by Common Ground | Aug 5, 2020 | Parents, Professionals, Students, Teachers
SPAN Parent Advocacy Network has developed key questions to ask as stakeholders work with schools in developing their reopening plans. School districts across New Jersey are making plans for reopening schools in the summer and for the 2020-21 school year. “The Road...
by Common Ground | Aug 5, 2020 | Parents, Professionals, Students, Teachers
Many New Jersey districts are planning hybrid programs, with some in-person instruction and some remote instruction. For the in-person cohorts, split day or alternating week schedules are also common in preliminary plans, in order to ensure that a fraction of students...
by Common Ground | Aug 5, 2020 | Parents, Professionals, Students, Teachers
With months of remote instruction already behind New Jersey schools, significant gaps still exist in providing students access to technology and technological equipment, such as laptops, tablets, hot spot access devices, and other electronic mobile devices. Many New...
by Common Ground | Aug 5, 2020 | Parents, Professionals, Students, Teachers
6 Tips from Board Certified Behavior Analyst and Consultant, Jessica Minahan: Review the curriculum. Encourage colleagues to review their curriculum before assigning reading and other work. For example, if a character in a book becomes seriously ill or dies, you may...
by Common Ground | May 5, 2020 | Parents, Professionals, Students, Teachers
USDOE Supplemental Fact Sheet: Addressing the Risk of COVID-19 in Preschool, Elementary and Secondary Schools While Serving Children with Disabilities This Supplemental Fact Sheet reaffirms the rights of students to receive educational instruction and related services...
by Common Ground | Feb 24, 2020 | Parents, Professionals, Students, Teachers
By Gerard Thiers Federal law requires that every eligible child with disabilities – more than 220,000 in New Jersey – receive a “free and appropriate” education. Of course, special education services are not free. While they are provided at no cost to students or...
by Common Ground | Feb 5, 2020 | Parents, Professionals, Students, Teachers, Watch This
Our friends at the Regional Center for Independent Living (RCIL) in New York made this fun video, Get the Job… Keep the Job! on seeking work for young people. This student production contrasts the right way — and the wrong way — to apply for a job in person,...
by Common Ground | Feb 3, 2020 | Parents, Professionals, Students, Teachers, Uncategorized
Students can learn a lot in a classroom, but a good field trip lets them see, feel, and touch the curriculum in ways that make learning come to life. When trips are well planned, relevant, and linked to classroom instruction, students gain a better understanding of...
by Common Ground | Feb 3, 2020 | Better IEPs, Parents, Professionals, Students, Teachers
By Denver Leigh When we talk about IEPs (Individualized Education Plans), often the goals, objectives, accommodations and modifications get all the attention. True, those four components form critical parts of an IEP; however, in my experience as both a parent and...
by Common Ground | Oct 29, 2019 | Parents, Professionals, Teachers
On any given school day, New Jersey students line up and leave the building as part of mandatory emergency drills. These drills are a good thing. Students, staff, and emergency responders need a plan and need to practice it so they are safe and ready in the event of a...
by Common Ground | Oct 29, 2019 | Parents, Professionals, Students, Teachers
There are many “myths” surrounding special education. Here are 5 we are “busting.” Myth #1: If parents say they can only attend an IEP meeting on a weekend, the school has to schedule it at that time. Fact: IEP meetings should be held at a “mutually agreed upon time...
by Common Ground | Aug 12, 2019 | Parents, Professionals, Teachers
By Joanne DeSimone As an advocate, I help parents and district case managers find appropriate placement options for their students. As a special educator and parent of two children with disabilities, I use the knowledge I’ve acquired from sitting on both sides of the...
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