Technical Assistance (TA) and Professional Development (PD) are an important part of the Vermont General Supervision System. As part of this system, the Vermont AOE provides information, professional development and professional development resources, and technical assistance to guide Local Education Agencies (LEAs), schools, and parents in the implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the provision of special education services.
Technical Assistance
Special Education Technical Assistance is available 24 hours/day through the general email and voicemail system. These methods of communication are monitored regularly during business hours and a response is generally provided within 1 business day: AOE.SpecialEd@vermont.gov or (802) 828-1256.
Professional Development
To request professional development from the Agency of Education, please complete our Special Education Professional Development Request Form. Requests will be forwarded to the program manager for review. Our goal is to provide targeted support statewide and submitting a request form will help the team prioritize topics, mediums and locations for professional learning. Please note that the team may not be able to fulfill all requests.
The Special Education professional Development Request Form is not a secure webform. Please do not submit identifiable data. If you need to discuss specific student needs, please access our Technical Assistance channels.
Special Education Resource Library
The Special Education Resource Library is intended to provide guidance and professional development resources on behalf of students with disabilities. For State Performance Plan Resources, see State Performance Plan Resources by Indicator.
Topics A-Z
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
Accommodations
Accessibility
- American Printing House (APH) Louis
- Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP)
- National Center on Accessible Educational Materials (AEM)
- National Center on Disability and Access to Education (NCDAE)
- National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS)
Accountability
Adverse Effect
- Adverse Effect Training 2022 (YouTube Video)
- Slide Deck: Adverse Effect Training 2022
- Regulation Changes for July 2022: Adverse Effect Memorandum
- Three-Gate Eligibility Determination - A Vermont Agency of Education Guidance Document
- Eligibility Deliberation Form
Assessment and Special Education
Assistive Technology
Autism
- Autism Spectrum Disorders
- FPG's Center on Secondary Education for Student's with Autism Spectrum Disorders (CSESA)
- The National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Trastornos del Espectro Autista
Behavior
- Classroom Management (Part1) (IRIS Center STAR Legacy Module)
- Dear Colleague Letter: Restraint and Seclusion of Students with Disabilities from the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights; December 2016
- Early Childhood Behavior Management: Developing and Teaching Rules (IRIS Center STAR Legacy Module)
- Fact Sheet: Restraint and Seclusion of Students with Disabilities from the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights; December 2016
- OSEP Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports
- U.S. Department of Education Restraint and Seclusion: Resource Document
Blind/Visually Impaired
- American Foundation for the Blind
- College Accessibility for Visually Impaired Students
- Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP)
- Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc.
- Vermont Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (VABVI) is the only private agency to offer training, services, and support to visually impaired Vermonters. VABVI’s mission is to enable Vermonters who are blind or visually impaired, to be more independent, cultivate adaptive skills and improve their quality of life. For more information, please visit VABVI's website or contact the Director, Stephanie Bissonette, sbissonette@vabvi.org.
Common Core Essential Elements (CCEE)
Common Core State Standards (CCSS)
- CCSS: English Language Arts
- CCSS: Mathematics
- Common Core and Special Education Presentation
- Common Core State Standards Initiative
- The Hunt Institute CCSS videos
- WA-AIM Access Point Frameworks linked to CCSS and CCEE in mathematics, English Language Arts and Science
Deaf/Hard of Hearing
- Center for Deaf & Hard of Hearing Youth (CDHY)
- Consultation for Access, Resources, and Equipment Support (CARES) For students who are d/Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or DeafBlind (DHHDB)
- Disabilities Aging and Independent Living (DAIL) Services for Deaf, Hard-of-Hearing, DeafBlind
- The Vermont Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind Partnership, includes University of Vermont Center on Disability and Community Inclusion CARES (UVM CDCI CARES) and University of Vermont Medical Center Deaf, Hard of Hearing and DeafBlind Educational Services Program (UVMMC DHHDB ESP). The partnership provides the following services under our partnership; Consultation, ASL/Bilingual, Educational Audiology, Direct Instruction by Teachers of the Deaf, Speech and Language evaluations and ongoing instruction, Evaluation and Technical Assistance. For more information, please contact Ileene Therrien from UVMMC DHHDB Educational Services Program, Ileene.Therrien@uvmhealth.org; or Valerie LeClair at UVM CDCI CARES, Valerie.LeClair@uvm.edu.
