MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Supports) often feels like one more initiative piled onto an already overwhelming workload. There’s pressure to implement new programs, collect more data, attend more meetings, and somehow coordinate interventions across multiple tiers all while maintaining your existing caseload and responsibilities. But here’s what often gets missed: you probably already have many […]
Grading handwriting by hand can feel tedious, so I had a brilliant idea, why not use AI? Spoiler alert: it didn’t work. Read more about how you can easily score handwriting manually with a quick rubric, my failed experiment trying to automate it with AI, the importance of handwriting line size, and why consistency matters […]
Efficient IEP data collection is critical for tracking progress and ensuring young children in special education classrooms receive the best support. However, challenges like time constraints and unclear systems often make this task daunting. By adopting a team-based approach, educators and related service providers can streamline this process, saving time and improving outcomes. Here’s how […]
In the inclusive landscape of today’s classrooms, monitoring the progress of sensory strategies plays a crucial role in supporting diverse learners. Effective collaboration between educators and Occupational Therapy Practitioners (OTPs) is central to this approach, allowing for the design and implementation of personalized sensory interventions. This process begins with a thorough assessment of each student’s […]
Self-assessment is an important tool for every student. It allows them to reflect on their work and develop a plan for improvement. By self-assessing, students can identify areas of strength as well as areas that need further development. Self-assessment can be done in various ways depending on the subject matter, such as answering reflection questions […]
Don’t get scared off by the word data. Let’s share our big wins! Work is stressful for sure but just think about all that you and your students have accomplished. This data is not about reaching goals or monitoring progress. This is about sharing YOUR data story. Download the freebies to get started. How are […]
Are you familiar with the 8 steps of the Data Driven Decision Making process? This was developed by Schaaf and colleagues to improve outcome measurements in occupational therapy practice. It is an eight-step process that emphasizes data use to help develop client-centered, replicable interventions to guide and measure practice. You can download a FREE printable […]
Are you working on data collection for IEP goals? It is so important to know what interventions are effective to help your students reach their goals. Perhaps you offer many tips and suggestions but have a hard time keeping up with how the student performs. Educators and related service providers need to collect data to […]
Rubrics for performance tasks are an excellent tool for educators to utilize throughout the school year for ongoing assessment of a student’s skills. A rubric is a scoring guide to judge performance on a specific task. A skill is broken down into different components and a numerical value is given to each component. The performance […]
Are you familiar with data based instruction? The goal of data based instruction (or data driven instruction) is to improve student outcomes through individualized instruction based on collecting data by monitoring student progress. There are 7 general steps of data based instruction. Identify the Student’s Present Level of Performance In step of data based instruction, […]