Domain III — Promoting Student Achievement in English Language Arts and Reading and in Mathematics

Competency 008: The special education teacher promotes students’ performance in English language arts and reading.

A. Applies knowledge of developmental processes associated with communication systems (e.g., listening, speaking, writing), including emergent and preliteracy skills, and knows how to provide a variety of opportunities for students with disabilities to learn communication skills.

- Texas Education Agency, Inclusion In Texas, ESC 20 "TEA Learn Literacy For ALL" - This asynchronous training will address the science of teaching reading and include an overview of what skills need to be mastered to become a proficient reader, how the brain learns to read and, the characteristics of dyslexia and dysgraphia. It will also address how a student’s learning abilities associated with reading can impact a student’s ability to read and what instruction and accommodations can remove the barriers of learning.
- Texas Education Agency, Inclusion In Texas, ESC 20 "Foundational Reading Lesson Set" - This free lesson set includes instructional routines and materials for designing foundational reading skills lessons. The routines are designed for students in first grade who are learning to read and students in first, second, and third grades who need additional instructional support. This lesson set includes routines and enough materials for the entire school year and includes a user guide, lesson guides and a complete set of materials.
- Reading Rockets.com - Explore resources on this website under the heading, "Teaching Reading" and "Helping Struggling Readers" tabs for extensive look at instructional supports to teach struggling readers.

B. Knows how to use a variety of assessment practices and procedures to plan and implement instruction in English language arts and reading that is responsive to the strengths and needs of individuals with disabilities.

- National Center on Intensive Intervention "Intensive Intervention in Reading" - NCII, through a collaboration with the University of Connecticut and the National Center on Leadership in Intensive Intervention and with support from the CEEDAR Center, developed course content focused on enhancing educators’ skills in intensive reading intervention. The course includes six modules that can support faculty and professional development providers with instructing pre-service and in-service educators who are learning to implement intensive reading intervention through data-based individualization (DBI).

C. Knows the nature and stages of literacy development, and various contexts and methods for promoting students’ literacy development.

- Texas Education Agency, Inclusion In Texas, ESC 20 "TEALearn Literacy For ALL" - This asynchronous training will address the science of teaching reading and include an overview of what skills need to be mastered to become a proficient reader, how the brain learns to read and, the characteristics of dyslexia and dysgraphia. It will also address how a student’s learning abilities associated with reading can impact a student’s ability to read and what instruction and accommodations can remove the barriers of learning.

D. Applies knowledge of phonological and phonemic awareness and strategies for promoting the phonological and phonemic awareness of students with disabilities.

- Texas Education Agency, Inclusion In Texas, ESC 20 "TEALearn Literacy For ALL" - This asynchronous training will address the science of teaching reading and include an overview of what skills need to be mastered to become a proficient reader, how the brain learns to read and, the characteristics of dyslexia and dysgraphia. It will also address how a student’s learning abilities associated with reading can impact a student’s ability to read and what instruction and accommodations can remove the barriers of learning.

E. Applies knowledge of the alphabetic principle and word analysis skills (e.g., decoding, structural analysis, sight word vocabulary) and knows how to provide students with disabilities with systematic instruction that promotes their ability to apply the alphabetic principle and word analysis and decoding skills.

- Texas Education Agency, Inclusion In Texas, ESC 20 "TEALearn Literacy For ALL" - This asynchronous training will address the science of teaching reading and include an overview of what skills need to be mastered to become a proficient reader, how the brain learns to read and, the characteristics of dyslexia and dysgraphia. It will also address how a student’s learning abilities associated with reading can impact a student’s ability to read and what instruction and accommodations can remove the barriers of learning.

F. Applies knowledge of reading fluency and the relationship between reading fluency and reading comprehension and knows how to provide students with disabilities with systematic instruction that promotes their reading fluency.

- Texas Education Agency, Inclusion In Texas, ESC 20 "TEALearn Literacy For ALL" - This asynchronous training will address the science of teaching reading and include an overview of what skills need to be mastered to become a proficient reader, how the brain learns to read and, the characteristics of dyslexia and dysgraphia. It will also address how a student’s learning abilities associated with reading can impact a student’s ability to read and what instruction and accommodations can remove the barriers of learning.

G. Knows the importance of comprehension in reading and knows how to provide students with disabilities with instruction in the use of skills and strategies (e.g., critical/creative thinking) to promote their reading comprehension.

- Texas Education Agency, Inclusion In Texas, ESC 20 "TEALearn Literacy For ALL" - This asynchronous training will address the science of teaching reading and include an overview of what skills need to be mastered to become a proficient reader, how the brain learns to read and, the characteristics of dyslexia and dysgraphia. It will also address how a student’s learning abilities associated with reading can impact a student’s ability to read and what instruction and accommodations can remove the barriers of learning.

