A Treasure Chest of Resources for Leaders
Blimey! There are loads of free resources fer ya! But, the treasure has been buried in small stashes across the seas and internet. Set sail in this session to discover gems from the OSEP Technical Assistance Centers, CEC, CASE, and CADRE. Whether ye be an experienced leader or a scallywag just setting sail, you are sure to fill yer chest with bounty in this resource-packed journey.
Angie Balsley, Earlywood Educational Services

Exhausted by Litigation: Special Education Litigation post-Perez
CCHA attorneys discuss the impact of the March 2023 Supreme Court decision Perez v. Sturgis on special education litigation.
Jessica Billingsley, Church Church Hittle + Antrim
Alex Pinegar, Church Church Hittle + Antrim

LRE 53: How to Create a Place of Peace, Safety, and Happiness in the Midst of Trouble or Difficulty
Presenters will walk you through the necessary steps to create an LRE 53 for your district.
Susie Hurt, Avon Community School Corporation
Dustin Robinson, Avon Community School Corporation

Discover the Science of Reading: Boost Older Students' Literacy Skills
Participants will leave with an understanding of the processes involved in reading, essential elements of literacy instruction, and strategies to more effectively teach and foster effective foundational literacy skills for older learners. A large portion of the workshop will feature hands-on dynamic training dedicated to teaching phonological awareness and explicit phonics.
Katie Shelton, Reading Horizons
South Putnam School District

Developing Cohesive Intense Interventions Programming Preschool-Young Adult
Creating cohesive Intense Interventions programming can be a challenge. District administrators need to know how to set a vision, coach staff with high expectations, and problem solve in order to create programs that support the best outcomes for students with the most intensive needs.
Lindsey Cox, Elkhart Community Schools
Jessica Mattke (District BCBA)

Winter 2024 Statehouse Updates & Beyond
This presentation will provide an overview of legislation impacting special education that has been introduced in the Statehouse. The presentation will also provide an analysis of the potential impact of new legislation on special education students and school leaders.
Séamus P. Boyce, Kroger Gardis & Regas, LLP
Keith Butler, Kroger Gardis & Regas, LLP

Session will repeat Thursday.

Let Others Hear Your Voice!
To understand what is advocacy; how to advocate, the mission of governmental affairs and how to assist with pending legislation
Nikki Sprunger, ICASE GA
Tammy Hurm, ICASE GA

Expanding Inclusion in the Early Childhood Setting
Cheryl Rose, CSC Southern Hancock County

Back to School University a Collaboration of PD
1. The Idea
2. The partners
3. The Trainings offered
4. How to Pay for it
5. Outcomes
Tony England, Elkhart Schools
Jolly Piersall, IIEPRC
Daniel McNulty, Patins
Traci Henn, IN CEC
Shirley Elliott
Lindsey Cox

Working Through A Settlement Agreement - Lessons Learned
We will walk through North Gibson's Settlement Agreement and demonstrate how the pieces of the Agreement align to create a meaningful and effective system of support for students with disabilities.
Jeanette Lobeck, North Gibson School Corporation

The Rough Waters of Special Ed & Title IX
For the first time ever, the Title IX regulations coming out in 2024 will require ongoing consultation between your school's special education teams and Title IX Coordinator. Attorneys and civil rights experts from Imprint Legal Group dissect the complex intersection of Child Find, Title IX emergency removals and manifestation determinations, consent, and supportive measures that may interfere with IEP services.
Jessica Heiser, Imprint Legal Group
Kacey Ramsey, Imprint Legal Group

The Power of Practice
Across disciplines, researchers have sought to understand the optimal conditions for facilitating the retrieval process that learners must employ to locate and then use the information to engage in performance tasks. In understanding this process, researchers question the number of repetitions learners need. These tasks elicit stronger connections and more immediate retrieval of information, and whether there is any way to ensure this information is retrievable and retained over time. Awareness of the type, time, and level of support each practice form offers is essential in supporting instructors in effectively designing instruction. Considering how to interleave old content with new, distributing practice over time, and gradually reducing our support from prompted and guided to independent practice is key to permanent knowledge. The content we teach is critical, but practice makes it powerful.
Jamey Peavler, The Reading Clinic of Central Indiana

