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Resources for Teaching Remotely

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Remote Resources

The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) is here to support special education professionals and your ongoing efforts to apply good teaching practices remotely due to precautions surrounding COVID-19.

This page is a collection of suggested resources you can use as you determine the best means to provide services to your students and their families. They have been curated for you and will be regularly updated.* 

In addition to these resources, please review this issue of Teaching Exceptional Children that focused on telepractice, as well as the live and recorded webinars available through CEC’s digital learning offerings.

Do you have a suggested resource? Share it with us.

Browse Resources

A collection of resources, tips, and platforms for online teaching. 

  • Amazing Educational Resources Provides a comprehensive list of education companies offering free subscriptions due to school closings. View Link
  • Common Sense Media Free Educational Apps, Games, and Websites commonsensemedia.org
  • Complex Needs In addition to a wide range of online learning tools, Don Johnston is hosting a webinar at the end of March, “Supporting Students With Complex Needs at Home - Guidance for Teachers and Parents.”
  • LibriVox LibriVox volunteers record chapters of books in the public domain, and then we release the audio files back onto the net for free. All our audio is in the public domain, so you may use it for whatever purpose you wish. librivox.org
  • LivBits Let's Keep Reading! Keep Thinking with Interactive Read Aloud LivBits! View Link
  • PBS Learning Media MPT and PBS have curated FREE, standards-aligned videos, interactives, lesson plans, and more for teachers like you. mpt.pbslearningmedia.org
  • Resource Page from MCEC Massachusetts CEC is hosting an open-access resource page to share resources, discuss, and meet. masscec.org
  • Scholastic Learn at Home Day-by-day projects to keep kids reading, thinking, and growing. classroommagazines.scholastic.com
  • Virtual School Activities A collection of sites to live webcams, virtual tours/trips, and other miscellaneous fun academic sites. virtualschoolactivities.com
  • Quick Takes Quick Takes are a series of short videos, with each episode focused on a specific topic or question that has risen to the top during this time of transferring instruction into online formats. Watch videos
  • Early Childhood Intervention TelePractice Here you can find information on how you can use tele-intervention during this time of social distancing. This includes an overview of system requirements, how to plan a visit, the three parts of a virtual visit, and what conducting an tele-intervention visit looks like in action. assurethefuture.org
  • Described and Captioned Media Program As educators of students who are deaf or blind make plans for remote learning due to school closings, DCMP can help ensure that educational videos are accessible for students learning at home. All DCMP videos are accessible and can be viewed on PCs, smartphones, tablets, Roku, Apple TV, and the iOS app. DCMP.org
  • IRIS Center The IRIS Center is a national center dedicated to improving education outcomes for all children, especially those with disabilities birth through age twenty-one, through the use of effective evidence-based practices and interventions. iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu
  • Stop Learning Loss This is a place for parents and teachers across the United States to work together, to collaboratively build out a database of educational resources, materials, and activities so that no parent or teacher is on their own. stoplearningloss.com
  • Newsela Whether your school is teaching through a closure or building plans to prepare, we’re here to help you ensure that learning doesn’t stop. We’re offering free access to Newsela’s entire product suite for the rest of the 2019/2020 school year. newsela.com
  • ReadWorks ReadWorks is here to support educators and families facing the unprecedented challenge of remote learning due to COVID-19. readworks.org
  • Make a Successful Transition to Remote Learning with n2y Here are some best practices to help teachers make a smooth transition to virtual learning and keep students working toward their goals. n2y.com
  • Internet Plans Rated for Teachers Since the internet has become such an integral part of our education system with the onset of a global pandemic, choosing an internet service provider who can meet your demands has become an important part of being a teacher. Here are some helpful tips for finding internet for teachers and educators that are affordable, reliable and fast enough for the demands of their workload. allconnect.com
  • Introduction to Special Education Dr. Michael Kennedy (UVA) shares unedited clips of teachers implementing the High Leverage Practices (HLPs) during online instruction. spedintro.com
  • Educating All Learners Alliance A website of ever-growing resources, examples of promising practice, multimedia content and the ability to share hundreds of resources with colleagues and peers in the special education community. educatingalllearners.org
  • Project SOLVE: Practical resources for teacher educators and PK-22 educators to support remote and virtual instruction

Early Childhood Personnel Center (ECPC) and Division for Early Childhood (DEC) resources.

Resources to help faculty to transition their coursework online.

