Available Modules
Professional development certificates are available for the IRIS STAR Legacy Modules listed on this page. You can read a more detailed description of each module by clicking on its title. When you have selected the module(s) for which you would like to earn a certificate, click Add to Cart. You will receive an email confirmation after you have completed the checkout process.
If you do not already have a IRIS account, you will be prompted to set one up during the checkout process. When you have done so, a menu will appear in the top right corner of the site, allowing you to view your account. From there, you can take the pre-test to begin your professional development or continue where you left off on a previous visit.
- Addressing Challenging Behaviors (Part 1, Elementary): Understanding the Acting-Out Cycle
PD Hours: 2.5
$0- Understand why educators need to be able to effectively address challenging behaviors
- Be familiar with how culture can influence challenging behaviors
- Be familiar with the seven phases of the acting-out cycle
- Be able to recognize the behavioral characteristics associated with each phase of the acting-out cycle
- Understand how to appropriately respond to students in different phases of the acting-out cycle
The first in a two-part series, this module discusses challenging behavior in terms of the phases of the acting-out cycle and offers strategies and tips for responding to students in each phase.
By completing the entire Perspectives & Resources section and reviewing the accompanying activities, the learner will:
- Understand how challenging behavior negatively affects the classroom environment
- Recognize the importance of using strategies to address challenging behavior
- Be familiar with using low-intensity strategies to address challenging behavior
- Be familiar with using differential reinforcement of alternative behavior to address challenging behavior
- Identify appropriate use of strategies in video examples and non-examples
The second in a two-part series, this module describes strategies that teachers can implement to prevent or address challenging behaviors.
By completing the entire Perspectives & Resources section and reviewing the accompanying activities, the learner will:
- Distinguish accommodations from modifications and instructional strategies/interventions
- Describe how instructional and testing accommodations help students with disabilities gain access to the general education curriculum and to assessments
- Understand the responsibilities of the IEP team, including the role of teachers, for making accommodation decisions for students with disabilities
- Select appropriate accommodations that address barriers presented by a student’s disabilities and take into account her or his learning goals
- Identify how teachers can ensure that students receive the greatest (maximum) benefit from accommodations
- Use objective data to determine an accommodation’s effectiveness
This module overviews instructional and testing accommodations for students with disabilities, explains how accommodations differ from other kinds of instructional adaptations, defines the four categories of accommodations, and describes how to implement accommodations and evaluate their effectiveness for individual students (est. completion time: 2 hours).
Objectives
By completing this module and reviewing its accompanying activities, you will be able to:
- Understand that the strengths and needs of students with ASD vary greatly
- Be aware of the early signs of ASD
- Know the difference between a medical diagnosis of ASD and an educational determination of autism
- Be able to identify key IEP and IFSP team members
- Understand various factors that might affect family members of students with ASD
- Be familiar with strategies that teachers can use when working with students with ASD
This module provides information on the early signs of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), as well as an overview of the difference between a medical diagnosis and an educational determination of ASD. Resources include notes on instructional considerations for teachers who have children and students with ASD in their classrooms, as well as things to keep in mind when working with the families of those children and students (est. completion time: 2 hours).
Module Objectives
By completing this module, learners will:
- Know the defining characteristics of ASD
- Identify the four steps educators and practitioners can use to make an informed decision when selecting an EBP
- Be familiar with EBPs that are effective for children and youth with ASD
- Understand how and when to use the five evidence-based practices that are referred to as foundational strategies
- Distinguish between focused interventions and comprehensive treatment programs
This module, second in a two-part series, highlights strategies that have been shown to be effective in teaching appropriate behaviors and skills and decreasing inappropriate behaviors with children and youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It next explores several strategies that are particularly effective with young children, elementary and middle school students, and high school students.
Module Objectives
By completing the entire Perspectives & Resources section and reviewing the accompanying activities, the learner will:
- Know more about the diversity of students in today’s classrooms
- Be able to describe five ways in which diversity influences student learning
- Be able to identify some of the considerations for teaching in a diverse classroom
This module offers a broad overview of how diversity (i.e., culture, language, exceptionality, and socioeconomic status) affects learning and how teachers can better meet the needs of all their students in their classes (est. completion time: 1 hour).
