Jeff & Dean Beyond the Chalk

Every Student is Unique: Using Digital Tools To Meet Their Needs- Jeff Crews & Dean Phillips, Beyond the Chalk – As educators, each day our priority is to meet the needs of all of our students. Frequently, we are challenged with having to find the appropriate technology integration strategies and resources, especially for students with special education needs. This session will focus on many of the resources that are available in order to differentiate, modify, accommodate and most importantly, lead all students towards success, within your classroom.

Keith Orchard

The Power of Healthy Relationships to Influence even the Toughest Kids- Keith Orchard, Education Hall:  To be a trauma-invested school means to be a relational school. However, kids who have experienced trauma and extreme stress can be very challenging for staff and peers to connect to. They often have insecure attachment strategies and their trust in others being safe with them can be very low. How frustrating – the kids who need us the most are often the most resistant to us! In this workshop, we will explore practical principles and strategies to connect with even the toughest kids.

Susan Hentz

Co-Teaching and the Highly Engaged Inclusive Classroom- Susan Hentz, Susan Hentz & Associates – Co-Teaching is the fastest growing inclusive practice across America. On the continuum of collaborative practice, this shared teaching model is the most complex where educators share their physical and intellectual space. It is imperative that co-teachers learn communication and collaborative skills for optimum performance in this model for instruction. In this fast-paced practical seminar, you will explore strategies and tools for implementing and maintaining the co-teaching partnerships; tips for successful planning to integrate specially designed instruction while optimizing each teacher’s expertise. You will leave this seminar excited about taking your co-teaching to the next level. There will be dozens of ideas that you take back to your co-taught classroom for immediate implementation.

Jenifer Cline

Hot Topics in Special Education for Educators – Jen Cline and OPI Special Ed Division

Allison Wilson

An Ecological Approach to Bridging the Word Gap- Dr. Allison Wilson UM – There is growing public awareness that the achievement gap between children from high- and low-income families occurs much before children reach kindergarten. Potentially less than half of children from low-income families show up to school prepared with the early math and reading skills, emotional and behavioral control, and physical well-being needed to be ready to learn – a disadvantage that persists into adulthood. This issue is often attributed to the number of words children are exposed to at a young age, as well as the quantity and quality of conversational turns between young children and caregivers. While research has pointed to evidence-based interventions to improve children’s language learning environments and thereby reduce this word gap, this knowledge has had limited population-level impacts. This presentation will discuss the evolution of practices, leading toward an innovative ecological approach to increasing opportunities for young children with the intended outcome of bridging the word gap.

Neurodiversity and Applied Behavioral Analysis Institute, Thomas Manthey, Montana Center for Inclusive Education – MSU-B & Cheryl Young Pelton, MSU-B – Neurodiversity celebrates inclusiveness and strengths of individuals who have neurologically diverse conditions such as autism spectrum disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and Tourette’s syndrome. As we see it, the term broadens the scope of helping professions, such as the Montana Center for Inclusive Education.
Montana State University Billings has proposed the Institute for Neurodiversity and Applied Behavior Analysis to serve individuals with a broad scope of neurologically diverse conditions in a way that celebrates human strengths and potential and also promotes effective, technologically sound, ethical, and socially valid interventions.

The purpose for the Institute is three-fold: (a) provide a field experience setting for internships and research, (b) promote best practices for professionals to observe and engage in training, and (c) to enhance services for children and youth in the greater Billings area. Over time, our services may transcend behavior assessment and intervention to include, art therapy, parental support and advocacy.
A greater understanding of neurodiversity is needed in education, medicine, with parents and in the community at large. Included within this understanding is the acknowledgement that neurodiversity can be both a challenge for individuals, families and the community to address and a competitive advantage with deep roots through human existence.

