Assignment of Professional Development for Non-licensed Personnel
ArkansasIDEAS accounts are assigned according to the individual's designation in the Arkansas Educator Licensure System (AELS). There are two types of designations in AELS, Non-Licensed and Certified Teacher.
- Certified teachers have access to all courses available from ArkansasIDEAS.
- Non-Licensed accounts have a limited number of courses available.
Before assigning ArkansasIDEAS professional development courses to non-licensed personnel, please check the list below. If the course is not listed, it is unavailable to non-licensed account holders. As more courses are made available, this list is updated, so be sure to check back periodically.
Attention: Individual courses cannot be added to non-licensed accounts, nor can non-licensed accounts be upgraded to certified teacher or given access to the Certified Teacher Audience courses. This is based on intellectual property rights and copyrighted materials provided by subject matter experts at the time the course was created.
Using Evaluation Data to Plan for Specially Designed Instruction
This course utilizes High-Leverage Practices 4, 5, and 6 to provide the learner with an overview of the types of data that a special education teacher will use when planning specially designed instruction, emphasizing the importance of using a variety of assessment techniques to evaluate students with special needs. Learners will delve into how a special education teacher, along with members of the IEP team, can effectively communicate assessment results to families and collaborate with them to create a well-designed IEP that reflects the student’s strengths and areas of need. Finally, the course will address how data is used to determine special education eligibility, inform instructional practices, and monitor progress.
Choose Tomorrow: Youth Suicide Awareness & Prevention
This course provides educators with a comprehensive understanding of youth suicide awareness, prevention, and response. It emphasizes the importance of recognizing warning signs, understanding risk and protective factors, and taking immediate, appropriate action when students are in crisis. Through expert discussions, real-world scenarios, and personal stories, the course highlights the critical role of relationships and communication in preventing suicide. It also addresses the growing influence of technology, including both its risks and its potential as a prevention tool. Educators are guided on how to respond to crises, support grieving communities, and foster safe, connected school environments. A central message throughout is that small actions such as listening, asking directly, and showing care can save lives. Ultimately, the course reinforces that building a supportive school culture is one of the most powerful ways to protect student mental health.
This course meets the suicide awareness and prevention components of ACA 6-17-708.
Working Together: Building Meaningful Family and Community Engagement in Arkansas Schools
Family and community engagement is a critical component of student success and a shared responsibility among schools, families, and communities. When schools move beyond surface-level involvement and build meaningful partnerships, students experience stronger academic outcomes, improved behavior, and greater overall well-being. But effective engagement does not happen by chance; it requires planning, clear communication, and a commitment to collaboration.
In this course, host Freddie Scott from the Arkansas Department of Education guides viewers through the legal foundations and practical strategies that support meaningful family and community engagement in Arkansas schools. Through expert insights and real-world examples from educators across the state, participants will explore how to build trust with families, implement effective communication practices, create inclusive opportunities for involvement, and leverage community resources to support student learning. From understanding the requirements of engagement plans to seeing how schools bring those plans to life, this course highlights both the “what” and the “why” behind effective engagement.
This course meets the family and community engagement requirements of ACA 6-15-1703.
Unveiled: Daisy Bates and Johnny Cash
This Arkansas history course is based on the documentary Unveiled: Daisy Bates and Johnny Cash. The documentary traces Arkansas’s decision to replace its statues in the U.S. Capitol with figures who better reflect the state’s values and lived experiences, ultimately choosing civil rights leader Daisy Bates and musician Johnny Cash. It follows the artists selected to create the statues and shows how their personal histories and artistic philosophies shaped the work. The film then explores the early lives of Bates and Cash, highlighting how poverty, loss, and injustice influenced their paths and motivated their lifelong service to others. Through civil rights leadership and music, both figures used their voices to uplift people and confront hardship. The story concludes with the unveiling of the statues in Statuary Hall, emphasizing their lasting impact on Arkansas, the nation, and the importance of honoring those who shaped history through courage, resilience, and compassion.
This course meets the scheduled Arkansas history requirements as set forth in the Rules Governing Professional Development and required by ACA 6-17-703.Safety First: Securing Arkansas Schools
Keys to Literacy: Strengthening Sentence and Paragraph Skills to Improve Student Writing
Writing is a critical skill for academic success, yet many teachers feel underprepared to teach it effectively. As a result, writing is often not consistently integrated across the curriculum, despite its important role in helping students think critically, communicate clearly, and learn more deeply.
This first course in the two-part series on Keys to Literacy focuses on three foundational skill areas: sentence construction, paragraph development, and the use of transitions. The course emphasizes evidence-based instructional practices, including explicit instruction, differentiation techniques, and scaffolds designed to support diverse learners.
Designed for classroom teachers of all subjects, as well as instructional coaches and interventionists, this course provides practical, classroom-ready resources to help students become more proficient writers.
High-Quality Instructional Materials, Part Four: Ongoing Implementation Support for Leaders
In order for school districts to see the results they wish to achieve with their high-quality instructional materials, it is important that they faithfully implement the curriculum over a long period of time. In this fourth and final course from the High-Quality Instructional Materials series, hosts Christina Muñoz and Alyson Courtney sit down with leaders in education from the Arkansas Department of Education and other organizations throughout the nation to discuss how to best educate and support school leaders so that they can understand the purpose and structure of the district's curriculum, as well as provide teachers the kind of support that will lead to long-term implementation. In addition, viewers will hear from leaders at two Arkansas school districts as they share what their years-long implementation journey has been like and what lessons they have learned along the way.
High-Quality Instructional Materials, Part Three: Ongoing Support for Teachers
How can schools keep high-quality instructional materials working well long after they’re adopted? This course dives into how teachers and leaders can get the ongoing support they need to use their materials effectively. You’ll hear from experts and Arkansas district teams on practical ways to align curriculum with professional learning, use data to guide instruction, collaborate across schools, and keep teaching strong year after year. The course will also cover how to tailor training to different teacher needs, build sustainable systems of support, and make sure students benefit from high-quality instruction in every classroom.
High-Quality Instructional Materials, Part Two: Initial Implementation
After the adoption of high-quality instructional materials (HQIM), schools face the task of implementing it. Change can be difficult, so in this second course from the High-Quality Instructional Material series, hosts Christina Muñoz and Alyson Courtney sit down with leaders in education from the Arkansas Department of Education and other organizations throughout the nation to discuss the benefits of implementation and how district and school leaders can be a force in that change. Additionally, leaders from Jonesboro Public Schools share their experience of the implementation of HQIM in their schools.
High-Quality Instructional Materials, Part One: Introduction, Background, and Adoption
What counts as high-quality instructional material? Why is it important for schools to adopt high-quality materials? Get the answers to these questions and more in the first of four courses dedicated to helping districts adopt and implement instructional resources that will lead to the academic gains they want to see in their student population. This course is designed to inform educators who are in the very beginning process of adopting or considering the adoption of high-quality instructional materials (HQIM).