Events
Upcoming Events!
Upcoming Workshops (More information Coming) SAVE THE DATE!
6/7/24 - Math Essentials – Elliza Sorte
6/10/24 – Practical Trauma-Informed Strategies to Reduce Anxiety – Jessica Minahan
(Helena)
6/11/24 - Behavioral and Educational Best Practices for Students with Mental Health
Disabilities – Jessica Minahan (Helena)
6/11-13/24 Southwest Montana Ed Institute (Dillon)
8/12-13 Conscious Discipline – Anaconda
8/19-20/24 - 2024 Special Education Boot Camp - Fairmont
The Science of Reading
Virtual Event
January 10, 2024-April 24, 2024
4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Attend ALL or some of the sessions!
Being a teacher of literacy—whether teaching beginning reading skills or the advanced skills of using reading to enhance learning of content—is complex and requires considerable knowledge and skill.This comprehensive, 12-part training will provide educators the what, why, and how of evidence-based reading instruction in foundational reading skills, empowering them to have the additional tools they need to better meet the varied needs of the students they serve. Educators will learn the basics of reading at any age and how to strengthen instruction in reading foundations through structured and fast-paced routines that build on a hierarchy of skills that are necessary for students to become proficient readers and writers, including explicit, systematic, and multisensory instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics (basic and advanced), spelling and orthographic awareness, and fluency. Connections will be made to the latest research and evidence-based practices, including the Science of Reading, best practices for literacy assessment to diagnose student need, and how this information relates to dyslexia.
2 University credits are available for this course through the University of Montana-Western.
Educators who choose this option must all attend all 12 sessions and complete outside reading and homework.
2 OPI RENEWAL UNITS PER SESSION ATTENDED
*Space is limited
*Preference will be given to those participants signing up for all 12 sessions.
2023-2024 Conference Scholarships
Available Now!
Conferences and institutes are being held throughout the school year. If you are part of a school team who will be attending and want assistance with conference expenses consider applying for some additional support.
PREVIOUS TRAININGS
Every Child Can Fly Book Study
Virtual Event
September 26, 2023 - November 21, 2023
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Participants will receive Jana's Book
"Every Child Can Fly: An Early Childhood Educator's Guide to Inclusion"
Series of 5 virtual sessions - 1 hour each
2 Chapters are discussed each session (see schedule below) with the author and other
workshop participants
Participants have the chance to ask questions about the content, share strategies with their
peers, engage in problem-solving activities and consider the reflection questions at the end of each chapter in the book
Interactive components will include breakout room discussions, use of reflection questions and
case study exploration, online polling, open-ended questions for participants to respond in chat, and use of other platforms such as Poll Everywhere and Menti
Book Study Schedule -
September 26, 2023 - Overview of Inclusion, EI/ECSE systems -1 & 2
October 10, 2023 - Working with families; referral, assessment and evaluation process - 3 & 4
October 24, 2023 - Supporting IEP/IFSP goals and inclusive learning environments - 5 & 6
November 7, 2023 - Inclusive teaching practices with a focus on social-emotional development - 7 & 8
November 21, 2023 - Culturally and linguistically responsive practices and caring for the caregiver - 9 & 10
5 OPI Renewal Units
Sign up today and lock in the early bird registration rates for the 2024 MCEC Conference, April 3rd - 5th in Missoula, MT at the Hilton Garden Inn.
Go to our new website at https://montanacouncilforexceptionalch.godaddysites.com and complete the simple two-step process:
1. Register yourself for the Conference.
2. Pay for the Conference - be 100% sure to include the "attendee's first and last name" in the notes section for payment.
Then, you can also book your hotel room at the Hilton Garden Inn to lock in the block rate. Hurry though because those rooms are going to go fast! This link is found under "2024 Conference" then "Registration and Hotel" on our new website.
If you encounter any issues throughout the registration process, please email Billi Taylor at coordinator@montanacec.org.
MAEP Scholarship Contact: Doug Doty, OPI
CSPD Scholarships: Contact your Region's Board.
You MUST have email proof of scholarship receipt before registering under that classification.
If you register as a MCEC, MCASE, or SAM member, please be sure to include your membership number for confirmation.
Practical Trauma-Informed Strategies to Reduce Anxiety in Students
with
Jessica Minahan, MEd, BCBA
Virtual Event
September 26, 2023
4:00 PM - 6:30 PM
and
October 30, 2023
4:00 PM - 6:30 PM
With up to one in three children struggling with anxiety in this country, overwhelmed adults require a new approach as well as a practical and easy-to-implement toolkit of strategies that work. In the time of COVID19, and the subsequent societal changes, anxiety has become ever-present in students of all ages. It is probable that during a pandemic that heavily impacts everyday life, levels of anxiety in children and teens are even higher, and the possibility of subsequent trauma greater.
Through the use of case studies, humorous stories, and examples of everyday challenging situations, participants will learn easy to implement preventive tools, strategies, interventions for reducing anxiety, increasing self-regulation, accurate thinking, and self-monitoring in students. Virtual classroom and traditional classroom examples will be shared and time will be spent developing a FAIR plan.
5 OPI RENEWAL U
Check In - Check Out (CICO)
Wednesday, October 4, 2023
8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
Residence Inn
6195 E. Valley Center Road
Bozeman, MT
Check In – Check Out (CICO) is a Tier 2 intervention for students at risk. It is also known as the “Behavior Education Program” or (BEP) and is best delivered within a continuum of positive behavior supports or a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS). CICO effectively addresses student behavior with additional structure, an increase in contingent feedback, elevated acknowledgement for appropriate behavior, linking of school and home support. CICO is designed to morph into a self-management system for the individual student. This workshop cover student identification, steps of the daily CICO routine, responsibilities of the Coordinator and Facilitator, management of the Daily Progress Report (DPR), reinforcement system, and communication with staff and families.
Joe Moriarty OPI consultant / Coach, Montana Office of Public Instruction
Joe has worked in the educational arena for the past 40 years. He has been a classroom instructor, coach, building administrator, health and wellness strategist, and life-long learner. For the past 10 years Joe has worked for the Office of Public Instruction as an MTSS consultant and coach with a special passion for teacher training, student voice and facilitating student leadership. Additionally, he has worked as an adjunct professor and field supervisor for MSU, and continues to work in the area of brain-based education, neurological health, and general wellness.
6 OPI RENEWAL UNITS
2023 Special Education Bootcamp
Fairmont Hot Springs
August 14-16, 2023
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
18 OPI Renewal Units
Join your colleagues for 3 great days of learning! Gain information to ensure you have a successful start this school year. Learn techniques to help you meet the needs of ALL students! Light breakfast and lunch will be provided each day.
Attend one, two or all three days!
Monday, August 14th – Dr. Ann Garfinkle will be presenting on Behavioral Strategies. She will address Tier I, II and III strategies, accommodations and interventions. Ann is a very successful and highly sought after consultant with a lot of experiences. She is a former professor at University of MT School of Education. This is targeted at all teachers, paras and admin.
Tuesday, August 15th – Bea Kaleva will be presenting a full day of Legal Reviews. The AM will be the highly requested 504 Training. The afternoon will consist of SPED Law. Throughout the day she will address new legislation and legal implications for districts. This training is vital for all administrators and district 504 coordinators. It is also beneficial for special educators and counselors.
Wednesday, August 16th – Special Education Teacher/Specialist Refresher. We will cover everything from pre-referral to exit. ER and IEP documents and meeting processes will be covered. OPI compliance, Part C to Part B, High School Transition, ESY, Prior Written Notice and other hot topics with field experts joining us. This is targeted at all special educators and related service providers as well as administrators.
Hotel reservations can be made at Fairmont Hot Springs - (406) 797-3241. Ask for the Great Divide Cooperative room block
There are still scholarships available to cover conference expenses!
The form is linked below!
Starting the Year Strong
Instructional Routines that Foster Engagement. independence and Skill Mastery
Virtual Session
August 14-16, 2023
9:00-11:00 AM
6 OPI Renewal Units
Start the year strong by using intentional routines that support all learners’ engagement, independence, and skill mastery. In this interactive three-session workshop, educators will dive into evidence-based practices that create a culture of learning. When we strategically prioritize and plan our launch of the year, the outcome is palpable: a learning community through June! Bring your personal planning tools to use during independent work time throughout the three sessions. You will walk away with a purposeful plan to create a culture of learning for all students!
This will be a 3-part workshop - 2 hour sessions
Starting the Year Strong
Instructional Routines that Foster Engagement. independence and Skill Mastery
Virtual Session
Fall Session
September 13th, 14th, and 28th
4:00-6:00 PM
6 OPI Renewal Units
Start the year strong by using intentional routines that support all learners’ engagement, independence, and skill mastery. In this interactive three-session workshop, educators will dive into evidence-based practices that create a culture of learning. When we strategically prioritize and plan our launch of the year, the outcome is palpable: a learning community through June! Bring your personal planning tools to use during independent work time throughout the three sessions. You will walk away with a purposeful plan to create a culture of learning for all students!
This will be a 3-part workshop - 2 hour sessions.
2022-23 Conference Scholarships
Scholarships are still available!
There are several conferences and institutes being held this summer and we still have scholarships available. if you will be attending and want assistance with conference expenses consider applying.
Southwest MT Summer Ed Institute
June 14-16, 2023
8:30-3:45
UM-W - Dillon, MT
18 OPI renewal units or
1-2 Semester Credits (pending)
Come join us in Dillon, MT
for the Southwest Montana Summer EdInstitute.
Enjoy 3 days of professional development!