  • Association of College and University Educators To support instructors needing to make a quick transition to utilizing an online environment, the Association of College and University Educators is offering an online teaching toolkit of resources and recommendations that can be immediately put to use by instructors, to benefit both faculty and their students. acue.org
  • AFIRM AFIRM Modules are designed to help you learn the step-by-step process of planning for, using, and monitoring an EBP with learners with ASD from birth to 22 years of age. afirm.fpg.unc.edu
  • CEEDAR Center Our partners at the CEEDAR Center developed a free virtual toolkit to help faculty transitioning their coursework online. ceedar.education.ufl.edu
  • IRIS Center The IRIS Center is a national center dedicated to improving education outcomes for all children, especially those with disabilities birth through age twenty-one, through the use of effective evidence-based practices and interventions. iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu
  • Social Skills To help students continue building on their social-emotional learning, PEERS® for Young Adults by Routledge Textbooks has free role-playing videos highlighting key social skills for young adults. routledgetextbooks.com
  • Project SOLVE: Practical resources for teacher educators and PK-22 educators to support remote and virtual instruction. 
  • Transition For transition-aged students, this time of isolation can be an even greater challenge. But, it can also be a great time to determine what will come next. The Job Accomodation Network can help parents and students identify which accommodations to seek out and employment opportunities based on their individual needs. The Zarrow Center also offers resources for teaching and assessing in secondary and postsecondary education. 

Resources for school and district administrators.

  • Amazing Educational Resources Provides a comprehensive list of education companies offering free subscriptions due to school closings. View Link
  • Best Practices for Educating Online This guide will walk you through best practices, teaching strategies, and tips and tricks for delivering high quality instruction and therapy online with a quick turn around. View PDF
  • Described and Captioned Media Program As educators of students who are deaf or blind make plans for remote learning due to school closings, DCMP can help ensure that educational videos are accessible for students learning at home. All DCMP videos are accessible and can be viewed on PCs, smartphones, tablets, Roku, Apple TV, and the iOS app. dcmp.org
  • Inside SEL SEL Resources for Parents, Educators & School Communities Related to COVID-19. insidesel.com
  • OSEP Office of Special Education Programs Technical Assistance Network. View PDF
  • Webinar: COVID-19 Considerations for Special Education Administrators Join leaders in special education for current information about COVID-19 and how special education administrators are navigating. Presenters will discuss what we know to date and provide some options for meeting the needs of families and students in your communities. View Link
  • Notification of Enforcement Discretion for Telehealth Remote Communications During COVID19 We are empowering medical providers to serve patients wherever they are during this national public health emergency. We are especially concerned about reaching those most at risk, including older persons and persons with disabilities. hhs.gov
  • Stop Learning Loss This is a place for parents and teachers across the United States to work together, to collaboratively build out a database of educational resources, materials, and activities so that no parent or teacher is on their own. stoplearningloss.com
  • The Institute of Education Sciences As schools begin re-opening for the new school year, a group of 70 developers and researchers have collaborated to produce a new series of Guides to Education Technologies. The guides present information on government-supported education technology products that are ready now for in-class and remote learning. The guides present resources appropriate for young children through postsecondary students in education and special education, for English learners, and for teachers in education and special education across a wide range of educational topics. ies.ed.gov

Free resources including webinars, yoga and products for monitoring behaviors/feelings.

Planning resources for virtual lessons and activities.

