📝 The best learning happens through conversation. Thoughtful feedback moves students forward in ways grades never could! #LeadInclusion #GradingForGrowth #EduSky #UDL #EdChat

🔢 A calculator can crunch numbers, but it can’t measure learning. The most meaningful grades come from professional judgment—not just averages. #LeadInclusion #GradingForGrowth #EduSky #UDL #EdChat

🔍 Missing work doesn’t mean missing learning—it just means we don’t have the evidence yet. Instead of assuming gaps, let’s focus on how we can gather evidence of learning. #LeadInclusion #GradingForGrowth #EduSky #UDL #EdChat

🔓 So many "special accommodations" for #students with IEPs have the potential to help all students. Let's open those doors for everyone through universal design for learning and offer the options to all. #LeadInclusion #EdLeaders #Teachers #UDL #EduSky

🤔 Metacognitive self-awareness helps students understand their own learning process. Are we explicitly teaching metacognitive strategies? #LeadInclusion #EdChat #EdTech #SPEDChat #SBLChat #Education #EduEky

🔑 How well #students with #IEPs succeed depends largely on the expectations teachers hold for them. Never underestimate the combined power of high expectations and awesome instruction. #LeadInclusion #EdLeaders #Teachers #UDL #SBLchat #TG2Chat

📚 Classroom teachers tend to offer less help to a student who has a 1-1 paraprofessional. This disrupts the #student-teacher relationship and belongingness with friends. There are better models. #LeadInclusion #EdLeaders #UDL #SpecialEducation #EdChat #Inclusion #EduSky

🔜 We can't improve inclusive efforts by just adding strategies and experts; the division of educators needs to shift from "general" and "special" to complementary roles in serving all students. #LeadInclusion #EdLeaders #Teachers #UDL #EduSky

🔍 #MTSS/#RTI is more about prevention in ALL classrooms than it is intervention. Tier One is about creating warm, inclusive, universally designed environments that deliver the best instruction and respond with intervention at the first sign of need. #LeadInclusion #EduSky #UDL #EdLeaders

📉 Data doesn't have to mean calculation. Observation and conversation often yield the most valid data. #LeadInclusion #EdLeaders #Teachers #UDL #SBLchat #TG2Chat #EduSky

📊 #Students' #grades should represent their current location in learning, not an average of performance over time. Where they *were* isn't as important--only where they are right now. #LeadInclusion #EduSky #UDL #EdLeaders #Teachers

"Minutes" with a special educator are not always minutes of intervention. Coteaching isn't intervention. General push in help isn't intervention. These are "luxury goods." Intervention is a basic necessity! #LeadInclusion #EduSky #UDL #EdLeaders #Teachers

📈 Grading less isn't an unknown. Visit a #Montessori school to see students engaged for the joy of learning, growing every day with no grades. #LeadInclusion #EduSky #UDL #EDchat #EDtech #SpedChat #SBLchat #ATAssessment #TG2chat

🔍 Gone are the days when the purpose of #assessment was to #grade and rank #students. Assessment is part of the instructional process--#feedback is the priority, not a grade. #LeadInclusion #EduSky #UDL #EdLeaders #Teachers #SBLchat #TG2Chat

📈 A more formal assessment doesn't necessarily lead to greater assessment accuracy. Often, informal chat with a learner is our most reliable and valid evaluation. #LeadInclusion #EduSky #UDL #EdLeaders #Teachers #UDL #SBLchat #TG2Chat #ATAssessment

🔄 Grouping students who have IEPs but varying needs into a resource room to be supported by a single teacher isn't likely to offer any opportunity for real intervention. Students with the same needs should be grouped for intervention time. #LeadInclusion #EduSky #UDL #EdLeaders

Off to México to celebrate 30 years being married.🥂 We didn't know on our first date in 1989 that some of life's toughest challenges were ahead. But so were life's greatest joys! All of Dixie Drive's beta readers have said Chris is the hero of the book. But of course! He's the hero of my life. ❤️

💼 We rest a lot of responsibility on the shoulders of #paraprofessionals but rarely include them in professional development opportunities. This is worth the effort to change. #LeadInclusion #EduSky #EdLeaders #Teachers #UDL

💡 Until we give students multiple options to show their learning, we are not implementing the spirit of SBG. Without options, the format confounds the variable being measured. #LeadInclusion #EduSky #UDL #EdLeaders #Teachers #UDL #SBLchat #TG2Chat

💪 Our #IEP meetings should not be focused on deficits. They should center on student aspirations and the foundational skills to make those a reality. #LeadInclusion #EdLeaders #Teachers #UDL #EduSky

💡 There are still individuals (hey #professors!) who believe low grades are evidence of a challenging class. Grades are a reflection of the effectiveness of teaching! With exceptional teaching, there's no limit to how many excel. #LeadInclusion #EduSky #UDL

📊 Assessment is necessary for good teaching. #Grading is not. Dialoguing with, listening to, and observing #students are often our best #assessment. #LeadInclusion #EduSky #UDL #EdLeaders #Teachers #UDL #SBLchat #TG2Chat

📈 Our rubrics need to shift from being focused on what's missing to what's next. Learning progressions empower a growth mindset by focusing on what students CAN do. #LeadInclusion #EdLeaders #Teachers #UDL #SBLchat #TG2Chat #EduSky

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📈 Even the best standards-based scales can't save us from a culture of competition. Reform in classroom assessment comes before grading reform. 🌟 #LeadInclusion #EduSky #UDL #EDtech #SpedChat #SBLchat #ATAssessment