Earn either OPI renewal units or Semester Credits
Wednesday, June 14th
Reading, Writing, and Speaking: Using Integrated Routines to Support Reading Comprehension with Drea Beale
Does your daily lesson plan feel disjointed and jam packed? After significant skill practice, are your students struggling to independently comprehend text? Join us to dive into several explicit, systematic instructional routines that support all students to understand what they read. Working from a review of how human brains learn to read, we will explore and practice specific strategies for students to read about, write about, and speak about what they read every day. Bring your planning tools to use in our embedded planning time. You will walk away with new strategies to use when school begins in August!
Thursday, June 15, 2023
AM - Getting Ahead of Behavior with Jennifer Schoffer Closson
We now know that 1 in 36 people has autism and 20% of our students are neurodiverse. Learn about behavior and symptoms associated with neurodiverse brains, the motivations of behavior, different ways to teach expected behavior, reinforce it, and strategies that work for everyone.
PM - Executive Functioning (EF) with Jennifer Schoffer Closson
Executive functioning challenges are a symptom of differences in the frontal lobe. The exciting news is that these skills can be learned! Learn about what EF is, how to assess EF without buying expensive tests, and how to teach your learners to develop their EF skills.
Friday, June 16, 2023
AM- Making the Most of Assessments: Finding the Diamonds in the Rough with Stephanie Lester
Summative, formative – isn’t an assessment just an assessment? Using assessments to benefit students will be the focus of this session. What does a summative assessment tell us? How can we use that data to improve our instruction? How about using assessments formatively? Is it possible to find actionable data from those assessments? How to utilize assessment data to identify instructional skill levels for individual students which will support you as you strive to meet the individual needs of students. Progress monitoring will be discussed along with easy to use, quick tools that will effectively monitor student achievement providing valuable data that informs the next steps when differentiating instruction for students. Implementing goal setting based on assessment data is motivating and communicates the connection of skills to each students’ everyday experiences. We will dig deep to find those diamonds and use them to support student success!
PM - Teaching for Cognitive Engagement: It’s more than just keeping them awake! with Stephanie Lester
Have you ever wondered how to really be sure your students are doing as much of the cognitive work as possible – the writing, the thinking, the analyzing, the talking? (Lemov, 2015) This session will explore instructional strategies that are geared toward increasing the cognitive engagement of each student while embedding a variety of opportunities to respond (OTR) and checking for understanding (CFU) strategies throughout your lessons. Emphasis will be on practical application within your daily routines that maximizes learning for every student
August 1-3, 2023
Helena, Montana
Register Today at
Featured Symposium Sessions Include:
• Understanding the Critical Elements of Effective
Instructional Delivery
• Literature Circles- Engaging All Students in Purposeful
Reading, Writing, and Discussion
• Building Phonemic Awareness: How Much is Enough?
Understanding the Research and What is Most Important
• Actively Engaging All Students in Content Areas
• Providing Reading Interventions for Students Grades 4-9
Outside Sponsors
AROUND THE STATE:
OPI Montana Autism Education Blog for additional information on trainings
CSPD offers FREE professional development to educators statewide. Visit other Region websites for a variety of available trainings.
School Services of Montana, SSOM continues to offer Professional Development, Infinite Campus and other Technology Support, Co-Op Food Service Purchasing Power and MORE! Click HERE for more information.
Learning Hub! Parents are welcome to join! Click HERE for more PD opportunities
Understanding the Power of Guidance:
It’s a Win/Win for Both Children and Adults!
(Virtual Event)
with
Stephanie Lester
February 7 and March 6-7, 2023
4:00–6:30 PM
This workshop will forever change the way you look at opportunities to guide children in your classroom! Both you and your students will be winners when you implement the principles of guidance.
Effectively guiding children is a BIG part of every educator’s day! The principles of guidance will be presented along with practical classroom management strategies that create and sustain a positive classroom environment. The functions of behavior, strategies, and action steps to addressing inappropriate behaviors will be shared. Real life scenarios will be discussed, and practical applications shared. Come prepared to leave excited and ready to implement the principles of guidance!
7 OPI RENEWAL UNITS
Executive Functioning:
Skills That Make a Big Difference for Children
(Virtual Event)
with
Stephanie Lester
January 23-24 and February 6, 2023
4:00 – 6:30 PM
Why all the talk about executive functioning? If you would like to become more familiar with helping to develop your students executive functioning skills, then this is the training for you. Adaptable thinking, planning, self-monitoring, self-control, working memory, time management, and organization are all executive functioning skills that can be encouraged in learning environments. Research supports intentionally providing guidance and experiences that encourage the development of those executive functioning skills in young children. A variety of ways that each of the skills can be practiced and encouraged within daily routines in classroom environments will be shared.
7 OPI RENEWAL UNIT
THE MAGIC OF WORDS: ACADEMIC VOCABULARY TO BOOST STUDENT LEARNING K-12
(Virtual Event)
with
Carrie Cole
January 12, 19, 26, 2023 and February 2, 16, 23, 2023
4:00 - 6:30 PM
1 semester credits
UM-Western - $130
Academic vocabulary is one of the best predictors of scholastic achievement, yet educators face the challenge of profound differences in vocabulary knowledge among the students they teach, especially in the midst of the pandemic. By focusing on vocabulary strategies with the highest effect sizes for increasing student achievement, educators can boost learning for ALL students through simply rethinking how vocabulary is presented in the classroom, without a lot of additional prep time. This six-part training series will focus on easy-to-plan, high-impact strategies that can be used in grades K-12 to strengthen vocabulary instruction and student learning in any content area or discipline. Educators will walk away armed with strategies to increase student vocabulary size and learning of course content—a win-win for students and teachers alike!
15 OPI RENEWAL UNITS
Practical Trauma-Informed Strategies to Reduce Anxiety in Students
with
Jessica Minahan, MEd, BCBA
January 20, 2023
8:30 AM - 3:45 PM
Montana City School
With up to one in three children struggling with anxiety in this country, overwhelmed adults require a new approach as well as a practical and easy-to-implement toolkit of strategies that work. In the time of COVID19, and the subsequent societal changes, anxiety has become ever-present in students of all ages. It is probable that during a pandemic that heavily impacts everyday life, levels of anxiety in children and teens are even higher, and the possibility of subsequent trauma greater.
Through the use of case studies, humorous stories, and examples of everyday challenging situations, participants will learn easy to implement preventive tools, strategies, interventions for reducing anxiety, increasing self-regulation, accurate thinking, and self-monitoring in students. Virtual classroom and traditional classroom examples will be shared.
6 OPI RENEWAL UNITS
Visual Phonics with Meg Cech
DATE CORRECTION
November 17, 2022
8:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Residence Inn - Bozeman, MT
Visual Phonics is a multi-sensory approach that allows student to learn faster and with great accuracy by building skills and confidence. The mouth movement for each phoneme or sound is represented by a hand gesture. The hand signal is then reflected in the written symbol. Students taught with this approach are able to use hand signs to cue themselves and teachers can use the signs and symbols to assist reading, speaking, and spelling skills.
Participants will learn and practice the gestures for each of the 46 phonemes of the English language during the course of the day, insuring proper form and memory association for next day implementation. Meg will also lead you on the exploration of the variety of ways Visual Phonics may be used to aid in encoding for all students, utilizing visual, auditory and kinesthetic learning, turning reluctant readers into independent readers. It is a day filled with active involvement and practice, resulting in educators feeling confident and understanding the importance of hand cues for learning in the classroom.
6 OPI RENEWAL UNITS
Understanding the Power of Guidance:
It’s a Win/Win for Both Children and Adults!
(Virtual Event)
with
Stephanie Lester
October 4 and November 7-8, 2022
4:00–6:30 PM
This workshop will forever change the way you look at opportunities to guide children in your classroom! Both you and your students will be winners when you implement the principles of guidance.
Effectively guiding children is a BIG part of every educator’s day! The principles of guidance will be presented along with practical classroom management strategies that create and sustain a positive classroom environment. The functions of behavior, strategies, and action steps to addressing inappropriate behaviors will be shared. Real life scenarios will be discussed, and practical applications shared. Come prepared to leave excited and ready to implement the principles of guidance!
7.5 OPI RENEWAL UNITS
STAR Comprehensive Workshop
August 15-16, 2022
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Virtual Event
This comprehensive two-day workshop provides participants with detailed examples and practice activities on how to implement the evidence-based practices identified in the National Standards Report (2009). The research-based STAR Program (Arick, Loos, Falco and Krug, 2015) is used to provide examples. Appropriate content connected to the common core curriculum is presented and detailed information on the three evidenced-based instructional methods of discrete trial training, pivotal response training and teaching through functional routines are shared. Participants will learn how to implement these strategies through structured lesson plans and a curriculum scope and sequence. The workshop will include extensive data collection systems and participants will learn to collect and use data for Instructional decision making.
10 OPI RENEWAL UNITS
Practical Trauma-Informed Strategies to Reduce Anxiety in Students
Jessica Minahan, MEd, BCBA
Monday, September 26, 2022 from 4:00-6:30 PM
Tuesday, September 28, 2022 from 4:00-6:30 PM
Virtual Event
With up to one in three children struggling with anxiety in this country, overwhelmed adults require a new approach as well as a practical and easy-to-implement toolkit of strategies that work. In the time of COVID19, and the subsequent societal changes, anxiety has become ever-present in students of all ages. It is probable that during a pandemic that heavily impacts everyday life, levels of anxiety in children and teens are even higher, and the possibility of subsequent trauma greater.
