View as Webpage

Luca was able to participate more fully in his preschool class when he followed a visual schedule. Sophia required a reading frame to help her stay on the line while reading in second grade. In middle school, Olivia learned about the benefits of using voice recognition while answering written questions and writing reports. In preparation for college, Jaxson discovered that using a text-to-speech program helped him with reading comprehension since he was required to learn large amounts of social studies and science content. Did you know that each item these students used is considered assistive technology (AT)? You might ask, what makes these items AT since many of my other students use these same materials daily? 

Assistive technology is a term specifically used with individuals with disabilities. AT is any item, piece of equipment, or technology used by individuals with disabilities who may not otherwise be successful or would not be able to perform a task as well without these materials. AT includes the devices (e.g., communication devices, apps, extensions, hardware, software, mobility devices) and the services provided to access and implement the devices (e.g., training of the student, family, and staff, adaptations and modification of devices, AT assessment). Assistive technology consists not only of high-tech devices such as laptops, iPads with specialized apps, environmental control devices, or mobility equipment, but includes low-tech devices such as pencil grips, fidgets, schedules, or core vocabulary boards. Assistive technology must be considered for all students with a disability (Virginia Department of Education, 2022). 

The Virginia Department of Education (2022) explains that “the IDEA 2004 (34 CFR §300.324 (a)) requires that all IEP Teams consider the need for assistive technology for students with a disability to access FAPE [Free Appropriate Public Education] and the consideration for the need for AT must be documented within each student’s IEP (p. 9)."

The Virginia Department of Education (2022) also states:

“When IEP Team members are knowledgeable about the student and his/her needs and assistive technology, the benefits, and the laws impacting AT use, it increases the likelihood of effective AT identification, implementation and progress throughout the student’s school years. For this reason, IEP Team members (including teachers, related services staff, administrators, family, and students) should have an awareness of commonly used AT; how to consider, identify, and trial appropriate assistive technology; where to go for additional information and support; and how to embed AT into the student’s IEP and instructional program (p.5).”

How can we help students gain access to AT? It begins with the use of an AT consideration process. Consideration of AT devices and/or services is intended to be a brief discussion during the Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting to determine whether or not current AT devices and services are adequate or if new devices, tools, services, or strategies would be beneficial. It is intended to be a careful and thoughtful discussion of the student (including their abilities and needs), the environment, specific tasks that are difficult for the student, and how tools and services can support the student in accessing FAPE and reaching their goals. In the consideration process, teams use existing data and results of AT trials (as appropriate) to identify AT devices and/or services that are required by the student to access FAPE. Consideration of AT should include a continuum of no-to-low to high-tech options. In addition, teams should consider the student’s AT needs within and outside of the school setting, including extracurricular activities and community-based instruction (Virginia Department of Education, 2022).

In October 2022, The Virginia Department of Education released the new Virginia Assistive Technology, Tools, and Strategies (VATTS) resources to support the consideration of assistive technology, tools (i.e., other educational tools), and strategies to support learning. These resources are listed and linked below.

VATTS: Consideration and Assessment Guidance Document

VATTS: Consideration Guide

VATTS: Resource Guide:

VATTS: Instructions and Definitions

To learn more about using these resources, contact your AT Network Specialist or review the asynchronous VATTS course below:

Asynchronous Virtual Virginia Course - Virginia Assistive Technology, Tools, and Strategies (VATTS): Consideration Guide and Resources 2022-2023

References:

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 20 U.S.C. Ꝣ 1400 (2004).

Virginia Department of Education (2022). Virginia assistive technology, tools, and strategies: Consideration and assessment guidance document,

https://doe.virginia.gov/special_ed/iep_instruct_svcs/assistive_technology/at-guidance-document.pdf

For more information, contact Sharon Jones, (scjones@vcu.edu), Program Specialist T/TAC at VCU.

