Caveat Classroom · Professional development
Your first 90 days
in special education.
Week by week through the first 90 days for teachers new to special education, emergency certificates included: caseload, IEPs, data, paras, behavior and meetings.
Why a week-by-week course
Many special education positions are filled by teachers who are new to the field or still completing certification, often after the year has started and with a caseload someone else built. The first weeks decide whether deadlines are met and plans are carried out. This course follows the real calendar: each two-week unit teaches what that stretch of the job needs and ends with something you do on your own caseload.
What it is not
It is not a license or certification and claims no credit toward licensure or any state's requirements; your district and state decide how it counts. Legal topics are explained in general federal terms under IDEA and FERPA. Your state and district may set different or stricter rules, and they come first. It does not replace your supervisor, your mentor, your district's procedures or the IEP team.
The thirteen weeks
Six units, one every two weeks, the last covering weeks 11 to 13. Each has three lessons with worked examples, practice with instant feedback, a scenario short response and a module exam.
- Weeks 1 and 2Your caseload, your paperwork and your calendarBuilding your caseload roster; The paperwork map; Your compliance calendar.On your calendar: Build your roster and put every annual review, reevaluation and progress-report date on a calendar.
- Weeks 3 and 4Reading an IEP and carrying it outThe parts of an IEP; Accommodations versus modifications; Getting the IEP to the people who carry it out.On your calendar: Read each IEP in five minutes, and send every general education teacher an IEP at a glance.
- Weeks 5 and 6Data collection and progress monitoringWhat makes a goal measurable; Collecting data you can use; Progress monitoring and progress reports.On your calendar: Start a weekly probe for every goal and graph it, so the first progress report writes itself.
- Weeks 7 and 8Working with paraprofessionals and general education teachersDirecting paraprofessionals; Partnering with general education teachers; Scheduling your week.On your calendar: Give each paraprofessional a written plan, and hold a ten-minute planning check-in with each co-teacher.
- Weeks 9 and 10Behavior basics and family communicationBehavior basics: function and prevention; Responding in the moment and documenting; Communicating with families.On your calendar: Make a positive first contact with every family, and start ABC notes for any behavior that gets in the way.
- Weeks 11 to 13Meetings, reevaluations and staying in the jobRunning an IEP meeting; Reevaluations and the three-year cycle; Caring for yourself and asking for help.On your calendar: Run your first annual reviews three weeks early, plan this year's reevaluations, and take stock at day 90.
How it works
- Self-paced on any device; progress is saved in the browser, with a download to move it.
- About 13 hours in all with practice and module checks, spread across your first thirteen weeks.
- Scenario questions drawn from the job: a missed annual review, a schedule ten minutes short, a family asking for a one-to-one aide.
- Pass the final exam with 70 percent or higher to print a certificate of completion with a verification code.
- Free with Caveat staff access: staff on a school license start it without paying.
First 90 Days
The full course and its certificate for one teacher.
Buy now adds the course to your cart; check out with a card. With staff access, the button opens the course.
Tools the course uses
The weeks on paperwork and data point to two Caveat Classroom tools, each sold separately and free with staff access: the Compliance Calendar for your caseload's dates and Caveat Progress Monitor for weekly probes, graphs and decision rules. Any district system that does the same job works too.
For more on goals and present levels, Writing Strong IEPs goes deeper, and the free IEP goal builder drafts a measurable goal to bring to your mentor or supervisor.
For special education directors
A Caveat school license gives every staff member this course and the other professional development courses without a per-person charge. For a cohort of new or emergency-certified teachers across buildings, request a quote and say how many teachers you are supporting. The certificate shows the teacher's name, the course, the modules and lessons, the final exam score, the date and a verification code; to confirm one, send those details to team@caveatacademic.com.
First 90 Days is general professional learning. It is not legal advice, claims no credit toward licensure, and does not replace district procedures, a student's IEP or the direction of your supervisor.
The other branches
One brand. Seven branches. Every grade, every next step.
For studentsCaveat AcademySelf-paced courses for grades 6 to 12, from full-year classes to AP and SAT prep.
For parentsCaveat Co-OpHomeschool from kindergarten to grade 12, courses for parents, and tools for IEPs and 504 plans.
For college-bound students and familiesCaveat CollegeCollege credit in high school, the college list, applications, paying for college and the move to college.
For families with questions about learningCaveat LensScreeners for grades 1 to 8 that help you decide whether to ask for a full evaluation.
For social-emotional learningCaveat CaresFeelings, friendships and self-regulation, for students, families and teachers.
For career exploration and readinessCaveat CareersA free Career Explorer, career pathways and electives, and getting ready for a first job.
The Caveat Family Guide to College is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Each college decides admission, aid and how credit counts, and requirements change; check each college's own pages. Examples are examples, not promises. Caveat Academic Services is an independent college preparation company. Students do all of their own work.