Through the use of case studies, humorous stories, and examples of everyday challenging situations, participants will learn easy to implement preventive tools, strategies, interventions for reducing anxiety, increasing self-regulation, accurate thinking, and self-monitoring in students. Virtual classroom and traditional classroom examples will be shared.
5 OPI RENEWAL UNITS
Executive Functioning:
Skills That Make a Big Difference for Children
(Virtual Event)
with
Stephanie Lester
September 19-20 and October 3, 2022
4:00 – 6:30 PM
Why all the talk about executive functioning? If you would like to become more familiar with helping to develop your students executive functioning skills, then this is the training for you. Adaptable thinking, planning, self-monitoring, self-control, working memory, time management, and organization are all executive functioning skills that can be encouraged in learning environments. Research supports intentionally providing guidance and experiences that encourage the development of those executive functioning skills in young children. A variety of ways that each of the skills can be practiced and encouraged within daily routines in classroom environments will be shared.
7.5 OPI RENEWAL UNITS
LINKS Comprehensive Workshop
August 15-16, 2022
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Virtual Event
This comprehensive two-day workshop provides participants with information on how to Implement evidence-based practices for secondary students using the Links Curriculum (Arick, Hoffman and Magee-Arick, 2012). Participants will learn to use a process for assessing and teaching functional routines that has been documented in the research. Extensive information will be given on selecting and individualizing routines and teaching specific skills to support success during routines. Participants will learn how to use the evidence-based strategies of discrete trial training, use of visual supports and the use of modeling strategies to teach critical skills necessary to support success during daily functional and academic routines. Presenters will identify specific skills to teach using a research-based assessment system and will then demonstrate how to teach these skills using the most appropriate instructional strategy. The Links Curriculum includes extensive data collection systems and participants will learn to collect and use data for instructional decision making, tracking student progress and writing IEP Goals.
10 OPI RENEWAL UNITS
Conscious Discipline
with Angela Frayley
August 17, 2022
8:30 AM -3:30 PM
Lunch on your own
East Helena High School
In this one-day Conscious Discipline training, the participants will learn and practice classroom management and social-emotional learning skills and techniques. Conscious Discipline utilizes everyday events rather than an external curriculum, and addresses the adult's emotional intelligence as well as the child's. The participants will learn to respond to daily conflict in a way that transforms it into an opportunity to teach critical life skills using the components of safety, connection, and problem solving in the classroom, as they create a School Family. The training is geared toward 3rd to 5th, but all ages are welcome because the School Family and Brain state information applies to all ages.
6 OPI RENEWAL UNITS
REGISTER HERE
Picture Exchange Communication System
PECS - Level I
August 23-24, 2022
8:00 AM -4:00 PM
Lunch on your own
Holiday Inn Express and Suites
3170 N. Sanders - Helena, MT
This intensive 13-hour interactive workshop is designed to teach educational and caregiver teams the theory and protocol for the Picture Exchange Communication System® (PECS®), an evidence-based practice based on Applied Behavior Analysis, typical language development, and B.F. Skinner’s Verbal Behavior. The workshop begins with an introduction to creating the most effective learning environment for implementing PECS via The Pyramid Approach to Education®. Included is a discussion of the limitations of teaching other communication modalities (speech, sign, SGD) as an initial communication strategy. Using presenter demonstrations, role-play opportunities, and video examples participants will gain a thorough understanding and hands-on experience of each of the six phases of PECS. Participants will leave the training with the skills necessary to teach spontaneous requesting, picture discrimination, sentence structure, attributes for expanding language, extended vocabulary, responding to questions, and commenting. The workshop concludes with a review of the extensive literature supporting the PECS protocol as an evidence-based practice, tips to teach your learner to accept being told, “No,” and information related to transitioning from PECS to other communication modalities, such as speech, tablets with AAC apps, or speech generating devices. For those who wish to successfully teach their learners functional communication (whether you have used PECS for some time or are new to the field), this workshop is an essential part of your development.
13 OPI RENEWAL UNITS
The Great Resignation and Rich Brain, Poor Brain
with Linda Bone
August 5, 2022
8:30 AM -3:45 PM
Lunch on your own
Holiday Inn Express - Bozeman, MT
Participants will receive 2 FREE books!
They call it the "Great Resignation" -1 in 5 non-retired adults in the US left their jobs during the pandemic. For teachers, the numbers are probably even higher and this "Brain Drain" is especially critical because teaching is a highly skilled profession with a long trajectory of preparation. Teaching is a wonderful profession that needs a makeover. We will do some healing, some helping, some hoping together and begin to restore teachers' joy in their chosen profession with this invigorating session.
Rich Brain, Poor Brain explores the differences that separate students’ opportunities for success. Dr. Bone discusses the research on threats of poverty, the ways poverty shapes brains and behaviors, and ways to change these outcomes for students. The session includes a thorough discussion of the effects of stress/trauma on students’ brains, which is relevant not only to existing and generational poverty, but to the after -shocks of pandemic and quarantine that result in negative learning and behavioral outcomes for many.
Video
6 OPI RENEWAL UNITS
Science of Reading
with Carrie Cole
June 27-28, 2022
8:30-3:45
Wingate Inn - Helena, MT
with six 2 hour zoom trainings July 12-28, 2022
This comprehensive, two-part training delivered in-person and continued virtually via Zoom will provide educators the what, why, and how of evidence-based reading instruction in foundational reading skills, empowering them to have the additional tools they need to better meet the varied needs of the students they serve. Training will be delivered in-person and then continue in small, two-hour segments via Zoom, allowing educators time to reflect and plan for the upcoming school year.
2 Credits available from UM-Western or 18 OPI renewal units
Region IV CSPD Southwest Ed Institute
June 15-17, 2022
UM-Western - Dillon Montana
Region IV CSPD is partnering with UM-W and School Services of Montana to present the Southwest Montana Summer Ed Institute on the University of Montana - Western campus in Dillon!
Keynote sessions will include Trauma-Informed Practices with Julian Nolan and Restorative Justice with Matthew Johnson. There will also be a variety of breakout sessions to attend.
1 and 2 Credit Options from UM-Western or
18 OPI RENEWAL UNITS
Nominate Your Colleagues for Awards to be Presented at CEC!
Teri Fisk was a dedicated paraprofessional at Grantsdale Elementary School in Hamilton School District for over fifteen years. She worked one-on-one with students, and conducted small reading intervention groups, but her true passion was supporting struggling students in math. She was an integral part of the school community--doing lice checks, baking for school and faculty dinners, taking tickets at games--and giving of herself every day to nurture kids and help them grow. Teri also worked diligently with the OPI State Paraprofessional Consortium through the years and was most proud of being part of the MEA-MFT PASS program and the state paraprofessional documentation of highly qualified status. The characteristics of a great para that were most important to Teri were:
Applying skills learned through professional learning.
Sharing those skills with others.
Growing professionally.
Being a positive, contributing member of the school community
Do you know an eager, earnest, effective, efficient, encouraging enthusiastic paraeducator*/teacher team who everyday endeavors to enrich their students’ lives? (A Paraeducator/Teacher Team should include at least one paraeducator and at least one certified staff member.)
- March 18th – Submission Deadline
- April 20th – MCEC Conference Award Ceremony
With Questions, please contact
Or
created by Becky Bailey
In this one-day Conscious Discipline training, the participants will learn and practice classroom management and social-emotional learning skills and techniques. Conscious Discipline utilizes everyday events rather than an external curriculum, and addresses the adult's emotional intelligence as well as the child's. The participants will learn to respond to daily conflict in a way that transforms it into an opportunity to teach critical life skills using the components of safety, connection, and problem solving in the classroom, as they create a School Family.
Thursday, March 10, 2022 from 8:30-3:30
(School Age Examples)
Friday, March 11, 2022 from 8:30-3:30
(Preschool Examples)
C'Mon Inn
6139 E Valley Center Road
Bozeman, MT
Angela Frayley, CPS - Master Instructor
Angela has shared her passion for Conscious Discipline for over 15 years, which includes the past 5 years of work in Montana that began with the Montana Preschool Grant. Angela completed her undergraduate work at the University of Central Oklahoma with teaching certifications in Elementary Education, Early Childhood, Intermediate Mathematics, and Mild to Moderate Disabilities. She earned a master’s degree in Prevention Science and an IC & RC Certified Prevention Specialist credential at the University of Oklahoma.
6 OPI RENEWAL UNITS
AROUND THE STATE:
Region I/2 Carrie Cole training click HERE
CSPD offers FREE professional development to educators statewide. Visit other Region websites for a variety of available trainings.
School Services of Montana, SSOM continues to offer Professional Development, Infinite Campus and other Technology Support, Co-Op Food Service Purchasing Power and MORE! Click HERE for more information and click HERE for their newsletter.
Learning Hub! Parents are welcome to join! Click HERE for more PD opportunities
OPI Montana Autism Education Project is offering 80+ hours of online training in Teaching Procedures for students with autism/cognitive delay, Applied Behavior Analysis and a variety of Focused Topics. To learn more click HERE
Please check back soon for some new events from
Region IV CSPD!
