For more than a decade, Palo Alto Unified School District has trusted Clicker to provide students with scaffolded writing support and empower teachers with ready-made resources they can use immediately.  

The district has consistently renewed and expanded its licenses over the years. It's a reflection of how valuable the tool has proven to be across classrooms. Most students access Clicker on iPads, while staff use Chromebooks. In 2025, the district added Clicker support to Windows and Mac to further extend teacher access. 

"We've been using Clicker for some years now," says Jen Dorwin, Assistive Technology Specialist at Palo Alto USD. "With Clicker, we all work with it whenever students need that extra writing support." 

How do you support every student - and every new teacher? 

Like many districts, Palo Alto USD is committed to inclusion. Students with disabilities are supported in general education classrooms whenever possible, while also receiving instruction in ESN classrooms. But with high turnover in ESN classes, new teachers were constantly stepping into complex roles.  

The district needed a tool that could quickly help staff support students with extensive needs - one that could: 

• Support participation in general education writing activities 

• Adapt to the needs of students with different disabilities, including autism, Down syndrome, and cognitive delays 

• Provide easy-to-use resources for new teachers with limited training time 

• Encourage student independence while reducing reliance on classroom aids 

The writing support that opened doors to general education 

Clicker quickly stood out as the right fit for Palo Alto's goals. 

"One of our big things is that we use Clicker as a scaffolded writing support," Jen explains. "We are an inclusion school district, so just having the ability to have our kids be in the general education classroom and participate in the writing opportunities at their own level - that's probably the biggest one." 

Clicker is used across a wide range of student IEP profiles: 

• Most commonly with students on the autism spectrum 

• With students with Down syndrome and other cognitive delays 

• With younger, mild-to-moderate students who may present with severe learning disabilities 

Teachers also appreciate Clicker's built-in supports, such as Clicker Books, pre-made sets, and sequencing activities, which make it easy to personalize instruction. "I always tell the teachers to find something in Clicker that works for that particular student," Jen shares. "I just try to show teachers a variety of options so they can personalize it to their students." 

Reduce 1:1 writing support while increasing student confidence 

Clicker has made a meaningful difference in both student engagement and teacher confidence. 

• Participation at all levels 
  Students can write and share ideas in general education classrooms, even if they are not yet able to type independently. 
  
• Scaffolds for independence 
  The goal of inclusion isn’t to create dependence but to open doors to self-sufficiency. That’s why tools that foster independence align so closely with the least restrictive environment. 
  
• Faster teacher adoption 
  The pre-made resources help new teachers, so they don't have to start from scratch. "You don’t have to make anything. That's always a nice thing to be able to say to teachers." 
  
• Simplicity without sacrifice 
  "We don't have another tool like Clicker… It does what it does. There aren't lots of layers that make it confusing. I always tell teachers it takes five minutes." 

Jen acknowledges that there’s a learning curve, but training makes a big difference. “It’s a tool that, with some training, can be brought into the classroom and used at a moment’s notice. Even after years of using it, when I go to a Clicker training, I still say, ‘Oh, that’s new.’” 

For Palo Alto, the biggest measure of success is what students can now do on their own. Many who once relied on constant one-to-one adult support are now writing independently in general education classrooms. That shift builds teacher confidence, frees up aids, and most importantly, gives students a sense of autonomy over their writing. 

Find out how you could use Clicker to building writing independence.