Professional Learning Initiatives

CAST works closely with educators across the country to meet the needs of diverse learners through Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Participants learn to apply UDL principles and flexible digital technologies to improve curriculum, instruction, and course materials. CAST's professional learning specialists tailor services to meet participants’ unique needs at the classroom, school, district and state level. Initiatives include:

  • Massachusetts Department of Education—Over three-years, teams of parents, special educators and general educators from across the state are participating in institutes focused on improving emergent literacy in the primary grades, especially among students with cognitive disabilities in inclusive classrooms.
  • Center for Leadership in Education (CLE)/School Districts in Lorain County, OH—With funding from the Nord Family Foundation, CAST has worked with CLE, a professional development services provider, to build their capacity to provide UDL training. Leadership teams of educators and administrators from several school districts in Lorain County have participated in pilots of the professional learning services.
  • New York Department of Education and Vocational & Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID)—CAST has provided professional learning, consultation, and technical assistance services to state-level administrators and regional trainers, training to selected district teams, and consultation on the development of a video teacher-training module about UDL that is used across the state. The Technology Resources for Education (TRE) Center is a state resource for UDL, providing links to videos, UDL training materials, lessons, and much more.
  • Kentucky Statewide UDL Initiative—CAST provides ongoing training, consultation, and technical assistance to school leaders who are implementing UDL in curriculum planning, professional development, and classroom use of digital textbooks that have been transformed by CAST. One hundred middle schools are participating in the multiyear initiative.
  • Louisiana Statewide UDL Initiative—Since 2002 CAST has provided ongoing training, consultation, and technical assistance to K-20 school leaders who are implementing UDL in curriculum planning, professional development, teacher preparation and classroom implementation. This statewide initiative is jointly sponsored by the Louisiana Department of Education and the Louisiana Board of Regents.
  • CAST and Lincoln Way SERRC Professional Development Initiative —The CAST workshop for the Lincoln Way SERRC , serving Ohio's Columbiana, Stark, and Wayne counties, focuses on incorporating Universal Design for Learning into educational practice and differentiating instruction to increase educational opportunities for all learners.
  • New Jersey State Initiative to Improve Middle School Math Achievement CAST is working with thirteen school districts in a four year (2007-2011) NJ Department of Education-funded grant to ensure that all students – including students with disabilities, those who are struggling, and English language learners – attain the necessary level of proficiency identified in the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards in mathematics. The grant, Implementing New Curricular Learning with Universally Designed Experiences (INCLUDE), provides training and resources to help educators improve their students’ academic achievement by adopting and implementing the principles of Universal Design for Learning. Each district is required to establish a minimum of eight general-education mathematics classes, while building a high degree of content competence in the standards-based math program. A key component of the grant calls for the creation of Inclusive Practice Teams. By the end of the grant, these teams will have successfully modeled how systemic change in education practice can by accomplished in a school district by establishing an inclusive, success-oriented environment.
  • Preparing New Teachers to Expand Instructional Approaches for Reaching All High School Students — With funding from the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations and in collaboration with three universities [(Salem State College (MA), The Metropolitan State College of Denver (CO), and Boston College (MA)] CAST is developing and piloting two online modules that introduce the theory, principles, and application of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to teacher candidates so that they are better prepared to address the diverse needs, challenges, and strengths of their high school students.
  • Promoting Achievement through Technology and INstruction for all Students (PATINS) is “designed to impact both the organizational capacities of local public schools and the professional capabilities of school staff in the delivery of assistive technology services and the implementation of Universal Design for Learning Principles.” In addition to exploring ways to extend learning opportunities to special-needs students through assistive technology, PATINS has also embraced a UDL statewide initiative that now has pilot sites in 22 Indiana schools. CAST has worked with PATINS since 1999.
  • Read-With-Me eBooks Instructional Approach to Emergent Literacy —With initial funding from the Carl and Ruth Shapiro Family Foundation, John W. Alden Trust, and the Esther B. Kahn Foundation, CAST is developing and implementing a research-based emergent literacy digital storybook curriculum for 3-4 year old children to prepare them to enter kindergarten with the requisite literacy skills.  Central to this curriculum are rich, early literacy experiences that increase the ability of preschool educators and parents to engage in high-quality interactions that support the development of children’s literacy. The innovative digital and downloadable print storybooks and curriculum materials will be made available for free to teachers and parents on CAST’s website in 2008-2009. To learn more about this initiative, contact Dr. Peggy Coyne.