In the meantime, feel free to check out these:
OPI Montana Autism Education Project
- REGISTRATION CLOSES 1 WEEK BEFORE CLASS -
JANUARY HYBRID
CPI WORKSHOPS
January 17, 21, & 28, 2022
Gallatin County, MT
SSoM is hosting 3 Crisis Prevention Institute classes in January 2022 in Gallatin County. REGISTER NOW by clicking the link below with your preferred date/location, and be sure to get your online course completed before class begins:
Jan. 17, 8am - 12pm in Manhattan
Jan. 21, 8:30am - 12:30pm at Cottonwood Day School
Jan. 28, 12:30pm - 4:30pm in Three Forks
Please note that these CPI courses will be hybrid – you will be required to complete a 4 hour course online prior to the live training at the above dates to be certified. For this reason, registration will close approximately one week prior to each course to provide you with sufficient time to complete the online portion of the course.
Click here for more details about our CPI workshops, including hosting, or contact:
Tom Franta, SSoM Executive Director | tfranta@mt-schools.org
The Science of Teaching Reading
12 Part Series with Carrie Cole
September 8 to December 1, 4:00-6:00 via ZOOM
Training Description
Being a teacher of literacy—whether teaching beginning reading skills or the advanced skills of using reading to enhance learning of content—is complex and requires considerable knowledge and skill. This comprehensive, 12-part training spanning the 2021-2022 school year will empower teachers to understand the what, why, and how of evidence-based reading instruction in foundational reading skills so that they can better meet the varied needs of the students they serve.
Training will be delivered in small, two-hour segments approximately twice/month, allowing educators time to process the information and implement practices into their own classrooms. Participants will learn the basics of reading at any age and how to strengthen instruction in reading foundations through structured and fast-paced routines that build on a hierarchy of skills that are necessary for students to become proficient readers and writers, including explicit, systematic, and multisensory instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics (basic and advanced), spelling and orthographic awareness, and fluency. Connections will be made to the latest research and evidence-based practices, including the Science of Reading and how this connects to Scarborough’s Reading Rope and Gough and Tunmer’s Simple View, best practices for literacy assessment to diagnose student need, and how this information relates to current Montana dyslexia legislation. Overview of content for each session is provided below in each session description.
About the Presenter
Carrie Cole is an independent educational consultant with Side-by-Side Educational Consulting, specializing in the training and delivery of evidence-based literacy practices grounded in the Science of Reading. She leads the Side-by-Side team, working in schools and districts, supporting consultants, and ensuring that clients receive the highest quality support possible. Ms. Cole holds a master’s degree in literacy and is known for her ability to not only effectively communicate the latest research on effective education practices, but also demonstrate how implement latest research into the “real world” classroom. She is
especially passionate about serving children living in poverty. She has worked with and advised state officials, district leaders, school administrators, instructional coaches, and teachers across the country, as well as written and delivered on-site professional development and coaching at state, district, and school levels centered on effective instruction and evidence-based literacy practices. She is particularly skilled at partnering with leaders to create systems that reduce the gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students in all disaggregated groups, while also helping schools and districts build site-based capacity and
sustainability in the improvement process. She is a contributing author for CORE’s Teaching Reading Sourcebook (2nd-3rd Editions). Prior to consulting, Ms. Cole was a professional development specialist for the Idaho State Department of Education, a regional educational consultant for a major publishing company, and a classroom teacher at the elementary level (all subjects) and secondary level (English Language Arts and literacy interventions).
Option for Credit
We are currently in the process of working for credit approval of this course through University of Montana Western (2 credits). Educators that choose this option must attend all 12 sessions ( makeup sessions available through Region i) and complete outside reading and homework. Educators will receive a CORE Teaching Reading Sourcebook (3rd Edition) and CORE Multiple Measures assessment book as a course text—containing literacy resources that can be used with students K-12, valued at $140.00. For those not taking sessions for credit, CEUs are available for each session attended.
Training Description
Being a teacher of literacy—whether teaching beginning reading skills or the advanced skills of using reading to enhance learning of content—is complex and requires considerable knowledge and skill. This comprehensive, 12-part training spanning the 2021-2022 school year will empower teachers to understand the what, why, and how of evidence-based reading instruction in foundational reading skills so that they can better meet the varied needs of the students they serve.
Training will be delivered in small, two-hour segments approximately twice/month, allowing educators time to process the information and implement practices into their own classrooms. Participants will learn the basics of reading at any age and how to strengthen instruction in reading foundations through structured and fast-paced routines that build on a hierarchy of skills that are necessary for students to become proficient readers and writers, including explicit, systematic, and multisensory instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics (basic and advanced), spelling and orthographic awareness, and fluency. Connections will be made to the latest research and evidence-based practices, including the Science of Reading and how this connects to Scarborough’s Reading Rope and Gough and Tunmer’s Simple View, best practices for literacy assessment to diagnose student need, and how this information relates to current Montana dyslexia legislation. Overview of content for each session is provided below in each session description.
About the Presenter
Carrie Cole is an independent educational consultant with Side-by-Side Educational Consulting, specializing in the training and delivery of evidence-based literacy practices grounded in the Science of Reading. She leads the Side-by-Side team, working in schools and districts, supporting consultants, and ensuring that clients receive the highest quality support possible. Ms. Cole holds a master’s degree in literacy and is known for her ability to not only effectively communicate the latest research on effective education practices, but also demonstrate how implement latest research into the “real world” classroom. She is
especially passionate about serving children living in poverty. She has worked with and advised state officials, district leaders, school administrators, instructional coaches, and teachers across the country, as well as written and delivered on-site professional development and coaching at state, district, and school levels centered on effective instruction and evidence-based literacy practices. She is particularly skilled at partnering with leaders to create systems that reduce the gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students in all disaggregated groups, while also helping schools and districts build site-based capacity and
sustainability in the improvement process. She is a contributing author for CORE’s Teaching Reading Sourcebook (2nd-3rd Editions). Prior to consulting, Ms. Cole was a professional development specialist for the Idaho State Department of Education, a regional educational consultant for a major publishing company, and a classroom teacher at the elementary level (all subjects) and secondary level (English Language Arts and literacy interventions).
Option for Credit
We are currently in the process of working for credit approval of this course through University of Montana Western (2 credits). Educators that choose this option must attend all 12 sessions ( makeup sessions available through Region i) and complete outside reading and homework. Educators will receive a CORE Teaching Reading Sourcebook (3rd Edition) and CORE Multiple Measures assessment book as a course text—containing literacy resources that can be used with students K-12, valued at $140.00. For those not taking sessions for credit, CEUs are available for each session attended.
Fall Common PIR Day Friday, Sept. 24, 2021
8:15am - 3:30pm
Manhattan School District
(& option to join remotely)
School Services of Montana, CSPD Region IV, and many member districts collaborate each year to provide a day of professional learning on a variety of topics related to supporting the whole child, whole school and whole community. This year, we’re excited to offer an in-person day of learning, hosted by Manhattan School District, with an option to join remotely!
With the release of the Montana SEL Competencies from OPI in June 2021, it’ll be perfect timing to focus on:
building the foundations and a common language for SEL
strategies for explicit instruction in social and emotional skills
integration of SEL with academic curriculum areas
supporting the schoolwide community with SEL (adult learning, community/ family engagement and support)
AROUND THE STATE:
CSPD offers FREE professional development to educators statewide. Visit other Region websites for a variety of available trainings.
Region V: August Academy: August 9-11 Sponsored by Region V CSPD Registration is open!
Designing and Accessible, Balanced School Day for Children with CVI sponsored by Region 2 CSPD
School Services of Montana, SSOM continues to offer Professional Development, Infinite Campus and other Technology Support, Co-Op Food Service Purchasing Power and MORE! Click HERE for more information
There is still time to REGISTER for Summer Science Institute August 9-11
COMMON PIR DAY DETAILS AND REGISTRATION AVAILABLE!
Learning Hub! Parents are welcome to join! Click HERE for more PD opportunities
OPI Montana Autism Education Project is offering 80+ hours of online training in Teaching Procedures for students with autism/cognitive delay, Applied Behavior Analysis and a variety of Focused Topics. To learn more click HERE
MontCOMM 2021, August 12, 2021 is a one-day online immersion into the world of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) Click HERE for details and registration
Teaching Language and Literacy in the Environment
with Stephanie Lester
Tuesday, June 22, 2021 8:30-3:30
LOCATION TO BE DECIDED
We are hoping to offer this IN-PERSON in Bozeman pending OPI approval
6 RUs available
When the environment is effectively established and utilized, it becomes an educator in its own right in the early childhood classroom. Using this explanation as a foundation, this session will focus on approaches to promote speaking, listening, reading, and writing in all aspects of the environment, including classroom design, intentional instruction, and facilitation of language and literacy by teachers and staff. Participants will walk away with tangible strategies and resources that can be easily implemented and used to improve language and literacy environments in their classrooms. Note: This session aligned to the Montana Learning Standards (MELS) for the domains of Physical, Communication, and Cognition.
Evidence-Based Strategies for Teaching Foundational Reading Skills:
Part 1 Overview of Science of Reading
with Carrie Cole
Wednesday, June 23, 2021 8:30-3:45
C'Mon Inn-Bozeman
6 RUs available, Credit Pending
Teaching reading effectively, especially to students experiencing difficulty, requires considerable knowledge and skill. But what type of classroom instruction benefits beginning readers and/or struggling readers the most? This training will provide an overview of proven instructional methods that explicitly and systematically teach foundational reading skills to children in ways that are engaging and multisensory. Connections will be made to the latest research, including the science of teaching reading, assessment, and how this information relates to current dyslexia legislation.
Evidence-Based Strategies for Teaching Foundational Reading Skills:
Part 2-Digging into Phonology, Phonological Awareness, and Beginning Phonics
with Carrie Cole
(Note: Part 1 of training is not a prerequisite for attending Part 2 of training.)
