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Lorem Ipsum Dolor Spring 2016
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Many teachers are just starting to learn how to implement CCSS; the
challenge of addressing the standards for all students is increased when
working with students who have limited or no vision. The Perkins Training
and Educational Resources Program at Perkins School for the Blind in MA
was awarded a two-year grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to
utilize the internet to create a national community of teachers of students
who are blind or visually impaired who can share materials and strategies
that will facilitate achievement of the CCSS.
When the grant period started in July, 2013, two curriculum
developers, one in ELA and one in Math, joined the project. Each one
recruited a team of experts in ELA and Math respectively to review the
CCSS, with a focus on grades 7-12, to identify those standards that present
a particular challenge for students with visual impairments. Inter-rater
reliability was sought by having each team member review two areas in
either ELA or Math; reviewers honed in on almost all the same standards.
With this information available, the construction of the website Paths to
Common Core, began (http://www.perkinselearning.org/ccss). During the
past year, content and IT staff worked together to create the site and to start
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