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Supplemental Resources for Supporting Students with IEPs During COVID-19

The resources below are in addition to the DPI COVID-19 Special Education Updates and Resources. Go to the DPI COVID-19 Special Education Updates and Resources page to find DPI's main special education resources related to COVID-19 including legal requirements and DPI guidance documents related to COVID-19.

The supplemental resources on this page highlight state and national organization’s COVID-19 resources and are organized by various needs specific to students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). Since students with IEPs are general education students, we encourage you to review resources from the DPI agency-wide COVID-19 web page. This page organizes information on topics such as mental health (pupil services), early learning, English Learners, Literacy and Mathematics instruction, public libraries, and much more.

General Resources for Distance Learning for Students with IEPs

Restart & Recovery: Meeting the Assessment Needs of Students with Disabilities During Times of Interrupted Schooling 

This report from the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) offers recommendations and strategies on how to best meet the assessment needs of students with disabilities, including English learners with disabilities and students with the most significant cognitive disabilities, during times of restart and recovery associated with interrupted education due to extended school closures. The report highlights guiding principles to restart and recovery, data needs, logistical considerations for assessments, collection and evaluation of data, and interpretation and use of data. 

Restart & Recovery: Supporting English Learners with Disabilities During Remote Learning & School Reopening

This report from the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) provides recommendations for creating and expanding policy guidance addressing the needs of English learners with disabilities during remote learning and school reopening. The report also contains recommendations to address challenges schools face in supporting English learners with disabilities in addition to suggesting state leadership actions to help strengthen the collaboration between English learners and special education departments.

Supporting Continuity of Learning for Students with IEPs: Resources to Support Families, Teachers, and Related Service Providers. 

The United States Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) Ideas that Work web page compiled resources to support families, teachers, and related service providers on the topic of Evidence-Based and Promising Practices to Support Continuity of Learning for Students with Disabilities.

These documents and several other resources such as recorded webinars and links to national technical assistance centers are available on the Ideas that Work Continuity of Learning During COVID-19 web page.

TIES Center Distance Learning Series

The TIES Center is a national technical assistance center focusing on inclusive practices and policies. It provides a Distance Learning Series which include topics about engagement, effective specially designed instruction, collaborative behavior support, and more.

Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) Resources for Teaching Remotely

The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) provides a collection of resources to help determine the best means to provide services to students and their families.

Webinar:Teaching Online During COVID-19

This webinar from CEC features veteran online instructors to help identify steps for adapting lessons and moving them to a virtual or online format.

COVID-19 Resources for Supporting Students with Disabilities

The National Center for Systemic Improvement (NCSI) provides a resource hub on policy and guidance, distance learning, telehealth, teleservice, and more.

Conducting Parent Friendly and Productive Virtual IEP Meetings

This recorded webinar from WI DPI features tips and strategies for holding virtual IEP meetings. This page also includes resources that accompany the webinar and additional links to resources for virtual IEP meetings.

Educating All Learners

The Educating All Learners web page is a web page developed in partnership with several national technical assistance centers and organizations supporting students across a variety of needs and focus areas. Their web page includes a resource library with links to information about Teaching and Learning Strategies, Assessment and Feedback, Intervention and Related Services, Family Partnerships and Communication, Scheduling and Operational Systems, Staff Support and Development, Social Emotional Wellbeing and Development, Transition, and much more!

EdResearch for Recovery Brief: Engaging Parents and Families to Support the Recovery of Districts and Schools

This brief provides data and recommendations relating to family engagement for home and virtual instruction during this public health pandemic.

Removing Barriers to Effective Distance Learning by Applying High Leverage Practices

From the Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability, and Reform (CEEDAR Center) and the National Center for Systemic Improvement (NCSI) outlining how HLPs can be employed to strengthen distance learning instruction for a diverse range of students by providing strategies to address common challenges students experience.

Family Guide to At-Home Learning

The Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability, and Reform (CEEDAR Center) developed a family guide to support at home learning. The guide outlines strategies families can use to model, provide clear directions, support learning at home, developing clear goals for learning, staying on task, and providing specific feedback. The guide is available in Spanish and English.