Module Objectives
By completing this module, learners will:
- Understand how disruptive behavior negatively affects instruction and learning
- Understand the importance of comprehensive classroom behavior management
- Recognize that classroom behavior management should align with the broader school-wide behavior management system
- Be familiar with how culture can influence behavior
- Be aware of key concepts related to behavior and foundational behavior management practices needed to implement comprehensive classroom behavior management
This module overviews the effects of disruptive behaviors as well as important key concepts and foundational practices related to effective classroom behavior management, including cultural influences on behavior, the creation of positive climates and structured classrooms, and much more (est. completion time: 2 hours).
Objectives:
After completing the module, learners will:
- Classroom Behavior Management (Part 2, Elementary): Developing a Behavior Management Plan
PD Hours: 2
$0- List the core components of a comprehensive classroom behavior management plan
- Describe the key features of each of those components
- Understand how to develop, teach, and implement these components
- Consider how culture influences student and teacher behavior
- Develop the components of a comprehensive classroom behavior management plan in a culturally respectful and sustaining manner
- Develop a personalized comprehensive classroom behavior management plan
This module reviews the major components of a classroom behavior management plan (including a statement of purpose, rules, procedures, consequences, a crisis plan, and an action plan) and guides users through the steps of creating their own classroom behavior management plan (est. completion time: 2 hours).
Objectives
After completing this module, learners will:
- Classroom Behavior Management (Part 2, Secondary): Developing a Behavior Management Plan
PD Hours: 2
$0- List the core components of a comprehensive classroom behavior management plan
- Describe the key features of each of those components
- Understand how to develop, teach, and implement these components
- Consider how culture influences student and teacher behavior
- Develop the components of a comprehensive classroom behavior management plan in a culturally respectful and sustaining manner
- Develop a personalized comprehensive classroom behavior management plan
Developed specifically with middle and high school teachers in mind (e.g., 6th-12th grade), this module reviews the major components of a classroom behavior management plan (including rules, procedures, and consequences) and guides users through the steps of creating their own classroom behavior management plan (est. completion time: 2 hours). The module is a companion to Classroom Behavior Management (Part 1): Key Concepts and Foundational Practices.
Objectives
By completing the entire Perspectives & Resources section and reviewing the accompanying activities, learners will:
- Recognize strategies that improve reading comprehension
- Understand the purpose, components, and implementation of Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR)
- Be able to effectively implement the CSR approach
This module outlines Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR), a strategy for helping students to improve their reading comprehension skills. In CSR, students work together in small groups to apply comprehension strategies as they read text from a content area, such as social studies or science (est. completion time: 1 hour).
Module Objectives
By completing this module, learners will:
- Understand how a teacher’s own culture can influence his or her teaching
- Be able to describe what it means to provide culturally responsive instruction
- Recognize how linguistic diversity may influence school outcomes for students
- Understand the importance of family involvement in school
This module examines the ways in which culture influences the daily interactions that occur across all classrooms and provides practice for enhancing culturally responsive teaching (est. completion time: 1 hour).
Module Objectives
By completing this module, learners will:
- Understand the key elements of differentiated instruction
- Be able to differentiate instruction based on students’ readiness level, interests, and learning needs
- Be able to differentiate instruction for three main instructional components: content, process, and product
- Have the knowledge to evaluate and grade differentiated products
- Be able to prepare their students and their classrooms for differentiated instruction
- Take the first steps toward implementing differentiated instruction
This module discusses the importance of differentiating three aspects of instruction: content, process (instructional methods), and product (assessment). It also explores the student traits—readiness level, interest, and learning profile—that influence learning (est. completion time: 3 hours).
Module Objectives
By completing this module, learners will:
- Be able to describe young children who are dual language learners
- Better understand the importance of maintaining children’s home languages at the same time they are learning English
- Understand the importance of collaborating with families of young children who are dual language learners
- Be able to list considerations for screening and evaluating young dual language learners with disabilities
- Be able to identify strategies for supporting young dual language learners with disabilities
This module offers an overview of young children who are dual language learners. Further, it highlights the importance of maintaining children and families’ home language at the same time they are learning a new or second language, discusses considerations for screening and assessing these children, and identifies strategies for supporting them in inclusive preschool classrooms (est. completion time: 1 hour).
