During distance learning, weekly check-ins can help teachers develop relationships with their students and stay connected. For students, check-ins can increase their emotional awareness, as well as their abilities to represent and express thoughts and feelings. Check-ins can also give students opportunities to advocate for themselves because they are asked what they need to be successful. For teachers, weekly check-ins provide insight on how students are feeling and what support they may need for academic and social-emotional skills. This resource was developed by Kerry Hayes Trotta, Etmi Lopes Martins, Kendra Haggerty, Maryann Reilly, Michelle Silvia, and Amy Burns, educators, and administrators at Robert F. Kennedy Elementary School in Providence, Rhode Island. It includes a tip sheet and an example weekly check-in form.

Progress monitoring is an essential part of a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) and, specifically, the data-based individualization (DBI) process. It allows educators and administrators to understand whether students are responding to intervention and if adaptations are needed. In addition, these data are often used to set high-quality academic and behavioral goals within the individualized education program (IEP) for students with disabilities. With the closure of schools due to the COVID-19 pandemic, educators and administrators need to rethink how they collect and analyze progress monitoring data in a virtual setting. This collection of frequently asked questions is intended to provide a starting place for consideration.

This activity was developed by Etmi Lopes Martins, school psychologist at Robert F. Kennedy Elementary School in Providence, Rhode Island. This lesson includes a tip sheet and a video tutorial that demonstrates how to create and implement the 5-point scale in a virtual setting. A 5-point scale is a simple social and emotional learning tool that can help students with self-management. To learn more about self-management and the 5-point scale, visit NCII’s behavioral strategy guide.

This activity was developed by Michelle Silvia, reading coach at Robert F. Kennedy Elementary School in Providence, Rhode Island. This lesson illustrates the use of Elkonin boxes in a virtual setting and includes three variations. Elkonin boxes are an instructional method used to build phonological awareness by segmenting words into individual sounds or phonemes. Elkonin boxes are commonly used in the early elementary grades or with students who need additional phonics interventions. This lesson includes a tip sheet as well as PowerPoint templates that can be used to support the use of Elkonin boxes in virtual settings by allowing the student to click and drag a "token" on the screen. The examples illustrate variations for use with tokens, letter tiles, and word building

At-home learning requires increased independence for students. With no bells signaling the beginning or end of class and no teacher leading the class for each subject, students must follow a virtual schedule. Within these schedules, students are responsible for accessing the appropriate links to class sessions and work activities. In addition, students often must populate usernames and passwords—most of which are unique for each different site or task.