Agenda

7:45 am - 8:45 am

SIG/SPDG Evaluators Affinity Session
Salon 1 & 11

This is an opportunity for SIG/SPDG Evaluators to meet to informally discuss issues/challenges/successes and methodology related to evaluating a SIG/SPDG project.  Evaluators from other OSEP projects are welcome to attend.

8:15 am - 9:00 am

Continental Breakfast
State Corridor

9:00 am - 11:45 am

Workshops

Conducting and Translating Practice-Based Research Syntheses to Advance Evidence-Based Practices
Maryland ABC

Presenter: Carol Trivette, Orelena Hawks Puckett Institute

One of the most critical, yet difficult, activities that both researchers and technical assistance providers struggle with is how to translate research findings into practice as a way to scale up evidence-based practices in the field. This workshop will address this by describing a process to both conduct practice-based research syntheses and present these practices to specific audiences. The first part of the workshop will focus on a process for conducting research syntheses that can be used to inform practice. This process has four components: identifying studies to be included in the synthesis, coding a consistent set of practice characteristics in each study, analyzing the recoded data, and ruling out alternative explanations to ensure that the practices put forward are reliable and valid. The second part of the workshop will address how to develop practice guides to inform practitioners, administrators, and families about the research evidence derived from the syntheses. Specifically, the session will focus on how to present the evidence in formats that are user-friendly for the intended audience, how to make multimedia presentations, and how to validate the usefulness of practice guides.

Outcomes: Through their participation in this workshop, participants will gain an understanding of three things:

• A methodology for conducting research-to-practice syntheses
• How research evidence can be used to develop practice guides
• How practice guides can be used to advance evidence-based practices

Presentation: Conducting and Translating Practice-Based Research Syntheses to Advance Evidence-Based Practices

• Carol Trivette and Carl Dunst

Student Progress Monitoring Takes the Guesswork out of RTI
Virginia ABC

Presenters: Ingrid Oxaal, OSEP; Tracey Hall, Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST); Nancy Safer, National Center on Student Progress Monitoring (NCSPM); Maurice McInerney, NCSPM; Rebecca Holland Coviello, NCSPM; Lanai Jennings, Preston County Schools, West Virginia; Brandi Meade, Dalton Elementary School, Dalton Gardens, Idaho; Ed Shapiro, Lehigh University; Todd Busch, Minnesota State University

In this workshop, participants will learn about Student Progress Monitoring (SPM) using curriculum-based measurement (CBM) in reading, and how this practice fits into an RTI model. A research summary on reading CBM and its utility for RTI will be followed by opportunities to practice using the instruments and making instructional decisions based on scores. After gaining firsthand experience with CBM and SPM procedures, participants will discuss their implications for the pre-service and in-service preparation of teachers, administrators, and other school staff. The workshop will conclude with a summary of the impact of SPM on classroom instruction and student achievement. A description of available resources and their uses in pre-service and in-service coursework will also be included.

Outcomes: Through their participation in this workshop, participants will:

• know what SPM and CBM are and understand their research base;
• understand how SPM fits into an RTI model;
• learn how to administer and score reading CBMs;
• understand the implications of SPM and RTI for pre-service and in-service preparation of school staff; and
• gain resources for including SPM/CBM and RTI materials in teacher preparation courses.

Presentation: Student Progress Monitoring Takes the Guesswork out of RTI

• Presentation

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part B Regulations: Implications for OSEP Grantees
Lincoln 2–4

Presenters: Lou Danielson, OSEP; Larry Wexler, OSEP; Bonnie Jones, OSEP; Elizabeth Witt, OESE; Phoebe Gillespie, The Personnel Center, NASDSE; Amy Jackson, National Comprehensive Center on Teacher Quality; Kathleen Paliokas, Center on Improving Teacher Quality, CCSSO.