H. Knows how to provide students with disabilities with systematic instruction to develop skills in writing conventions and competence in written communication.

- Resources coming soon

I. Knows the relationship between learning and effective study, critical-thinking and inquiry skills and knows how to use various methods and strategies to teach students with disabilities to apply study, critical-thinking and inquiry skills.

- Reading Rockets - Website devoted to supporting reading and writing education including students with disabilities containing professional development webcasts, research, resources and tools, videos, children's books and much more.
- Doing What Works "Reading Comprehension" - Multiple Videos and Tools in Reading Comprehension with various curricular approaches that enable teachers to respond flexibly to a range of student levels and abilities

Competency 009: The special education teacher promotes students’ performance in mathematics.

A. Knows how to use a variety of assessment methods to monitor the mathematical understanding of students with disabilities and adapt mathematics instruction to address individual strengths and needs.

- National Center on Intensive Intervention "Intensive Intervention in Math" - NCII, through a collaboration with the University of Connecticut and the National Center on Leadership in Intensive Intervention and with support from the CEEDAR Center, developed course content focused on enhancing educators’ skills in intensive mathematics intervention. The course includes eight modules that can support faculty and professional development providers with instructing pre-service and in-service educators who are learning to implement intensive mathematics intervention through data-based individualization (DBI).

B. Knows how to provide mathematics instruction that is based on principles of children’s learning and development and that reflects recognition of common misconceptions and sources of error in mathematics.

- Texas Education Agency, Inclusion In Texas, ESC 20 "TEA Learn Math For ALL" - Through hands-on activities, participants will explore how learning abilities associated with disabilities, including dyslexia and disorders related to dyslexia, impact the learning of whole number addition and subtraction. In this session, participants will build knowledge and understanding of how instructional supports, including the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Guidelines along with assistive technology, can be used to accommodate and reduce the impact of a disability.

C. Knows how individuals learn and develop mathematical skills, procedures and concepts.

- Texas Education Agency, Inclusion In Texas, ESC 20 "TEA Learn Math For ALL" - Through hands-on activities, participants will explore how learning abilities associated with disabilities, including dyslexia and disorders related to dyslexia, impact the learning of whole number addition and subtraction. In this session, participants will build knowledge and understanding of how instructional supports, including the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Guidelines along with assistive technology, can be used to accommodate and reduce the impact of a disability.

D. Understands numbers, number systems and their structure, operations and algorithms and quantitative reasoning and uses various instructional strategies and resources, including technology, to help students with disabilities understand and apply related content and skills.

- Texas Education Agency, Inclusion In Texas, ESC 20 "TEA Learn Math For ALL" - Through hands-on activities, participants will explore how learning abilities associated with disabilities, including dyslexia and disorders related to dyslexia, impact the learning of whole number addition and subtraction. In this session, participants will build knowledge and understanding of how instructional supports, including the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Guidelines along with assistive technology, can be used to accommodate and reduce the impact of a disability.

E. Understands patterns, relations, functions and algebraic reasoning and analysis and uses various instructional strategies and resources, including technology, to help students with disabilities understand and apply related content and skills.

- Doing What Works "Topics of Algebra" - Multiple Videos and Tools in Topics of Algebra with various curricular approaches that enable teachers to respond flexibly to a range of student levels and abilities
- Institute of Education Sciences, What Works Clearinghouse "Teaching Strategies for Improving Algebra Knowledge in Middle and High School Practice Guide" - This practice guide offers educators specific, evidence-based recommendations that address the challenges of teaching algebra to students in grades 6 through 12. This guide synthesizes available research and shares practices that are supported by evidence. It is intended to be practical and easy for teachers to use. The guide includes many examples in each recommendation to demonstrate the concepts discussed.

F. Understands geometry, spatial reasoning and measurement concepts and principles, and uses various instructional strategies and resources, including technology, to help students with disabilities understand and apply related content and skills.

- Texas Education Agency, Inclusion In Texas, ESC 20 "Instructional Routines for Mathematics Intervention" - These free materials contain 23 modules that are focused on different mathematics content and are designed for grades 2 through 8. These modules feature step-by-step routines for explicit teaching of the mathematics content, vocabulary cards with visuals that can be easily displayed in the classroom, problem sets with greater than 50 ready-to-use problems for each module.
- Benetech Mathshare - Mathshare is a free website that lets students solve math problems on the internet, show their work, and explain their thinking. It includes accessibility features. Use Chrome to access this website.

G. Understands principles and applications of probability and statistics and uses various instructional strategies and resources, including technology, to help students with disabilities understand and apply related content and skills.

- Resources coming soon

H. Applies knowledge of methods, strategies and resources for teaching students with disabilities to engage in mathematical reasoning and problem solving, apply mathematics in a variety of contexts and communicate mathematically.

- Resources coming soon