National Center on AIM | AIM CONNECTORAugust 2013
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Quick Starts
QuickStarts
New! AIM Center Quick Starts
Audience Specific FAQs

 

Are you looking for audience specific answers to the most frequently asked questions about AIM?  

 

Check out the AIM Center's newly developed series of Quick Starts available on the AIM Center web site homepage--and share these easy-to-digest resources with the audiences you serve.

 

Quick Starts are available for:  

Families  

Educators 

State & Local Education Agencies 

Teacher Educators 

Developers of NIMAS Filesets  

Producers of AIM 

 
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AIM Webinars
Quick Start Webinar Series
Register Now for Late August, Early September

Please share these free webinar offerings with your colleagues!
Educatorwebinar

AIM Center Resources: Quick Start for Educators
DATE: Tuesday, August 27, 2013
TIME: 2:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. EDT
This webinar highlights the information and tools available on the web site of the AIM Center that support effective decision-making in all phases of selecting, providing, and using accessible instructional materials for the participation and achievement of students. In addition to an orientation to resources of special interest to educators with interests and responsibilities related to student participation and outcomes, there will be time for questions submitted by participants to be addressed by the presenters.
PARTICIPANTS: Teachers and others working with students
PRESENTER(S): Diana Carl, Joanne Karger, Joy Zabala
SEALEAweb

AIM Center Resources: Quick Start for SEA and LEA Leaders
DATE: Thursday, August 29, 2013
TIME: 1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m. EDT
TOPIC: This webinar, especially designed for leaders in state and local education agencies, provides a brief introduction to the supports and services available from the National Center on Accessible Instructional Materials. In addition to an orientation to resources of special interest to state and local leaders with interests and responsibilities related to implementation of systems for the timely provision of AIM, there will be time for questions submitted by participants to be addressed by the presenters.
PARTICIPANTS: SEA leaders and LEA leaders with system-level responsibilities at district and campus levels
PRESENTER(S): Diana Carl, Joanne Karger, Joy Zabala
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FamWeb

AIM Center Resources: Quick Start for Families
DATE: Thursday, September 5, 2013
TIME: 2:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. EDT
TOPIC: This webinar is especially designed to provide families with a brief introduction to the supports and services available from the National Center on Accessible Instructional Materials. In addition to an orientation to resources of special interest to family members and those who work closely with families, there will be time for questions submitted by participants to be addressed by the presenters.
PARTICIPANTS: Primarily for families members, Family Center personnel and educators working with families
PRESENTER(S): Diana Carl, Joanne Karger, Joy Zabala
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In this Issue:
Logo for PALM Initiative
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Guidance for Purchasing
PurchaseGuide
New! Guidance for SEA and LEA Purchasing Agents
Seeking Your Input by August 30th 

Please share with your colleagues:
The AIM Center's Purchase Accessible Learning Materials (PALM) Initiative is seeking public comment on draft purchase order and contract language for use by those involved with curriculum decision making and purchasing.

The guidance is offered to support decision makers as they consider accessibility prior to purchasing digital and print instructional materials and technologies. The draft Guidance for SEA and LEA Purchasing Agents is available on the AIM Center web site, along with the process for offering feedback. Topics include:
  • Contract or purchase order language for print materials
  • Contract or purchase order language for digital instructional materials
  • How to ask for product accessibility information
  • What if accessibility language is not provided?
  • What about materials developed locally or provided as OERs?
  • Relevant guidance and examples from the field
  • Sample Voluntary Produce Accessibility Templates (VPATs)
  • Related statutes, regulations, and guidance
  • Additional information
Also, check out and share the new PALM Toolkit All-in-One. It's a single downloadable resource with all the PALM resources (handouts, audience-specific resources, and overview presentation) in one document. Coming soon as a downloadable brochure.

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Developer Best Practices
PubGuidance
New! Accessible Digital Learning Materials-Publisher/Developer Best Practices Guidelines
Seeking Your Input by August 30th 

Please share with your colleagues:
The AIM Center's Purchase Accessible Learning Materials (PALM) Initiative is seeking public comment on draft guidelines for publishers and developers interested in creating accessible digital materials. The draft document is available on the AIM Center web site, along with the process for offering feedback.

Primary audience: states, districts, publishers, developers
Since the AIM Center is promoting parallel initiatives, NIMAS and PALM, we thought it might be helpful to initiate the development of some basic guidelines that states and districts can offer to publishers and developers that describe desired accessibility features. Our hope is that some publishers and developers will also find the guidelines of value during product planning and development.
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CAST Response
Assessment
Accessibility and Large Scale Assessment Concerns
Impact on AIM in the Classroom  

The AIM Center remains concerned about the fairness and equity of large-scale assessment accessibility and accommodation policies and on the negative impact that such policies are likely to have on the provision of AIM in the classroom. PARCC and SBAC statements have been posted to the CAST website and are available at:  http://www.cast.org/library/statements/index.html
 
Response to the Smarter Balanced Accommodations Framework
CAST has responded to the Smarter Balanced Accommodations Framework
 
PARCC Accommodations Draft Manual
CAST has responded to the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers' (PARCC) Accommodations Manual
Visit our other sites to learn more about CAST and Universal Design for Learning
            
© Copyright 2010, NATIONAL CENTER ON ACCESSIBLE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS at CAST, Inc.
Tel: (781) 245 2212 | Email: aim@cast.org