- Vermont's Interdisciplinary Team (I-Team) provides technical assistance for teams working with students ages 3 – 22 with complex support needs. The I-Team also provides training to school district personnel, family members, community service providers and general community members on a variety of topics related to the education of students with complex support needs. For more information, please visit I-Team's website or contact the VT I-Team Director, Darren McIntyre, darren.mcintyre@uvm.edu.
Disabling Conditions
Discipline
Dispute Resolution
Dropout
Early Childhood Settings
- Center for IDEA Early Childhood Data Systems
- Center on Enhancing Early Learning Outcomes (CEELO)
- Early Childhood Behavior Management: Developing and Teaching Rules (IRIS Center STAR Legacy Module)
- Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (ECTA)
- ECTA Center: Improving Systems, Practices and Outcomes
- Enhancing Recognition of High-Quality, Functional IFSP Outcomes and IEP Goals
Early Childhood Transition Part C and Part B
Endrew F.
- Endrew F. Training/Guidance on Implementation of Endrew F. Standards (YouTube Video)
- Endrew F. Standard and Considerations for Rule Changes Transcript
Evidence-Based Practices
- Evidence-Based Practices (Part 1): Identifying and Selecting a Practice or Program (IRIS Center STAR Legacy Module)
- Evidence-Based Practices (Part 2): Implementing a Practice or Program with Fidelity (IRIS Center STAR Legacy Module)
- Evidence-Based Practices (Part 3): Evaluating Learner Outcomes and Fidelity (IRIS Center STAR Legacy Module)
Family Engagement
- Center for Parent Information and Resources (CPIR)
- Parent Advocacy Coalition for Educational Rights (PACER)
Functional Skills
- Rule Change: Functional Skills/Functional Performance (YouTube Video)
- Slide Deck - Special Education Rule Changes: Functional Skills
Goal Writing
- IEP Goal Writing: Introduction
- Goal Writing: Grade-Level Standards
- Goal Writing: SMART Goals
- Goal Writing: Using Data
- Goal Writing: Using Data (YouTube Video)
- Slide Deck - Goal Writing: Using Data
- Transcript - Goal Writing: Using Data
- IEP Goal Writing Rule Changes Professional Development
- Individualized Education Program Goal Writing Template
- Overview of Goal Setting Strategies
- IEP Goal Writing Using Data Effectively
Graduation
Hearing Requests
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
Individualized Education Programs (IEP)
Instructional Materials
- Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP)
- FAQ - NIMAS/NIMAC
- National Center on Accessible Educational Materials (AEM)
- National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS)
- Procedures Matrix
- Text Alternatives
- Textbook Conversion Resources
Instructional Strategies
- Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST)
- IRIS Center: Online Learning Modules, Case Studies and More, Funded by the Office of Special Education Programs
- National Center on Universal Design for Learning
- Text Alternatives
Mediation Agreements
Mediation/Due Process/Resolution Implementation
National Information and Technical Assistance Centers
- AI Hub
- American Foundation for the Blind
- American Psychiatric Association Telepsychiatry Toolkit
- Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST)
- Center for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education (CADRE)
- Center for Enhancing Early Learning Outcomes
- Center for IDEA Early Childhood Data Systems
- Center for Parent Information and Resources
- Center on Online Learning and Students with Disabilities (COLSD)
- Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)
- Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP)
- Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (ECTA)
- IDEA Partnership: Collaborative Work of Technical Assistance Providers, and National, State and Local Organizations
- IRIS Center: Online Learning Modules, Case Studies and More, Funded by the Office of Special Education Programs
- National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
- National Association of Special Education Teachers (NASET)
- National Association of State Directors of Special Education, Inc. (NASDSE)
