BHSSC SpEd Professional Learning Choice Board
Executive Functioning
Learn about how executive functioning plays a part in the day-to-day life of students with and without EF deficits. The session also provides simple tools that teachers can employ in order to help students with EF deficits succeed.
Target Audience: General Education and Special Education teachers; Related Service Providers
Offered on-site, virtually, or self-paced course
Full day or 2 half day training if on-site or virtual
“I liked how the video in the module went into great detail about how motivation energizes executive control. You need to motivate students in order to get them to do what they need to do.” – Participant from Louisiana
Paraprofessionals: Tools for Your Toolkit
With the increased need for paraprofessionals working in Special Education comes the need for focused training and PD specific for Paraprofessionals. There are eight competencies designed to provide paraprofessionals with the basic skills and knowledge required to carry out their job:
1)Understanding Disabilities
2)Roles and Responsibilities
3)Collaborating with teachers 4)Accommodations 5)Empowering students 6)Academic Instructional Strategies
7)Managing Behaviors
8) Data Collection
Target Audience: Paraprofessionals
Parallel modules available for teachers
Offered on-site, virtually, or self-paced course
Training time can be customized to fit your schedule
99% of participants said that they gained tools and learned techniques that they can apply within their work
97% of participants said that they found the training to be worthwhile and useful
Functional Skills
This online course covers the four areas of functional skills that are pertinent for special education students: including life skills, community-based skills, social skills, and functional academic skills. This course also covers best practices for writing measurable functional skills goals and connecting those to common core standards utilizing the connector standards.
Target Audience: General Education teachers, special education teachers, paraprofessionals.
Offered on-site, virtually, or self-paced course
Training time can be customized to fit your schedule.
Sensory Processing
Learn about the eight sensory processing areas, how to identify students with sensory needs, and implementing sensory activities and breaks in both the special education room and general classroom.
Target Audience: Special education and general education teachers
Offered on-site, virtually or self-paced course
Full-day training or 2 half-day trainings
“The biggest benefit for me as an OT will be that teachers are more aware of sensory processing and self-regulation. Additionally, the screening and documentation forms are great!” – Participant
Continuation & Coaching
This course will provide further support and coaching throughout the school year on making co-teaching successful in current and new classrooms. Each coaching session is tailored to the needs of the co-teachers.
General Education & Special Education Teachers
Offered on-site or virtually
Once a month hourly PLC format
Advanced Co-Teaching
During this course, teachers will learn more advanced co-teaching models they could implement. Breaking down the five common co-teaching models into 24 new implementation models. Teachers will learn how to implement each model and when should each model be implemented.
General Education & Special Education Teachers
Offered on-site or virtually
Once a month hourly PLC format
Building a Successful Continuum of Co-Teaching
This course will assist co-teachers and administrators with what their next steps are to implementing co-teaching. Teachers will learn about the first steps to creating a successful co-teaching team, including tools around planning, communication, preparing to teach together, and classroom expectations.
General Education & Special Education Teachers
Offered on-site or virtually
Once a month hourly PLC format
Co-Teaching Models
Co-teaching 101 consists of in-depth content around understanding the difference between the five most commonly used co-teaching models. Teachers will learn the different benefits, classroom layout, and video examples for each model.
General Education & Special Education Teachers
Offered on-site or virtually
Once a month hourly PLC format
Co-Teaching 101
Build your knowledge of the different components and benefits of co-teaching. Teachers will understand how to build the foundation of co-teaching, including planning, instruction, environment, assessment, and various benefits for both students and teachers.
General Education & Special Education Teachers
Offered on-site or virtually
Once a month hourly PLC format
Better Together: Collaboration 101
Build your knowledge of how to build a collaborative classroom and partnership. Teachers will learn the basic concepts around a collaborative classroom, including co-teaching models, scheduling, planning, and roles within the classroom.