Thursday, June 24, 2021 8:30-3:45
C'Mon Inn- Bozeman
6 RUs available, Credit Pending
Teaching reading effectively, especially to students experiencing difficulty, requires considerable knowledge and skill. But what type of classroom instruction benefits beginning readers and/or struggling readers the most? This training will focus on proven instructional and assessment methods for foundational reading skills to children in ways that are engaging and multisensory, with a specific focus on the speech sounds of English, phonological awareness, and beginning phonics. Teachers will walk away with a better understanding of assessment in these areas, as well as instructional methods they can immediately implement into their classrooms.
Evidence-Based Strategies for Teaching Foundational Reading Skills:
Part 3-Spelling Development and Word Study
with Carrie Cole
(Note: Parts 1-2 of training are not a prerequisite for attending Part 3 of training.)
Friday, June 25, 2021 8:30-3:45
C'Mon Inn-Bozeman
6 RUs available, Credit Pending
Teaching reading effectively, especially to students experiencing difficulty, requires considerable knowledge and skill. But what type of foundational instruction benefit students the most? This training will focus on proven instructional and assessment methods for foundational reading skills to children in ways that are engaging and multisensory, with a specific focus on spelling development and advanced word study, including multisyllabic word reading. Teachers will walk away with a better understanding of assessment in these areas, as well as instructional they can immediately implement into their classrooms.
AROUND THE STATE:
University of Montana Western Outreach Offerings click HERE
School Services of Montana, SSOM continues to offer Professional Development, Infinite Campus and other Technology Support, Co-Op Food Service Purchasing Power and MORE! Click HERE for more information
SAVE THE DATE for the Annual, Fall Common PIR Day – Friday, Sept. 24, 2021
Each year, School Services of Montana, CSPD Region IV, and many member districts collaborate to provide a day of professional learning to support you and your staff with a variety of topics related to supporting the whole child, whole school and whole community. In previous years, we’ve hosted the event at the Willson Building in Bozeman and at Manhattan High School. Last year, we offered a handful of virtual learning opportunities to continue this support. We are unsure of the location for this fall, but will let you know as soon as we decide. In the meantime, please consider saving the date and making it a PIR day for your staff.
Melissa Tovaas: Director of Education Services School Services of Montana. Email: mtovaas@mt-schools.org Office: 406-272-0021. Cell: 646-831-7264
Learning Hub! Parents are welcome to join! Click HERE for more PD opportunities
OPI Montana Autism Education Project is offering 80+ hours of online training in Teaching Procedures for students with autism/cognitive delay, Applied Behavior Analysis and a variety of Focused Topics. To learn more click HERE
ABA FOR SLPS: FUNCTIONAL Strategies: Information and Registration
CEC 2021 Convention and Expo: Information and Registration
Data for Inclusion and High School Topics in
Special Education
April 8, 2021 3:45-5:45
2 RUs available through Region 1 CSPD
Part 1: Data for Inclusion-In IDEA requirements for the IEP focus around the idea that the program that is put in place enables involvement and progress in the general education curriculum. At the same time, the 2015 reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act states that instruction for all students must be aligned to grade level standards. We will make connections between these ideas and the process of writing IEPs that support involvement and progress in the general education curriculum by exploring how to gather data and answer questions that lead to PLAAFP statements that provide useful data to be able to make data based decisions to improve inclusive practices for special education students.
Part 2: High School Topics in Special Education-We will explore the topic of special education students and options for high school graduation and the related special education documents.
Part 3: Technical Assistance and Burning Questions-We will reserve time to review any burning questions you have and provide demonstrations and resources as applicable.
About the presenter: Yvonne Field has a background in music and special education. She has taught post-secondary special education at Berkshire Hills Music Academy in South Hadley, MA. Yvonne also taught in a comprehensive school setting in Charlotte Mecklenberg School in North Carolina as a mild to moderate disabilities special educator in grades 3-5 in a school where co-teaching was used as the primary model for serving students with disabilities. Yvonne has been with the OPI for 8 years. The first 6 years, Yvonne worked in the assessment division with special population assessments including managing the English language proficiency assessment and the Multi-State Alternate Assessment. Currently Yvonne works in the student support services division as a monitor and specialist in the areas of accessibility and inclusion of students with disabilities in statewide assessments and instruction.
Region IV CSPD is excited to offer Jessica Minahan, author of the Behavior Code, in a 3 part series focused on anxiety and long term trauma in the age of COVID 19. Join us to build a toolbox of strategies and interventions for virtual and traditional classrooms
Jessica Minahan
Monday, January 18 Monday, January 25
Monday, February 1
4:00-6:00 MST
6 OPI Renewal Units available
With up to one in three children struggling with anxiety in this country, overwhelmed adults require a new approach as well as a practical and easy-to-implement toolkit of strategies that work. In the time of COVID19, and the subsequent societal changes, anxiety has become ever-present in students of all ages. It is probable that during a pandemic that heavily impacts everyday life, levels of anxiety in children and teens are even higher, and the possibility of subsequent trauma greater.
Through the use of case studies, humorous stories, and examples of everyday challenging situations, participants will learn easy to implement preventive tools, strategies, and interventions for reducing anxiety, increasing self-regulation, accurate thinking, and self-monitoring in students. Virtual classroom and traditional classroom examples will be shared.
AROUND THE STATE:
For a full list of offerings click: REGION I CSPD WORKSHOPS
For a full list of offerings click: REGION V CSPD WORKSHOPS:
School Services of Montana, SSOM continues to offer Professional Development, Infinite Campus and other Technology Support, Co-Op Food Service Purchasing Power and MORE! Click HERE for more information
January-March: Building Your IEFA Mindset: Essential Understandings Regarding Montana Indians
Learning Hub! Parents are welcome to join! Click HERE for more PD opportunities
The OPI Montana Autism Education Project is offering 80+ hours of online training in Teaching Procedures for students with autism/cognitive delay, Applied Behavior Analysis and a variety of Focused Topics. To learn more click HERE
BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!
PART 2: Self-Care and Mindfulness in a Changing Educational Environment with Ben Carr
Saturdays beginning January 23, 2021 10:00-11:00am
Please join us for any or all of the six sessions and receive OPI renewal units.
COVID-19 has brought many changes to the start of the 2020-21 school year. The changing environment and extra requirements can create uncertainty and anxiety. Please join us on Saturday mornings to learn new techniques for self-care. We hope that these sessions give you a little time to focus on YOU and YOUR needs as you work diligently to meet the needs of your students and their families.
ALERT Learning: How to Enhance Learning in a Compromised Learning Environment
with
John Parks Le Tellier, author of Quantum Learning for Teachers Program
Lora Griffin, 36 years in Education and partner in ALERT Learning LLC
Monday nights from October 5, 2020 to November 9, 2020
on ZOOM. 6 :00-8:00 pm
12 Renewal Units
One Credit available through UMWestern ($115.00)
This 6week virtual learning course has been designed for success in ANY learning environment and is for TEACHERS, PARENTS AND LEARNERS of all ages. Fasten your seatbelts for this fun, fast paced program that connects discoveries in educational neuroscience with amazing breakthroughs in teaching and learning practice. Expect to see immediate results!
Discover how to…
Accelerate Learning: Dive deep into the Four Laws of Learning and carry away a treasure of strategies to accelerate learning and boost retention and recall in and out of the classroom.
Build Capacity: Unlock motivation and achievement capacity for all learners. Start small and build. Create a culture that builds confidence, social-emotional competence and personal responsibility.
Improve Energy: Discover how neuroscience has unlocked the secrets of maintaining positive energy. Nothing will have a greater impact on student learning.
Self-Care and Mindfulness in a Changing Educational Environment
with Ben Carr
COVID-19 has brought many changes to the start of the 2020-21 school year. The changing environment and extra requirements can create uncertainty and anxiety. Please join us this fall on Saturday mornings to learn new techniques for self-care. We hope that these sessions give you a little time to focus on YOU and YOUR needs as you work diligently to meet the needs of your students and their families.
Time and Dates: 8 sessions lasting 45 minutes.
Saturdays at 10am beginning October 3,2020.
Please join us for any or all of the eight sessions and receive OPI renewal units.
Description:
The purpose of this series of sessions is to increase the audience’s academic and applied knowledge of self-care and mindfulness to reduce stress during the times of Covid-19. We will explore causes of stress and paths to stress reduction. This series will merge western psychology with philosophies found in eastern cultures.
Each session will include a discussion clarifying what is meant by a variety of terms including mindfulness, illusion of control, stress, coping mechanisms, self-compassion and the joy and anxiety of impermanence. Participants will participate in a variety of mindfulness techniques suitable for self-care and implementation with students.
A Note from Ben Carr:
My name is Benjamin Carr, I am is a psychotherapist with a passion for removing the impediments for joy. My work has always included a combination of applied psychotherapy as well as education. I have worked in a variety of settings from impatient, school based, community based, and private practice. Additionally, I have found great joy in teaching and training therapists as well as undergraduates at Montana Tech. Originally from Oklahoma, I received my bachelors in Psychology from the University of Oklahoma with a focus on Industrial Psychology. After a brief stint in Alaska, I shifted my focus to understand the nature of suffering and joy. I moved to Missoula and I received my graduate degree from the University of Montana in Mental Health Counseling. I am husband to a very wonder and wise wife and father to a daughter who is the embodiment of joy. It is an honor to share my passion for creating a kinder, more mindful world to live in with you all.
