JumpStart Kick-Off Session:  Presenters: Danielle Kovach, Ed.D. and Kareem Thompson, Ed.D.  Wednesday, October 13th 5:00-6:00 pm ET  

• Presenters will welcome the JumpStart program participants and give a brief overview of how to get the most out of the program, resources and opportunities to engage with peers and presenter/experts.  

• Dani Kovach will provide a motivational kick off (teacher-to-teacher), provide professional guidance—including a few things she wished she’d known or done in her first few years as a special educator. Kareem Thomson will share some of his experiences (as an administrator) about common challenges he’s seen for new teachers and what strategies he suggests to his own team members to mitigate those challenges. Discussion will also include critical special education hot topics and expected challenges in the wake of students returning to the classroom during the ongoing pandemic. 

Date & Time TBD

• Program check-ins to see how you are doing with content and application of lessons learned
• A program wrap-up with Danielle & Kareem

This workshop delivers exactly what special educators need to know to consistently develop educationally meaningful and legally defensible IEPs. When legal challenges arise regarding the provision of FAPE to a student with a disability, the appropriateness of the student's IEP becomes the primary focus.  In fact, the U.S. Supreme Court has referred to the IEP as the "centerpiece" for ensuring that a free appropriate public education (FAPE) is provided to all students with disabilities.  In reviewing an IEP, courts and due process hearing officers apply a two-pronged legal test that examines both the procedural and substantive aspects of IEP development.  In this workshop we will explore the essential considerations for the process of IEP development and essential content considerations for IEPs. 

This session will outline key considerations for district and building leaders, educators and school-employed mental health professionals (e.g., school counselors, school psychologists and school social workers) to guide efforts that  support students’ social and emotional well-being upon reentry in Fall, 2021. Participants can use these considerations to help guide planning and decision making using an inter-disciplinary approach.

Specially-Designed Instruction (SDI) is instruction that is evidence-based to reduce or remove barriers to learning for students with disabilities.  Four factors are strongly related to the acceleration of performance in students with disabilities:  level of inclusion, standards-aligned instruction, standards-aligned IEPs and integrated lesson planning.  Students with disabilities have a teaching “team” unlike many typically learning students.  The integration of the scope, sequence and pacing of instruction across the tiers by the multiple members of the teaching “team” must be aligned.  This session will focus on the use of a framework and protocols to ensure the integration of instruction across providers.  A framework, protocols and step-by-step process will be presented and practiced.

During the pandemic, many families and caregivers participated in the education of their child, collaborating with teachers, and learning strategies.  Families gained a greater understanding of their child’s strengths and needs and bring a wealth of knowledge to a collaborative partnership.  The start of the school year is an important time to develop relationships with families and tap this expertise to enhance students’ outcomes.  Join us for an informative and interactive session where we will explore ways to collaborate with families at the start of the school year.  High Leverage Practices that create meaningful partnerships will be shared. 

• Part 1: Using Student Assessment Data: Collecting and Selecting
  
  The first letter in DBI is also the first thing you need—Data. Collecting data using reliable, valid assessments allows you to understand where students are and where they need to go. Once you have established a student’s strengths and needs, you can use this data to set goals, plan instruction, and implement individualized strategies. 
  
  After this workshop, you’ll be able to answer these questions: 
  • What sort of data is important to collect, and how do you collect it? 
  • What does the data tell you about potential supports or barriers to students’ achievement? 
  • What goals should you set for students based on their present levels of performance? 
  • How do you determine a goal that’s reasonable, but ambitious?
     
• Part 2: Using Student Assessment Data: Evaluating and Adapting
  
  You’ve collected data and implemented instructional strategies, but how will you know if your students are improving? Continually using data to adjust your instruction is an essential piece of the DBI process. Learn how to monitor student progress, evaluate your strategy’s effectiveness, and determine what adjustments you may need to make to further support your students. 
  
  After this workshop, you’ll be able to answer these questions:
  • How do you know if a dosage of intervention is appropriate and intense?
  • What modifications/adjustments might you make to a lesson to match a particular student’s needs, without compromising fidelity?
  • At what point should you consider discarding a strategy, and how would you select a new one? 

Understanding the science of behavior and a step-by-step process for assessing and supporting behavior can help new special educators more effectively support students with intensive behavioral needs. This 2-part module will support educators with understanding and assessing behavior and then using that information to create and implement effective individualized behavior support plans. New special educators will learn how to effectively participate in and lead a team-based, culturally and contextually relevant assessment and implementation process.

• Part 1: Understanding and Assessing Behavior
  • Recognizing when students need individualized support 
  • Understanding behavior as communication 
  • Basics of assessing behavior 
  • Teaming for individualized support  
• Part 2: Developing and Implementing Individualized Behavior Plans
  • Creating individualized behavior support plans 
  •  Implementing behavior support plans  
  • Assessing and adjusting behavior support plans

In this workshop, presenter Dr. Jackson provides participants with strategies to create a positive classroom culture—but what does that really mean? This workshop will include information and actionable strategies for new special educators to employ classroom management techniques that—when implemented well--will ultimately lead to increased student engagement, allow for increased positive behaviors, and create a more inclusive learning environment for students.  

In this workshop, Dr. Marilyn Friend (our favorite co-teaching guru) provides actionable practices, strategies, and tactics to establish and maintain effective relationships with colleagues. Become a stronger team member by understanding your role (and what it isn’t!) in an effective co-teaching partnership, and better understand various co-teaching models and strategies so you can adapt your approach with confidence.