Virginia Department of Education's Training and Technical Assistance Center at Virginia Commonwealth University

As you plan how middle and high school teachers can unpack curricula in the coming year, consider the Strategic Instruction Model (SIM) Course Organizer Routine (Lenz, Schumaker, Deshler, Bulgren, 1998). This evidence-based practice helps new and veteran teachers work efficiently as a team to unpack a curriculum in just a couple of hours–a task that […]

Many instructional practices are recommended to support students with disabilities (SWDs), but they are often taught in isolation. In their article “Approaching Explicit Instruction Within a Universal Design for Learning Framework,” Foxworth et al. (2022) share how explicit instruction and universal design for learning (UDL) can work together. UDL is a framework that accounts for […]

In today’s classrooms, students are expected to read, listen, and process new information as they work toward identified learning targets. You’ve probably seen students, especially those with disabilities, struggle to understand, remember, and apply new information presented during instruction. Skills such as connecting new information to prior knowledge and identifying main ideas and supporting details […]

What are “math aids?” Math aids, as defined by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) (Virginia Department of Education, 2024), are specialized tools that provide students with disabilities equitable access to mathematics instruction and assessments. These accommodations are not designed to improve performance beyond access; rather, they help ensure that students can meaningfully participate in […]

Many schools are actively working to strengthen their Tier 2 and Tier 3 supports; however, teams frequently report feeling overwhelmed by the numerous interventions, tools, and processes required. This challenge often arises because schools treat each intervention as an isolated initiative. Implementation research indicates that the primary focus should be on constructing the Advanced Tiers […]

Structured routines and executive function lay the foundation for learning (see last month’s TTAC newsletter article). Once those foundations are in place, students need tools that help them think, communicate effectively, and solve problems independently. A schoolwide learning strategy toolkit provides this support by offering a small, shared set of thinking routines and academic strategies […]

Take a look around your classroom. What’s on the walls? Do you see anchor charts, mindset quotes, décor you love? Whose values are represented? In We Got This, Cornelius Minor (2019) reminds us that students are thinkers, problem-solvers, and meaning-makers whose values shape how they engage in learning). In Dare to Lead, Brené Brown (2018) […]

Students learn content more deeply when the thinking and self-regulation skills behind learning are intentionally developed. Before we focus on advanced strategies, it is crucial to establish classroom systems that prepare students to engage, persist, and think independently. Two powerful levers for doing this are structured routines and executive function supports. Predictable routines help students […]

In his memoir, Matthew McConaughey talks about bumper stickers, quick-hit lines that try to sum up something bigger, something true (McConaughey, 2020). In education, we have our own, “I do, We do, You do.” It sounds good, rolls off the tongue, and feels like wisdom on a teacher-lounge fridge magnet. But like a real bumper […]

Scaffolding is an essential instructional strategy that helps bridge the gap between what students currently know and what they are capable of with guidance. Originating from Vygotsky’s (1978) zone of proximal development, scaffolding involves providing temporary supports that enable learners to perform tasks they could not accomplish independently. As students gain understanding and confidence, these […]