Handouts will be posted before the Institute.
NOTE: Click once on a Handout link to open or download it (your browser may automatically download to your computer)
“I have been impressed with every aspect of the program and highly recommend this program for all educators and parents of children with special needs.”
| Day | Forum | Handouts | Topic | Presenter | Description | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | General | Keynote | General - Keynote PC | “Learning Better Together: Including Students with Significant Disabilities in Comprehensive Literacy Instruction | Danielle Cowley & Jessica Kruckenberg (Faculty at the University of Northern Iowa & Educator from the Waterloo, IA School District) | Drawing on the pillars of comprehensive literacy instruction (language, text comprehension, reading foundations, and writing), presenters will take you through their journey of inclusive schooling. Case studies and real-life examples will be shared in order to inspire systems- to student-level change: Leading for inclusion, collaborating across general and special education, designing evidence-based, inclusive literacy instruction, and delivering for high learner engagement. Participants will leave with models to apply to their own schools and classrooms for the upcoming school year. | |
| Monday | 1 | 1 | Group 1 - Forum 1 | All Together Now! Supporting Student Engagement and Behavior in Inclusive Classrooms | Danielle Cowley & Jessica Kruckenberg (Faculty at the University of Northern Iowa & Educator from the Waterloo, IA School District) | Participants can plan on doing a deep dive into three key areas for supporting diverse student engagement and behavior in inclusive classrooms: Creating positive classroom communities, establishing accessible classroom routines and procedures, and supporting student sensory needs. Presenters will focus on the evidence-base and best practices for each of these three "buckets," while devoting time for teachers to explore materials and make connections to their own classrooms. | |
| Monday | 1 | 2 | Group 1 - Forum 2 | What Do I Bring With Me on My Transition Path? Transition to Community Living with TMG–IRIS | Dan Krohn (Community Partnership Specialist for TMG- IRIS; Milwaukee) | This forum focuses on how to partner with young adults and their families to: Develop a transition plan that supports valued roles and community connections, clearly communicates goals, and supports a full life in the community. In this interactive forum, participants will gain tips, tools and insights into how to best support students who transition from school to an adult self-directed program with full budget authority. | |
| Monday | 1 | 3 | Group 1 - Forum 3 | Data-Informed Inclusion: Uncover Achievement and Practice Gaps | Judy Sargent (WISExplore Team, CESA 7; Sturgeon Bay) & Mary Ann Hudziak (WISExplore) | In this forum, participants will learn about and dive into a process that facilitates a study of achievement gaps and inclusive practice indicators through hands-on, results-focused data inquiry. WISEdash for districts will be a foundation tool for this forum, as we explore various relevant data tools within the dashboards. Bring your laptops. | |
| Monday | 2 | 4 | Group 2 - Forum 4 | Assistive & Inclusive Technology- Apps, Extensions, and Sites to Include Everyone in Your Classroom | Cassie Frost (Assistive Technology Specialist & Special Educator; Stevens Point Area School District) | This forum will focus on tools that are easily used to provide access and ease of use to all students. This forum will include: iPad accessibility features; iOS apps that aid with review, modified lessons and adapted materials; QR code activities; self-regulation apps; communication apps; Chrome Extensions including Read and Write for Google, Tab Snooze, Speak in Slides, etc.; and web tools for lesson creation & modification, and classroom management. Bring your laptops and leave with tools you are ready to use in classroom. | |
| Monday | 2 | 5 | Group 2 - Forum 5 | Supporting Individuals to Live Full Lives- Keeping Individuals with Disabilities in Charge of Their Lives | Tami Jackson (Board for Persons with Developmental Disabilities; Madison) & George Zaske (Parent & Attorney) | In this forum, learn about Supported Decision-Making as one alternative to Guardianship and a fundamental part of self-determination. Students with greater self-determination are healthier, more independent, well-adjusted and better able to recognize and resist potential abuse. Presenters will provide information that is important for students and families as they plan for transition into adulthood. | |
| Monday | 2 | 6 | Group 2 - Forum 6 | Creating Transition Programming Beyond Age 18 | Shelley Lehman (TIG Northern Regional Coordinator) & Alicia Reinhard (Statewide Transition and Graduation Consultant, DPI) | This forum will feature new guidance from the Transition Improvement Grant on developing individualized transition programming for students with IEPs who stay in school beyond age 18. Participants will review the new guidance document and tools that will support developing robust and individualized programming leading to positive post school outcomes for students with IEPs. | |
| Tuesday | General | Keynote | General - Keynote 1 | Have It All . . . Opportunities for All to Succeed | Brett Bernard (Educator, Coach & Author; MN) | In this keynote, Brett will share strategies, along with inspirational (and humorous) stories, regarding how former students of all backgrounds succeeded in many aspects of life. This Keynote will motivate you to dream big for you and your students and it will also give you practical strategies that you can use to help any child be successful in the classroom. | |
