Learning to Achieve Professional Development Information
What is Learning to Achieve Professional Development?
Learning to Achieve is professional development based on the most recent rigorous research on Learning Disabilities (LD) and provides a standard set of modules for face-to-face and online training for teacher professional development. It addresses core concepts like LD definitions and self-advocacy as well as special topics, such as English language learners and LD and the neuroscience of learning. Learning to Achieve is designed to help adult education professional developers, teachers, and other human service partners understand learning disabilities in adults, including the neurobiological processes of learning, explicit instruction techniques, and support mechanisms needed for adults with LD in educational and workplace settings.
What are the purposes of the professional development?
To develop the capacity of state and local professional developers, trainers, and teacher mentors to deliver research-based professional development to increase the achievement of adults with learning disabilities.
To provide tools to increase teacher effectiveness in providing services to adults with learning disabilities.
What are the professional development options?
There are two professional development options:
- State and local professional development sessions presented by national or local trainers who have successfully completed the Learning to Achieve Train-the-Trainer Institute.
- Independent, on-demand, self-paced online learning modules
All options use the same research-based materials.
Who is the target audience for the professional development?
The state and local professional development is intended for program level instructional and support service personnel. The online modules are intended for all of the audiences mentioned here.
What online learning opportunities are available?
Those who would like to learn more on their own at their own pace can access the four online modules at https://courses.lincs.ed.gov. Note: You will need to create an account to enroll in the courses. Certificates of Completion will be provided within the LINCS Learning Portal.
Participants in the Learning to Achieve Train-the-Trainer Institute will be required to complete three online modules, Accommodations, LD and English Language Learners, and Neuroscience, prior to attending the institute.
Participants attending a Learning to Achieve state and/or local professional development event will be required to successfully complete the online module about Accommodations prior to the training event. The other online modules may be incorporated as desired by the state and/or local sponsoring entity.
Are companion resources available?
Three documents are available for download in PDF format from the LINCS website:
Learning to Achieve: A Professional’s Guide to Educating Adults with Learning Disabilities
How is Learning to Achieve different from the STudent Achievement in Reading (STAR)?
The U.S. Department of Education’s STudent Achievement in Reading (STAR) project focuses exclusively on helping adult educators teach reading more effectively to intermediate-level adult learners while Learning to Achieve addresses a broad array of instructional as well as other issues relevant to adults with LD. Although the content and materials of the two professional development training opportunities are not explicitly linked, they are complementary and apply the same reading research findings as in Learning to Achieve’s Reading Disabilities and Explicit Instruction for Strategy Learning modules. STAR participants may find the online module on Neuroscience particularly useful. States may choose to participate in STAR or Learning to Achieve or both.