Module Objectives
By completing this module, learners will:
- Be able to describe the importance of establishing classroom rules for young children that align with the behavior expectations of the school
- Understand the guidelines for effectively developing and displaying rules for early childhood environments
- Be able to identify different strategies for teaching and reinforcing rules for young children
- Understand the importance of communicating with families about rules and expected behaviors
This module includes information on how to create developmentally appropriate behavior rules for early childhood classrooms so that they link to a given school’s behavior expectations. The importance of communication with families about rules and expected behaviors is also stressed (est. completion time: 1.5 hours).
Module Objectives
By completing this module, learners will:
- Be able to define and describe the difference between the physical, social, and temporal environments of an early learning program
- Be able to explain why a well-designed physical, social, and temporal environment benefits all young children
- Understand unique considerations in arranging an infant/toddler environment
- Understand the importance of adapting environments to meet the unique needs of young children with disabilities
- Be able to describe how families and teachers can work together to create environments that nurture and support the development of all children
This module offers information on how to set up effective inclusive early childhood classroom environments for young children. It also provides details about the interrelated physical, social, and temporal components of those environment, as well as adaptations to help teachers meet the needs of children with disabilities (est. completion time: 1 hour).
Module Objectives
By completing this module, learners will:
This module addresses the importance of engaging the families of students with disabilities in their child’s education. It highlights some of the key factors that affect these families and outlines some practical ways to build relationships and create opportunities for involvement.
- Functional Behavioral Assessment: Identifying the Reasons for Problem Behavior and Developing a Behavior Plan
PD Hours: 2
$0- Be able to identify the function of problem behaviors
- Understand how to design individual behavior plans based on the functions of problem behaviors
- Know how to implement and evaluate individualized behavior plans
This module explores the basic principles of behavior and the importance of discovering the reasons that students engage in problem behavior. The steps to conducting a functional behavioral assessment and developing a behavior plan are described (est. completion time: 2 hours).
Module Objectives
By completing this module, learners will:
- Be able to identify the components of high-quality mathematics instruction
- Understand how to assess whether mathematics curricular materials are standards-based
- Be familiar with evidence-based instructional strategies for teaching mathematics
- Be able to recognize effective classroom practices that promote and support the implementation of high-quality mathematics instruction
This module describes the components of high-quality mathematics instruction: a standards-based curriculum and evidence-based strategies. It also highlights several effective practices teachers can use to teach mathematics (est. completion time: 1 hour).
Module Objectives
By completing this module, learners will:
- Identify the purpose and components of a high-quality IEP
- Understand key procedural and substantive requirements of a high-quality IEP
- Recognize the most common procedural and substantive errors made by IEP teams
- Describe how a high-quality IEP is developed around the unique needs of each student
- Identify the elements of a high-quality PLAAFP statement
- Explain how to develop challenging, ambitious, and measurable goals
- Identify the elements that should be included in a statement of the individualized services and supports to be provided to a student
- Explain the importance of documenting a student’s progress toward meeting his or her IEP goals and reporting that progress to parents
This module details the process of developing high-quality individualized education programs (IEPs) for students with disabilities. The module discusses the requirements for IEPs as outlined in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) with implications of the Supreme Court's ruling in Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District * (est. completion time: 3 hours).
*The content addressed in this module is based on federal law and regulations. State and local education agencies may have additional requirements. The information in this document is not intended to be a replacement for careful study of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and its implementing regulations.
Objectives
By completing the entire Perspectives & Resources section and reviewing the accompanying activities, you should be able to:
- IEPs: How Administrators Can Support the Development and Implementation of High-Quality IEPs
PD Hours: 2
$0- Understand the legal implications regarding the education of students with disabilities
- Understand the administrator’s role in overseeing the IEP process for students with disabilities
- Understand the key procedural and substantive requirements of developing and implementing a high-quality IEP
- Describe the actions that a school administrator should ensure happens prior to and during an IEP meeting
- Discuss the actions that an administrator should take to ensure services and supports outlined in the IEP are implemented with fidelity
- Explain the importance of documenting a student’s progress toward meeting his IEP goals and reporting that progress to parents
Specifically designed with school administrators in mind, this module offers guidance on how to support and facilitate the development and implementation of high-quality IEPs, including the monitoring of student progress (est. completion time: 2 hours). Note: The content addressed in this module is based on federal law and regulations. State and local education agencies may have additional requirements. The information in this document is not intended to be a replacement for careful study of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and its regulations.