Making the Transition to Online Virtual Toolkit

The Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability, and Reform (CEEDAR Center) developed an online toolkit to ease the transition to online and virtual instruction. The toolkit includes online collaboration platforms, tips for online meeting engagement, free online courses/modules for teachers, and other tips and resources.

COVID Relief Funding: A Guide for District Planning and Implementation to Address Educator Shortages

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted students who need special education services significantly, and furthered existing special educator staffing shortages. The US Department of Education is providing funding to direct towards students disproportionately impacted through the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act. This document provides Local Education Agencies (LEAs) with guidance on how to use ARP funding to address the qualified personnel shortage, as well as using this funding to support students.

U.S. Department of Education "Return to School Roadmap" Press Release

The U.S. Department of Education created the "Return to School Roadmap" as a way to help students, parents, and educators navigate the return to school this fall amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. This document includes a fact sheet that reviews what the roadmap is and the three "Landmark" priorities, a guide addressing health and safety concerns and actions that schools and districts can take to protect students, and a checklist for parents and students that reviews vaccination and masking options for a safe return to in-person classes.

Strategies for Using American Rescue Plan Funding to Address the Impact of Lost Instructional Time

The COVID-19 pandemic has deepened existing learning disparities among "students of color, multilingual learners, students with disabilities, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) students." The American Rescue Plan provides funding for local educational agencies (LEAs) to address these disparities through home visits, providing food security, increasing educational access, and more. This document provides guidance on how to use this funding and address lost instructional time for disproportionately impacted students.

Wisconsin Parent and Educator Professional Organization Resources

WI FACETS COVID 19 Resources

WI FACETs is Wisconsin’s parent training and information center and has compiled resources related to COVID 19 in relation to parents and families with children with disabilities. 

Autism Society of Greater Wisconsin Various News Topics on Navigating Covid-19

Autism Society of Greater Wisconsin provides articles and resources on various topics that include anxiety, and coping.

Wisconsin Association of School Boards (WASB) Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information and Resources for Schools 

Wisconsin Association of School Boards COVID 19 related resources.

The Impact of School Closures on Families and Students with Disabilities Family Focus Groups

The Survival Coalition of Wisconsin Disability Organizations met with families prior to school reopening to collect struggles and recommendations as schools moved from in person to virtual or hybrid learning environments.

Monitoring Student Progress during Virtual and Distance Learning

National Center on Intensive Intervention: Frequently Asked Questions on Collecting Progress Monitoring Data Virtually

This webpage provides guiding questions on determining if the progress monitoring tool you may be using is appropriate for virtual use. It also includes information on specific vendors and tools that have resources on how to use their product in a virtual setting.

Supports for Young Learners

WI EC COVID-19 Resource Folder

A Google folder created to support teachers and families with a variety of collected resources by WI TA providers supporting Early Childhood (EC) students.

Resources to Support EC Special Education During the COVID-19 Outbreak

The Division of Early Childhood (DEC) has created a resource page to support teachers and related service providers.

Head Start - ECLKC COVID-19 Resources

The Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center has a variety of COVID-19 resources including webinars, videos, and documents to support early childhood teachers.

ECTA Remote Service Delivery and Distance Learning

The Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center provides a variety of videos that model virtual learning and collaboration for EC students (click sections "Preschool Remote Learning During the Pandemic at Tarver Elementary" and "An Inclusive Preschool During the Pandemic: Remote Learning at Big Walnut Elementary School").

Supports for Transition Aged Youth

WI Transition Improvement Grant: Transition Planning During COVID-19.

The Transition Improvement Grant offered a free online webinar that was recorded to support educators with transition planning during COVID-19. Additional resources on the TIG web page.

Transition Improvement Grant COVID-19 Padlet

The Transition Improvement Grant developed this organizer to help educators find transition resources during COVID-19.

National Technical Assistance Center on Transition (NTACT) COVID-19 Resources

Information and updates from this national center on transition related to COVID-19.

Supports for Students Participating in Alternate Standards

DLM® At-Home Learning Resources Teacher Version

With an increased demand for resources to use in at-home learning settings, the Dynamic Learning Maps® (DLM) Consortium offers the following list of resources and ideas on using them. These suggestions are offered in appreciation for the work that our teachers do every day to assure that their students with significant cognitive disabilities are engaged, focused, and learning.