General Education Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Paraprofessionals
Offered on-site, virtually, or self-paced course
Training takes approximately 2 hours
Data-Driven Programming and Decisions
Teachers will learn different techniques to collect data and how to use that data to drive instruction, student placement, and progress monitoring.
General Education Teachers, Special Education Teachers
Offered on-site or virtually
Training time can be customized to fit your schedule
Basic Psych Practices and Instruction
Students who receive Special Education often have difficulty learning, but have you ever wondered why? In this session we will review the psychological processes that research indicates have the most impact on learning. We will connect these processing areas to the disabilities that are most likely to be affected including Specific Learning Disabilities, Autism and ADHD. We will also review which areas can be remediated and in which areas students will need to learn compensation strategies.
Target Audience: General Education and Special Education Teachers, Related Service Providers
Offered on-site or virtually
Full day or 2 half day training
“I had three people text me today during your training to tell me how great you were. And they NEVER say anything!!!!” – Instructional Specialist in North Carolina
Intro to Functional Behavior Assessment
Students who receive special education for behavioral and emotional supports often exhibit behaviors that prevent them from success in the academic environment. Learn about conducting Functional Behavior Assessments and gathering informative data to develop an appropriate and effective behavior plan.
Target Audience: Special Education Teachers; Other service providers
Offered on-site, virtually, or self-paced course
Training time can be customized to fit your schedule
Comprehensive Assessment of District Special Ed. Programs
Students who receive special education for behavioral and emotional supports often exhibit behaviors that prevent them from success in the academic environment. This training will follow the session on Introduction to Functional Behavior Assessment and give you the basics on writing, implementing and monitoring behavior plans and provide you with effective strategies for preventing and responding to disruptive behaviors.
Target Audience: Special Education Teachers; Other service providers
Offered on-site, virtually, or self-paced course
Training time can be customized to fit your schedule
Behavior Intervention Plans
Implementing and maintaining an effective district Special Education program can be a demanding and complicated process. Within Special Education programs, there several indicators and variables that greatly impact district and building programs throughout the school years. The Comprehensive Assessment of District Special Education Program (CADS Program) was developed to evaluate the three key indicator areas, Program Effectiveness, Efficiency, & Data Usage; IDEA Requirements; and School Organization and Culture. Effectively evaluating these indicators will allow you and your staff to understand areas of strengths and opportunities for growth. Our Data Analysis and Root Cause approach with teams has lead to data driven improvements in district Special Education programs.
“The approach which BHSSC took with the data analysis allowed for self-discovery and awareness from each of our building level teams regarding their various performances and perceptions. This led to a purpose for the work that wasn’t initiated from district level administration; hence, the staff was on board, engaged and the outcomes were meaningful. Having building level teams own the data resulted in the development of achievable goals and action steps that have already been implemented and are initiating change throughout the district. The multiple visits throughout the school year ensured that the work was sustained and that the action steps were followed through with. This level of support has been instrumental in the continuous improvement goals that our district aims to achieve for our students with disabilities.” – Dr. Alan Demerat, Special Education Director, Sweetwater County School District #2
Classroom Behavior Management Systems
Learn about how executive functioning plays a part in the day-to-day life of students with and without EF deficits. The session also provides simple tools that teachers can employ in order to help students with EF deficits succeed.
Target Audience: General Education and Special Education teachers; Related Service Providers
Offered on-site, virtually, or self-paced course
Full day or 2 half day training if on-site or virtual
“The information about how to collect data was most important to me. I shook my head and wanted to shout YES when you stated collecting data was the hardest part.” – Teacher in South Dakota
Addressing Behavior Within Your Classroom
In this year-long monthly PLC format, you will learn a systematic way to address behaviors within your classroom. Topics include: classwide Behavior strategies, Selecting rewards and reinforcers, Talking to parents about behavior, Individual behavior interventions and data collection
General Education Teachers
Offered on-site or virtually
Once a month hourly PLC format