💪 Compliance is not the ultimate goal of school. We don't only want students to be able to follow rules, we want them to make informed decisions, use their voice, and SHAPE the rules. #LeadInclusion #EduSky #UDL #EdLeaders #Educators #UDL #SBLchat #TG2Chat #ATAssessment

💡 Students are less likely to take significant intellectual risks if they feel threatened by grades. Less grading, more conversation and feedback. #LeadInclusion #EduSky #UDL #InclusiveEd #EdLeaders

💥 #Homework help is not intervention. Instead of asking special educators to assist with assignments and #homework, let's ask them to support foundational SKILLS and deep UNDERSTANDING. #LeadInclusion #EduSky #UDL #InclusiveEd #EdLeaders

👥 Students who have #IEPs do not *belong* to special education. They are general #education #students no matter where they are or who they are with. ALL students belong to ALL of us. #LeadInclusion #EduSky #UDL #InclusiveEd #EdLeaders

⏲️ The most frequent IEP accommodation is extended time. What if we offered extra time to any student? If speed isn’t what we’re evaluating, extended time doesn’t change the standard. #LeadInclusion #EduSky #UDL #InclusiveEd #EdLeaders

💡 A truly inclusive culture is only possible when all teachers in the school see themselves as inclusive educators who can teach all students well. #LeadInclusion #UDL #InclusiveEd #EdLeaders #TeacherTwitter

📚 Steps to mastery of a skill: 1. acquisition (I did it once) 2. fluency (I can do it consistently) 3. maintenance (I can keep doing it) 4. transfer (I can use it in new ways) (Hanson, et al., 1978) and still true. #LeadInclusion #EdLeaders #Teachers #UDL #SBLchat #TG2Chat #EduSky

💔 Before punishing a behavior, calmly and empathetically validate the emotion, even when it's aggressive. Emotional regulation is about helping a #student manage emotions and behavior. Changing the behavior isn't enough. #LeadInclusion #EduSky #UDL #InclusiveEd #EdLeaders

💌 Actively supporting a sense of belonging for all #students is a fundamental part of being inclusive. #LeadInclusion #EduSky #UDL #InclusiveEd #EdLeaders

💡 Special Educators: let's avoid calling students you serve "my students." It's well-intended, but it can perpetuate the view that students with #IEPs belong to special #education. #LeadInclusion #EduSky #UDL #InclusiveEd #EdLeaders

👩‍🏫 Sometimes #teachers request special educators pull students from their class because they lack of confidence in their skills. Supporting teachers is as important as supporting students. #LeadInclusion #EduSky #UDL #InclusiveEd #EdLeaders

👥 Tier 3 intervention is NOT #specialeducation. Tier 3 only means intensive support. Not all who need intensive support have an #IEP. Not all with an IEP need intensive support. #LeadInclusion #EduSky #UDL #InclusiveEd #EdLeaders

💓 If we want students to be kind, empathetic, considerate, and respectful, we must both demonstrate this to them and explicitly teach them strategies. These are skills, not inherent traits. #LeadInclusion #EduSky #UDL

👥 Students who have #IEPs are not "special education students." They are simply students. They belong to every educator they have. Receiving a service shouldn't impose an identity. #LeadInclusion #UDL #InclusiveEd #EdLeaders

💡 Do we place students in special education rooms to meet the students' needs? Or is it sometimes justified to be convenient for adults? #LeadInclusion #EduSky #UDL #InclusiveEd #EdLeaders

👊 If a #student is not engaged, our primary task is to determine why and remove the barrier. There is a story behind disengagement, and #UDL helps us find solutions. #LeadInclusion #EduSky #UDL #InclusiveEd #EdLeaders

🏫 Inclusive school leaders structure the master schedule for co-planning, and include special educators in grade-level or content-area meetings. All students benefit from special education strategies when we do. #LeadInclusion #EduSky #UDL #InclusiveEd #EdLeaders

👥 A #student who is velcroed to a paraprofessional all day has not been included. Exclusion can happen even when sharing the same room. LRE is a low bar. #LeadInclusion #EduSky #UDL #InclusiveEd #EdLeaders

🏫 An inclusive classroom is a place where every learner feels seen, heard, and valued. #LeadInclusion #EduSky #UDL #InclusiveEd #EdLeaders

🏢 When making placement decisions, the question should not be whether the #student can meet grade level expectations. The question is, "How can the student learn something valuable in this setting?" #LeadInclusion #EduSky #UDL #InclusiveEd #EdLeaders

🏫 #Schools don't become "#inclusive schools" by #learning strategies and implementing programs. They become inclusive because the people are collaborative, caring, innovators who make it work for each #student. #LeadInclusion #EduSky #UDL #InclusiveEd #EdLeaders

🏢 #EdLeaders: To implement UDL well, classroom teachers and special educators need scheduled time to identify barriers and co-plan. This investment pays off significantly for every student. #LeadInclusion #EduSky #UDL #InclusiveEd

🏆 Learning isn’t about what we deliver—it’s about what students receive. To reflect on our teaching, we look to the students, what they do, how they engage. #LeadInclusion #EduSky #UDL #InclusiveEd #EdLeaders

🏃 We can make massive strides in becoming a more #inclusive classroom by finding ways to iterate our instruction with universal design for learning as the guide. #LeadInclusion #EduSky #UDL #InclusiveEd #EdLeaders