This workshop will present an overview of the IDEA 2004 Part B regulations and will provide a more indepth discussion on two regulations: a) Response to Intervention/Specific Learning Disabilities Identification, and b) Highly Qualified Teachers.

Outcomes: Through their participation in this workshop, participants will:

• have greater knowledge of the IDEA Part B regulations on Highly Qualified Teachers;
• have greater knowledge of the IDEA Part B regulations on the identification of students with SLD through the use of a process based on the child’s response to scientific, research-based intervention;
• have greater knowledge of the IDEA Part B regulations relative to Early Intervening Services (EIS);
• have greater knowledge of how EIS funds could be used to support a process determining whether a child has a specific learning disability and to address the needs of students who need additional academic and behavioral support to succeed in a general education environment;
• understand how these new regulations could affect the participant’s program;
• understand how these new regulations could be infused into the participants’ curriculum, syllabus, training, or work; and
• understand the special education role for leadership and personnel preparation relative to the new regulations and general education.

Presentations: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part B Regulations

• IDEA Regulations Workshop
• Margaret Romer
• Systems-level Alignment Issues
• Elizabeth Ann Witt and Bonnie D. Jones
• Louis Danielson and Larry Wexler

Response to Intervention (RTI) Goes to Pre-K: An Early Intervening System Called Recognition and Response
Delaware AB

Presenters: Virginia Buysse, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Tracey West, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Sheldon Horowitz, National Center for Learning Disabilities; Sarah Mulligan, Division for Early Childhood (DEC); Patricia Doolan, Education Connection; Gloria Deyo, Education Connection

This workshop will explore a promising multi-tier model called Recognition and Response (R&R), which represents a translation of Response to Intervention (RTI) for use with 3-to-5-year-olds with learning difficulties in early childhood settings (e.g., Head Start, child care, preschool, pre-kindergarten). The workshop will include a description of the origins of R&R and the rationale for using a multi-tier model for early intervening. Participants will have an opportunity to consider methods of universal screening and progress monitoring as part of an integrated assessment plan and to review instructional support strategies within a three-tier model. A vignette will be used to highlight six key considerations for implementing R&R in early childhood settings.

Outcomes: Through their participation in this workshop participants will:

• describe defining features of Recognition and Response (R&R) and its origins in RTI;
• identify assessment resources that could be used for universal screening and progress monitoring (recognition);
• identify specific interventions that could be used within a three-tier model of instructional supports (response); and
• identify six considerations related to implementing R&R in early childhood programs.

Presentation: Response to Intervention (RTI) Goes to Pre-K

• RTI Goes to Pre-K

Entering Adulthood: Assistance on the School-to-Community Transition of Adolescents with Disabilities
Lincoln 5–6

Presenters: Selete Avoke, OSEP; Judy Shanley, OSEP; David Test, National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center (NSTTAC); Deanne Unruh, National Post-School Outcomes Center (NPSO); Loujeania Bost, National Dropout Prevention Center for Students with Disabilities (DPC-SD)

This session will be comprised of diverse formats, including mini-presentations, discussions, and small group demonstrations. This variety will enable participants to acquire information that can be incorporated into teacher education and/or technical assistance activities. Mini-presentations will include: 1. High school redesign research and recommendations, including the role of teacher educators and TA providers; 2. State Performance Plan (SPP)/Annual Performance Report Indicators 1, 2, 13, and 14: requirements and summary of analyses; 3. Research-based improvement strategies; and 4. Technical assistance and dissemination (TA&D): resources and TA&D opportunities from each Center. In small group demonstrations, each TA Center will demonstrate tools and resources and will encourage participants to think about the application of these tools in their own settings. Some of the tools demonstrated will include: the Dropout Intervention Framework, a framework to infuse Cognitive Behavioral Intervention into teacher training, the IEP Checklist for secondary transition, secondary transition research-to-practice lessons, the Transition Assessment Guide, the Post-school Outcome Survey, the State Profiles, and the Sampling Calculator.

