Technology for Special Needs Students


PresenceLearning and Highlights Partner on Therapy Content for Children With Special Needs

Online student therapy provider PresenceLearning announced this week it is expanding its library of content for children with special needs, thanks to a new partnership with kids’ magazine Highlights.

NWEA: Certain Groups Lose More Ground When School is Out, Illustrating Importance of Summer Programs

An NWEA study of current research examining K–8 student progress during a typical school year and over the summer reveals that historically underserved groups suffer most when school is out for summer break, emphasizing the importance of summer learning programs in overcoming inequitable achievement gaps, the nonprofit said in a news release.

Largest Online Learning Consortium in PA to Use StrongMind for Digital Curriculum

The largest K–12 online learning consortium in Pennsylvania, the Capital Area Online Learning Association, has selected StrongMind to provide standards-aligned digital courses for the 10,000-plus public school students enrolled with CAOLA, StrongMind said in a news release.

A Road Map to Helping Young Students with Dyslexia Succeed

At least 40 states have passed legislation mandating how teachers deal with dyslexia in the classroom, yet misconceptions about dyslexia linger even among educators. NWEA research scientist Tiffany Peltier offers a road map for educators to help students with word-level reading difficulties in the early grades, as well as how to help students identified with dyslexia as they progress through school.

Deadline is March 31 to Enter MIT Solve Challenge Calling for Tech Solutions to Re-Engage Learners

The submission deadline is March 31, 2022, for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Solve Challenge calling for technology-enabled solutions that help re-engage and meet the holistic needs of underserved learners ages 5 to 18 so they may thrive and succeed.

Apple Launches New Learning Coach Program and Features for Educators

Apple today announced the launch of its new Apple Learning Coach professional learning program for educators who coach teachers, to help them get the most out of Apple technology and boost student engagement in the process.

New Grants Seek Tech Solutions for Reading Instruction for English Learners with Disabilities

The U.S. Department of Education is now accepting applications for Stepping-Up Technology Implementation grant funds for cooperative projects that use existing technology to improve reading instruction for PreK–12 English Learners with disabilities, through its Educational Technology, Media, and Materials for Individuals With Disabilities Program.

Microsoft Education Unveils Expanded Literacy, Accessibility Tools for Students and Teachers

Microsoft Education today announced expanded literacy learning capabilities for teachers and students using its free Reading Progress app within Teams, and introduced a new integrated app called Reading Coach, a practice tool for students that automatically generates individualized exercises based on each student’s specific needs.

PresenceLearning To Add Several Hasbro Kids' Characters, Games To Its Online Therapy Platform

PresenceLearning, a provider of online counseling for schools and clinicians, on Tuesday announced a deal to to bring some of Hasbro’s children’s characters and classic games to the PresenceLearning therapy platform to help speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, and behavioral and mental health professionals better engage with students during sessions.

Arizona ED Selects i-Ready as Universal Literacy and Dyslexia Screener for Students for 2022-23

The Arizona Department of Education has named Curriculum Associates’ i-Ready Assessment as an approved universal literacy and dyslexia screener for the 2022–2023 school year, allowing schools statewide to use the online diagnostic and offline literacy assessments to screen for risk factors associated with dyslexia.