Objectives
By completing the entire Perspectives & Resources section and reviewing the accompanying activities, you should be able to:
- Inclusion of Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities: Supports in the General Education Classroom
PD Hours: 2
$0- Recognize the value of inclusive education for students with significant cognitive disabilities.
- Explain the importance of general education curriculum access for all students.
- Understand the types of services and supports that can be used to support students with significant cognitive disabilities.
- Describe strategies to address the instructional and communication needs of students with significant cognitive disabilities in inclusive environments.
This module describes the benefits of including students with significant cognitive disabilities in general education classrooms. It also offers information on how teachers can plan for and teach these students in inclusive classrooms.
By completing the entire Perspectives & Resources section and reviewing the accompanying activities, the learner will:
- Have an understanding of the MTSS/RTI framework as it applies to mathematics
- Be familiar with the main features or components of MTSS/RTI
- Be able to identify the differences in instruction at each tier
- Understand the importance of making data-based instructional decisions
This module describes the MTSS, or RTI, framework as applied to mathematics. It includes discussions of how MTSS and RTI are related, as well as a description of instruction, assessment, and data-based decision making at each level of intensity: Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3.
By completing the entire Perspectives & Resources section and reviewing the accompanying activities, the learner will:
- The Pre-Referral Process: Procedures for Supporting Students with Academic and Behavioral Concerns
PD Hours: 1
$0- Understand the purpose of the pre-referral process
- Recognize and be able to describe the six stages of the pre-referral process
This module highlights the benefits of the pre-referral process—a preventative approach that can eliminate inappropriate referrals to special education—and outlines the six stages most commonly involved in its implementation (est. completion time: 1 hour).
Module Objectives
By completing this module, learners will:
- Identify the different types of classroom assessments
- Understand how progress monitoring, in particular general outcome measurement (GOM), can inform instruction
- Administer, score, and graph GOM measures
- Evaluate student data to make informed instructional decisions
- Use graphs to facilitate communication with student, parents, and other educators
This resource introduces users to progress monitoring in mathematics, a type of formative assessment in which student learning is evaluated to provide useful feedback about performance to both learners and teachers.
Module Objectives
By completing the entire Perspectives & Resources section and reviewing the accompanying activities, you should be able to:
This module introduces users to progress monitoring in reading, a type of formative assessment in which student learning is evaluated to provide useful feedback about performance to both learners and teachers (est. completion time: 2 hours).
- Be able to define related services
- Be able to describe who can provide related services and how they can be delivered
- Be able to identify and describe some of the related services most commonly used in schools
This module offers a description of related services and an overview of the benefits they provide to students with disabilities in the general education classroom. It highlights five commonly used related services (Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech-Language Pathology Services, Social Work Services, and Psychological Services) and briefly highlights many of the other related services as identified through IDEA ’04 (est. completion time: 1 hour).
Module Objectives
By completing this module, learners will:
- Acquire knowledge about the discrepancy and response-to-intervention (RTI) models
- Understand the benefits of RTI
- Acquire knowledge about different approaches to RTI
- Learn about one model of RTI and how to implement it
This module outlines the differences between the IQ-achievement discrepancy model and the Response-to-Intervention (RTI) approach. It also offers a brief overview of each tier in the RTI model and explains its benefits (est. completion time: 1 hour).
Module Objectives
By completing this module, learners will:
- Have a grasp of the available options regarding assessment and identification for RTI
- Understand the assessment process at each tier in the RTI approach
- Know how to interpret the assessment data and make informed instructional and placement decisions
This module explores in detail the assessment procedures integral to RTI. It also outlines how to use progress monitoring data to determine whether a student is meeting the established performance criteria or if more intensive intervention is needed (est. completion time: 2 hours).
Module Objectives
By completing this module, learners will:
- Be able to recognize the fundamental elements that support successful RTI implementation
- Understand how to coordinate assessment procedures and high-quality reading instruction within the RTI approach
- Have an understanding of other factors that influence the effective implementation of RTI
This module synthesizes the information in RTI (Parts 1, 2, and 3) to provide teachers and other school personnel with a more comprehensive illustration of how to successfully implement RTI (est. completion time: 3 hours).