Tom Manthey

PRESENTER BIO

Tom Manthey is the Director of the Montana Center for Inclusive Education. It is his dream job at his alma mater. He began teaching in Casper, Wyoming. After seven years, he decided there was much more to learn and enrolled at the University of Kansas, receiving a Ph.D. in special education and school leadership. It has been a wonderful journey. He met his beautiful and intelligent wife, Paula McMahon, and soon had two wonderful sons. Before coming to MSUB, Tom directed statewide projects in tiered interventions for the Virginia Department of Education and raised $23,000,000 through successful grant proposals. His work has focused on making schools more effective in meeting the instructional needs of all students in inclusive settings. That remains at the heart of his work today. Tom believes that everyone deserves to live an enriching life fully included in their community. It’s the Montana way!

PRESENTER BIO

Cheryl Young-Pelton is a Professor of Special Education and Applied Behavior Analysis Montana State

Cheryl-Young-Pelton

University Billings, and a Technical Assistance Provider for OPI Montana Autism Education Project.
She worked in Florida 25 years as a special educator, music therapist, department chair, behavior specialist, and administrator until she earned her doctorate in 2005. Cheryl Young-Pelton is a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst–Doctoral (BCBA-D), Licensed Behavior Analyst (LBA), and her disability-specific expertise includes Functional Behavior Assessment and Interventions for children and adolescents with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders and Autism Spectrum Disorders with areas of competence in treating severe behavior, using remote technologies with intervention teams, and positive behavior interventions and support

Workshop Handouts

Handouts Coming Soon

The Conflict Cycle and Managing Surface Behaviors- Brian Ernest, MSU-Billings – End the conflict cycle with your students! In this practitioner-friendly session, participants will learn how students’ irrational beliefs lead to observable behaviors in the classroom, as well as how the adult’s reaction can escalate or break the cycle. Participants will leave the session understanding the “circular and escalating nature of student/teacher conflict,” how to identify normal counter-aggressive feelings when helping behaviorally challenging students, and how to interrupt and defuse the cycle before students go into crisis (Long et al., 2014). The session will also include a variety of evidence-based interventions for managing surface behaviors so that minor behaviors don’t turn into major teaching disruptions!

Restorative Practices: How to Provide Social-Emotional Supports for the Success of Every Student- Sara Cole, Kalispell Public Schools – This presentation will provide an overview of Restorative Practices, including foundation components, mindset, and practical proactive and reactive strategies to support the social emotional learning of all students.

Self-advocacy is a tool that we all need to survive the adult world, and one way we can teach self-advocacy to our students with disabilities is by having them play an integral role in the development of their IEPs. This presentation will offer several strategies and resources to help you put your students in a leadership role and a decision making role in their IEPs, rather than as a bystander. By having students take responsibility for the development of their education plans, they will have increased awareness of their team members’ roles, an increased awareness of their disabilities and needed accommodations, more confidence in asking for those accommodations, and thus a greater investment in their own futures. Participants will leave this presentation with the tools to get started!

Legislative Advocacy 101 for Educators – Understand the importance of advocacy for the education you work so hard to provide to the children you serve in your school. Join dialogue about “why” it is so important for educators to advocate for our children and “how” to make your voice heard. A session on basics of education advocacy, sharing the tools to assist you in becoming an effective advocate.

Shelley Dempsey

Oscar Aviles

Goalbook’s mission is to empower educators to transform instruction so that all students succeed. Together, we will explore the following essential question: How do we make decisions and lead changes that enable ALL students to succeed?

We will engage in interactive protocols that enable participants to learn and grow from shared experiences. Participants will deepen their understanding and application of the Universal Design for Learning framework to help ALL students succeed. Participants will also explore our research-based content spanning Pre-K to Grade 12 in the subjects of Reading, Math, Writing, Behavior, Social and Emotional Learning, Speech, Autism, Transition, Occupational Therapy, Low Incidence, and Alternative Academic and Life Skills.

Jeff & Dean Beyond the Chalk

Doing More with School and Student Information- Jeff Crews & Dean Phillips, Beyond the Chalk: Schools, administrators, specialists, and teachers are all tasked with collecting and keeping various types of information. However, often that data is collected but overlooked. This session will focus on tools that will help you become more efficient with collecting and analyzing the information that schools collect.

Keith Orchard

Dysregulation, Dissociation, Discombobulation – understanding brain science and how it affects kids from hard places- Keith Orchard, Education Hall – Understanding how to help kids from hard places begins with understanding the specifics of how trauma and stress affect and change the developing brain. In this workshop, we will discuss brain development and how trauma impacts the brain, memory, emotional development, behavior, and readiness to learn – and explore some high-impact strategies for effective interventions.

Susan Hentz

Co-Teaching and the Highly Engaged Inclusive Classroom- Susan Hentz, Susan Hentz & Associates – Co-Teaching is the fastest growing inclusive practice across America. On the continuum of collaborative practice, this shared teaching model is the most complex where educators share their physical and intellectual space. It is imperative that co-teachers learn communication and collaborative skills for optimum performance in this model for instruction. In this fast-paced practical seminar, you will explore strategies and tools for implementing and maintaining the co-teaching partnerships; tips for successful planning to integrate specially designed instruction while optimizing each teacher’s expertise. You will leave this seminar excited about taking your co-teaching to the next level. There will be dozens of ideas that you take back to your co-taught classroom for immediate implementation.

Jenifer Cline

Questions?? We Have Answers!! – OPI Special Education Jen Cline and OPI Special Ed Division:  During this session you can ask the OPI School Improvement Specialists any questions you may have about special education services, policies and rules.  

Nick Goodman

Diagnosing Decoding Issues in Students of All Ages- Nick Goodman, Really Great Reading – The Diagnostic Decoding Surveys enable efficient and easy to administer one-on-one assessment of phonics skills for readers from kindergarten through adulthood. The surveys can identify which decoding skills have been mastered and which still need to be learned. Participants will receive a complimentary packet of surveys that contains everything they need to assess an unlimited number of students, as well as information on using the survey results to group students and plan effective and efficient instruction. Along with the packet of surveys, participants will be able to access the complimentary Grouping Matrix that has a live assess feature so teachers do not need to hand score. The Grouping Matrix also progress monitors and groups students for the teacher.

Michelle Allen

Using Tech to Shape a Brighter Future: Tools for Dyslexia and Learning Disabilities- Michelle Allen, MonTECH – Learn about apps and devices that can help a student with physical or developmental challenges succeed both inside and outside the classroom. This presentation offers hands-on exploration of helpful apps and technologies, with a particular focus on tools to support students with dyslexia.

Cohesion Dance Project

Shaping your Classroom Activities for All Types of Movers and Learners- Tanya Call & Julynn Wilderson, Cohesion Dance Project – This training course is designed for teachers, paraeducators, and anyone who works with people with disabilities interested in developing their skills and expanding their teaching practice to be more accessible and inclusive. Participants will be led through a variety of activities that use movement and creative strategies to address the varied sensory, social, behavioral, and physical aspects of their diverse population of students. Discussion will follow to integrate ideas of real-world applications of the techniques learned, including how these can expand the accessibility of their classroom and create more inclusive, engaging and fun learning activities.

Social Proverbs: In the moment strategies for coaching behavior- Jennifer Schoffer Closson, UM  –Once students have learned skills in the therapy or small group setting, they are expected to generalize their skills to the classroom, playground, lunchroom, and other unstructured settings. Social proverbs, an extension of social narratives, give student supporters a strategy to pre-teach, prompt, and redirect students to generalize their skills. Join me to learn the value of social narratives, how to develop social proverbs, and ways to implement them to support our students.

An Exceptionalities Lens for Gifted Education Advocacy- Jeb Puryear, UM – State law mandates the identification and provision of education services for gifted and talented students. In this session, the legal and philosophical underpinnings of gifted education are examined with particular interest given toward viewing gifted education with an exceptionalities lens. Participants will leave with research-based, actionable strategies for supporting this segment of the exceptional population.