| Tuesday | 3 | A | Group 3 - Forum A | The ABC’s of Experiencing Math | Brett Bernard (Educator, Coach & Author; MN) | This forum will focus on how students can experience math, rather than trying to learn math through simply reading or hearing about it. The emphasis of this forum will be on math anxiety reduction, building math vocabulary and creating effective conversations about math. (Target Audience: Elementary Level; Special Educators; General Educators; Teacher Leaders/PST/Coaches) | |
| Tuesday | 3 | B | Group 3 - Forum B | Developing & Leading Inclusive Schools & Programs | Aaron Engel (Superintendent; School District of LaCrosse) | Have you ever encountered resistance to inclusion and wanted to partner with your principal on implementing inclusion for students with disabilities? This forum will focus on: 1) Resistance that principals encounter when they implement inclusion, & 2) Strategies they use to overcome this resistance. Participants will leave with a framework for identifying resistance, and strategies for overcoming resistance to inclusion. (Target Audience: Elementary, Middle, High School Levels; General Educators; Special Educators; Administrators) | |
| Tuesday | 3 | C | Group 3 - Forum C | Google Slides: Beyond the Slideshow | Cassie Frost (Assistive Technology Specialist & Special Educator; Stevens Point Area School District) | This forum will focus on features of Google Slides including: The 'explore' button for suggestions on formatting and additional images; add-on features; and accessibility features including closed-captioning. Participants will learn how to use Google Slides to create digital interactive activities, printable hand-outs, worksheets, posters, and more. Bring your laptops or Chromebooks so you can try out features throughout the forum. (Target Audience: Elementary, Middle, High School Levels; General Educators; Special Educators; Teacher Leaders/PST/Coaches) | |
| Tuesday | 3 | D | Group 3 - Forum D | Measuring the Effectiveness of Preschool Inclusion | Michelle Ogorek (WI State-wide Early Childhood Coordinator; CESA 1) | We know inclusion in early childhood settings is important and results in positive outcomes for our youngest learners but how do you measure the effectiveness of your inclusive services? This interactive session will explore tools that can be used to evaluate high quality inclusion for your youngest learners. (Target Audience: Early Childhood Level; Special Educators; General Educators; Administrators; Speech/Language; Teacher Leaders/PST/Coaches) | |
| Tuesday | 4 | E | Group 4 - Forum E | Create Clarity in Learning: Clear Goals, High Expectations and Flexibility | Mark Thompson, Mike Nikson, Becky Charbonneau (Educational Staff; Sheboygan Falls School District) | All students can learn when educators pro-actively plan for student variability and design a learner-friendly environment which allows students to access class materials, goals and expectations. In this forum, participants will learn about the Sheboygan Falls School District's UDL lesson design template, which helped teachers set clear goals, create accessible materials and design flexible assessments. (Target Audience: Elementary, Middle, High School Levels; Special Educators; General Educators; Administrators; Teacher Leaders/PST/Coaches) | |
| Tuesday | 4 | F | Group 4 - Forum F | Let Your Pencils/Devices Do The Talking | Cathy Dalton (Educator; Learning Exchange) & Karla Kostein (Special Educator; Waterford Graded School District) | This forum will focus on best practices when teaching/developing writing skills with students having a wide range of abilities, interests and support needs. A wide variety of writing strategies will be presented and shared for you to use with your students immediately. Bring your ideas to share with others and let's learn more about how to make student writing for all ages and abilities both fun and productive. (Target Audience: Elementary, Middle, High, Post-Secondary Levels; Special Educators; General Educators; Parents; Speech/Language; Teacher Leaders/PST/Coaches) | |
| Tuesday | 4 | G | Group 4 - Forum G | Paraprofessionals Supporting Students with Behavior Needs | Denise Clark, Stacey Skoning, Tom Fischer, Jennifer Meyer (Faculty; UW-Oshkosh) | How can we best support students with behavioral needs so they are successful in the classroom? This forum will explore: Ways to identify strategies before a behavioral issue arises; What to do when a student struggles; and How to improve students' support systems in the classroom. We will discuss a crisis development model, proactive steps to de-escalate situations, and ways to develop relationships with positive role models. (Target Audience: Elementary, Middle, High School Levels; Special Educators; General Educators; Paraprofessionals) | |
| Tuesday | 4 | H | Group 4 - Forum H | Opportunities for All Early Learners: Strong Universal Supports | Jessica Nichols (Early Childhood MLSS Coordinator; CESA 5) | A strong universal level of support proactively promotes developmental, academic, behavioral, social, and emotional wellness for every learner and prevents challenges from developing. Attend this session and learn how to ensure each and every child has access to opportunities by addressing early childhood environments, curriculum, instruction and assessment practices. (Target Audience: Early Childhood Level; General Educators & Special Educators) | |
| Wednesday | General | Keynote | Genenal - Keynote 2 | Different Is Awesome! Acknowledging, Accepting and Celebrating What Makes Us Unique! | Ryan Haack (Self-Advocate, Author & Motivational Speaker; Verona, WI) | Ryan will share his journey of growing-up with one hand and overcoming the challenges he encounters on a daily basis while living in a world designed for two hands. Through story-telling and humor, Ryan will talk about the surprising simplicity of building community and the truth that our differences (those things that make us unique) are the very things that make us awesome! | |
