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T/TAC W&M has moved into the new School of Education. View a video of the new
School of Education 
 
 The T/TAC library is now located in the
School of Education
on the 2nd floor in the LRC
Hours: 8:30am-5:00pm


Upcoming Events

W&M 21st Annual Symposium on
Professional Collaboration

and Inclusive Education
November 11 & 12

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Skill 
Building Workshops for Special Educators-Region 3
September 29
November 4
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Transition Practitioners' Council East
October 21, 2010
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4th Annual
I'm Determined
Youth Summit
November 15-16
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VDOE UPDATES

New Online Reading and Math Tests for
Students with Disabilities 
Read more about the phaseout of VGLA

Virginia Disability History and
 Awareness Month
Read more
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September/October 2010

A New School Year:  Imagine the Possibilities!
By Denyse Doerries, Ph.D.

       Take a moment to remember your hopes, dreams, and wishes for the new school year. This issue of Link Lines will help make them possible. The first step is to try one new thing that can make a difference in the lives of your students. Read more

Creating an Effective Instructional Match:
 Critical to Moving Students Forward
 By Mary Murray Stowe, M.Ed.
     An effective instructional match is critical to engaging and motivating students.  Such a match can be accomplished for reading of content materials and intensive intervention in reading through the use of Lexile levels as described in this article.  Classroom teachers and parents have easy access to this information and through the use of hyperlinked techniques within the article, ongoing assessment can be accomplished.  Engaged and motivated students are successful students! Read more
 
How We Do Business Here: 
Assessing Your School's Culture
By Elaine Gould, M.Ed.
      The start of a new school year is a great time to assess your school's culture. What do the students and staff in your building think and feel about the environment in which they learn and work? What school activities or traditions symbolize your school's climate or culture? What are the unwritten rules that influence the relationships between various stakeholders and the day-to-day business of the school? Read more to find out how educators can begin to shape a positive school culture by first examining the one that is already in place. Read more

Defining and Assessing Social Competence 
By Debbie Grosser, M.Ed.
     Social competence is one of five functional skill areas that must be addressed through IEP planning for all students with disabilities in Virginia.  What is social competence?  How do teachers assess students' levels of social competence? Click here to learn more about what factors contribute to attainment of social competence and how to assess students' current levels.
Doing One Thing to Increase Student Engagement:
 The Power of Praise
 By Butler Knight, Ed.S.
     A teacher's carefully crafted and timed words can have a tremendous impact on increasing students' engagement in school, improving appropriate behavior, and improving the partnership between home and school. Read more
Celebrating Quality Instruction and
Highly Effective Teachers
 By Cathy Buyrn, M.Ed.
      Highly effective teachers delivering quality instruction have tremendous power to overcome other risk factors that might inhibit student progress.  It is time to acknowledge the amazing skills of dedicated educators.  Kick off the year by finding those super-star teachers in your building, connect with each other to build capacity, and tackle those achievement gap issues. Read more
Check it Out!
The following materials are available to individuals in Superintendents Regions 2 and 3 on loan from the T/TAC College of William and Mary lending library. These resources are companions to the articles in this issue of Link Lines, providing more indepth coverage on the topics in the newsletter. Click here are read more on page 13 
The Adaptive School: A Sourcebook for
Developing Collaborative Groups
By Robert Garmston and Bruce Wellman
 
Elementary and Middle School Mathematics:
Teaching Developmentally 
By John Van de Walle
 
Strategies for Learning: Empowering
Students for  Success, Grades 9-12
By Karen Rooney

Including Students with Special Needs:
A Pratical Guide for Classroom Teachers
Marilyn Friend and William Bursuck
 
Books