For Teachers

TACT is a FREE tool for ALL Tennessee teachers to help support ALL students with concussion and mild traumatic Brain Injury.

TACT Overview video by Dr. Karen McAvoy. Follow this link to listen and learn.

TN Teachers Get Started Using TACT Now:

Password: TACTtennessee2020

Questions logging into TACT? Contact TN TBI Program Director, Ashley Bridgman at 615-741-1230 or Ashley.N.Bridgman@tn.gov.

Follow this link to learn a little more about the Teacher Acute Concussion Tool (TACT). Delivered directly to your email "inbox" TACT provides 4-week specific classroom strategies tailored to your teaching style, content area, environmental and student.

Want more? Brain Links Team is available for consultation, resources and professional development training at no cost. Contact Brain Links.

Watch the video recording of Brain Links TACT Demonstration of the 2021 Partners in Education (PIE) 2021 Conference, Free Concussion Tool for All Tennessee Educators.

Symptom Tracker: Track Symptoms, pain level changes, what provokes and what helps. Good information to take back to the healthcare provider.

Concussion-Brain Injury Alert & Monitoring Form: For use in academic, school nurse or case manager file to serve as a reminder of the TBI. Also alerts others who may start working with the child.

504/IEP Accommodations & Modifications in the Classroom for a Student with a TBI: Each section is broken down into helpful categories - developed by the Center on Brain Injury Research & Training (CBIRT).

CBIRT Goals: Sample goals for students with TBI.

Post-Concussion Academic Accommodation Protocol: Most students who sustain a concussion return to pre-injury functioning within 3–4 weeks of their injury. However, symptoms will linger beyond this time in approximately 10–20% of concussions. When this happens, the school team must continue academic adjustments and physical restrictions for a longer time. Symptoms might continue for weeks or even months. It is best practice for a school district to have a system in place by which a student can be evaluated for additional services (e.g., Section 504 plan, special education). A school-wide academic accommodation protocol for students with concussions or brain injuries can be effectively implemented in most schools using the following progression.

Special Education Network & Inclusion Association (SENIA): Traumatic Brain Injury and Learning with guests Drs. Melissa McCart and Sondra Marshall who are experts in the field of TBI, disscuss the implications of a TBI on learning. Visit CBIRT's Return to School Webinars, Tips and Tools

Factsheets for Educators & Professionals: Colorado Kids with Brain Injury site is designed to provide educators and professionals with practical information that can be used to identify and provide appropriate services to children with a brain injury. The following information is located within this section.

** TBI Identification Protocol: Information and documents related to how to identify a student with a traumatic brain injury.

** Manual: This will connect you with the Brain Injury in Children and Youth: A Manual for Educators which includes information on neuroanatomy, developmental stages, assessing functional behavior, learning implications and intervention strategies as they relate to youth with a brain injury.

** Building Blocks: The Building Blocks of Brain Development framework aligns the typical impacts of brain injury, a wide range of suggested assessment tools, and intervention strategies for students with acquired brain injury.

** Concussion Info: Provides information on Colorado legislation, resources and the Concussion Guidelines Manual.

** Resources: A list of brain injury resources within the state and nation.

Colorado Building Blocks of Brain Development: Learn about the Colorado Building Blocks of Brain Development. The building blocks included represent typical areas of processing/learning and those that are commonly affected by brain injury. The Building Blocks of Brain Development framework is provided as a general guideline for educators and professionals. It was developed as a beginning “reference point” for professionals working with students where a brain injury is suspected or known to be present. The framework offers a wide range of suggested assessment tools and intervention strategies for students with brain injury (as well as other conditions impacting neurocognitive functioning). It is essential to use the tools appropriately and in accordance with guidelines and follow all licensing and training parameters when using this resource.

While this online framework provides the neuroeducational evaluation tools. There is also a manual, available electronically, that defines and fully illustrates each building block, called the Brain Injury in Children and Youth: A Manual for Educators. It is available for free on the CDE website: http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdesped/sd-tbi and the homepage: https://cokidswithbraininjury.com/). The manual provides a detailed explanation of how each building block may be effected in the school setting if a brain injury occurs. In addition, an extensive list of accommodations, strategies, and interventions for each building block are provided in the manual.

The HEADS UP to Schools: Online Concussion Training for School Professionals is designed to help classroom teachers (grades K-12), school administrators, paraprofessionals, teachers' aides, and other staff who work with students understand:

How a concussion may affect a student’s learning, emotions, and behavior.
How to identify and monitor signs and symptoms of concussion.
How to help students successfully return to school and recover from a concussion.

This free training will take about 45-60 minutes to complete. It features easy-to-follow information with knowledge checks and illustrated case studies that showcase a variety of scenarios to help you apply the information presented and achieve the key learning objectives of the course.

Check out the CDC HEADS UP trainings on concussion:

ResourcesFor Teachers