  • AFIRM AFIRM Modules are designed to help you learn the step-by-step process of planning for, using, and monitoring an EBP with learners with ASD from birth to 22 years of age. afirm.fpg.unc.edu
  • Virtual School Activities A collection of sites to live webcams, virtual tours/trips, and other miscellaneous fun academic sites. virtualschoolactivities.com
  • Stop Learning Loss This is a place for parents and teachers across the United States to work together, to collaboratively build out a database of educational resources, materials, and activities so that no parent or teacher is on their own. stoplearningloss.com
  • Quick Takes Quick Takes are a series of short videos, with each episode focused on a specific topic or question that has risen to the top during this time of transferring instruction into online formats. exceptionalchildren.org/quicktakes
  • Boardmaker Meet Boardmaker Activities-to-Go! Free, printable activities for students in K-12. Whether you are an educator, speech language pathologist, behavior specialist, or parent, start teaching today. goboardmaker.com
  • PBS Learning Media MPT and PBS have curated FREE, standards-aligned videos, interactives, lesson plans, and more for teachers like you. mpt.pbslearningmedia.org
  • Common Sense Media Free Educational Apps, Games, and Websites. commonsensemedia.org
  • Game On These games will help middle school students explore writing and word meanings as well as encourage critical thinking in reading. The games are from such sites as Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, a large international learning company, Beacon Learning Center, Merriam-Webster, and the Adult Literacy Media Alliance. View Link
  • LibriVox LibriVox volunteers record chapters of books in the public domain, and then we release the audio files back onto the net for free. All our audio is in the public domain, so you may use it for whatever purpose you wish. librivox.org
  • Open Culture This collection provides a list of free educational resources for K-12 students (kindergarten through high school students) and their parents and teachers. It features free video lessons/tutorials; free mobile apps; free audiobooks, ebooks and textbooks; quality YouTube channels; free foreign language lessons; test prep materials; and free web resources in academic subjects like literature, history, science and computing. openculture.com
  • Project Success FREE Online Paraprofessional Courses Indiana Paraprofessionals are an important part of the 21st Century classroom. As a paraprofessional, you can support quality classroom instruction, help maintain a positive learning environment for students, and provide added support for students who need special services. Whether you’re just getting started as a para, or you’ve been serving for many years, these courses are designed to give you practical, universal tips and strategies to be at your best in the classroom. projectsuccessindiana.com
  • Boom Learning Boom Cards are self-grading exercises that are gamified for students and provide the data teachers want. wow.boomlearning.com
  • Dynamic Learning Maps Paraprofessional and Professional Development This site was developed to provide professional development for educators working with students with significant cognitive disabilities. It focuses on teaching and learning in the areas of English language arts, mathematics and science, while also providing important information regarding components of the Dynamic Learning Maps® system. The modules on this site are part of the instructional professional development system. dlmpd.com
  • Trauma Sensitive Practices Para and Professional Development A collection of webcasts, videos, and online articles that are available to use to learn more about trauma and steps for schools to be more trauma-sensitive. dpi.wi.gov
  • Remote Use of Paraprofessional Supports for Students with Disabilities During the COVID19 Pandemic This page includes updates about our Center activities and resources we hope the community will find helpful as we work to learn, educate, and promote the health and safety of all in these uncertain times. uvm.edu
  • Autism Focused Intervention Resources and Modules Supporting individuals with autism through uncertain times. afirm.fpg.unc.edu
  • Paraprofessionals Idaho Training Clearing House Training and resources for paraprofessionals. idahotc.com
  • Providing Equitable Services with Online Learning As the COVID-19 outbreak continues to impact our world, communities, and families, the Midwest and Plains Equity Assistance Center remains focused on supporting states, districts, schools, and community partners in collective work to ensure students' civil rights and equitable access to inclusive, affirming, and safe educational experiences. greatlakesequity.org
  • Desired Results Access Project Video Library The Desired Results Access Project Video Library hosts more than 50 videos produced in collaboration with our partners throughout California. The videos illustrate and describe key practices and provide opportunities for practicing observation and assessment skills. Check back from time to time to find new titles. Select a topic in the menu tab to access the videos in that category. draccess.org
  • 75 Best Virtual Museum Tours The spread of COVID-19 has placed a halt on so many things in our lives, especially our ability to travel, causing many to cancel the vacations they had planned. But while we may be stuck inside, that doesn’t mean we can’t have some new experiences in the meantime. So we’ve put together an ultimate list of 75 world-class museums that offer virtual tours that you can visit from the comfort of your couch! upgradedpoints.com

Information and strategies for students to best cope with the Coronavirus.

  • Purdue This resource discusses many schools moving to virtual instruction due to COVID-19 and the new challenges affecting students, teachers, and parents as a result. The content outlines the difficulties limited social interaction presents and how they differ for students on various socioeconomic lines. It explains the importance of communication and creativity for meeting the needs of all students during this time. purdueglobal.edu
  • A Parent Resource for Talking to Children About the Coronavirus Provides guidelines for parents on how to talk to children about COVID-19 (Coronavirus). nasponline.org
  • HEMOT Provides methods to help children and adolescents understand and cope with emotions related to the Coronavirus pandemic. View PDF
  • How to Talk to Children About the Coronavirus An article on how to talk to children about the Coronavirus, including some tips on how to respond to their questions. health.harvard.edu
  • Talking to Teens and Tweens about Coronavirus Experts offer advice on how parents can help adolescents get the facts straight and be prepared. nytimes.com
  • PEERS® for Young Adults PEERS® for Young Adults presents the first evidence-based group treatment program for young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder, as well as other neurodevelopmental disorders and social challenges. This section contains role play videos. routledgetextbooks.com
  • NCPMI NCPMI provides services with the goal of promoting the positive social, emotional and behavioral outcomes of young children (birth through five), reducing the use of inappropriate discipline practices, increasing the inclusion and ongoing participation of young children with disabilities in early childhood settings, and the promotion of family engagement. challengingbehavior.cbcs.usf.edu
  • Centervention At Centervention®, we provide online games to help students in grades K-8 improve social and emotional skills. These games are fun for students, automatically gather data so educators can monitor progress, and include supplemental lessons to reinforce learning. With Centervention, educators can meet students where they are, address their unique needs, and do so in a fun, effective way. centervention.com
  • Conscious Discipline In this webinar, Master Instructor Jill Molli outlines a roadmap to behavioral change. Learn to see problems differently, assess what your child’s behavior is communicating, shift from unregulated to regulated adult, and effectively teach missing skills. By following these steps, you’ll equip your child with essential life skills and pave the way to a more peaceful, cooperative and connected time at home. consciousdiscipline.com
  • Getting Back to School after Disruptions: Resources for Making Your School Year Safer, More Predictable, and More Positive Students experiencing trauma, such as from public health crises, weather disasters, or other upsetting events, may have been exposed to unpredictable schedules, inconsistent supervision, or food insecurity and desperately need school to be their safest, most predictable, and most positive setting, especially if they have been displaced or are without utilities or basic comforts. Multi-tiered Systems of Supports (MTSS), such as PBIS, are ideal frameworks for implementing strategies to support students coming back to school and to prevent and address further challenges. pbis.org

Resources for math, reading, and more.

