PLEASE NOTE: THERE ARE 2 OPTIONS FOR SUBSTANTIALLY SEPARATE AND SPECIAL EDUCATION LEADERSHIP
Option 1: CREST is hosting 3 full-day sessions (please note locations) CREST lunch option is at the bottom of this section. If you are attending one of the full day options, you must purchase lunch using the paypal button. If you are attending the Chelmsford location, you will be purchasing onsite the day of the workshop.
FDSSSL1: Enhancing Special Education Practices @ 5 Branch Street, Methuen, MA
AUDIENCE: Team Chairs, Sub-Separate, & Sp. Ed. Administrators
Topic: This workshop is designed for special educators in their first five years and for more experienced special educators looking to refresh and reflect on their current practices. The workshop will provide special educators an opportunity to refine their skills in the areas of: Eligibility determination, Writing comprehensive educational assessments, Writing high quality IEPs, designing and describing specialized instruction, Effective communication, consultation, and collaboration, and Co-Teaching models of instruction to support effective inclusion
FDSSSL2: Introduction to Universal Design for Learning (UDL) @ Northern Essex Community College, 100 Elliott St, Haverhill, MA
Audience: General Education Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Administrators
Topic: Educators and administrators aspire to build great systems in a landscape of barriers. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is one model that addresses those barriers and provides options for effective and inclusive educational platforms. Learners will establish a solid understanding of Universal Design for Learning through exploration, application and discussion. Each participant will have the opportunity to practice and apply UDL principles that strengthen their instructional skills and improve outcomes for students and staff.
FDSSSL3: Using Autism Curriculum Encyclopedia (ACE) ® Skills, Lessons, and Data to Build an MCAS-ALT Portfolio @5 Branch St, Methuen, MA
Audience: Current ACE-users, Sub-Separate Special Education Teachers, Team Chairs, and Administrators
Topic: This workshop is designed to allow current ACE users to work hands-on independently, and with the guidance from ACE trainers in order to select MA entry point skills to meet the needs of your learners, select ACE lesson plans to teach those skills, and identify instruction and evidence that will contribute to the MCAS-Alternate Assessment Portfolios. Users should come with MCAS-ALT materials and personal internet-enabled devices. The workshop chairs will be available for the duration of the workshop to answer questions.
Option 2: Workshops held at Chelmsford
Session 1: 8:30-10:00
SLSS1 Top 10 Tips for Team Chairpersons: Running Effective and Efficient Team Meetings
Team meetings can be daunting and occasionally contentious. They don’t need to be. This workshop will focus on strategies team chairpersons can use to facilitate team meetings that follow process, are time efficient and work towards resolution. When teams are not in full agreement, next steps alternatives will be explored and discussed including options with the BSEA (mediation, resolution meeting, due process, etc.) and creative thinking to IEP development. Presentation will also discuss the role of advocates in the team process and strategies for working with them to assist the process.
SLSS2 Relationships Matters
Sub-Separate Special Education Teachers undoubtedly work with some of the most challenging students. Statistics prove that staff turnover, as well as burnout, is prevalent with this population of educators. In recent years, countless hours and dollars of professional development has poured into foci areas such as student choice, differentiated instruction, growth mindset, zones of regulation, and last but not least, SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING. But what happens when you focus on relationships? Alternative education has been at this for years….but how? Please come join three out-of-district alternative/special educators and learn how to ignore the “noise” surrounding the student and make relationship building the main priority. At Valley, once a real relationship is built between students and staff, we literally climb mountains.
SLSS3 Tech tools for survival: Using Google platform to assist special education team
Google Apps for Education is a platform that can help revolutionize your productivity, collaboration, and communication with your special education teams. Learn more about the tech tools that can make your life more efficient and effective.
SLSS4 Understanding the NEW NG-MCAS Accommodations & Accessibility Guidelines
This presentation will provide information on the accessibility and accommodations policy for 2018–2019 MCAS tests, including high school tests and retests. Participants will learn about participation in the computer-based test, the Student Registration/Personal Needs Profile, TestNav (the computer-based testing platform), selection of accommodations, and important actions to take before spring test administration.
