THE IRIS CENTER iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu or iriscenter.com Serving: Higher Education Faculty PD Providers Practicing Educators Supporting the preparation of effective educators to improve outcomes for all children, especially those with disabilities, birth through age 21 022615
IRIS CENTER WHAT IS THE IRIS CENTER? Who We Are Funded by the U.S. Department of Education s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), the IRIS Center is headquartered at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, and Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, California. Our primary objective is to create and infuse resources about evidence-based practices into preservice preparation and professional development programs. To facilitate this process, IRIS disseminates and offers trainings on those resources. Developed in collaboration with nationally recognized researchers and education experts, IRIS resources are designed to address instructional and classroom issues of great importance to today s educators, issues like response to intervention (RTI), classroom behavior management, and early childhood instruction, among many, many more. IRIS resources are used in college instruction, professional development activities, and independent learning opportunities for practicing educators. What We Do Among our primary goals, the IRIS Center seeks to: Develop free, online resources about working with children with disabilities (birth through age 21) and their families Provide technical assistance, dissemination, and training activities geared toward college and university faculty, professional development providers, and practicing educators Improve pre-service and professional development training and improve opportunities for independent learning Improve the awareness, knowledge, and skills of current and future service providers and educators Topic Areas The IRIS Website offers a broad array of enhancement materials for faculty and professional development providers to use to supplement their classes and trainings. These materials include interactive challenge-based Modules, CaseStudies, Activities, Information Briefs, Research Summaries, Video Vignettes, and more. IRIS materials address topics such as: Accommodations Assessment Assistive Technology Behavior & Classroom Management Collaboration Content Instruction Differentiated Instruction Disability Diversity Early Intervention / Early Childhood Learning Strategies Mathematics Reading, Literacy, and Language Arts Related Services Response to Intervention (RTI) School Improvement / Leadership Transition
SELECTED IRIS RESOURCES STAR Legacy Modules The IRIS Center s signature interactive modules apply the How People Learn theory developed by Dr. John Bransford and his colleagues, and are based on cognitive science research. The Modules deliver information through the STAR Legacy Cycle, an award-winning teaching approach. Modules begin with a realistic Challenge intended to capture the user s attention. Initial Thoughts questions allow users to explore and consider what they currently know about the scenario presented in the Challenge. Perspectives & Resources pages present users with nuggets of information (e.g., audio interviews, video clips, activities) to actively engage them in learning the Module s main content. The Wrap Up asks users to review a summary of the Module s content. The Assessment offers Module users an opportunity to gauge their learning. Among our other IRIS Resources are: Case Studies 1 Challenge 5 Assessment 2 4 Wrap Up 3 Perspectives & Resources Initial Thoughts Covering a wide variety of topics, IRIS Case Study Units include three levels of difficulty for a given topic, with subsequent levels requiring more advanced analysis and understanding. (Instructor s guides are available upon request.) Activities Activities are perfect as independent assignments or as a means to promote discussion. The activities are organized into a number of categories, including Books, Class Discussion, and Independent, among others. Information Briefs These resources are gathered from a number of sources and are included on the IRIS Website as supplemental materials. Interviews Key researchers offer their perspectives on a variety of important issues in the field of special education, including diversity, evidencebased practices, and response to intervention. Video Vignettes This collection of videos about individuals with disabilities, their families, advocates, teachers, and service providers also contains depictions of the application of evidence-based practices in educational settings. Sample Syllabi Collection This collection is designed to assist new and experienced college and university faculty in the development or revision of existing syllabi through the provision of carefully selected models. Sample Wrap-Around Concept Maps These diagrams can help users college faculty and professional development providers, as well as independent learners to extend and deepen the information included in our Modules and case study units through the use of supporting materials available on the IRIS Website.
HIGHLIGHTS OF OTHER IRIS RESOURCES Enhancement Materials The IRIS Website offers a broad array of enhancement materials for faculty and professional development providers to use to supplement their classes and trainings. These materials include interactive challenge-based Modules, Case Studies, Activities, Information Briefs, Research Summaries, Video Vignettes, and more. IRIS materials address topics such as: Accommodations Assessment Assistive Technology Behavior & Classroom Management Collaboration Content Instruction Differentiated Instruction Disability Diversity Early Intervention / Early Childhood Learning Strategies Mathematics Reading, Literacy, and Language Arts Response to Intervention (RTI) School Improvement / Leadership Transition Visit Us iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu or iriscenter.com Contact Us: IRIS@VU Modules and Materials Development Naomi C. Tyler, PhD. Co-Director Vanderbilt University Phone: (615) 343-5610 (800) 831-6134 Fax: (615) 343-5611 Email: iris@vanderbilt.edu IRIS@CGU Technical Assistance and Training Deborah D. Smith, EdD. Co-Director Claremont Graduate University Phone: (909) 607-8982 (866) 626-IRIS [4747] Fax: (909) 607-0959 Email: iris@cgu.edu The contents of this resource were developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, #H325E120002. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. Project Officers, Sarah Allen and Tracie Dickson.
