Preconvention Workshops

Co-teaching is emerging as one of the strategies through which professionals hope to achieve the goals of the No Child Left Behind Act and IDEA. However, considerable confusion still exists regarding its structure, administration, and effectiveness. The purpose of this preconvention workshop is to offer those developing co-teaching programs and refining the quality of their programs research-based information on how to (a) create effective programs; (b) integrate quality instruction with co-teaching; (c) address sustainability; (d) conduct program evaluation; and (e) discuss other issues common in co-teaching.

Leader: Marilyn Friend, University of North Carolina, Greensboro

Response to Intervention (RTI) is being adopted in school systems across the country as the primary method for identifying students with learning disabilities. This workshop will explore critical aspects of the RTI process, moving past the basic ideas to explore effectiveness of RTI in school reform and sustainability. Topics will include teacher and administrator roles in RTI, scheduling options, and components of appropriate instruction and behavior management at all tiers in the pyramid.  The workshop is designed for practitioners who already have a basic understanding of the elements of RTI and are ready to implement the process at the school and/or district level.

Leader: Cara Shores, Wesley Educational Services, Cartersville, GA

School principals at all levels play an important role in the effectiveness of the planning and implementation of educational programs for children with disabilities. A principal’s knowledge of, and involvement in, the process makes all the difference in the world for a program’s success. "A Principal’s Guide to Special Education" speaks directly to individual principals. The presenters will discuss what principals must know in general about educational programs for children with disabilities and what to do, specifically in the building, to provide the proper leadership.

Leaders:  David F. Bateman, Shippensburg University, PA; C. Fred Bateman, Urban Superintendents Association of America, Chesapeake, VA

Educators look for authentic tools to provide secondary students with transition and career development experiences. Separately, service learning and oral history are successfully used to expand students’ academic skills into the community. This workshop will demonstrate how to blend service learning and oral history into authentic transition and career development skills.

Leaders:  LaVerne Albright Buchanan, TransCen, Inc., Rockville, MD; Cate Hart, Indiana University, Bloomington; Mary Lou Razza, University of Vermont, Burlington

(half-day workshop, 9:00 a.m. – noon)

Presenters from CEC’s Policy and Advocacy headquarters team will examine the impact of the new presidential administration on legislative initiatives to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, known now as No Child Left Behind; recent policies from the U.S. Department of Education on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act; how new NCLB and IDEA provisions affect each other; and how those initiatives impact special education professionals.  Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions and share their experiences based on new and pending federal policies for children. This preconvention workshop will be an invaluable asset for all special educators, administrators, related services personnel, higher education professionals, and others.

Leaders: Deborah Ziegler, Associate Executive Director, CEC Policy and Advocacy Services; Kim Hymes, Director, CEC Policy and Advocacy Services

The continued under-representation and under-service of children from culturally/linguistically diverse and economically disadvantaged families is a critical issue for the field of gifted education. This session will examine culturally responsive evidence-based practices around identification, programming, curriculum, social/emotional needs, families, and policies for gifted education. The day will move from theory into practice as we explore what we know about recognizing and meeting the needs of children who have been historically under-serviced in gifted education.

Leader: Mary Ruth Coleman, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Presenters:  Susan Johnsen, Baylor University, Waco, TX; Diane Montgomery, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater; Cheryll Adams, Ball State University, Muncie, IN; Tracy Cross, Ball State University, Muncie, IN; Gloria Taradash, Initiatives for Education, Albuquerque, NM;  Sneha Shah-Coltrane, North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, Raleigh, NC

In this workshop, participants will learn strategies for developing a CEC Special Education Preparation Program Recognition Report as a part of the NCATE accreditation process. Principles for and examples of performance-based program assessment systems will be presented. Strategies for assuring that program assessments align with the CEC Content Standards will be discussed. Examples and strategies for successfully completing the sections of the CEC Program Recognition Report will also be presented.

Reviewing CEC Program Reports on the Preparation of Special Education Professionals will also be offered on Wednesday. If you are interested in attending this portion of the training, please complete the CEC Reviewer Application and either send it to ProfDev@cec.sped.org or bring it with you to the workshop.