Transition Webinar Strategies & Resources for Students with Complex Support Needs in Distance Learning Environments

This webinar provides a wealth of information and ideas for providing educational and employment virtual and distance learning environments for students with complex support needs. NTACT and partner organizations provide guidance, examples and assistance for transition-focused instruction and other activities for students with complex support needs.

Resources to Assist with Virtual Learning for Students on Alternate Standards

A DPI curated list of a variety of resources for teachers and families to consider when making virtual learning plans for students participating in instruction based on the alternate state standards.

Parent Videos to Support Learning at Home

NCEO and TIES Center jointly developed a series of videos for parents on various aspects of supporting the learning of children with significant cognitive disabilities at home.

Each video focuses on three key questions: Why is it important to focus on this with my child at home? How can I do this at home? What support can I ask for from my child’s school? These videos help families learn ways to support the learning of their children with significant cognitive disabilities at home and have conversations with teachers to link home-schools supports.

Helping Your Child with Routines at Home

Helping Your Child with the Foundations of Communication at Home

Helping Your Child with Communication at Home

Helping Your Child with Academics

Additional videos will be added to the series over the next several months The future videos will be on supporting the learning of reading, writing, and math at home, as well as one on monitoring progress.

Supports for Students with Social and Emotional and Neurodiverse Needs

Autism Society: COVID-19 Toolkit

The Autism Society provides a toolkit with information and resources by topic, including Mental Health & Respite, Modifying Routines, Lifestyle Supports, Education, and much more.

Supports for Students with Social, Emotional and Neurodiverse Needs

A DPI curated list of a variety of resources for teachers, families and caregivers to consider when making virtual learning plans. 

Supporting Neurodiverse Students COVID-19 Resources

Resources from the Wisconsin’s Supporting Neurodiverse Students Professional Learning System specific to COVID-19.

Supports for Students with Visual Impairments

Wisconsin Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired Outreach

The Outreach Team includes consultants, specialists, and teachers for students who are blind or visually impaired in the areas of preschool, orientation and mobility, braille or tactile communication, low vision, students with multiple disabilities, transition, and all areas of the Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC).

Tips to Help People with Vision Loss Safely Practice Social Distancing During COVID-19

Social distancing and other guidelines related to COVID-19 present unique challenges – and possible safety hazards — for people who are blind or have vision loss.

Optional Digital Learning Resources for Wisconsin Stakeholders

The Wisconsin Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired provides a compilation of various digital learning resources for students, families and professionals.

Supporting Students with Communication Needs

Coronavirus/COVID-19 Updates

This American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) main page is updated regularly and has links for professional development, guidance on facial coverings and telepractice, and a section for school-based professionals.

Teleservice Considerations for Related Services During the Current Public Health Emergency

This DPI guidance has its home on a new DPI teleservice webpage and provides resources to related services practitioners.

Considerations in Using Facial Coverings When Supporting Students during In-Person Instruction

This DPI guidance includes ideas for school staff to take protective measures while considering individual students needs when providing services.

ASHA School-Based SLP Resources for Physical and Virtual Reopening

Supporting Self Advocacy and Independence

The ARC COVID-19 Resources

The ARC’s mission is Promoting and protecting the human rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and actively supporting their full inclusion and participation in the community throughout their lifetimes.

TASH COVID-19 Resources

TASH is a national organization with the mission to promote the full inclusion and participation of children and adults with significant disabilities in every aspect of their community, and to eliminate the social injustices that diminish human rights.

Supporting Medical and Physical Needs

Center for Disease Control: COVID-19 and People with Disabilities

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) provides information on groups at risk, information on protecting against infection, preparing for a possible outbreak, and other information related to COVID-19.

How is COVID-19 Affecting Kids who are Medically Complex?

An article from the Complex Child web site, a monthly online magazine written by parents of children with health care needs.

Priorities for a Safe Return to School for Children with Complex Health Needs

Information from the Restarting Safe Education and Testing (ReSET) team provides resources for Children with Medical Complexity. These resources identify priorities and downloadable resources for families, school staff, and health care providers.