- National Center on Accessible Instructional Materials (NIMAS)
- National Center on Disability and Access to Education (NCDAE)
- National Center on Intensive Intervention (NCII) at American Institutes for Research
- National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD)
- National Center on Response to Intervention
- National Center on Secondary Education and Transition (NCSET)
- National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER)
- National Deaf Center
- National Instructional Materials Access Center (NIMAC)
- National Technical Assistance Center on Transition (NTACT)
- OSEP's Results Driven Accountability (RDA)
- Parent Advocacy Coalition for Educational Rights (PACER)
- Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports: Effective Schoolwide Interventions (OSEP Technical Assistance Center)
- PowerUp What Works
- State Implementation and Scaling Up of Evidence Based Practice Center
- The National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorder
- U.S. Department of Education's IDEA
Nonpublic Agency
Paraeducators
2020 Paraeducator Professional Development - Session 6
- Empowering Paraprofessionals Understanding and Utilizing VTmtss in Your Context
This recorded workshop introduces paraeducators to The VTmtss Framework and how the recently revised Field Guide can help inform equity in school systems. The session allows the opportunity for personal reflection and to brainstorm ways the Framework can apply to your unique context.
Parent Input
- Rule Change: Parent Input (YouTube Video)
- Rule Change Parent Input Slide Deck
- Family Engagement for Individualized Education Program (IEP) Team
Members: Ensuring Meaningful Participation by Families - Guidance Document for Parent Input
- Parent Input Case Studies
- Sample Parent Letter
Parent Participation
- Center for Parent Information and Resources
- Parent Advocacy Coalition for Educational Rights (PACER)
- Parents as Partners in the IEP Process
Preschool Skills
Privacy
Professional Development
- Intensive Intervention in Mathematics Course Content from the National Center on Intensive Intervention (NCII)
- IRIS Center: Online Learning Modules, Case Studies and More, Funded by the Office of Special Education Programs
- Learning Forward
- Special Education Support Center
- Special Education Technology Center
Resources for LEAs
- Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CEIS) - Step by Step
- IDEA Data Center (IDC) - Success Gaps Toolkit: Addressing Equity, Inclusion, and Opportunity
- National Center on Intensive Intervention – Tools Chart Overview
- Success Gaps Rubric: Addressing Equity, Inclusion and Opportunity
Secondary Transition in the IEP
Secondary Transition Post School Outcomes
Secondary Transition
- Indicator B-13 Data Collection Changes
- National Technical Assistance Center on Transition (NTACT)
Significant Disproportionality
Special Education Advisory Council (SEAC)
Special Education Definition
- Rule Change: Special Education Definition (YouTube Video)
- Rule Change: Special Education Definitions Slide Deck
Special Education Timelines
- Indicator 11, Timelines, and Required Paperwork (YouTube Video)
- Indicator 11, Timelines, and Required Paperwork Slide Deck
Specially Designed Instruction
Specific Learning Disability
Rule Change: Specific Learning Disability Eligibility
- Rule Change: Specific Learning Disability (SLD) Eligibility Determination (YouTube Video)
- Rule Change: Specific Learning Disability Slide Deck
- Specific Learning Disabilities: Guidelines for Determining Eligibility
- Specific Learning Disability (SLD) FAQs
- Specific Learning Disability: Multidisciplinary Evaluation Team Members and Responsibilities
- Determination of Eligibility: Specific Learning Disability (Fillable Form)
- Systematic Observation of Learning - Core Instruction (Fillable Form)
- Considerations for Appropriate Instruction Self-Assessment Tool (Fillable Form)
- Mathematics Worksheet (Fillable Form)
- Reading Worksheet (Fillable Form)
- Written Expression Worksheet (Fillable Form)
Suspension/Expulsion
Technical Assistance Papers
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
Vermont Alternate Assessment Selection Process and the Learner Characteristic Inventory