SIM News

New SIM Guidebooks!

• Writing with Purpose Routine


• Fundamentals of Paragraph Writing Strategy


• Coming Soon: SMARTER360: A Cycle of Instruction


• Coming Soon: FACTOR Strategy: Solving Binomials, designed to make complex algebraic skills more accessible to students with disabilities.

New Opportunity! SIM Professional Developers, are you interested in rejuvenating or expanding your SIM influence with support from a fellow SIM colleague? Learn more about our new mentorship program connecting Professional Developers from different areas.

Recent Publications by KU CRL Staff and SIM Network Members:

• Rowland, Amber & Mosher, Maggie & Smith, Sean & Lowrey, K. & Carreon, Adam. (2026). Mastering Social Skills With VOISS and VOISS Advisor: From Assessment to Real-World Application. TEACHING Exceptional Children. 10.1177/00400599261464915. 


• Rowland, Amber & Mosher, Maggie & Smith, Sean & Carreon, Adam & Goldman, Samantha. (2026). The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Research-Based Educational Products. Journal of Special Education Technology. 10.1177/01626434261498193.

More Resources and Media Picks:

• Dana McCaleb has shared an updated version of the Reasons to Install SIM presentation slides in SIMville.


• We've created a slide that you can add to your PD presentations for participants to learn more about SIM or join the SIM Educator Newsletter


•  Check out all of the Featured News from our Parent Organization, KU Life Span Institute. There is some great research happening to improve lives!
• NCII is now a part of the newly funded National Center for Academic Interventions (NCAI, still run by AIR). - Click here to see the 14 SIM Learning Strategies on NCII’s Academic and Behavioral Interventions Tool Charts.
• Read the newest blog post on Dr. Schumaker's Transcending Trauma website.
• This Oct. 28 EdWeek article, How AI Tools Halved This District’s IEP Prep Time, is worth a read for anyone working with IEPs.
• Season 2 of Sold a Story goes beyond examining reading challenges in the U.S. to looking at why Teaching is Always the Answer.

SIM in the Field

Reminders and Support:

• We've made the PD Reporting Form quicker (only 1-2 min.) - Don't forget to report your PD Work - we don't care if it isn't recent!

• Do you or your teachers need ideas on how to help get your professional learning funded? Visit: https://sim.ku.edu/funding-ideas

• We'd love to see more SIM in action!  Tag us in your posts or email your photos to simpd@ku.edu for a chance to be featured.

Events for SIM Professional Developers and Specialists:

SAVE THE DATES:

• Feb. 2027 - Winter Virtual SIM Update Conference

• July 2028 - SIM 50th Anniversary Conference - Lawrence, KS

FREE SIM Resources:

• SLANT (2nd Edition) Manual 

• Teaching Content to All Manual 

• Professional Learning Micro-credentials for teachers

• SIM CROSSWALKS

• 2025 SIM One-Page Flyer

• Handout with quick links to SIM resources (crosswalks and websites)

SIM Courses for Educators:

Course First! - Learn 4 SIM Content Enhancement Routines with this new online class designed to strategically integrate CERs across an entire course to support the full learning journey.

Supporting Adolescent Literacy for Successful School Change - A Six-Part Course Designed to Support School Teams in Implementing a Systematic Approach to Adolescent Literacy to Dramatically Impact Teacher and Student Performance

SIM Online Classes for Educators:

• Content Enhancement Routines:
  • Concept Comparison Routine
  • Concept Mastery Routine
  • Cross-Curricular Argumentation Routine
  • Framing Routine
  • Unit Organizer Routine
• Learning Strategies
  • Fundamentals of Paraphrasing and Summarizing Strategy
  • The Inference Strategy
  • The Paragraph Writing Strategy
  • Possible Selves Strategy
  • Sentence Writing Strategies (Fundamentals and Proficiency)
  • Understanding Academic Language
  • Word Mapping Strategy