Project: Texas Special Education Integration Teacher and Leader Modules

The Region 14 Comprehensive Center is collaborating with the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to create professional development courses based on evidence for local education agencies and teachers. These courses focus on effectively training for and sustainably implementing co-teaching and flexible grouping practices. The goal is to improve academic outcomes for students with disabilities in inclusive classroom settings.

The Need

The TEA initially conducted internal alignment work at the state level prior to beginning the project with the Region 14 Comprehensive Center (R14CC). The result of the alignment work indicated that the TEA needed to develop professional development (PD) courses on co-teaching, and that flexible grouping practices build local education agency (LEA) and teacher capacity. This is necessary to implement evidence-based practices and improve results for students with disabilities in inclusive classrooms.

Our Approach

Specially Designed Instruction

he TEA is working on the “Inclusion in Texas” initiative to provide specially designed instruction (SDI) to students with disabilities in inclusive classrooms. R14CC supports the TEA in developing necessary PD courses on co-teaching and flexible grouping to establish more inclusive classrooms conducive to SDI.

Intensive Capacity Building

The TEA PD courses on co-teaching and flexible grouping will be digitized and available for use by LEAs and teachers across Texas. The courses will be asynchronous and available on an open-source TEA platform for ease of accessibility.

PD course modules have been completed and reviewed by state and national experts, in anticipation of all 19 modules for teachers and leaders being placed on the Canvas digital platform. State specialists met with TEA special education leaders to collaborate on and confirm module goals, objectives, and expectations.

Advancing Forward

Modules are expected to be completed and built into the Canvas platform by September 2024. The R14CC team is in discussion with the TEA about how the modules will be maintained, the plan to capture metrics related to use, and short- and long-term plans to make appropriate changes to modules based on feedback and intended outcomes.