Title :Ensuring Student Success By Using Research-based Effective Teaching Practices

Session Description : Research clearly demonstrates that teachers are the most important factor effecting student learning. Research also indicates that certain teaching practices are more effective than others. To support teachers in their efforts to use the most potent instructional, assessment, and classroom management strategies, this session provides numerous proven yet practical teaching practices for enhancing student success.

Intended Audience : All level special education supervisors/staff development specialists and grades 3-12 special education teachers.

Title : Creating One Team, Not Two Sides, In ARD/IEP Committee Meetings

Session Description : Parents and educators need to understand each others perspectives to work effectively together. This development activity, using an experiential approach, helps build a foundation for more collaborative and productive ARD/IEP committee meetings.

Intended Audience : A mix of parents and educators

Title : Getting to the Source of the Inappropriate Referrals and Disproportionate Representation: Improving Campus Student Prereferral Problem-Solving Teams

Session Description : The use of research-based campus problem-solving strategies can help more students to experience greater success in general education classrooms without the need for special education. Thus, the focus of this development activity is to provide proven and practical ideas for improving the effectiveness and efficiency of campus problem-solving practices.

Intended Audience : Administrators, counselors, teachers and other school staff involved with campus problem-solving teams

Title : Conquering Special Education Paperwork: Time Saving and Paper Management Strategies That Can Work For You! (Available fall, 2005)

Session Description : Are there just not enough hours in the day for you to take care of the multitude of special education paperwork requirements? If so, you will want to attend this session. Participants will learn fresh ideas for managing their time and paperwork that can easily and readily be implemented to help reduce the height of one's 'paperwork to be done' stack.

Intended Audience : K-12 special education teachers.

Title : The Quint(et)essentials for Accessing the General Curriculum-(1)Research-Based Teaching Strategies, (2)Modifications, (3)Differentiated Instruction, (4)Collaboration & Co-Teaching and (5)Positive Approaches to Challenging Behaviors .

Session Description : This development activity focuses on increasing the keys to the success of students with disabilities in the general education classroom. It can be from one to five days in length. Ideally, one half to one day should be devoted to each of the five sub-topics. An administrative overview of this development activity can also be provided in a half day as well as a trainer-of-trainer version in two and a half days. Finally, each training component can be provided as a 'stand alone' option too.

Intended Audience : General and Special Education administrators/supervisors/coordinators and teachers at all grade levels

Title : The Quint(et)essentials for 'Early Intervening' in the General Education Classroom-(1)Research-Based Teaching Strategies, (2)Modifications, (3)Differentiated Instruction, (4)Collaboration & Co-Teaching and (5)Positive Approaches to Challenging Behaviors .

Session Description : This development activity is the 'pre-sequel' to the above activity. It focuses on what teachers can do to prevent the need for special education services. Participants will learn about the quint(et)essentials and how to apply them to increase the success of struggling students.

Intended Audience : General and Special Education administrators/supervisors/coordinators and teachers focusing on grades K-4.

Title : Conducting Your Own Inclusion Evaluation

Session Description : Over the past 10 years, Dr. Soffer has been 'included' in numerous mediation agreements to conduct inclusion evaluations. During this session he will share with you his methodology for assessing both programs in general and programs for individual students. This session will help you to identify the strengths and areas of need of improvement relative to your inclusive education initiatives. And, most importantly, in a step-by-step guide you will find out how to take your inclusion to the next level.

Intended Audience : Principals and special education administrators and supervisors

Title : Special Education Research-Based Teaching Practices

Target Audience : Elementary and/or secondary level special education teachers

Objective : To increase participants understanding and use of research-based teaching practices

Performance Indicator : Ninety percent of participants will add three new research-based strategies to their teaching repertoires

Session Description : This will not be a ‘sit and git' professional development session. Instead, teachers will be active participants in this session. Thus, this session will provide numerous opportunities for teachers to actively reflect on specific and practical research-based teaching strategies with their colleagues, observe video-clips of actual teaching situations and critique them, and try out research-based interventions in simulated teaching situations.

Title : Drawing From the Past to Move Forward in the Future: Using Synergy to Get the Most Bang from Your Buck(s) (and Does) Through Collaboration

Target Audience : Special Education staff or special education and general education staff

Objective : To increase participants' motivation to collaborate and effectiveness in collaborating

Performance Indicator : Ninety percent of participants will become more effective collaborators as evidenced by improved student achievement

Session Description : What does it take to achieve optimum student performance? As any high school Texas football coach worth his weight in footballs knows, it takes teamwork to maximize success. Thus, the key question is how to promote such teamwork. To accomplish this, the following five important questions for effective collaboration will be addressed in this session:

1. Why collaborate?
2. Who should collaborate?
3. How do you find the time to collaborate?
4. How do you know you are successfully collaborating, and, most importantly,
5. What should you do when you are collaborating?

Title : Developing IEP's That Work

Target Audience : Special education teachers, all levels

Objective : To increase participants' knowledge and skill on how to write truly meaningful and measurable IEP goals/objectives

Performance Indicator : Ninety percent of ARD committee participants will report six months after the session that participating teachers' IEP's are more measurable than they were prior to the training session.

Session Description : As special educators, progress is our most important product. To determine student progress, IEP's need to be measurable. Thus, this session focuses on how teachers can make their IEP's more meaningful and useful for assessing student progress.

Title : De-mystifying Differentiation of Instruction

Target Audience : Elementary and/or secondary level special or general education teachers—preferably teachers team-teaching in general education classes

Objective : To increase participants understanding and use of differentiation strategies

Performance Indicator : Ninety percent of participants will add three new differentiation strategies to their teaching repertoires

Session Description : This professional development session will be conducted in a format consistent with the principles and practices of differentiating instruction. Participants will be given a practical framework for differentiating and the key strategies needed to make all students successful learners in the general education classroom.