Outcomes: Through their participation in this workshop, participants will:

• understand high school redesign as the context for secondary transition improvement for students with disabilities;
• learn about the national reporting requirements related to drop out, graduation, secondary IEPs, and post-school outcomes;
• acquire evidence-based strategies to improve secondary programs and youth outcomes with an emphasis on secondary transition programs, dropout prevention, and post-school outcomes; and
• interact with specific tools and resources available from each technical assistance center and apply these tools to individual learning contexts.

Presentation: Entering Adulthood

• Entering Adulthood: Assistance on the School-to-Work Community Transition of Adolescents with Disabilities

11:45 am - 12 Noon

Break

12 Noon - 1:30 pm

Lunch with Keynote
Salon I & II

Yes You Can

Keynote Presenter: Jim Stovall, Narrative Television Network (NTN)

Jim Stovall is founder and president of NTN, which makes educational programming accessible for millions of blind and visually impaired people across the country via broadcast, cable, satellite, DVD, and Internet streaming. Author of The Ultimate Gift and a blind person himself, Stovall will draw on his experience as a national Olympic weightlifting champion, Emmy Award winner, and television executive in this presentation. Stovall’s “Yes You Can” presentation has been presented to millions of people in corporate speeches and arena events around the world. His work with NTN, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Education, has taught him that expectations are among the most
important teaching tools.

1:30 pm - 1:45 pm

Break

1:45 pm - 2:45 pm

Interactive Small Breakout Sessions

Special Education Elementary Longitudinal Study (SEELS): Overview and Application of Study Results
Maryland ABC

Presenters: Jose Blackorby, SRI International and Mary Wagner, SRI International

This session will provide a summary of results from an OSEP-funded large-scale, national longitudinal study of elementary and middle school students with disabilities (SEELS), which recently concluded. It will present a national perspective on the characteristics of students and families, as well as school programs, including the academic performances of students with disabilities particularly in light of the challenges of NCLB and IDEA. Session participants also will learn how the SEELS data can be accessed and utilized to develop a basis for future research and technical assistance endeavors, and to inform/benefit local and state education personnel and systems.

Presentation: Special Education Elementary Longitudinal Study (SEELS): Overview and Application of Study Results

• Mary Wagner

Promoting the Adoption of Evidence-Based Early Literacy Learning Practice among Early Childhood Practitioners
Virginia ABC

Presenters: Tracy Masiello, Orelena Hawks Puckett Institute; Carol Trivette, Orelena Hawks Puckett Institute

This presentation will provide an overview of the approach taken by the Center for Early Literacy Learning (CELL) to synthesize research evidence on early literacy learning and to use this information for developing evidence-based early literacy learning practices and their accompanying practice guides with parents and practitioners.

Your Way, My Way, Our Way: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Preparing Highly Qualified Early Intervention Personnel
Delaware AB

Presenters: Mary-alayne Hughes, University of Illinois; LaShorage Shaffer, University of Illinois

This session will highlight evaluation data from an early intervention pre-service personnel preparation grant. Four themes (relationship-based intervention, interdisciplinary collaboration, family-centered services, and reflective supervision) undergird this program, and the presenters will discuss an innovative interdisciplinary practicum experience that showcases these themes.

Presentation and Handout: Your Way, My Way, Our Way: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Preparing Highly Qualified Early Intervention Personnel

• Your Way, My Way, Our Way
• PREP Project Synopsis

Online Materials: The IRIS Center Series in RTI and Behavior
Balcony A

Presenters: Naomi Tyler, Vanderbilt University/IRIS Center; Deb Smith, Claremont Graduate University/IRIS Center

The IRIS Center for Training Enhancements creates online materials about research-validated practices for working with students with disabilities in inclusive settings. This session will highlight two series of modules, one that focuses on Response to Intervention (RTI) and one that addresses dealing with disruptive and non-compliant behavior. Each series contains five to six separate modules that build sequentially so that learners progressively develop an indepth understanding of the topics.