| Wednesday | 5 | I | Group 5 - Forum I | Strategies for Supporting Students with Neurodiversity | Amanda Zbacnik (Faculty; UW-Superior) & Staci Gilpin (Faculty; College of St. Scholastica) | This forum will focus on neurodiversity (Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD and mental health challenges) and the similarities and differences in brain functioning for these individuals. We will discuss how brain functioning manifests in various behaviors and focus on effective strategies for supporting individuals via case study examples. (Target Audience: Elementary, Middle, High School Levels; General Educators; Special Educators; Administrators; Counselors; Parents; Speech/Language; OT/PT; Teacher Leaders/PST/Coaches) | |
| Wednesday | 5 | J | Group 5 - Forum J | Accessible Learning Environments: A Gallery Walk of Predictable Supports | Mark Thompson, Mike Nikson, Becky Charbonneau, Andrew Jagow, Matt Pfister, John Henney (Educational Staff; Sheboygan Falls School District) | Join us in this forum to gain insight into how to create predictable supports for learners in your district. Participants will see examples of these supports in multiple subject areas/grade levels on an interactive gallery walk with teachers from the Sheboygan Falls School District who have a passion for UDL, accessibility and students learning. (Target Audience: Elementary, Middle, High School Levels; Special Educators; General Educators; Administrators; Teacher Leaders/PST/Coaches) | |
| Wednesday | 5 | K | Group 5 - Forum K | Creating Accessible Theater | Katie Cummings & Mary Stone (Pink Umbrella Theater Company; Milwaukee) | This forum will focus on how to create theater that is accessible for all students. Theater innately teaches social awareness, decision-making and empathy while encouraging critical thinking and imagination. Join this interactive forum where presenters will provide tools for participants to take back to their schools & classrooms in order to engage students with and without disabilities through theater arts. (Target Audience: Elementary, Middle, High, Post-Secondary Levels; Special Educators; General Educators; Parents; Teacher Leaders/PST/Coaches) | |
| Wednesday | 5 | L | Group 5 - Forum L | Universal Design for Learning in Early Childhood Settings | Catherine Daentl (EC Program Support Teacher; CESA 5) | What does UDL look like in Early Childhood? Come join this universally designed session that will use the Teaching Cycle to provide the framework for how even the youngest students can become expert learners. In this session, participants will gain an understanding of how the UDL principles align with high-quality early learning environments. (Target Audience: Early Childhood; Special Educators; General Educators; Teacher Leaders/PST/Coaches) | |
| Wednesday | 6 | M | Group 6 - Forum M | Inclusion During Transition from School to Adult Life | Denise Clark, Stacey Skoning, Tom Fischer & Jennifer Meyer (Faculty; UW-Oshkosh) | How can teachers plan and support student inclusion in the community after they have been included in school? This forum will focus on planning and implementing each student's transition from inclusion in school to inclusion in community and adult life. (Target Audience: High School & Post-Secondary Levels; Special Educators; General Educators; Parents; Teacher Leaders/PST/Coaches) | |
| Wednesday | 6 | N | Group 6 - Forum N | Co-Teaching: Designing Physical Space and Functional Structures | Tracy Elger (Director; CESA 2) & Sharon Madsen (DPI Consultant) | This forum will provide an overview of the Co-Teaching Practice Profile (CT-PP), which was developed by DPI and state-wide stakeholders. Particular focus will be on the first competency, Designing Physical Space and Functional Structures. This presentation is part of a 5 part series that will be available on the DPI Co-Teaching website. (Target Audience: Early Childhood; Elementary; Middle; High; Post-Secondary Levels; Special Educators; General Educators; Administrators; Teacher Leaders/PST/Coaches) | |
| Wednesday | 6 | O | Group 6 - Forum O | Assistive Technology (AT) Forward: A Community of Practice in Wisconsin | AT Forward Consultant | In this forum, participants will become familiar with the resources, work, and mission of Assistive Technology (AT) Forward! The mission of Assistive Technology (AT) Forward is to build a statewide Community of Practice supporting families, educators, districts, and anyone interested in supporting students who need assistive technology. Participants will be able to network with colleagues, share resources, and engage in conversations about the future of statewide support in the field of assistive technology. (Target Audience: Early Childhood; Elementary; Middle; High; Post-Secondary Levels; Special Educators; General Educators; Administrators; Teacher Leaders/PST/Coaches; Speech/Language; OT/PT ) | |
| Wednesday | 6 | P | Group 6 - Forum P | Comprehensive Evaluation: Why, How and What? A Peek at How Schools Determine Special Education Services to Support the Mental Health Needs of Young Learners | Jenny Bibler (DPI Consultant) & Jessica Nichols (EC MLLS Coordinator; CESA 5) | In this interactive session, participants will engage with the legal requirements pertaining to evaluation for special education services. Participants will learn how the comprehensive evaluation process serves to identify the individual needs of each child, and ways in which schools are able to provide mental health supports for young children. Participants will discover how best to meaningfully collaborate through the process in order to ensure positive outcomes for children and families. (Target Audience: Early Childhood Level; Special Educators; General Educators; Administrators; Speech/Language; OT/PT; Teacher Leaders/PST/Coaches) |