Early Childhood educators who develop the dispositions and skills to grow visible learners can have a lasting impact on their students' development and future success (Thunder et al., 2022). This belief is a tenant of the Visible Learning research championed by Kateri Thunder, John Hattie, and John Almarode in their book Visible Learning in Early Childhood. The authors assert that the “greatest effect on children's learning comes from the expertise of early childhood educators” when they make deliberate decisions about what works best given the context of their classroom (Thunder et al., 2022, p.8). Educators that act with clarity to empower young children to take ownership of their learning journey can level up their impact and increase the potential to truly accelerate learning. Doing this requires educators to have a mindset to “see learning through the eyes of their young learners, and their young learners to see themselves as their own teacher (Thunder et al., 2022, p. 19)." Those educators unsure of where to begin can use the seven big ideas as a roadmap to navigate the complexities of designing an effective learning environment (Thunder et al., 2022):  

• Engaging learners as evaluators of their learning
• Encouraging high expectations
• Setting clear success criteria
• Establishing a developmentally appropriate level of challenge
• Creating a safe environment for experimentation
• Seeking continuous feedback 
• Maintaining a balance between the types of learning

Thunder et al. (2022) define clarity in learning as the interaction between teacher clarity and learner clarity. Teacher clarity drives the selection of practices and strategies based on their assessment of student growth and performance. However, before educators can make decisions about what works best, they need to know what they want their students to learn, why they want them to learn it, and how they will know that students have learned it. Communicating learning with clarity means that students can answer similar questions: What am I learning? Why am I learning it? How will I know when I have learned it? The answers to these questions drive decisions about the organization of the learning environment and instruction, explanations that are relevant and understandable to students, examples and guided practice that include success criteria and opportunities to practice and grow their independence, and assessment of learning that invites children to act as evaluators of their learning growth (Thunder et al., 2022). 



Visible Learning in Early Childhood is available for checkout from the T/TAC at VCU library. 

Resources

Visible Learning Meta 



Reference

Thunder, K., Almarode, J., & Hattie, J. (2022). Visible learning in early childhood. Corwin.

For more information, contact Mary Tobin (metobin@vcu.edu), Program Specialist, T/TAC at VCU. 

When one speaks of virtuous qualities, characteristics such as kindness, honesty, and service come to mind. These are characteristics we would want our future leaders to possess; but what about our current leaders? According to Robinson (2022), the personal qualities of a virtuous leader include “conscientiousness, courage, perseverance, and passion for improving the lives and learning of the students in their schools (para. 1)." One may argue that these characteristics are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to virtuous qualities leaders should possess. Since there are hundreds of moral qualities one can have, author Viviane Robinson (2022) suggests that we narrow the possibilities down to three categories: leadership virtues, problem-solving virtues, and interpersonal virtues. 

Leadership Virtues

Leaders need to possess motivation in leadership. They should understand who their most valued resources are as they strive to help students to succeed. Those resources begin with the teaching staff who need to be motivated by their leader; the goal is to encourage the students. 

Problem-Solving Virtues

Leaders must be strategic, analytical, and imaginative. Robinson shares (2022), ”Strategic virtues help leaders prioritize the myriad problems they could tackle and persevere until improvement is evident (para.7)." Strategic leaders are aware of the numerous challenges that can negatively affect the instructional process and student outcomes. Problem solving is essential as leaders, to the greatest extent possible, should shield teachers and students from any unnecessary stressors in the academic environment. Virtuous leaders analyze situations to support decision-making and find the root cause or the “why” of pressing problems. Robinson (2022) shares, “Analytic virtues, such as open-mindedness and truth-seeking, are key to rigorous checking of assumptions about what is causing a problem and how to fix it (para.7)." Another element supporting problem solving is imagination. Leaders need to use their leadership skills to support creative thinking among the leadership team and instructional leaders. Many situations supported within the academic setting call for unconventional ideas. According to Robinson (2022), “Imaginative virtues are seen in the creativity of leaders who can craft solutions that reconcile apparently conflicting solution requirements, such as the need to provide high-quality tutoring for disadvantaged students from the existing staffing and budget(para.7).”

Interpersonal Virtues

Interpersonal virtues include integrity, respect, courage, and empathy. All leadership team members are called to be models of integrity. Although we know our school leaders are human, we look to them first to set the standard. Respect is a virtuous trait that goes hand in hand with integrity. Although any trait can be subjective, a virtuous leader can address the qualities they want to see and model them for the staff to ensure there is no question about how they interpret these virtues. Courage and empathy are characteristics that fall under interpersonal virtues also. Staff and peers must know that their leaders are courageous and will be present during hard times. Leaders need to connect with staff and demonstrate empathy and compassion. When teachers recognize those characteristics in their leaders, they feel safe and supported.