Challenges and Successes in Implementing a Response to Intervention (RTI) Model Demonstration Project: Perspectives from Three States
Balcony B

Presenters: Edward Shapiro, Lehigh University; Gerald Tindal, University of Oregon; Teri Wallace, University of Minnesota

The purpose of this session is to discuss the status of an RTI model demonstration project conducted in three States: Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Oregon. Successes and struggles in implementing such models will be described. Barriers and facilitators to implementation will be discussed collectively as well as specifically for each site.

Listening to Administrators: Learning about Decisions and Priorities
Congressional

Presenters: Heidi Silver-Pacuilla, National Center for Technology Innovation (NCTI); Tracy Gray, NCTI; Cynthia Overton, NCTI

This presentation will describe a research-to-practice activity undertaken by the NCTI in collaboration with an industry leader. This collaborative activity sheds light on administrators’ priorities and decisionmaking as it relates to assistive technology purchases, infrastructure, and integration with instructional technology plans.

Presentation: Listening to Administrators

• Tracy Gray

Standards for Inclusive Education: Access, Participation, and Progress in the General Education Curriculum in the Least Restrictive Environment for Students with Severe Disabilities
Embassy

Presenters: Anne Smith, OSEP; Barb Gruber, Maryland Coalition for Inclusive Education; Cheryl Jorgensen, University of New Hampshire; Diane Ryndak, University of Florida; Elizabeth Kozleski, Arizona State University; Jacki Anderson, California State University Hayward; Pam Hunt, San Francisco State University

This session will feature an overview and analysis of inclusive education quality indicators developed by local education agencies, State education agencies, institutes of higher learning, and partnerships supported by OSEP discretionary grants. Presenters from California, Florida, Maryland, New Hampshire, and the National Institute for Urban School Improvement will briefly describe their work and share lessons learned.

Building Consensus on Effective Instructional Strategies for English Language Learners with Disabilities
Park Tower 8206

Presenters: Martha Thurlow, National Center on Educational Outcomes; Kristi Liu, National Center on Educational Outcomes

This presentation highlights a national study of effective instructional strategies for English language learners with disabilities. Findings from three activities will be shared: (1) a review of instructional strategies described in State standards, (2) teacher consensus-building activities that generated lists of recommended strategies, and (3) interviews with principals of schools making adequate yearly progress.

Presentation: Building Consensus on Effective Instructional Strategies for English Language Learners with Disabilities

• Martha Thurlow and Kristi Liu

Teaching to the Standards in Math and Science Instruction for Secondary Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities
Park Tower 8210

Presenter: Katherine Trela, University of North Carolina-Charlotte

Findings from a study using story-based problems in math and inquiry-based science lessons with students with significant cognitive disabilities at the secondary level will be presented. Units of study for both content areas were developed in alignment with secondary math and science standards for students at the secondary level.

Presentation: Teaching to the Standards in Math and Science Instruction for Secondary Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities

• Presentation

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) Policy and Research on Alternative-Route Teacher Preparation
Park Tower 8223

Presenters: Erling E. Boe, Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania; Michael S. Rosenberg, Johns Hopkins University; Paul Sindelar, University of Florida

To address shortages and improve teacher quality, NCLB encourages States to establish alternatives to traditional teacher preparation. This policy is based on the assumption that pedagogy is less important in determining achievement than teachers’ verbal ability and content mastery. Although this assumption belies the importance of pedagogy to effective special education practice, NCLB paints the field with the same policy brushstroke as other disciplines. In this session, to ascertain the consequences of 25 years of public policy promoting alternative routes, Drs. Erling Boe, Michael Rosenberg, and Paul Sindelar will present findings from their recent studies of alternative route preparation.