  • Common Sense Media Free Educational Apps, Games, and Websites. commonsensemedia.org
  • Game On These games will help middle school students explore writing and word meanings as well as encourage critical thinking in reading. The games are from such sites as Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, a large international learning company, Beacon Learning Center, Merriam-Webster, and the Adult Literacy Media Alliance. View Link
  • Math Aids Math-Aids.com is a free resource that allows you to make an unlimited number of printable math worksheets for the use in the classroom or at home, which can be customized to each student. Based on your requirements and settings, the website will generate an assignment that educators can download as a PDF and email to families. math-aids.com
  • National Council of Teachers of Mathematics The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) is offering some free resources for teaching math online in the face of school closures. nctm.org
  • National Center on Intensive Intervention NCII builds the capacity of state and local education agencies, universities, practitioners, and other stakeholders to support implementation of intensive intervention in literacy, mathematics, and behavior for students with severe and persistent learning and/or behavioral needs, often in the context of their multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) or special education services. intensiveintervention.org
  • Scholar Within At Home and Online Reading Program with Spelling and Phonics Our online reading program is fundamentally different from school and other available programs. We use specific activities and drills to actually make your brain work more efficiently. We do short, daily activities that help you process information faster. Research has shown that short, repeated daily activities are able to improve your skills faster than long lessons. scholarwithin.com
  • Unique Learning System The award-winning Unique Learning System is a one‑of‑a‑kind program designed specifically to give students with complex learning needs meaningful access to the general education curriculum. From one convenient, cloud-based platform, educators deliver differentiated, standards-aligned content enhanced by powerful assessments, data tools and evidence-based instructional support. Students from pre‑K through transition have the advantage of consistent high-quality instruction, a motivating interactive learning environment, engaging symbol support and a path to independence. n2y.com
  • MaxScholar Reading Intervention Programs A blended learning environment for building reading, writing, reading comprehension and math skills for all students using cutting-edge software and other engaging material. maxscholar.com
  • Tobii Dynavox The new Tobii Dynavox Core First pageset is unlike any others because it allows the user to start where their skills are and then encourages a systematic progression of skills, which keeps them moving forward! tobiidynavox.com
  • Reading A through Z Thousands of downloadable, projectable, printable teacher materials, covering all the skills necessary for effective reading instruction. readinga-z.com
  • Tar Heel Reader Welcome to the Tar Heel Reader, a collection of free, easy-to-read, and accessible books on a wide range of topics. Each book can be speech enabled and accessed using multiple interfaces, including touch screens, the IntelliKeys with custom overlays, and 1 to 3 switches. tarheelreader.org
  • Boom Learning Boom Cards are self-grading exercises that are gamified for students and provide the data teachers want. wow.boomlearning.com
  • Raz Kids The award-winning website where K-5 students go to read — anytime, anywhere! raz-kids.com

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers the most up-to-date information on COVID-19 along with their Guidance for School Settings.

A collection of family resources.

CEC and partner agencies are providing these FREE webinars to the special education community during the COVID-19 crisis. This is customized information to help with your immediate needs as you meet the challenges of teaching remotely, adhering to IDEA, maintaining student privacy, and other important topics.

  • Quick Takes Quick Takes are a series of short videos, with each episode focused on a specific topic or question that has risen to the top during this time of transferring instruction into online formats. cec.sped.org/quicktakes
  • Early Childhood Intervention TelePractice Here you can find information on how you can use tele-intervention during this time of social distancing. This includes an overview of system requirements, how to plan a visit, the three parts of a virtual visit, and what conducting an tele-intervention visit looks like in action. assurethefuture.org
  • Support for Administrators of Special Education Join leaders in special education for current information about COVID-19 and how special education administrators are navigating. Presenters will discuss what we know to date and provide some options for meeting the needs of families and students in your communities. Watch Webinar
  • Introduction to Special Education Dr. Michael Kennedy (UVA) shares unedited clips of teachers implementing the High Leverage Practices (HLPs) during online instruction. spedintro.com

*CEC does not endorse these products nor profit from their use. They are provided as suggested tools and resources.

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