SLSS5 Climate Control: Strategies for Facilitating Effective Team Meetings
Are you interested in learning strategies that you can apply in a Team meeting that will help foster a collaborative climate? In this workshop, we will target specific skill sets that will help you accomplish this. We will explore the following concepts: verbal/non verbal communication, de-escalation techniques, building consensus, and maintaining a neutral stance. This interactive workshop will include small and large group work, partner work and role play. ”
SLSS6 Inclusion Strategies for sub-separate students
Come learn about inclusion strategies and accommodations for students who have thinking skill deficits and often need a substantially separate classroom as a home base. Many students often have difficulty in the inclusion setting due to deficits in executive functioning, emotional regulation, cognitive flexibility, language processing, and social skills. We will present how to identify when a child may be ready to begin inclusion, how to start the transition, how to identify when a student may be overstimulated, and strategies and accommodations for teachers to implement so that all students can find success in the inclusion setting.
SLSS14 Preparing and Supporting Students with Disabilities for the Post-secondary and College World
As students who have received services on IEP’s and 504 plans enter the post-secondary arena, the need for collaboration and communication between sending high schools and receiving colleges and universities is imperative. High School personnel (Special Ed. Leaders, Team Chairs, and Sub-Separate Teachers) want to begin the process of preparing their students and their families for this successful transition. Current information on the guiding laws, process, and procedures to access accommodations in the post-secondary settings, as well as ways that the high school can foster their student’s independence, metacognition and self-advocacy skills, can make all the difference in the student’s success. Workshop attendees will gain an understanding of the difference between services and accommodations for students from K-12 to college/post-secondary and how best to prepare their students for success. Form more info: https://goo.gl/82wiKa
Session 2: 10:15-11:45
SLSS7 Networking
Session 3: 12:45-2:15
SLSS8 Top 10 Tips for Team Chairpersons: Running Effective and Efficient Team Meetings
Team meetings can be daunting and occasionally contentious. They don’t need to be. This workshop will focus on strategies team chairpersons can use to facilitate team meetings that follow process, are time efficient and work towards resolution. When teams are not in full agreement, next steps alternatives will be explored and discussed including options with the BSEA (mediation, resolution meeting, due process, etc.) and creative thinking to IEP development. Presentation will also discuss the role of advocates in the team process and strategies for working with them to assist the process.
SLSS9 Relationships Matters
Sub-Separate Special Education Teachers undoubtedly work with some of the most challenging students. Statistics prove that staff turnover, as well as burnout, is prevalent with this population of educators. In recent years, countless hours and dollars of professional development has poured into foci areas such as student choice, differentiated instruction, growth mindset, zones of regulation, and last but not least, SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING. But what happens when you focus on relationships? Alternative education has been at this for years….but how? Please come join three out-of-district alternative/special educators and learn how to ignore the “noise” surrounding the student and make relationship building the main priority. At Valley, once a real relationship is built between students and staff, we literally climb mountains.
SLSS10 Tech tools for survival: Using Google platform to assist special education team
Google Apps for Education is a platform that can help revolutionize your productivity, collaboration, and communication with your special education teams. Learn more about the tech tools that can make your life more efficient and effective.
SLSS11 The NEW MCAS Accountability System and the Impact of Lowest Performing Groups
Come to learn about the NEW MCAS Accountability System with Erica Gonzales from DESE. Erica will also answer questions on how the newly titled “Lowest Performing Subgroup” impacts the district’s and school’s accountability.
SLSS12 Climate Control: Strategies for Facilitating Effective Team Meetings
Are you interested in learning strategies that you can apply in a Team meeting that will help foster a collaborative climate? In this workshop, we will target specific skill sets that will help you accomplish this. We will explore the following concepts: verbal/non verbal communication, de-escalation techniques, building consensus, and maintaining a neutral stance. This interactive workshop will include small and large group work, partner work and role play. ”
SLSS13 Inclusion Strategies for sub-separate students
Come learn about inclusion strategies and accommodations for students who have thinking skill deficits and often need a substantially separate classroom as a home base. Many students often have difficulty in the inclusion setting due to deficits in executive functioning, emotional regulation, cognitive flexibility, language processing, and social skills. We will present how to identify when a child may be ready to begin inclusion, how to start the transition, how to identify when a student may be overstimulated, and strategies and accommodations for teachers to implement so that all students can find success in the inclusion setting.