Leadership, problem-solving, and interpersonal virtues are three important virtues to possess in leadership; but it is also important to understand that leaders are multidimensional and will possess them at various levels. These virtues, if not possessed, can be learned. For more information regarding leadership virtues, please read Viviane Robinson’s article referenced below. 

Reference

Robinson, V. (2022, September 13). Virtues: The missing piece in leadership 

development? Corwin Connect. https://corwin-connect.com/2022/09/virtues-the-missing-piece-in-leadership-development/

For more information, contact Amber Butler (butleram2@vcu.edu), Program Specialist, T/TAC at VCU. 

Fusion Reading is a reading program for struggling secondary readers that is taken as a supplement to core course requirements (i.e., English). The program aims to improve reading outcomes for students and increase student motivation and engagement around reading (Hock, et al., 2012). The authors of Fusion Reading based the curriculum’s central tenets on evidence-based practices that demonstrate strong impacts on reading comprehension when used with struggling adolescent readers. Fusion Reading uses explicit instruction and cooperative learning to teach cognitive and metacognitive strategies for word-level reading, vocabulary, and reading comprehension (Hock et al., 2017). It was designed with input from teachers ensuring that it is practical to implement in schools (Hock, et al., 2012). 

The program is laid out in seven units, taught over a two-year period, that cover vocabulary strategies, making predictions, summarization, metacognitive reading strategies, creating personal goals, and generalization of strategies to other settings. Fusion Reading offers explicit, scripted lesson plans for 45, 60, or 90 minute time periods to allow schools to select the lesson plan that aligns with the time available in their schedule. All lesson plans contain similar components to develop a consistent daily routine. Passages, progress assessments, and activities are included in the unit manuals; student texts are purchased separately. Novels that represent key instructional features are recommended for each unit. These texts are intentionally selected for relevance to teen readers. Teachers have the flexibility to choose alternate texts if they choose (Brasseur-Hock et al., 2012).

An integral component of the program is the practitioner training prior to implementation. Fusion Reading has an extensive module-based training that explains the purpose of each strategy, models implementation through videos, and assesses understanding throughout each module. The modules are paired with in-person professional development, possibly through your regional Training and Technical Assistance Center (T/TAC). Instructional coaching for the first two years is strongly recommended (Brasseur-Hock et al., 2012).

Peer-reviewed studies have been conducted which investigated the Fusion Reading program with students from grades 6 to 12 in multiple regions of the United States (Brasseur-Hock et al., 2021; Hock et al., 2017; Brasseur-Hock et al., 2012). Findings from the studies show positive reading outcomes for students participating in the Fusion Reading program as opposed to “business as usual” conditions (Brasseur-Hock et al., 2021). 

Several study limitations that have been identified involve the level of fidelity to the tenets of the program. Implications related to these limitations suggest that following Fusion Reading requires a strong commitment by the school to address scheduling so that students have a minimum of 45-50 minutes, five days per week to engage with the program. The program requires students to have reliable attendance and fully-trained practitioners. In addition, there needs to be a strong focus on applying the reading strategies to core class materials in order to generalize the reading skills developed within Fusion Reading (Brasseur-Hock et al., 2021).

If your middle school is interested in investing time and resources to implement Fusion Reading, T/TAC program specialists Jennifer Askue-Collins and Mary Addeo may be able to support you with instructional coaching support.

References

Brasseur-Hock, I., Deshler, D., & Hock, M. (2012). Fusion reading. McGraw-Hill Companies. 

Brasseur-Hock, I. F., Miller, W., Washburn, J., Christ, A. J., & Hock, M. F. (2021). The effects of a comprehensive and supplemental middle school reading program. International Journal for Research in Learning Disabilities, 50(2), 25–41. https://doi.org/10.28987/5.1.25

Hock, M. F., Brasseur-Hock, I. F., & Deshler, D. D. (2012). Technical report: Fusion reading program. Lawrence, KS: The University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning.



Hock, M. F., Brasseur-Hock, I. F., Hock, A. J., & Duvel, B. (2017). The effects of a comprehensive reading program on reading outcomes for middle school students with disabilities. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 50(2), 195–212. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022219415618495 

For more information, contact Jennifer Askue-Collins (askuecollij@vcu.edu), Program Specialist, T/TAC at VCU.