Get to Know TTAC

Providing professional learning, resources, and technical assistance to educators.

Mission

To assist schools in improving outcomes for students with disabilities.

Scope of Work

GMU TTAC assists the VDOE in its work toward the goals of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). TTAC staff provide high quality professional development and technical assistance, using research-based, evidence-based, effective, and/or promising practices, particularly focused on High Leverage Practices in Special Education (CEC & CEEDAR Center, 2017), designed to build capacity in schools and school divisions. GMU TTAC services aim to foster students’ access to the general curriculum, achievement in the least restrictive environment, and knowledge and skills to make progress toward graduation.

Funding

The GMU TTAC is funded by the Virginia Department of Education.

Additional Resources

GMU TTAC serves the 19 school divisions in Superintendent’s Region 4. This includes:

Alexandria
Arlington County
Clarke County
Culpeper County
Fairfax County
Falls Church
Fauquier County
Frederick County
Loudoun County
Madison County

Manassas
Manassas Park
Orange County
Page County
Prince William County
Rappahannock County
Shenandoah County
Warren County
Winchester

Review our full Service Delivery Framework here.

Ready, Set, Go!

A collaborative effort of the Virginia Department of Education Training and Technical Assistance Centers at George Mason University and James Madison University.

Please sign up to receive our Ready, Set, Go newsletters!

May 2023 | Empowering Youth with Disabilities: Fostering Competence, Autonomy, and Relatedness Through Self-Determination and the Use of High-Leverage Practices

April 2023 | High Achievers, High Anxiety?

March 2023 | Developmentally Appropriate Behavior Expectations: A Framework for Listening Closely to What Children's Behaviors Tell Us

February 2023 | Teaching Schwa: The Most Common Vowel Sound in the English Language

December 2022 | One Size Does Not Fit All (Augmentative and Alternative Communication, AAC)

November 2022 | Magnifying Morphological Awareness in Reading Instruction

October 2022 | Foundations of Teaching: High-Leverage Practices (HLPs)

September 2022 | Student Participation in IEP Meetings: Strategies to Increase Student Involvement

May 2022 | Grow from Solo: Collaborative Instructional Leadership

April 2022 | A Recipe for a Positive Learning Environment

March 2022 | What’s My Line? Elevating Sentence Writing Through Structured Literacy

February 2022 | Embedding Sensory Connections into Everyday Routines

December 2021 | Compassionate Family Engagement

November 2021 | Vocabulary: The Solution to Math Success

October 2021 | New Social Emotional Standards to Guide the New School Year

September 2021 | Hold on Tight: Accelerate Math Learning!

May 2021 | When We Know Better, We Do Better: What the Science of Reading Is Telling Us

April 2021 | Effective School Administrators = Successful Students and Schools

March 2021 | HLPs in Action From Lift off to Locating the Landing Zone: Families and Educators as Co-Pilots

February 2021 | HLPs in Action: Building a Strong Sensory Foundation to Create a Supportive Learning Environment

December 2020 | School to Work Transition: If it’s Broke, Fix it

November 2020 | Teacher Mentoring in Challenging Times

October 2020 | HLPs in Action: Literacy Legislation meets High Leverage Practices

September 2020 | HLPs in Action: Student Involvement in IEP Goal Development

May 2020 | Raising the Bar for Reading Instruction using High Leverage Practices

April 2020 | Social Emotional Learning: High Leverage Practices to Create Safe Learning Environments

March 2020 | Hands on! Strategies and Technology: Dyslexia Part II

February 2020 | A Most Specific Learning Disability: Dyslexia Part I Over the past several years, there has been an increased awareness and movement to improve outcomes for students with Dyslexia and Specific Learning Disabilities in the area of Reading in Virginia and across the nation.

Resource Spotlight

Just in time resources on timely topics!

May 2023 | Renew and Recharge Summer Resources

April 2023 | Spring 2023 SOL and VAAP Assessment Resources

March 2023 | High-Leverage Practices (HLPs) for Literacy and Mathematics Instruction

February 2023 | Using High Leverage Practices (HLPs) to Support Transition

January 2023 | Student Behavior Interventions and Supports

January 2023 | Positive Student Behavior Interventions and Supports (2nd Edition)

December 2022 | Educator and Family Well-Being Resources

November 2022 | Research-based Mathematics Instruction for All

October 2022 | Science-Based Reading Resources

September 2022 | Resources and Supports for Novice Special Educators

August 2022 | Back to School Resources for Success

View the Newsletter Archive

TTAC Online
Virtual Virginia
Virginia Department of Education
VCU Center on Transition Innovations
Virginia Family Special Education Connection
VCU Autism Center for Excellence
VCU TTAC (Regions 1 and 8)
ODU TTAC (Regions 2 and 3)
William and Mary TTAC (Regions 2 and 3)
JMU TTAC (Region 5)
Virginia Tech TTAC (Regions 6 and 7)
Radford TTAC (Regions 6 and 7)

Faculty and Staff

Linda Mason Endowed Director, Kellar Institute for Human disAbilities
Principal Investigator, TTAC Early Childhood
PhD, University of Maryland
Margaret Weiss Principal Investigator, TTAC School Age
PhD, University of Virginia
Mary Kealy Director, TTAC School Age
EdD, University of Massachusettes
Clare Talbert Associate Director of Technology, TTAC School Age
MEd, George Mason University
Karen Berlin Coordinator, Significant Disabilities; VTSS
MEd, Georgia State University
Boris Gafurov Programmer
PhD, Kazan State Medical University, Russia
Amber Gant Associate Director, Early Childhood Special Education Specialist
MS, East Carolina University
Melissa Gunter Coordinator, Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS)
MS, Longwood University
Jacqueline Kilkeary Early Childhood, LEADS Online Coordinator
April Lennox Coordinator, Literacy
MEd, Whitworth University
Diane Madden Coordinator, Literacy
MEd, University of Mary Washington
Catherine Martin Coordinator, Inclusion/High-Leverage Practices; Math
PhD, George Mason University
Patricia Morgan Coordinator, Secondary Transition
EdD, Liberty University
Alexandra Morris Coordinator, Early Childhood
MAT, Trinity Washington University
Seunghun Ok Online Administrator
MEd, George Mason University
Jennifer Sassano Coordinator, Literacy
MS, Old Dominion University
Megan Thompson Administrative Assistant
MS, George Mason University
Samit Vartak Programmer
MS
Geoffrey Weber Coordinator, Assistive Technology
MEd, GMU
Paul Yang Media Specialist
BA