Special Education Professional Development and Resources

Tennessee Technical Assistance Network (TN-TAN)

The Tennessee Technical Assistance Network (TN TAN) provides school districts, administrators, educators, and families FREE access to high-quality technical assistance, resources, and supports to improve outcomes for students with disabilities, ages 3-22. The network provides supports in the following areas:

• Assistive Technology- The Assistive Technology Project (ATP) assists districts and staff in building capacity to provide assistive technology supports for students with disabilities Supports include strategic action planning, professional development, direct coaching for staff, and access to AT equipment lending libraries for assessment trials.
• Autism- TRIAD at Vanderbilt University Medical Center provides training, consultation, and coaching services designed to support educators in their classrooms and develop school and system-wide supports to address needs specific to students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
• Intensive Behavior- TRIAD at Vanderbilt University Medical Center provides technical assistance for complex behavior support needs and associated training.  Supports include direct instruction for staff on behavior assessment and intervention implementation, as well as ongoing coaching to help students engage within their least restrictive environments.
• Preschool- AnLar assists in building capacity and systems to support meaningful access to preschool for students with disabilities. Supports include strategic action planning, professional development, leadership coaching, preschool program evaluation and support implementing evidenced-based practices in inclusive settings.
• RTI^2-A + RTI²-B-The Tennessee Tiered Supports Center assists districts and schools as they build and implement an aligned student support system. The center provides training, coaching, and resources for building an aligned framework for tiered academic and behavioral supports.
• Secondary Transition- Transition Tennessee at Vanderbilt provides support to transition stakeholders to ensure that all transition-aged students (14-22) with disabilities in TN have quality transition plans and access to the best opportunities, instruction, supports, and services to achieve their postsecondary goals.

Go to https://tn-tan.tnedu.gov for resources and to request services provided by the network.

For general inquiries, contact Special.Populations@tn.gov or TN-TAN at TN-TAN@utk.edu.  

Additional TDOE Funded Supports Across Tennessee 

• Family Engagement Project- The Arc of TN's Family Engagement Project works collaboratively with families, schools, and districts across the state to increase family engagement in Special Education. If your district is interested in learning more about the free supports they provide, please visit their website at https://familyengagementtn.com.