TRAININGS AVAILABLE AROUND THE STATE:
School Services of Montana, SSOM continues to offer Professional Development, Infinite Campus and other Technology Support, Co-Op Food Service Purchasing Power and MORE! Click HERE for more information
Google Classroom: Integration and Inspiration-FREE Virtual PD Oct. 6
Join COLLABORATIVE CLASSROOM for a FREE upcoming webinar (times are all 2pm MST):
Sept. 29th Bringing the Science of Reading to Life in Every Classroom: a Roundtable Discussion
Oct. 7th Comprehensive Reading Instruction for Our Youngest Readers: Being a Reader
Oct. 14th Creating a Virtual Writers’ Workshop: Ensuring Time, Choice, Response, & Community
Oct. 15th Reimagining Discipline with a Teaching-and-Learning Approach: A Roundtable Discussion
OPI Training:
Click HERE for available Online Learning Websites
Learning Hub! Parents are welcome to join! Click HERE for more PD opportunities
OPI 3 BIG IDEAS
The OPI Montana Autism Education Project is offering 80+ hours of online training in Teaching Procedures for students with autism/cognitive delay, Applied Behavior Analysis and a variety of Focused Topics. To learn more click HERE
ALL WORKSHOPS ARE VIRTUAL! DETAILS HERE!
SUMMER INSTITUTE is going VIRTUAL!
University of Montana Western Campus
July 29th-31st, 2020 8:30-3:45
WE NOW HAVE SPACE FOR 100 PARTICIPANTS!
Please register to receive the link to join Bella's Keynote on the 29th and breakouts on the 30th.
Both days and a reflection paper will meet the criteria for 1 credit through UMW
This FREE Conference will feature Bella Bikowski-Keynote, followed by 2 powerful breakout sessions!
Dr. Bikowsky is a Child & Adolescent Clinical Therapist and an Educational Staff Associate Certified School Counselor with a Ph.D. in Educational Counseling/Psychology. Bella has extensive knowledge working with school teams and districts in helping to create systemic change using the Multi-Tiered Systems approach capitalizing on evidenced-based interventions such as Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports, Restorative Justice Practices, Trauma-Informed and Culturally Responsive Practices, Social-Emotional Learning, Mental Health integration into the school systems, and Function-Based Assessments and interventions.
No need to register a third time! We can send you a ZOOM link through your previous registration!
THIS EVENT IS OPEN TO 100 PARTICIPANTS!
Evidence-Based Strategies for Teaching Foundational Reading Skills: 3 Part Series
with Carrie Cole
Region IV CSPD is excited to offer this 3 Part Series! Each workshop is a STAND ALONE workshop or participants may take all 3 for college credit! (pending) Please register for each day separately.
These VIRTUAL workshops will include valuable information on Dyslexia
July 27-28, 2020 8:00-10:00 Modules 1 and 2
August 3-4, 2020 8:00-10:00 Modules 3 and 4
The new format will require modification of topics and requirements for 1 credit. Please check the NEXT newsletter for more details and registration links for each module. If you have registered for any of the 3 separate courses, please reregister for the modules you are interested in. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Evidence-Based Strategies for Teaching Foundational Reading Skills: Part 1 Overview
PART 1 DETAILS AND REGISTRATION HERE
Evidence-Based Strategies for Teaching Foundational Reading Skills: Part 2-Digging into Phonology, Phonological Awareness, and Beginning Phonics
Note: Part 1 of training is not a prerequisite for attending Part 2
PART 2 DETAILS AND REGISTRATION HERE
Evidence-Based Strategies for Teaching Foundational Reading Skills: Part 3-Spelling Development and Word Study
Note: Parts 1-2 of training are not a prerequisite for attending Part 3 of training.
TRAININGS AVAILABLE AROUND THE STATE:
Are you an Anita Archer fan?
Strategies to engage students during online instruction
School Services of Montana, SSOM continues to offer Professional Development, Infinite Campus and other Technology Support, Co-Op Food Service Purchasing Power and MORE! Click HERE for more information
OPI Training:
Click HERE for available Online Learning Websites
Click HERE for Distance Learning PBS schedule
Learning Hub! Parents are welcome to join! Click HERE for more PD opportunities
The OPI Montana Autism Education Project is offering 80+ hours of online training in Teaching Procedures for students with autism/cognitive delay, Applied Behavior Analysis and a variety of Focused Topics. To learn more click HERE
MID-WINTER PARA CONFERENCE
FEBRUARY 17, 2020
C'MON INN - BOZEMAN
9:00-3:00
Math and Literacy Activities and Games
Number sense is linked to future math achievement in a manner similar to the way phonological awareness has been linked to reading achievement (Kosanovich, Weinstein, & Goldman 2009.)
This hands-on workshop will provide practical research-based math and literacy activities and games that will help students increase their reading and math skills. The morning session will focus on developing an understanding of number sense as well as the latest methods to develop skills in subitizing, counting, one-to-one correspondence, and cardinality. In the afternoon, the focus will be on developing an understanding of the phonological awareness continuum and the importance of these skills - especially for those students experiencing reading difficulties.
Come learn some fun activities that will allow you to create engaging and positive experiences where both children and staff have SUCCESS!
LUNCH IS PROVIDED!
25.00 STIPEND AVAILABLE
Great 8
March 3, 2020
C'Mon Inn - Bozeman
6 RU available
In this dynamic and participatory workshop, we will examine the eight effective, research –based classroom practices that extend the positive, proactive, instructional approaches used to foster positive school-wide climate. The Great Eight include:
Classroom Expectations
Classroom Procedures and Routines
Encouraging Expected Behavior
Discouraging Inappropriate Behavior
Active Supervision
Opportunities to Respond
Activity Sequencing and Choice
Task Difficulty
We will also integrate the Work of Doug Lemov into the Great Eight. His 49 techniques in “Teach Like a Champion” are found throughout the eight foundations in the form of concrete, specific, and actionable classroom practices.
MTSS Trainings in 2020!
Check and Connect
January 21-22 8:30-4:00
C'Mon Inn-Bozeman
6 RU available
Check & Connect is a comprehensive Tier 2 and/or 3 intervention designed to enhance student engagement at school and with learning for marginalized, disengaged students in grades K-12, through relationship building, problem solving and persistence. Signs of disengagement can include poor attendance, tardies, poor grades, non-involvement in class, extracurricular activities, etc. It is a research based intervention for dropout prevention.
Check In/Check Out
February 11, 2020
Holiday Inn Express - Helena
6 RU available
Check-In, Check-Out, (CICO), is a Tier II, group-oriented intervention, designed especially for students whose problem behaviors (a) are unresponsive to Tier I practice and systems, (b) do not require more immediate individualized interventions, and (c) are observed across multiple settings or contexts.
2020 President's Day Para Consortium: DETAILS COMING SOON
John LeTellier
(AUTHOR OF Quantum Learning in Practice)
Has returned to Montana to continue sharing his passion for
Neuroscience and Education!
Teacher Energy: Renewing a Renewable Resource
by ALERT Learning
August 15, 2019 Holiday Inn Express: Bozeman 8:30-4:00
AND
November 4, 2019 Holiday Inn Express: Helena 8:30-4:00
Energy, not time, is a teacher’s most valuable resource. Participants learn how to develop the mindsets and skill-sets for sustainable energy renewal and maintenance in this dynamic, fun-filled, energy-changing workshop for teachers and school leaders.
6 hours of learning and fun will include:
• The Law of Source and Resource
• Systems Thinking: Systemic and Personal Victories
• Energy Renewal Mindsets: A New Pair of Glasses
• Energy Renewal Rituals for Educators
• Tools for Sustaining Energy Renewal
• Energy Shifting Strategies
• Improvement Energy: Green and Growing
PECS TRAININGS: hosted by the OPI Montana Autism Education Project. Please know that these are the only PECS Level 1 and Level 2 trainings we are hosting this school year.
October 2/3 Billings – Level 2 Hampton Inn
October 7/8 Sidney – Level 1 Wingate Hotel
October 28/29 Great Falls – Level 1 Holiday Inn (5th ST.)
October 30/31 Missoula – Level 1 Doubletree Hotel
STAR Autism Trainings 2019/2020
Missoula: October 7-8 (Broadway Inn and Convention Center
Billings: November 4-5
Bozeman: November 6-7
Great Falls: March 2-3
The OPI Montana Autism Education Project
is offering 80+ hours of online training in
Teaching Procedures for students with autism/cognitive delay, Applied Behavior Analysis and a variety of Focused Topics.
Meaningful Participation in Statewide Assessments
with Yvonne Field
October 2, 2019 8:30-4:00
C'Mon Inn - Bozeman
6 OPI Renewal Units
This training focuses on increasing educator knowledge about federal requirements and options for participation in statewide assessments through the lens of ensuring that students with disabilities are able to meaningfully participate in the assessments required under ESSA. This
training will cover how meaningful participation can be accomplished through ensuring that students have appropriate accessibility supports and accommodations and that those supports are selected systematically, based on student need. This training would be suitable for districts and schools to improve participation rates and performance of students with disabilities in statewide assessments.
Audience:Special education teachers, special education directors, system test coordinators, principals, and superintendents
Limited Seats Available!
STAR Training:
Strategies for Teaching based on Autism Research
Shodair Children's Hospital
August 19-20, 2019 8:30-4:00
6 OPI Renewal Units
The instructional methods of discrete trial training, pivotal response training, teaching functional routines, and positive behavior interventions and supports form the instructional base of this comprehensive program.
