A Webinar Series Sponsored by Goalbook
In this series featuring renowned special education experts, we’ll address the most important challenges faced by special education administrators as you meet current demands and prepare for the next phases of the pandemic.
The lineup of nationally recognized special education thought leaders will provide real-world guidance for administrators from both the practice and legal perspectives. You’ll walk away from each session with practical guidance and key concepts that you can share and implement with your team. Participate in all the sessions or just those that interest you the most.
Who should attend?
- Directors of Special Education/Special Services
- Supervisors of Special Education/Special Services
What is the cost?
It’s free! The series is sponsored by Goalbook as part of our commitment to supporting the special education community and provided at no cost to you.
Next Session
February 8, 2022
From FBA to BIP: Today’s Best Practices in Assessment, Intervention Design, and Progress Monitoring
Featured Presenters
Andratesha Fritzgerald, Ed.S.
District Administrator and author of Antiracism and Universal Design for Learning
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Andratesha Fritzgerald is a former teacher, curriculum specialist, and administrator who is now the Director of Human Resources, Diversity and Equity in a large urban school district. As an international speaker, presenter, and facilitator, Andratesha exhibits audacious perseverance calling on organizations to evolve into inclusive antiracist safe zones for all learners. She is the founder of Building Blocks of Brilliance Educational Consulting Firm, and the author of Antiracism and Universal Design for Learning: Building Expressways to Success.
Carol Kosnitsky
Former Director of Special Education and author of IEP Goals that Make a Difference
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Carol Kosnitsky is a renowned author, consultant, and national speaker on best practices in developing measurable and compliant goals and objectives. As a former special education director, supervisor, and teacher who has consulted with hundreds of school districts, she brings a great depth of practical experience and compassion to her work along with energy, insights, vision, and systemic thinking. Carol is also the author of IEP Goals that Make a Difference: An Administrator's Guide to Improving Process. Funny and articulate, Carol inspires and informs.
Christina Henagen Peer, Esq.
Special Education Counsel to Boards of Education and School Districts
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Christina Henagen Peer advises and represents public school districts and boards of education regarding state and federal special education laws. Her expertise includes the development of legally defensible IEPs and ETRs, IDEA procedural compliance, class action complaint proceedings, and district policy development. Christina served on the executive committee of a state Council of School Board Attorneys for eight years and regularly provides training for teachers and administrators on special education issues.
Jeffrey Sprague, Ph.D.
Researcher and Professor of Special Education at the University of Oregon
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Jeffrey Sprague is a researcher and Professor of Special Education at the University of Oregon. He directs federal, state, and local research on positive behavior interventions and supports, multi-tiered support systems (MTSS), alternative education, and restorative practices. His research activities encompass applied behavior analysis, positive behavior interventions and supports, behavioral response to intervention, and functional behavioral assessment. Sprague began his career as a teacher of students with low-incidence cognitive disabilities. He has co-authored the Best Behavior program, published several guidebooks and reports, and written over 150 journal articles and book chapters.
Julie J. Weatherly, Esq.
Featured CASE attorney in The Weatherly Review and owner of Resolutions in Special Education
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Julie J. Weatherly, Esq. is the owner of Resolutions in Special Education, Inc., a special education law firm. For 35 years, Julie has provided legal representation and consultation to school agencies across the country in the area of educating students with disabilities. She has been a faculty member for many national and state legal institutes and is a frequent speaker at special education law conferences. Julie has developed training programs that support special education legal compliance and has been published nationally. Julie was featured on CBS “60 Minutes” and received the Award for Outstanding Service from the Council of Administrators of Special Education.
Katie Novak, Ph.D.
Former Assistant Superintendent and author of Equity by Design
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Dr. Katie Novak is an internationally renowned education consultant, author, adjunct professor, and former Assistant Superintendent of Schools. Katie has more than 19 years of experience in teaching and administration and has written eight books, including UDL Now!, Equity By Design, and UDL and Blended Learning. Katie helping districts across the country implement Universal Design for Learning (UDL), Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), and universally designed leadership. Katie's work is featured in many publications, including Edutopia, AMLE Magazine, the Huffington Post, ASCD Education Update, and School Administrator.
Sowmya Kumar
Special Education Consultant and former Assistant Superintendent of Special Education
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Sowmya Kumar has worked across the country at the school, district, and regional levels. As part of this work, she served as the Assistant Superintendent of Special Education for one of the largest school districts in the nation, ensuring quality services for students with disabilities. Sowmya is now an educational consultant and President of Systemic Special Education Support. She supports school districts examine and improve special education through systemic and sustainable practices, and continuous improvement planning.
