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- February 2019 Agenda
February 2019 Agenda
We are excited to announce the following topics for this year's event.
Keynote Speakers
Morning Keynote: Developing a Climate and Culture of Shared Responsibility
Tuesday, February 12, 2019 9:15 AM - 10:15 AM
A culture and climate of shared responsibility empowers every teacher to feel confident and competent to reach the needs of all learners. Dr. Lee Ann Jung will articulate interdisciplinary connections between the roles of general educators and special educators. By leading the group through an engaging activity, Lee Ann uses an “architects and builders” analogy to send the message that all students belong to every educator in the building. Dr. Jung will share stories of success that demonstrate how just how much we can really achieve with the right mix of self-efficacy and high-leverage practices.
Through research and experience, Dr. Jung will highlight:
- All students belong to every educator.
- To reach all students, we have to reach each student.
- We must empower every student to believe in their ability to achieve.
- Disability is a false dichotomy; good instruction is good instruction.
- Disability is irrelevant to everyday instruction.
- Specialists don’t have magic hands—every educator has the power!
Speaker:
- Dr. Lee Ann Jung, San Diego State University
Afternoon Keynote: Making What Matters Happen: Using MTSS to Improve Student Outcomes
Tuesday, February 12, 2019 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
In New Jersey, districts both large and small have become increasingly well versed in what a Multi Tiered System of Support looks like. Through decades of experience working in districts across the US, Dr. Judy Elliott will discuss the pivotal role that district leaders play in making MTSS a success. Dr. Elliott will offer a framework that supports district leaders to:
- Maintain a focus on leadership
- Develop a common language and common understanding of MTSS
- Examine the three tiered model
- Have courageous conversations
- Examine communication strategies with colleagues districtwide.
Speaker:
- Judy Elliott, Ph.D., Former Chief Academic Officer at Los Angeles Unified School District
- Download Presentation
Breakout Sessions
Making the Standards Accessible to Students at Varying Instructional Levels
Tuesday, February 12, 2019 10:30 AM - 11:45 AM
What does it mean to “unpack” the New Jersey Student Learning Standards for students with disabilities? Amy Howie will discuss what leaders need to know about how to leverage the standards for all students, including students with low incidence disabilities.
Speaker:
Let’s Start with the Little Ones: Inclusive Early Childhood Programs
Tuesday, February 12, 2019 10:30 AM - 11:45 AM
Learn about the rationale and research for the benefits of pre-k inclusion and what it takes to produce these benefits. Experts from NIEER will discuss how general education pre-k is expanding in New Jersey; furthermore, how special educators need to be ready to take advantage of the opportunities that will come from this expansion. Participants will discuss and share strategies for overcoming the barriers and obstacles to pre-k inclusion.
Speaker:
- Dr. Ellen Frede and Amy Hornbeck, National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER)
- Download Presentation
Person Centered Planning
Tuesday, February 12, 2019 10:30 AM - 11:45 AM
What is Person Centered Planning? Somerlee Monaghan, an expert from the Boggs Center at Rutgers University and educators from Eastern Regional Camden County Regional High School in Voorhees and Haddon Heights High School in Haddon Heights will talk about person-centered thinking and introduce tools designed to improve the quality of collaborative meetings, especially IEP meetings. Participants will leave with practical strategies and tools related to implementation -- pre-meeting preparation, effective communication, management of difficult conversations and situations, approaches to address sensitive topics, New Jersey Administrative Code requirements, and post-meeting follow-up. Person Centered Approaches in Schools and Transition (PCAST) is an initiative of New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE), Office of Special Education Professional Development (OSEPD), in partnership with The Boggs Center at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.
Speaker:
- Somerlee Monaghan, Boggs Center; Michael Celi and Dana Kahlbom, Haddon Heights School District; Kim Sherlock and Josh Bodine, Eastern Camden County Regional School District
- Download Presentation
MTSS at the Ground Level
Tuesday, February 12, 2019 10:30 AM - 11:45 AM
Following Dr. Judy Elliott’s afternoon keynote presentation on MTSS, join her in a more in-depth conversation about this topic. During this breakout session, Dr. Elliott will answer your questions about the challenges and opportunities of MTSS implementation. She will further articulate what it means to develop a common language and understanding of MTSS. Additionally, she will further explore and answer questions about effective district-wide communication on MTSS.
Speaker:
- Dr. Judy Elliott, Former CAO at Los Angeles Unified School District
The Transformational Model: Special Education and Results Driven Accountability
Tuesday, February 12, 2019 1:45 PM - 3:00 PM
What is Results Driven Accountability (RDA) and why is it important? Leveraging people, process, mindset, and data, how can your district improve outcomes for students with disabilities? Dr. Jennifer Meller and Matthew Korobkin will answer these questions and discuss a four phased Transformational Model – describing how districts can move beyond compliance to program effectiveness and outcomes.
Speaker:
Inclusion, Leadership, and the Law
Tuesday, February 12, 2019 1:45 PM - 3:00 PM
This session will examine the legal requirements related to the provision of special education and related services in an inclusion setting. Participants will review the requirements of the IDEA and New Jersey laws related to the least restrictive environment (LRE). Additionally, an analysis of relevant court decisions impacting LRE will be discussed. Best practices regarding the development of legally defensible IEPs that focus on inclusion will also be presented.
Speaker:
Self-Reflective Special Education Leadership
Tuesday, February 12, 2019 1:45 PM - 3:00 PM
How do you lead your special education program? What kinds of self-study do you undertake to assure continuous programmatic improvement? Through her experience as a district leader and officer with the Office of Civil Rights, Sue Gamm will offer tangible recommendations on how to continuously improve your special education programming and leadership – through self-study, stakeholder engagement, and internal/external program assessment.
Speaker:
- Sue Gamm, Esq., Former Chief Specialized Services Officer, Chicago Public Schools; Former Division Director, Office for Civil Rights
- Download Presentation
Team-Based Delivery of Support to Students
Tuesday, February 12, 2019 1:45 PM - 3:00 PM
So often it feels as though we need many more specialists to be able to get intervention to everyone who needs that level of support. How can we, with the resources available to us, deliver the intensity of intervention that some of our learners need? After all, more intervention is better, right? In this session, participants will learn about a consultative model of intervention planning and delivery that increases the dosage and impact of intervention.
Speaker:
- Dr. Lee Ann Jung, San Diego State University