Handwriting Without Tears
Training for K-3
August 15, 2019 8:30 – 3:30
Montana City School Library
6 OPI Renewal Units
The Handwriting Without Tears® curriculum draws from years of innovation and research to provide developmentally appropriate, multisensory tools and strategies for your classroom. The program follows research that demonstrates children learn more effectively by actively doing, with materials that address all styles of learning.
Reading Mastery K-1 and Direct Instruction Strategies
August 21, 2019 8:30-4:00
Montana City School Library
6 OPI Renewal Units
This session will focus on teaching beginning reading skills using Reading Mastery I and II.
Accepting the Challenge:
Effective Strategies for Students with Anxiety-Related Behavior
Jessica Minahan, M.Ed, BCBA
September 14, 2019 . 8:30-4:00
Holiday Inn Express - Bozeman
6 OPI Renewal Units
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) reports that one in four thirteen-eighteen year olds has had an anxiety disorder in their lifetime. Without intervention, these children are at risk for poor performance, diminished learning, and social/behavior problems in school. Understanding the role anxiety plays in a student’s behavior is crucial and using preventive strategies are key to successful intervention. Effective behavior plans for these students must avoid the reward and punishment-based consequences from traditional behavior plans and focus instead on the use of preventive strategies and on explicitly teaching coping skills and alternative responses.
This workshop will translate clinical information into doable and easy-to-implement strategies, tools and interventions, for reducing anxiety, increasing self-regulation, executive functioning, and self-monitoring.
COMMON PIR DAY
Sept. 27, 2019 | Manhattan, MT
Presented by SWMSS & Region IV CSPD
Join us for a day of learning with Pete Hall. A former teacher and principal, Mr. Hall is co-author of best-selling and award-winning Fostering Resilient Learners: Strategies for creating a trauma-sensitive classroom (ASCD, 2016) and Relationship, Responsibility, and Regulation - (ASCD, 2018) and a passionate advocate of the Whole Child.
Meaningful Participation in Statewide Assessments
with Yvonne Field
October 2, 2019 8:30-4:00
C'Mon Inn - Bozeman
6 OPI Renewal Units
This training focuses on increasing educator knowledge about federal requirements and options for participation in statewide assessments through the lens of ensuring that students with disabilities are able to meaningfully participate in the assessments required under ESSA. This
training will cover how meaningful participation can be accomplished through ensuring that students have appropriate accessibility supports and accommodations and that those supports are selected systematically, based on student need. This training would be suitable for districts and schools to improve participation rates and performance of students with disabilities in statewide assessments.
Audience:Special education teachers, special education directors, system test coordinators, principals, and superintendents
MONTCOMM:
A Statewide Augmentative & Alternative Communication Conference
August 5, 2019
Holiday Inn Downtown Missoula
9:00-5:00
This is a one-day conference on Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) for educators, therapists, and family members wanting to learn about technology for complex communication needs.
For more information, email anna-margaret.goldman@mso.umt.edu.
Information on registration coming soon!
OPI TRAININGS:
AAC & Proloquo2Go: How to Program for a Better Implementation and Outcome!
September 23, 2019 Bozeman 8:30-4:30
Check for PD on the Learning Hub! Parents are welcome to join!
OT/PT Annual Conference: October 17-18 Billings
PAST TRAININGS
Summer Institute in Dillon, MT
at Montana Western
June 12 - 14, 2019
“Facing the Frontal Lobe:
Strategies to Support Executive Function Skills in Students with Planning, Organization, Emotional Control, Working Memory and Attention Needs”
By Jill D. Kuzma, M.A., CCC-SLP
https://jillkuzma.wordpress.com/about/
March 26, 2019 8:30-4:00 GranTree Inn, Bozeman
Executive function skills have come to the forefront in the world of education. Recent research suggests a strong correlation between students’ executive functioning their academic success. It also has been noted that deficits in executive functioning results in difficulty with organization, time management and task completion, problem solving, on-task behaviors and social interactions.
"Compare/Contrast and Summarization:
A "Best Best" for Raising Student Achievement" GRADES 4-12
March 7, 2019, 8:30-4:00 Holiday Inn Express, Helena
6 OPI Renewal Units Available
When: March 7, 2019 8:30-4:00 Add to Calendar
Where: Holiday Inn Express 3170 N. Sanders, Helena, MT Driving Directions
Research has shown that the ability to compare and contrast and summarize in writing is a "best bet" for raising student achievement. Comparative thinking is emphasized across all content areas in the Montana Common Core Standards. This session will provide participants with an explicit method for teaching compare and contrast and summarization across all content areas.
JESSICA MINAHAN IN HELENA!
Accepting the Challenge:
Effective Strategies for Students with Anxiety-Related Behavior
Jessica Minahan, M.Ed, BCBA
February 22, 2019 8:30-4:00 Helena, MT
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) reports that one in four thirteen-eighteen year olds has had an anxiety disorder in their lifetime. Without intervention, these children are at risk for poor performance, diminished learning, and social/behavior problems in school. Understanding the role anxiety plays in a student’s behavior is crucial and using preventive strategies are key to successful intervention. Effective behavior plans for these students must avoid the reward and punishment-based consequences from traditional behavior plans and focus instead on the use of preventive strategies and on explicitly teaching coping skills and alternative responses.
This workshop will translate clinical information into doable and easy-to-implement strategies, tools and interventions, for reducing anxiety, increasing self-regulation, executive functioning, and self-monitoring.
Annual Para Consortium with Shawna Heiser
Reaching and Teaching Students with a Variety of Diagnoses
February 18,2019 8:30-4:00 Hilton Garden Inn, Bozeman
Workshop Description
A thorough presentation of positive behavioral interventions in a variety of environments will be presented to conference attendees. Discussion will center around types of behaviors; task avoidance, escape motivated, attention seeking, behaviors that produce sensory consequences, and the role motivation plays in behavioral success in many settings-school, home, and community. Children with a variety of differences will be thoroughly discussed. The paraprofessional audience will be able to apply the information presented through videos, activities, and examples of how to set up positive plans for the children in a variety of environmental settings immediately in their respective situations. The training will also contain discussions about setting limits that work and the application of positive interventions. We will examine the common pitfalls that sabotage behavioral intervention plans and what to avoid when wanting to make significant behavioral changes. Further discussions of how to implement 504 accommodations in a regular education setting will be detailed.
“Utilizing the Quaglia Student Voice Survey to Impact School Climate in a Positive Manner
February 11, 2019 8:30-4:00 Bozeman
February 12, 2019 8:30-4:00 Helena
Steve and Kim York will guide you through analyzing the results of Student Voice Survey and begin planning next steps for optimal impact in your school.
Overview of the Day
By the end of the day, you will have gained strategies to:
Analyze your school’s student voice data by drilling down to formulate questions to use in gaining more insight into student perceptions of their school experience.
Use questions formulated to design and conduct focus groups.
Use focus group response trends to develop concrete action plans to effect positive change in students’ school perceptions of their overall school journey.
Assess future surveys to determine if action plans need modification.
Understand how staff and parent surveys impact the process of changing school culture.
Check In/Check Out
January 22, 2019 8:30-4:00
Hilton Garden Inn-Bozeman
Check-In, Check-Out, (CICO), is a Tier II, group-oriented
intervention, designed especially for students whose problem behaviors (a) are unresponsive to Tier I practice and systems, (b) do not require more immediate individualized interventions, and (c) are observed across multiple settings or contexts.
Because CICO is a group-based, standardized intervention, it is efficient and cost-effective. For example, the program can accommodate a number of students (e.g., up to thirty), and students can enter the program within a few days following referral. CICO also provides a built-in system for (a) monitoring students’ progress in the program, (b) evaluating the fidelity of implementation, and (c) transitioning to a self-managed program.
Check and Connect February 7-8 8:30-4:00
Holiday Inn Express-Helena
Check & Connect is a comprehensive Tier 2 and/or 3 intervention designed to enhance student engagement at school and with learning for marginalized, disengaged students in grades K-12, through relationship building, problem solving and persistence. Signs of disengagement can include poor attendance, tardies, poor grades, non-involvement in class, extracurricular activities, etc. It is a research based intervention for dropout prevention.
This structured mentoring program where the adult mentor meets with the student weekly for about a half hour. At this meeting, the mentor has brought gathered data (grades, attendance, tardies, office discipline referrals) and discusses them with the student. The mentor teaches needed skills such as goal setting, problem solving, and/or organization, depending on the student’s need. The idea is to build needed skills for the student to be successful in whatever they choose. The mentor connects with family so they can also become engaged in the child’s learning.
COMING IN JANUARY!
Becoming a Classroom Chef
January 11, 2019, 8:30-4:00
Holiday Inn Express, Butte
The MOUNTAIN of Math Materials available to teachers is staggering and intimidating. Taking your classroom from good to GREAT can be fuzzy but the Math Chefs will lead the way!
Math Chef: Make Math Meaningful
January 12, 2019, 8:30-4:00
Holiday Inn Express, Bozeman
Every student can learn math! From the struggling student to the bored/advanced student, each can access math content at their own level. Come see the 5 course meal and all the freebies available through Math Chefs!
Get a snapshot of what's to come!
Corrective Reading Instruction
November 28, 2018, 8:30-4:00
Holiday Inn Express, Bozeman
Corrective Reading is designed for 3rd – 12th grade students who have not learned to read in other programs and do not learn on their own. These multilevel programs may be used in regular classrooms or in special needs settings such as Chapter I, resource rooms, special education, etc.
Reading & Writing: Specific Strategies & Interventions K-5 with Carrie Cole
November 8, 2019, 8:30-4:00
Wingate Inn, Helena
This session will focus on proven literacy and intervention strategies for grades K-5 that can be easily incorporated into the classroom to strengthen any research-based English-Language Arts program.