Making Time to Lead
TBA
Beth Houf

Before you set sail, have you checked your gear with a full sail bag?
Traversing seas requires a sail bag with different sails. A one sized sail does not fit all conditions. Similarly, the due process hearing request that are filed will include boilerplate allegations. How a school fairs through those allegations will different depending on the student. We will review the top 10 most common due process allegations and review what procedures and training staff need to have in place to weather the winds of due process.
Monica Conrad, Lewis Kappes

Family Engagement: Why We Need it More Than Ever and How Leaders Can Build Intentional Practices
This will be an interactive session with activities designed to get families thinking about what they are already doing and how these activities can be tweaked based on key principles from DOE's Dual Capacity Framework for Family Engagement.
Katie Herron, Early Childhood Center, Indiana Institute on Disability and Community
Lynne Hall

Arghhh Maties! Pirate Pete and Sea Rover Sarah want to play sports so we signed them up for Unified Champions.
Pirate Pete has a peg leg and doesn't run as fast as he would like. Sea Rover Sarah needs to bring Squeaky, her Support Parrot, anywhere she goes, to feel safe. They are both participating in Unified Sports through Special Olympics, Indiana and want their friend Benny to join them. Benny is worried that due to his blindness he wouldn't be invited to play. This training is going to help Benny understand that not only is he invited to come to unified events, he is going to be asked to play! Unified Athletics is inclusive to all who want to participate and enjoy the concept of being on a team and competing! And no, Benny....walking the plank isn't a game we currently play.
Lisa Graham, Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools
UCS Teammates

Overhauling a Large Urban System
This session will provide an overview of the processes and procedures we have put in place to develop and sustain systems across the Office of Special Services in the MSD of Wayne Township. We will share our overarching department priorities and the steps we have taken to provide clarity and guidance to our team members. We will also share our structure with professional development and how we have centralized resources to build capacity across the district while maintaining a focus on disrupting ableism and inequities of any kind.
Dr. Linda Watkins, MSD of Wayne Township
Mr. Todd Hawks, MSD of Wayne Township
Mrs. Meghan Highfield, MSD of Wayne Township

Winter 2024 Statehouse Updates & Beyond
This presentation will provide an overview of legislation impacting special education that has been introduced in the Statehouse. The presentation will also provide an analysis of the potential impact of new legislation on special education students and school leaders.
Séamus P. Boyce, Kroger Gardis & Regas, LLP
Keith Butler, Kroger Gardis & Regas, LLP

Repeat Session

Leading the charge: Practical strategies for an inclusive building!
Presenters will outlinine the dynamic relationship between principal and director and how the two lenses blend to create an inclusive building that is safe, effective maintains high staff retention. Discuss and learn strategies and systems in place. Also hear how the principal and director can navigate the gray together for better student outcomes, and inclusivity for all.
Joe Kwisz, Old National Trail Special Services
Bucky Kramer

Choose Your Own DEI Adventure: Finding a Path to Equity in Challenging Situations.
This session will identify common scenarios that a school leader will face and will encourage them to think through an equity lens to come to a solution. Participants will be given resources to guide their thinking and take back to their districts for real-world application.
Susan Mahoney, Warren Township
Jennifer Scott, Franklin Community Schools

Creating a Culture to Retain and Recruit SLPs: Leading the Way
Creating a Culture/Trust Environment, Service Delivery Models, Manageable Workloads, Leadership Structure, Resources, Collaboration Opportunities, Clarity of Roles
Rachel Ross-Kroemer, Hamilton Southeastern Schools
Ricci Bradley-Murray

Don't Stand on the Mountain of Average.
Jill and Jenna will talk with the audience about self development strategies for leaders. This will be more than a discussion about following a process, but more of a deep dive into becoming the best version of yourself in order to meet the needs of others around you. Participants will be able to walk away from this session with strategies they can practice and use daily in their schools.
Jill Lambert, Greenwood Community Schools
Jenna Guerrettaz

