Virginia Department of Education's Training and Technical Assistance Center (T/TAC)

In “Big Ideas in Special Education: Specially Designed Instruction, High-leverage Practices, Explicit Instruction and Intensive Instruction,” the authors (2017) support educators' understanding the relationships and hierarchies among key special education concepts. They include a visual guide (i.e., nested structure of special education terms) to illustrate how special education terms interconnect to support effective educational support for students with disabilities. The Strategic Instruction Model (SIM) provides a foundation for instruction, beginning with targeted interventions and strengthening fewer intensive levels of support throughout the continuum.  Read more about using the Strategic Instruction Model and how it can be used to provide a continuum of special education supports...

On October 22, 2024, the Virginia SIM Update was hosted at James Madison University’s Festival Center in Harrisonburg, Virginia. SIM Professional Developers, SIM Professional State Leaders, and T/TAC Directors gathered to hear Dr. Zenia Burnett, Director of Special Education Instructional Services for the Virginia Department of Education, deliver a welcome address. Dr. Burnett highlighted how the Commonwealth is advancing support for Specially Designed Instruction, High Leverage Practices, and SIM to benefit students with disabilities. This opening set the stage for the keynote address by Dr. Jocelyn Washburn, Director of Professional Development and Associate Director at the University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning (KUCRL), who spoke on enhancing Specially Designed Instruction through Strategic Instruction and High Leverage Practices for students with disabilities.

Participants engaged in meaningful discussions and made connections to their work, all in support of students with disabilities. Breakout sessions provided deeper exploration into Learning Strategies, Content Enhancement Routines, and expanding equitable access to SIM within T/TACs. Dr. Washburn and Dr. Suzanne Myers, Associate Director of KUCRL, concluded the day by introducing the Adaptive Professional Learning Model and SIM Updates.  The picture above highlights some of the original Botetourt County SIM Professional Developers. The day was a great representation of how the Commonwealth is leading the way in ensuring SIM representation throughout the state!