Leaders: Joni Baldwin, University of Dayton, OH; Christy Hooser, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston

In the height of standards-based reform and evidence-based instruction linked to assessment, special education teachers must emphasize linkage to general education curriculum outcomes for students with disabilities. However, there must also be a consideration of culture and language when planning specialized research-based instructional activities for students from diverse backgrounds. The use of differentiated instruction across all content area curricula expands the traditional models of instruction to address the unique learning styles of culturally and linguistically diverse learners in special education classes.

Leaders: Gloria D. Campbell-Whatley, University of North Carolina, Charlotte; Marva Gavins, Pfeiffer University, Charlotte, NC

Master the LCCE curriculum and use a proven transition curriculum based on classroom, home, and community environments. The curriculum is useful for middle school through high school populations. Participants will receive a copy of the LCCE Teacher’s Guide.

Leader:  Pat Burch, Farmington, MO

This workshop provides an overview of Response to Intervention (RTI) and information on mathematics progress monitoring tools for grades 1 through 3. The morning session provides an explanation and models of various research-validated mathematics interventions to use at Tier 1. The afternoon session continues with examples of increasingly intensive, research-validated Tier 2 mathematics interventions. (The Vanderbilt University Mathematics RTI Research Team is directed by Lynn S. Fuchs, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN.)

Leaders: Pamela M. Seethaler and Sarah R. Powell, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) supports curricula (goals, methods, assessments, materials) that increase the knowledge, skills, and enthusiasm for learning of all students. This workshop will explore UDL in instruction and the impact of the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS), with an awareness that barriers to achievement reside in the instructional environment, not students.

Leader: Skip Stahl, NIMAS Development Center, Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST), Wakefield, MA

Presenters: Tracey Hall, Joy Zabala, and Jenna Wasson, Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST), Wakefield, MA

This workshop will provide an in-depth look at strategies used to develop, implement, and sustain a research-based reading curriculum in North Carolina. Participants will discuss data related to student academic growth, personnel development, fidelity of implementation, and sustainability.  Successes, challenges, and lessons learned will be shared through stories, visuals, and even music—a truly multisensory experience!

Leaders: Angie Cloninger and Vickie Norris, North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, Raleigh

Obtain information regarding self-regulation, behavior, and social skill interventions for individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Participants will receive a framework that identifies individual needs in these areas and teaches them how to understand, analyze, act, and evaluate. Preliminary data on this model will be discussed as well as how to implement this framework with fidelity across special and general education settings.

Leaders: Brenda Smith Myles, Sherry Moyer, Ruth Aspy, and Barry Grossman, Ziggurat Group, Dallas, TX

Behavioral issues can weigh heavily on the climate of the classroom. This workshop will focus on the motivation behind the behavior and give educators real tools they can use the very next day. Participants will learn to recognize the function behind the behavior and build a behavioral intervention plan based on the reason behind the behavior, rather than their reaction to the behavior.

Leader: Laura A. Riffel, University of Kansas, Lawrence

(half-day workshop, 9:00 a.m. – noon)

Recognition and Response (R&R) is a translation of Response to Intervention (RTI) designed to improve teaching and learning for all, but specifically targeting three-to-five-year-olds who need additional supports to learn. Based on the results of a recently completed pilot study, this workshop provides hands-on activities and resources to help practitioners and administrators get started in implementing the three components of R&R—universal screening and progress monitoring, tiered interventions, and collaborative problem solving—in various types of early childhood programs.

Leaders: Virginia Buysse and Ellen Peisner-Feinberg, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Take an action-packed look at the effects an enriched environment has on the brain. Participants will experience the absolute “must-haves” in creating a classroom and school environment that positively changes the brains of all its learners. Teachers, administrators, and parents will walk away with instant strategies and ideas that will build better brains in every young learner. This highly active, empowering, and motivating day reveals the secrets of creating maximum change in young brains, regardless of their starting point.

Leader: John Almarode, University of Virginia, Charlottesville

(half-day workshop, 9:00 a.m. – noon)

This half-day workshop will clarify how to make decisions about accommodations, regardless of the type of testing under consideration. Presenters will start from the foundations of good instructional accommodations, then address various types of testing (e.g., curriculum-based, benchmark, formative, district, state) and how to make decisions about accommodations for each type. In addition, participants will learn how to advocate for accommodations that they believe are needed for district and state assessments.

Leaders: Martha Thurlow and Sheryl Lazarus, National Center on Educational Outcomes, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis