OPI Special Education Trainings

Presenter - Stephanie Lester REGISTRATION is open on the WMCSPDRegistration page. Virtual sessions   4pm to 6pm March 2, March 3, 2022 T hese sessions  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!

Presenter - Jessica Sprick   REGISTRATION is open on the WMCSPDRegistration page. Virtual sessions Jan 17  1pm to 4pm Feb 21 1pm to 4 pm This session focuses on ways to meaningfully engage all students in your classroom, boosting attendance, and increasing student success! Learn ways to create and enhance a positive and invitational classroom climate that enhances each student’s sense of belongingness and motivation to participate in the learning environment. This session will provide a strong focus on different instructional activities and participation techniques you can use to actively engage learners in classroom instruction. Learn a variety of ways to get all students richly participating, despite differing ability levels, strengths, and needs for support. Participants will also learn practical, easy-to-implement, and effective strategies for building a culture of attendance in your classroom, so that all students are present and participating. Bonus -The first 35 ...

Presenter - Rhonda Birnie REGISTRATION is open on the WMCSPD Registration page. Virtual Sessions Jan 27, Feb 24, March 10, 2022 (sessions are 4pm to 6pm)    Session 1 In session 1 we will explore the GLOSS math diagnostic and learn how to give the diagnostic to students. Participants will have all the materials to give the diagnostic to a student between sessions 1 and 2 and bring the information with them to session 2. Session 2 In session 2 we will analyze diagnostics given to students. We will determine what the diagnostic tells us about a student’s mathematical understanding and troubleshoot any issues that came up when giving the diagnostic to students . Session 3  In Session 3 we will plan intervention instruction using the information from the diagnostic assessment. We will analyze intervention materials and develop a 30-day plan for our targeted students.

  Presenter - Rhonda Birnie  REGISTRATION is open on the WMCSPDRegistration page. Virtual Sessions Jan 10, Feb 7, March 14, 2022  (sessions are 4pm to 6pm) Session 1 I n session 1 we will identify strategies and models that build strong conceptual understanding of addition and subtraction and we will explore the progression of these concepts through K-5. Session 2 I n session 2 we will focus on strategies and models in multiplication and division. We will explore how the conceptual understanding of addition and subtraction in K-2 supports multiplicative thinking in grades 3-5. Session 3   In session 3 we will look at the mathematical routine of comparing and connecting and discover how we can develop and implement this routine in our K-5 classrooms. We will see how, by using the models and strategies that have been explored in earlier sessions, the compare and connect routine can build a strong

Presenter -  Dr Laurie Swineford Thompson REGISTRATION is open on the WMCSPDRegistration page. Virtual Sessions Jan 27 & Feb 3, 2022 - 2 part training  (sessions are 1pm to 4pm) Young children with language delays are at risk for persistent developmental and behavioral difficulties. Outcomes for young children with language delays are variable and can be  associated with increased risk for persistent language problems, learning disability, and poor  academic achievement as well as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder. Reports have indicated that approximately half of children in speech-language clinics or classrooms for children with language problems have an associated behavioral or emotional disorder. This presentation will focus on the assessment of social-emotional development in children with language delays and autism spectrum disorder as well as the emerging evidence supporting effectiveness of interventions. 

Presenter - Dr Laurie Swineford Thompson REGISTRATION is open on the WMCSPD Registration page.    In Person Session Jan 24. 2022 Hampton Inn Kalispell  This presentation will review relevant literature on expressive and receptive language disorders for school-aged children focusing on grades K-8. We will discuss recent shifts in terminology for characterizing children with language disorders and if current terminology informs evidence-based treatment models. We will also examine the current treatment frameworks and the level of evidence that supports specific therapeutic approaches for school-aged children with language disorders.

Presenter - Carrie Cole REGISTRATION is open on the WMCSPDRegistration page. Virtual Sessions Jan 5, 12, 26 & Feb 2 2022   -  4pm to 6pm 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--without additional prep time. This four-part training series will focus on easy-to-plan, high-impact strategies 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! January 5     Word select...