"Promoting choice" is a defining value guiding Positive Behavior Support (PBS) models for serving individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD). The ability to make independent choices is of paramount importance to self-advocacy and self-determination. Promoting choice is also an essential commitment of…

"Autism at-a-Glance" is a series of practitioner and family-friendly documents created by the Center on Secondary Education for Students with ASD (CSESA) designed for high school staff members supporting students on the autism spectrum, as well as family members of adolescents with ASD. The purpose of the "Autism at-a-Glance"…

Classroom observation has changed dramatically in recent years. Trivial checklists have given way to research-based rubrics that describe important aspects of teaching and, for each aspect, explain the difference between more and less effective practice. Instead of asking if the lesson objective was posted, these new instruments typically ask to…

Deciding whether and how to use assessments to evaluate students' social and emotional (SE) knowledge, attitudes, and skills requires the development and critical appraisal of an assessment plan. At the state, district, and school levels, education leaders and staff can benefit from reviewing best practices and using a structured format to arrive…

Education in the 21st century is awakening to a call for students who are not only proficient with academic content but who also have developed the social and emotional (SE) knowledge, attitudes, and skills that are necessary for success in college and careers. This brief refers to that combination of knowledge, attitudes, and skills as SE…

Over the years, careers have transformed to be flexible and changing rather than stable, life-long commitments to an organization. As such, making work meaningful, controlling the work environment, and taking the opportunity to get required training for the next job are as important as the financial advantages. Educators' careers cannot be…

Assessing individuals' social and emotional (SE) knowledge, attitudes, and skills is a complex task. It requires careful consideration of the assessment purpose, rigor, practicality, burden, and ethics. Once you have considered these factors and have determined that you are, in fact, "Ready to Assess," you are ready to act and choose an…

The teacher's guide presents a set of eight lessons designed to help students develop the skills necessary for making responsible and effective decisions. The lessons focus on: (1) the need to make many decisions daily; (2) alternatives to decisions; (3) decisions based on values; (4) the future consequences of decisions; (5) decisions that are…

This paper presents an outline of a five-day program designed to introduce first-grade children to decision-making processes. Included in the paper are: (1) lists of assumptions, goals, and strategies; (2) a day-by-day outline of activities; and (3) a reader's theater script based on "The Legend of the Bluebonnet" for use by the…

Describes a classroom game simulating the American westward movement in 1850. Designed for junior high school students, emphasis is on making decisions, clarifying values, and understanding the conditions of those who moved to the West. (Author/CK)

Student leaders and campus activities professionals can use a variety of techniques to help college students develop skill in ethical decision making, including teaching about the decision-making process, guiding students through decisions with a series of questions, playing ethics games, exploring assumptions, and best of all, role modeling. (MSE)

Decision making should be viewed as a deliberate process that can be taught as a basic classroom skill. Common myths and problems surrounding decision making are discussed. The purpose of initiating decision making opportunities is to promote creativity, not conformity. Five suggested steps for the process are: (1) explore the many alternatives…

This paper evaluates a program for assessing and/or training choice-making skills as a means of providing opportunities for adults with profound mental retardation to express food and drink preferences. In Experiment 1, the assessment/training procedure involving repeated, paired-item presentations, resulted in active choice-making and the…

The Practicum consists of six projects involving students in a number of secretarial activities that promote the ability to work independently and excercise judgements in decision making. (Author/BP)

Contains two lessons designed to increase student precision thinking skills through a process of questioning, challenging, and revising given statements. Students formulate rules for classifying animals as either domestic or wild and then establish criteria for what is or is not an appropriate pet. (ML)