Reading Mastery and Direct Instruction Strategies with Casey McLean
October 30, 2018, 8:30-4:00
Wingate Inn, Helena
This session will focus on teaching beginning reading skills using Reading Mastery I and II. Reading Mastery K/1 are programs that are typically utilized with K-1 students and students with special needs in 1st through 3rd grade.
NEED A REFRESHER OR NEW TO RM?
Region IV CSPD is pleased to welcome
Jessica Minahan, author of The Behavior Code
October 29, 2018
Grantree Inn, Bozeman, MT
Enjoy a Podcast with Jennifer Minahan!
Region IV CSPD is feeling LUCKY!
We are pleased to offer an experience you won't forget!
Creating a Climate
Closing the Achievement Gap
with Horacio Sanchez
Learning and the Brain Speaker and Author
September 24, 2018
GranTree Inn, 8:30-4:00
Bozeman, MT
Advancements in brain research provide insight as to why struggling schools continue to fail. The research clearly indicates that schools must have specific elements in place or any program implementation will falter. The most interesting finding is that closing the achievement gap cannot be achieved through academic programming alone. Effective programming must address many of the other challenges that contribute to the achievement gap. Schools must create environments conducive to learning, that promote positive social interaction, and that motivate the disenfranchised student. Once climates are stabilized, then alternative methods of instruction can be systematically implemented. Come learn the four specific steps that every class, school, and district must implement in order to improve student academic performance, behavior, and motivation.
Topics Covered
A paradigm for understanding human behavior.
The neuroscientific view of trauma and recovery.
The unique brain functions of students with chronic behavioral issues and how to extinguish those behaviors.
Understanding why social conflict occurs and how to prevent it.
Exposing myths related to replacement behaviors and designing interventions that produce long-term behavioral change.
Identifying what elements in the school climate must be in place to maximize academic performance and minimize impulsive behaviors.
A curriculum for achieving required steps for improving behaviors and increasing academic performance.
Outcomes
Reduced behavioral incidents
Improved academic performance
Increased teacher and student satisfaction
About Horacio Sanchez
Horacio Sanchez is the President and CEO of Resiliency Inc., an agency leader in helping schools improve school climate, instruction, and discipline. Horacio is recognized as one of the nation's prominent experts on promoting student resiliency and applying brain science to improve school outcomes. The Maladaptive Council (Academy of Science) recognizes him as a leading authority on emotional disorders and resiliency. He is a highly sought-after speaker and has keynoted many national conferences.
Horacio has been a teacher, administrator, clinician, mental health director, and consultant to the Department of Education in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and other states. His diverse education and background have helped him to merge research, science, and practice. Horacio sits on True Health Initiative Council of Directors, a coalition of more than 250 world-renowned health experts, committed to educating on proven principles of lifestyle as medicine. He has authored several articles and books on the topics of resiliency, closing the achievement gap, and applying neuroscience to improve educational practices and outcomes. He is the author of the best-selling book, The Education Revolution published by Corwin Press, which applies brain science to improve instruction, behaviors, and school climate.
CLICK HERE TO
FIRST 40 RECEIVE FREE BOOKS
6 Renewal Units Available
VISUAL PHONICS with MEG CECH
Certified Trainer
September 20, 2018
Holiday Inn Express, Helena
8:30-4:00
Visual Phonics is a multi-sensory approach that allows student to learn faster and with great accuracy by building skills and confidence. The mouth movement for each phoneme or sound is represented by a hand gesture. The hand signal is then reflected in the written symbol. Students taught with this approach are able to use hand signs to cue themselves and teachers can use the signs and symbols to assist reading, speaking, and spelling skills.
Participants will learn and practice the gestures for each of the 46 phonemes of the English language during the course of the day, insuring proper form and memory association for next day implementation. Meg will also lead you on the exploration of the variety of ways Visual Phonics may be used to aid in encoding for all students, utilizing visual, auditory and kinesthetic learning, turning reluctant readers into independent readers. It is a day filled with active involvement and practice, resulting in educators feeling confident and understanding the importance of hand cues for learning in the classroom.
Thank You For Making
Region IV CSPD Summer Institute A Success!
We hope you found some useful information and feel inspired to ENJOY summer, rejuvenate and ponder next year.
Here is a message from Melissa Tovaas!
Greetings,
Thank you for participating in the CSPD Region IV institute! Below is information to access materials from my sessions on Tuesday, June 12th:
SEL Sessions Folder (Building Empathy and Planning for SEL)
SEL article I think you will enjoy to help spark some conversations with your colleagues across your school.
Incorporating Mental Health Awareness into your Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) Framework with Dr. Bella Bikowski
January 21st, 28th, and Feb 4th from 3:30-5:30
With schools in heightened emotional states from the Global Pandemic: COVID-19, this will be an introduction to the most prevalent Mental Health challenges that schools are facing including anxiety, depression, and executive functioning challenges that impact the learning of students. We will explore Tier I and Tier II interventions that can be delivered in person OR virtual to address these challenges within the MTSS framework. We will also look at screening for Mental Health as well as data tracking and progress monitoring practices.
Dr. Bikowsky is a Child & Adolescent Clinical Therapist and an Educational Staff Associate Certified School Counselor with a Ph.D. in Educational Counseling/Psychology. Bella has extensive knowledge working with school teams and districts in helping to create systemic change using the Multi-Tiered Systems approach capitalizing on evidenced-based interventions such as Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports, Restorative Justice Practices, Trauma-Informed and Culturally Responsive Practices, Social-Emotional Learning, Mental Health integration into the school systems, and Function-Based Assessments and interventions.
Past Events
EARLY CHILDHOOD PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
WITH STEPHANIE LESTER
Executive Functioning: Skills That Make a Big Difference for Children
Monday, March 29 and Tuesday March 30
4:00-6:00PM on ZOOM
4 RUs available
Adaptable thinking, planning, self-monitoring, self-control, working memory, time management, and organization are all executive functioning skills that can be encouraged in early childhood environments. Research supports intentionally providing guidance and experiences that encourage the development of those executive functioning skills in young children. A variety of ways that each of the skills can be practiced and encouraged within daily routines in early childhood environments will be shared. Register Here
Register for Executive Functioning H
Developing Children’s Number Sense
Monday, April 26 from 4:00-6:00 on ZOOM
2 RUs available
This session will focus on developing better understanding of this learning trajectory, as well as the latest methods to develop skills in subitizing, counting, one-to-one correspondence, cardinality, and hierarchical inclusion. Intentional “in the moment” strategies to effectively respond to young children’s mathematical thinking will also be addressed. Note: This session aligned to the Montana Learning Standards (MELS) for the domain of Cognition. Register Here
Intentional Planning for Math focusing on the Predictive
Indicators for School
Tuesday, April 27, 2021 from 4:00-6:00 on ZOOM
2 RUs available
This workshop will provide practical research and evidence-based math activities and games that will help students increase their math skills. The session will focus on developing an understanding of number sense as well as the latest methods to develop skills in subitizing, counting, one-toone correspondence, and cardinality. Plan to join this training and learn some fun activities that will allow you to create engaging and positive math experiences for children! Register Here
Intentional Math Planning Registrati
SAVE THE DATE FOR POSSIBLE IN-PERSON TRAINING!
Language and Literacy: Building a Strong Foundation by Providing Opportunities for EVERY Child to Experience SUCCESS EVERYDAY! with Stephanie Lester
If Approval is granted through OPI, we will hold this training in-person in Bozeman. The specific location is pending. Please register and check back for further details!
6/22/2021June 22, 2021
8:30 – 3:30
6 RUs available
When the environment is effectively established and utilized, it becomes an educator in its own right in the early childhood classroom. Using this explanation as a foundation, this session will focus on approaches to promote speaking, listening, reading, and writing in all aspects of the environment, including classroom design, intentional instruction, and facilitation of language and literacy by teachers and staff. Participants will walk away with tangible strategies and resources that can be easily implemented and used to improve language and literacy environments in their classrooms . Note: This session aligned to the Montana Learning Standards (MELS) for the domains of Physical, Communication, and Cognition.
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SAVE THE DATE!
REGION IV CSPD ANNUAL SUMMER INSTITUTE
JUNE 16-18 IN DILLON, MT PENDING OPI APPROVAL!
CARRIE COLE
will offer a comprehensive study of Dyslexia and strategies that will help educators assess and plan next steps for all students over 5 sessions.
Mondays from February 8-March 15
4:00-6:00 MST
CREDIT PENDING, 10 OPI Renewal Units for participation in all 5 sessions.
2 Renewal Units available for each session
February 8 and 22: Understanding the Science of Reading and Montana Dyslexia Law
This session will focus on the latest research on the science of teaching reading, including: (1) the components of reading identified by the National Reading Panel, (2) the Simple View of Reading and how it connects to Scarborough's Reading Rope, (3) best practices for assessment for MTSS, and (4) how this all connects to current dyslexia legislation.
March 1: Phonology and Its Connection to Reading and Writing
Critical foundational knowledge for teachers of reading includes deep knowledge of English phonology. This session will focus on the speech sounds of English and how this connects to later mastery of reading and spelling.
March 8: Phonological Awareness and Beginning Phonics
This training will focus on proven instructional and assessment methods for phonological awareness and beginning phonics that are engaging and multisensory.
March 22: Spelling Development and Word Study
This training will focus on spelling development and word study methods that are not only engaging and interactive for students, but increase spelling skill and confidence.