Our team here at Education Modified has been closely monitoring the changing federal & state guidelines for remote learning for special education, as well as collaborating closely with our school and district partners to help them prepare for whatever the Fall brings.
One basic best practice has emerged to help schools & districts get on the same page for every students’ IEP, organize plans for what remote learning is and will be for each student, and prepare for the Fall: Remote Learning Plans.
Remote Learning Plans
Many states have decided that Remote Learning Plans are a good first step in navigating the new uncertain environment for every student with special needs. They have offered guidance on how to create these, with samples of what information to include: This information is a combination of information already known before the pandemic, as well as discovery of what schools & teachers now need to understand about student needs, home environment and parent information.
This information includes:
- Basic information about a student’s Individualized Education Plans such as services and goals in place before the pandemic
- Other relevant information such as available technology at home and services that can be delivered virtually
- Documenting the best way to reach parents, scheduled call/virtual meeting times
4 Main Issues With This Current Practice
- This information is often communicated in word docs, google sheets or email, which makes it very hard to track and find.
- This information is passed out to stakeholders, rather than housed as a reference point, directly tied to the child, needing to be organized in folders, Dropbox, GoogleDrive or OneDrive.
- This is a vulnerable, inefficient, technology practice with potential for massive version-control errors.
- Not sustainable in the long-term with an unknown environment of what school settings will look like in the future.
Solution
Right now we’re working with customers to securely create, house, share, and communicate remote learning plans within the Snapshot section of the Learning Biography.
Below is an example of information from Vermont’s Agency of Education’s Distance Learning Planning and Tracking Form housed within EdMod.
We would love to hear how your schools and districts are communicating this information.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions about how to upload distance learning plans or to discuss further about what information you want to reflect in the Learning Bios for the upcoming fall. We’re always happy to strategize and brainstorm around what might work best for your school!