Intensive Intervention (Parts 1 & 2) IRIS STAR Legacy Modules Developed in collaboration with the CEEDAR Center and the National Center on Intensive Intervention (AIR), two new IRIS Modules overview intensive intervention and the five-step data-based individualization (DBI) process. The first Module in the series Intensive Intervention (Part 1): Using Data-Based Individualization To Intensify Instruction (http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/dbi1/ ) focuses on the intervention aspects of DBI (Steps 1 and 4). The second part Intensive Intervention (Part 2): Collecting and Analyzing Data for Data-Based Individualization (http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/dbi2) is concerned with DBI s data components (Steps 2, 3, and 5). What s in the Modules? In Intensive Intervention (Part 1): Using Data-Based Individualization To Intensify Instruction and Intensive Intervention (Part 2): Collecting and Analyzing Data for Data-Based Individualization, users will find: Specific information on methods for intensifying and individualizing instruction Procedures for collecting and evaluating progress monitoring and diagnostic assessment data A step-by-step summary of a student s progress through the five steps of the DBI process Opportunities for Module users to practice making instructional adaptations, analyzing data, and making data-based instructional decisions Audio interviews with experts in the field like Rebecca Zumeta Edmonds, Principal Researcher at the American Institutes for Research; Sarah Arden, part of the Technical Assistance Team at the National Center on Intensive Intervention; Sharon Vaughn, Senior Advisor to the National Center on Intensive Intervention and the Executive Director of the Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk; and Steve Goodman, Director of Michigan s Integrated Behavior and Learning Support Initiative What Is IRIS? Funded by the U.S. Department of Education s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), the IRIS Center creates and infuses resources about evidence-based practices into preservice preparation and professional development programs. To facilitate this process, IRIS disseminates and offers trainings on those resources. All of our materials and resources are available through the IRIS Website. Please visit us at http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt. edu or iriscenter.com The contents of this resource were developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, #H325E120002. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. Project Officer, Sarah Allen. 032216
Open-Access Website: IRIS Professional Development Since 2001, the IRIS Center has been one of the nation s most trusted developers of resources covering the issues educators care about. The IRIS Center creates and disseminates resources about evidence-based instructional and intervention practices to help improve the learning and behavioral outcomes for all students, particularly struggling learners and those with disabilities. Effective, Affordable PD Options iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu IRIS offers free, easily accessible Modules, Case Study Units, Classroom Activities, and an array of other online resources and tools. IRIS resources cover a wide variety of topics of interest to educators, such as: Universal Design for Learning RTI/MTSS Classroom Diversity Autism Spectrum Disorder Early Intervention/Early Childhood Behavior and Classroom Management Differentiated Instruction Learning Strategies This [module] is a fabulous and concise example of things all teachers should know about working with students with disabilities. Experienced Teacher PD Certificates: iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/pd-hours/earn-pd-hours For a nominal fee, IRIS offers certificates to verify module completion and effort toward PD hours. Affordable, practical, and flexible, the online IRIS PD Hours Store is a terrific option for educators ready to take their professional development to the next level. More than 30 modules are currently available, and more are added all the time. 092017
School & District PD Dashboard iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/pd-hours/school-district-platform Schools and districts can use the IRIS School & District PD Dashboard to provide affordable professional development while their educators earn PD Certificates. Even better, IRIS Modules can be accessed anytime, anywhere, via any online-enabled tablet, phone, or computer. Test-drive a demo version of the IRIS School & District PD Dashboard here: IRISDashboardDemo.org Easy Navigation Tabs Customized for Your School or District Sort by Teacher or Module Expand Results Send an Email to All or Just a Selection Export Your Results Quick Search Intuitive Filtering by Module, School, Role, or Status View Individual Status See Post-Test Level Two pricing options are available: For $199 per educator 1 2 Yearlong access Every IRIS Module in our online PD Hours Store From $25 to $45 each per educator You select the modules Assign different modules to different educators or groups of educators Micro-Credentials: http://bit.ly/2w5nfrb Offered in collaboration with Digital Promise, IRIS Micro-credentials: Focus on skills related to teaching students with disabilities Provide opportunities to learn and demonstrate discrete skills Recognize mastery of skills with shareable micro-badges Contact Us! iris@vanderbilt.edu or 1-800-831-6134 The contents of this resource were developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, #H325E120002. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. Project Officer, Sarah Allen. 092017