From FBA to BIP: Today’s Best Practices in Assessment, Intervention Design, and Progress Monitoring
Do you feel like your district’s FBA and BIP process could benefit from research-based practices around high-quality assessments, intervention design, and progress monitoring?
If so, this session is for you. Join us to discuss the best practices and concrete steps you can take back to your staff to transform assessments and support plans from all-too-often vague and subjective exercises to effective components of the IEP. You’ll learn:
- The research supporting best practices in moving from FBA to BIP
- Best practices for the major functional assessment methods
- How to implement reliable, valid, and feasible progress monitoring and data-based decision-making practices
- How to generate an effective support plan from FBA summary statements
- And more!
Register now to save your seat!
The Key Steps to Evaluate and Improve Your District’s Programs for Students with Disabilities
Are you looking for a proven system to continually improve the quality of services your district provides for students with disabilities in a systemic and sustainable way? If so, register for this session where you’ll learn how to do that as well as:
- How to develop a measurable and continuous improvement plan based on needs
- How to implement, monitor, and evaluate the plan
- How systems and processes can lead to shared responsibility and accountability of stakeholders and staff
Register today to save your seat!
How to Redesign Your District’s IEP Meetings to be Inclusive and Culturally Responsive so that All Students Can Succeed
Too often, the typical structure of an IEP meeting misses some of the needs of a diverse student population, and it’s likely having a negative impact on the way your students are served in your schools. In this session, we’ll explore the new way of conducting IEP meetings which ensure each meeting is inclusive, culturally responsive, and engaging for both the learners and their families. You’ll learn how to:
- Evaluate and challenge the traditional format of IEP meetings
- Design student- and family-centered meeting experiences with principles of the Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
- Igniting student agency and input within the IEP development phase
Register today to save your seat!
How to Help Teachers Think Differently About Developing Appropriately Ambitious Goals and Documenting Progress
The legal standard changed years ago, but is there an opportunity to further shift teacher practice and mindset to create more appropriately ambitious goals?
We can certainly help teachers create appropriately ambitious goals, but what qualifies as “appropriately ambitious,” and how do we know if we’re meeting the mark?
The answer lies in the evaluation team report (ETR), and in this session, we’ll explore how you can train staff members to leverage the ETR data to develop appropriately ambitious goals and data collection processes that will create a more comprehensive and impactful plan to address student needs.
You’ll learn how to:
- Conduct truly comprehensive evaluations that clearly identify student needs
- Turn student needs into measurable goals that foster student success
- Leverage the vital link between evaluation, needs, goals, and progress monitoring
Register today to save your seat!
In It to Win It: How to Manage Difficult Special Education Cases in Your District
Could you benefit from having more vetted strategies for handling “difficult” special education cases in your district — including those where a formal complaint has (or may soon be) filed? If so, register for this session where you’ll learn:
- Practical knowledge about potential “pitfalls” that can derail a special education case (and how to avoid them)
- Best practices for parent communication, record keeping, and procedural compliance
- Insights into important nuisances in the formal compliant mechanisms under IDEA
- How to strengthen data collection and record-keeping to best support the district’s case and demonstrate the provision of a free appropriate public education
- Tips and tricks for working with your district’s legal counsel
Register to save your seat today!
Progress Monitoring in 2022: How to Effectively Harness Tools, Time, and Training for Your Staff
Do you feel like progress monitoring is a weak link when it comes to improving outcomes for your students with disabilities? If so, be sure to join this session. As an administrator, you’ll walk away with concrete strategies to expand your district’s capacity to track student growth and use data to improve student outcomes. After this session, you’ll be able to:
- Identify barriers to effective progress monitoring and tools to assess your district’s capacity
- Identify strategies to address tools and time
- Train and coach staff toward more effective progress monitoring
Register today to save your seat!
Quick Registration
Please click each session that interests you and register for each session separately.
- From FBA to BIP: Today’s Best Practices in Assessment, Intervention Design, and Progress Monitoring
- The Key Steps to Evaluate and Improve Your District’s Programs for Students with Disabilities
- How to Redesign Your District’s IEP Meetings to be Inclusive and Culturally Responsive so that All Students Can Succeed
- How to Help Teachers Think Differently About Developing Appropriately Ambitious Goals and Documenting Progress
- In It to Win It: How to Manage Difficult Special Education Cases in Your District
- Progress Monitoring in 2022: How to Effectively Harness Tools, Time, and Training for Your Staff