The following is a list of Completed Professional Learning Opportunities if your school system is interested in the professional learning opportunities listed below please contact Alex Jordan drajordan@bellsouth.net

The following Special Education Essentials were provided to District 14 teachers prior to the announcements of teacher furlough days. The professionals that attended did so on their own time.

Special Education Essentials

This 5 day series of professional learning opportunities are designed for teachers new to the field of special education or veterans seeking a refresher.   

July 20 Classroom Essentials of Behavior and Academic Standards.  Participants will learn the essential components of setting up a classroom for explicit behavioral standards that will provide an environment for the students to meet academic standards. This is appropriate for teachers in a self contained setting.    

July 21 (concurrent sessions) Six Essential Elements of an Effective Mathematics Lesson is a course designed to help teachers design mathematics lessons that will improve student achievement. In the course the participants will:

·   Identify the three most important features of high performing schools

·   Relate the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) to high expectations and focused teaching and learning

·   Describe the impact that a balance or rhythm in teacher focused and student focused activities has on promoting and maintaining engagement

·   Describe the six elements of exemplary mathematics lessons

·   Identify similarities and differences among the three organizational structures for exemplary mathematics instruction and recognize the elements and structures in a variety of instructional contexts and grade levels.  For special Education Teachers of all grade levels who teach math content.   

July 21 (concurrent sessions)  GAA 101 Teachers of students who will be assessed by the Georgia Alternative Assessment will learn the essentials of the portofolio process.  This course will be taught at the GLRS Meeting Annex (Former Pre K Wing)  Claxton Middle School, 715 West Main Street Claxton, GA 30417 Turn on Stewart Street. Turn Right into the parking lot. The entrance is on the right side of the parking lot. There is a covered walkway leading to the entrance of the wing.    

July 22  Co-Teaching Basics  This session is appropriate for regular and special education teachers who will be in a co-taught classroom.  Essential elements of co-teaching will be taught, Team Teaching/Station Teaching/Alternative Teaching/Parallel Teaching.  Participants will learn how to go beyond one teach one assist. 

July 23  Writing Effective IEPs and Transition Plans  Participants will learn how to write effective and measurable goals for IEPs and Transition Plans.   

July 24  Writing Effective Eligibilities and FBA/BIPs  Participants will learn the essentials of an eligibility report and how to write effective Functional Behavioral Assessments and Behavior Intervention Plans.   

August 19, 2009

9:00am to 3:00pm

Southeast GLRS Claxton, GA

This training is for school administrators or lead teachers to identify the essential elements of a co-taught classroom.  Participants will be eligible for a one year E-Walk subscription at no cost.  Participants will receive training on what co-teaching is and what co-teaching is not.  Participants will identify the levels of co-teaching that are currently in place in their schools and will receive information on how to take their teachers to the next level.  Participants who choose to participate will receive a one year subscription to E-Walk.  This on-line program will allow the participant to use a hand held device (provided by the participant) to document and compile data from co-teaching walk throughs.  Training on E-walk will take place on September 1, 2009. 

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GAA Consortium

August 20, 2009

8:30am to 2:20pm

One hour for lunch (on your own)

No registration charge.

Southeast GLRS, Claxton, GA

 

Participants will participate in a make and take session lead by Pat Satterfield of Dunamas.  This will use the Board Maker for Classroom Suite programs.  Participants will bring lesson plans that they wish to create materials for.  Participants will also need to bring lap tops or jump drives to save their work.  Materials will be provided by Southeast GLRS.  There will also be a round table discussion on serving multi-handicapped severe and profound students.

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E-Walk Training

September 1, 2009

9:00am to 12:00pm

Southeast GLRS Claxton, GA

 

This workshop will provide instruction on how to use the E-Walk system to conduct walk-throughs and classroom observations.  Participants will be trained on conducting observations through the E-Walk system and how to construct observation templates for other observations currently completed by paper and pencil.  Participants are requested to bring hand held devices and lap tops.  Participants who attended  and signed the letter of agreement at the August 19 Co-Teacher Evaluator Training will be eligible to receive a free 1 year subscription of E-Walk.  Participants are invited who did not attend the August 19 session and are current E-Walk users.

 

 

 

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Assistive Technology Fall Consortium

September 3, 2009

8:30am to 2:30pm

One hour for lunch (on your own)

No Registration Charge

Southeast GLRS Claxton, GA

 

This will be the first meeting of the District 14 AT Consortium.  Pat Satterfield of Dunamas will present new and innovative AT devices.  Participants are asked to bring system wide or school wide AT Plans or ideas.  The goal of the AT Consortium is to give participants ideas and information to take back to their school systems to update or develop a school or system wide AT plan.  Information from the Bulloch County School System AT Plan will be shared. 

 

 

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Tier 4 Documentation: Progress Monitoring for Students with Disabilities

Date:               September 10, 2009

Location:        Macon State Auditorium (Learning Support Building)

Presenters:   Rosie Gwin and Fiona Gant, Fayette Co. School System

Time:               9:00am to 3:00pm, Lunch 1 hour (on your own)

Deadline for registration:  September 3, 2009

Participants will receive 5 contact hours.

 

Do you have a system in place for collecting data to monitor the progress of students with disabilities on their IEP goals and objectives?  Over several years, Fayette County has developed a structured, systematic approach for collecting data on the progress of students with disabilities in the form of assessments, work samples, and performance data (observational).  In addition, teachers use the Tier 4 Documentation system to organize transition assessments, assistive technology considerations and documentation, and behavioral data and other tools/resources for conducting functional behavioral assessments and developing behavioral intervention plans.

 

 

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Moving on Up!  Three Rivers Regional Transition Council

Date:                         September 15, 2009

Time:                         10:00am to 12:00pm

Location:                   Meadows Wellness Center, Vidalia, GA

 

 

 

 

 

 

A regional transition council is a group of individuals from a multi-county region who meet to address the transition of individuals with disabilities from high school to employment, post secondary education, and or independent living. The council is comprised of a cross-section of the community, including individuals with disabilities, their families, employers, educators and agency representatives.  All council members have an equal voice and a proportionate responsibility for the work of the council. Councils take on projects to facilitate the transition of individuals with disabilities in their area. Regional projects are found to be more successful and to benefit a larger number of individuals with disabilities than would local projects. Both the composition of the council and the projects the council undertakes are unique to the area in which the council is located. The work of a regional transition council benefits not only individuals with disabilities and their families, but employers through providing a diverse work force, and the community through the addition of productive citizens to the tax rolls.

 

 

   

 

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Everybody Learns: Applications of Assistive Technology to Standards-Based Instruction and Alternate Assessment for Students with Significant Delays

September 17, 2009 and October 22, 2009

Time:         9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Location:    First District RESA, Brooklet GA

Presenter:   Pat Satterfield

Participants will learn how to employ Assistive Technology (AT) to facilitate standards-based instruction of students with moderate, severe and profound disabilities. Participants will explore application programs with specially designed activities, teacher tools for creating customized learning activities, and resources for free or low cost teacher-created materials appropriate for their students and content being addressed.  Specific attention will also be given to creating assessment activities that will be appropriate for inclusion in alternate assessment portfolios. By engaging in hands-on practice using selected software, participants will gain a practical understanding of the each tool and its capabilities. A project applying these elements to a standards-based lesson plan will be used for mastery verification.