delivered by world-class authors, researchers, and presenters in the field of education. CSS provides schools with research-based strategies and solutions to improve the process of support around learning.

The Center for Educational Innovation (CEI) is a non-profit education organization and a recognized leader in advancing meaningful reforms in public education. Our mission is to ensure that the school is the center and driving force of public education reform and innovation. CEI provides customized, hands on support to principals, teachers, parents and staff to help them meet the unique needs of their students.