Presentation: The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) Policy and Research on Alternative-Route Teacher Preparation)

• Erling E. Boe

Collaboration Trek: Voyage for Solutions
Park Tower 8224

Presenters: Robbie Ludy, Buena Vista University; Diane Moore, Iowa State Improvement Grant; Mike Cavin, Iowa State Improvement Grant

Personnel shortages in special education have forced many schools to use teachers with conditional licensure. This session explores how Iowa is addressing the accountability issue for highly qualified teachers. A unique collaboration of State and private teacher education programs is addressing this issue.

Presentation: Collaboration Trek

• Collaboration – Trek

Taking Advantage of Capacity: Salvaging Evaluations and Providing Models of Effective Practice (When It Doesn’t Go the Way You Planned)
Park Tower 8209

Presenters: Matt Giugno, New York State Education Department; Wilma Jozwiak, Capital Region Board of Cooperative Education Services; Laura Payne-Bourcy, Syracuse University

Sometimes the changes in systems are so considerable that they significantly impact projects. These changes may require new approaches to salvage evaluations, and also may provide inspiration for new approaches. How individuals react to these changes is critical to the success of school improvement efforts. In this presentation, disruptions large and small that impacted the New York State Improvement Grant project will be discussed, along with how project personnel have reconceptualized, reorganized, and reframed to take advantage of existing capacity and preserve the intended impact, and how existing capacity in using effective practices has been woven into the new State Personnel Development Grant project.

Presentation: Taking Advantage of Capacity

• Presentation

Improving Leadership Skills of Parents of Children with Special Needs: Preliminary Findings from a 5-Year Intervention Project
Park Tower 8212

Presenter: Barbara Popper, Federation for Children with Special Needs

Using an interactive format, session presenters will share their experiences and lessons learned in implementing a parent-professional leadership training at the school district level in Massachusetts, and present preliminary findings from the research that is being conducted to test the efficacy of the training.

Presentation: Improving Leadership Skills of Parents of Children with Special Needs: Preliminary Findings from a 5-Year Intervention Project

• Improving Leadership Skills

Building State Capacity through Regional Collaboration: Two Innovative Models of Professional Development
Park Tower 8219

Presenters: Susan Edelman, Center on Disability and Community Inclusion; Tracy Evans Luiselli, New England Center Deafblind Project; Ruth Ann King, West Virginia Department of Education

This session will focus on the development and implementation of two research-to-practice training models in eight States, with the goal of building a cadre of professionals to address individual State training needs. Discussion will address the novel features as well as measurement of impact, replication, and dissemination.

Presentation: Building State Capacity through Regional Collaboration

• Presentation

Empirical Data on Early Childhood Transitions: Emerging Findings for the Transition at Age 3
Park Tower 8222

Presenters: Beth Rous, University of Kentucky; Katherine McCormick, University of Kentucky; Caroline Gooden, University of Kentucky

Building on years of recommended practices to facilitate transitions of children to new settings, presenters will share (a) a conceptual model of transition, (b) a topical bibliography of empirical, peer-reviewed research, and (c) findings from studies currently underway that explore factors that impact transitions for children and families at age 3.

Presentation and Handout: Empirical Data on Early Childhood Transitions: Emerging Findings for the Transition at Age 3

• Beth Rous
• Emerging Findings for the Transition at Age 3

2:45 pm - 3:00 pm

Break

3:00 pm - 4:30 pm

Large Group Panel Sessions

What Teacher Education Faculty Need to Know About Access to the General Curriculum and the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS)
Salon I & II

Presenters: Chuck Hitchcock, NIMAS Technical Assistance Center; Skip Stahl, NIMAS Development Center; Margo Izzo, Ohio State University; Elizabeth Kozleski, Arizona State University

Moderator: Bonnie Jones, OSEP

This large group session will provide an overview of the key concepts establishing the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS), including a summary of Federal regulations for implementation at the State, local, and school levels. Participants will learn about the national infrastructure being implemented to improve the availability of accessible instructional materials for use by students with disabilities in elementary and secondary classrooms, about how specialized formats of instructional materials may increase access to the general curriculum, and about the potential for improved achievement when beginning teachers know and are able to use instructional technology. During this interactive session, implications for teacher educators and for implementing technical assistance will be discussed, and commonly asked questions about NIMAS along with web-based resources will be highlighted. Participants will receive resources and references for use in teacher education curriculum and strategies for implementation. Although this session is designed for teacher educators, it is open to all conference participants. This session includes an open discussion period, including questions and answers.

Presentation and Handouts: What Teacher Education Faculty Need to Know About Access to the General Curriculum and the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS)

• Bonnie Jones
• NIMAS/NIMAC Glossary
• Frequently Asked Questions about NIMAS & NIMAC
• Accessible Textbooks in the Classroom

Evaluating Adult Behavior Change as a Result of Training Activities: Moving from Saying to Doing
Maryland ABC

Presenters: Patricia Gonzalez, OSEP; Joseph Wehby, Peabody College of Vanderbilt University; David Lillie, University of North Carolina

Moderator: Kathy Strunk, Tennessee Department of Education

In performance-based evaluation, measuring the impact of project activities on desired intermediate outcomes (i.e., changes in the behavior of target populations) is a common element of the design. This session will focus on aspects of evaluating adult behavior change and implementation fidelity as a result of project-related training or teaching activities—an important issue for projects that seek to implement, teach, or disseminate evidence-based practices. Presenters will provide alternative methods for collecting data on behavior change and program fidelity and provide practical examples from the field.

Presentations and Handouts: Evaluating Adult Behavior Change as a Result of Training Activities: Moving from Saying to Doing

• Fidelity Observations
  • North Carolina State Improvement Project
  • Moving from Saying to Doing
• Patricia Gonzalez

Intervention in Natural Environments: Setting the Stage for a Lifetime of Learning
Virginia ABC

Presenters: Pip Campbell, Thomas Jefferson Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Nikki Woodward, Montgomery County, Maryland; Sheila Pearson, Jackson, Mississippi

Moderator: Kat Stremel, The Teaching Research Institute, Western Oregon University

It would seem that one of the long-term outcomes for the use of natural environments in early intervention is to provide effective teaching strategies to families that they can use throughout their child’s education and transition into adult life. And yet, reports indicate that many early childhood programs do not use families as the major change agents within contextual settings. This lack of “scaling up” may be less about evidence-based practices and more about the need to have a framework of implementation (Fixsen, Naoom, Blasé, Friedman, & Wallace, 2005) for the implementation of early intervention within natural environments. This panel will discuss potential core components of intervention in natural learning environments to highlight an “implementation model.” Although early intervention will be used as an example to highlight implementation strategies, the presenters propose that if parents learn generic skills well, they will be able to apply them throughout their child’s life in home and community settings. State and local service providers and a family member will discuss how strong implementation outcomes can continue to be viable means for parents from infancy to transitions into adulthood.

Presentation: Intervention in Natural Environments: Setting the Stage for a Lifetime of Learning

• Kat Stremel

Meeting the Need for Highly Qualified Effective Special Education Teachers
Delaware AB

Presenters: James McLeskey, University of Florida; Mary Brownell, University of Florida; Bonnie Billingsley, Virginia Tech

Moderator: Stan Shaw, University of Connecticut

Description: This session will discuss efforts to understand the nexus of special education teacher shortages with a) issues of retention and cost effectiveness, b) recruitment, and c) preparation of effective special educators.

Presentations: Meeting the Need for Highly Qualified, Effective Special Education Teachers

• James McLeskey
• Mary Brownell
• Bonnie Billingsley

5:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Poster Sessions
Lincoln Hall/Exhibit Hall C

See Poster Session Program for details.

5:30 pm - 6:30 pm

Remembering Vicki Mims, Our Friend and Colleague.
Click here to view the invitation.
Delaware A

Back to Top