So You're Thinking About Hiring a BCBA? Perspectives from a BCBA and Schools Utilizing Innovative Approaches to Address Behavioral Challenges
Addressing behavioral challenges in educational settings is increasingly complex and requires a creative approach to serving the staff of students exhibiting these difficulties. This presentation, led by a BCBA and some of your educational leaders, offers practical insights across three key areas: (1) Gain clarity on principles guiding behavior change interventions and the rigorous standards required for all board certified professionals, (2) Dream through diverse examples of behavioral services from student-level consultation and professional learning to program evaluation crucial for sustainable improvement, and (3) Leave with a practical tool for evaluating alignment between professionals' capabilities and role demands. It is our goal that, through this session, you will acquire a comprehensive toolkit for navigating the complexities of behavioral support in education that fosters environments conducive to success for everyone.
Heather Volchko, BCBA, Education and Behavioral Consultant
Sara Timm, Director of Special Education
Tamara Pol, Director of Special Education
Joyce Gronewold, Administrative Coach for Special Education Leaders

Disproportionality in Indiana: New Evidence/New Recommendations
Following two major studies on the impact of placement on the academic outcomes of students with disabilities, the authors have researched the impact of bias on the referral and placement of students into special education. This is a continuing research initiative. Past research on inclusion has found: 1) K-8 students with disabilities do better if included. 2) High school special education students graduate at different rates with more rigorous courses of study and diplomas if included. This interactive presentation will present new research on disproportionality and offer for discussion information to assist educators in using strategies to prevent and eliminate overrepresentation based upon this research.
Sandi Cole, Indiana University
Dr. Hardy Murphy, Indiana University
Hannah Bolte, Indiana University

Arrr! Walking the Plank and Diving in on Special Education Law and its Impact on Other Legal Obligations
Ahoy, mateys! Amy Matthews and Chandler Lawson Flynn of Church, Church, Hittle + Antrim will walk the plank and dive in to discuss the multiple ways that special education issues implicate other school obligations and/or processes including, but not limited to, bullying, child abuse, Title IX, and more in this interactive presentation!
Chandler Lawson Flynn, Church Church Hittle & Antrim
Amy Matthews, Church Church Hittle & Antrim

Telling the Story with IEP Notes: Guidance for Schools with an Emphasis on Ways to Make the Process More Manageable
Participants will leave with guidance to share with their teams and templates/tools to make written notes for case conferences more manageable and meaningful.
Angela Ludlum, West Central Indiana Special Services Coop
Evan Steiner, Duneland School Corporation

Navigating the Ship: Balancing the Rights of Students with Disabilities with the Safety of Other Students
With the frequency and intensity of dangerous behaviors increasing in today’s students, it is important to hold the wheel straight to guide your ship in managing aggressive student behavior in ways that preserve the rights of students with disabilities while maintaining the safety of other students in the same classroom/educational setting. This presentation discusses the legal issues and offers tools for balancing the rights of students with disabilities with concern for the safety of other students so that you can navigate your way to a safe shore.
Karen Glasser Sharp, Lewis Kappes

Batten Down the Hatches! Compliant Behavior Goals and BIPs through an SEL Lens
Ahoy me Hearties! Are you ready to make your teachers walk the plank when you read their behavior goals and BIPs? Ensure compliant and appropriate goals and BIPs with these tools and templates.
Jenny Smithson, Muncie Community Schools

The Seven "C's" of Family Engagement
Using a lighthearted theme-based mnemonic of seven words that start with “C”, participants will consider the positive impact that comes from fostering relationships and engaging families. They will be given access to an engagement survey that can be used to identify areas of need as well as modules and resources related to family engagement that can be used with their educational community. A brief update on the progress with the Statewide Family Engagement Center will also be provided.
Natalie Hicks, IN*SOURCE
Dawn McGrath, IN*SOURCE