Live Session #1 - Building Admins Are Your Friends!

Presenter: Colin Ripmaster, Associate Director at Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals and former principal at Mattawan High School

This live, informal discussion will focus on how to work with your building admins from an administrator's point of view.

Wednesday, October 4

5:00 - 6:00 pm eastern time

Live Session #2 –  You’ve Got This!

Presenter: Dr. Danielle Kovach, Special Education Teacher, Tulsa Trail Elementary School, Hopatcong, NJ 

This live, informal session will focus on teacher-to-teacher support with CEC's Immediate Past President Danielle Kovach. “I see you – I am you!” 

Wednesday, October 18

5:00 - 6:00 pm eastern time

Live Session #3 – What's Happening In Special Education

Presenter: Laurie VanderPloeg, Associate Executive Director for Professional Affairs, Council for Exceptional Children

Former OSEP Director Laurie VanderPloeg will lead a chat on the major issues facing our field today.

Wednesday, October 25

5:00 - 6:00 pm eastern time

Live Session #4 – Creating Meaningful and Measurable IEPs

Presenter: Let's Go Learn

Our amazing sponsor, Let's Go Learn, will walk JumpStarters through a FREE tool provided by LGL that makes your IEP writing even better!

You won't want to miss how to access and use this FREE tool. 

Wednesday, November 1

5:00 - 6:00 pm eastern time

Best Practices in Planning and Implementing Specially Designed Instruction (SDI)

Presenter: George Batsche, Ed.D.

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.

Essential Information for Developing Educationally Meaningful & Legally Defensible IEPs: Process & Content Suggestions

Presenter: Mitchell Yell, Ph.D.

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.

Mental Health, Trauma, and Resilience in BIPOC Youth: Strategies for Educators

Presenter: Janine M. Jones, Ph.D., NCSP, LP

This workshop will focus on promoting the resilience and well-being of diverse students in schools. You will learn how stress and trauma impact the learning capabilities of youth in school. You will understand the concept of resilience in a cultural context and will be able to recognize the silent struggles of Black, Indigenous, and other youth of color (BIPOC) as threats to resilience. You will learn how resilience can be cultivated and unlock the potential of historically marginalized learners. Research-based approaches and effective strategies for school personnel will be presented.

Tools for Teachers: Delegating Instructional Tasks to Paraeducators

Presenters: Ritu Chopra, Ph.D. & Peggy Yates, Ed.D.

With continued emphasis on inclusive practices, paraeducators are increasingly relied upon as an integral part of instructional service delivery for students with disabilities. However, research consistently reveals that the effective use of paraeducators depends largely on the leadership and direction provided by the teacher. Incorporating paraeducators into the instructional planning and delivery process requires that several considerations be made.  This workshop provides guidance to teachers for designing lesson plans that paraeducators can effectively implement; ideas for implementing a process for building the paraeducator’s knowledge and skills in instructional delivery; and ways to improve the facilitation of differentiated instruction using a paraeducator as an instructional aid