Module Objectives
By completing this module, learners will:
- Secondary Reading Instruction (Part 1) Teaching Vocabulary and Comprehension in the Content Areas
PD Hours: 1.5
$0- Understand the importance of effective vocabulary and effective comprehension instruction in content areas
- Be able to develop effective vocabulary instruction within content learning
- Know how to enhance student’s reading comprehension in content areas
This module describes how teachers can incorporate vocabulary and reading comprehension skills instruction into content-area lessons and overviews a variety of effective practices—including the use of graphic organizers—to help students better understand what they read (est. completion time: 1.5 hours).
Module Objectives
By completing this module, learners will:
- Secondary Reading Instruction (Part 2): Deepening Middle School Content-Area Learning with Vocabulary and Comprehension Strategies
PD Hours: 1.5
$0- Understand why many middle school students struggle with content-area reading
- Be able to implement strategies to support multisyllabic word identification and increase vocabulary knowledge
- Know how to help students gain a deeper understanding of content-area texts
This module examines some of the reasons that adolescents struggle with content-area text and overviews effective strategies teachers can use to improve the vocabulary and comprehension skills of students with a wide range of abilities and across a variety of subjects (est. completion time: 1.5 hours).
Module Objectives
By completing this module, learners will:
- Secondary Transition: Helping Students with Disabilities Plan for Post-High School Settings
PD Hours: 1
$0- Be able to define secondary transition
- Have the knowledge to identify the components of secondary transition planning
- Be able to explain why it is important to involve the student with disabilities in transition planning
This module focuses on the transition process from high school to post-secondary settings. Among other topics, it discusses IEP planning, engaging students in the process so as to become better advocates for their own needs, and the importance of outside agencies such as vocational rehabilitation (est. completion time: 1 hour).
Module Objectives
By completing this module, learners will:
- Be able to define interagency collaboration
- Be able to identify the stages of interagency collaboration
- Be able to explain how interagency collaboration supports the transition of students with disabilities
This module defines and discusses the purpose of interagency collaboration and addresses the importance of partnering with agencies to improve outcomes for students with disabilities who are transitioning from high school (est. completion time: 2 hours).
Module Objectives
By completing this module, learners will:
- Understand the benefits of student-centered transition planning
- Be able to identify ways to involve students in collecting assessment information and developing goals
- Be better equipped to prepare students to take a leadership role in their IEP meetings
- Be able to identify strategies to actively involve students in evaluating their progress towards meeting IEP goals
This module will help users to better understand the benefits of student-centered transition planning, identify ways to involve students in collecting assessment information and developing goals, and be able to prepare students to actively participate in their own IEP meetings (est. completion time: 2 hours).
Objectives
By completing the entire Perspectives & Resources section and reviewing the accompanying activities, the learner will:
- Understand self-regulation techniques
- Know when and where it is appropriate to use self-regulation strategies
- Be able to list and describe four major types of self-regulation strategies
- Be able to describe the steps used to implement each of these self-regulation strategies
This module describes how teachers can help students stay on task by learning to regulate their behavior. The four strategies discussed are self-monitoring, self-instruction, goal-setting, and self-reinforcement (est. completion time: 1.5 hours).
Module Objectives
By completing this module, learners will:
- Be able to describe what a strategy is
- Understand what strategy instruction is and what its benefits are
- Be able to list the steps used to implement strategy instruction
- Understand how self-regulation improves the use of a strategy
This module features the Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) model, which outlines the six steps required to effectively implement any instructional strategy and emphasizes the time and effort required to do so (est. completion time: 1 hour).
Module Objectives
By completing this module, learners will:
- Be able to define English language learner
- Understand levels of language proficiency
- Know instructional strategies that are effective when teaching English language learners
- Understand the implications for assessing English language learners
This module helps teachers understand second language acquisition, the importance of academic English, and instructional practices that will enhance learning for English Learners (est. completion time: 2 hours).
Module Objectives
By completing this module, learners will:
- Universal Design for Learning: Creating a Learning Environment that Challenges and Engages All Students
PD Hours: 2.5
$0- Understand the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
- Be able to apply the Universal Design for Learning principles to the components of a curriculum
This module examines the three principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and discusses how to apply these principles to the four curricular components (i.e., goals, instructional materials, instructional methods, and assessments) (est. completion time: 2.5 hours).
Module Objectives
By completing this module, learners will:
