Asynchronous Courses
Audience | Grade K-12 Teachers, Counselors, Social Workers and Administrators |
Presenter Name(s) | Kelly Mertens, M.Ed., CAGS |
Presenter Bio(s) | Kelly Mertens, M.Ed., CAGS, has worked in special education for the past eighteen years. She is currently a Supervisor of Special Education for Stoneham Public Schools. Previous to this position, she was a Special Education Administrator for Lexington Public Schools. Kelly is also an adjunct faculty member at Boston University (where she focuses on student teacher programs that include teachers at the Landmark School in Beverly), Salem State University and a consultant for EDCO Collaborative. She has provided extensive PD for districts across the state. Kelly was a special education teacher at both the middle and high school level.
Kelly earned her Bachelor’s degree from Union College, a Master’s degree in Special Education from Salem State University and a C.A.G.S. in School Leadership and Administration from American International College.
Kelly is an approved independent PDP provider through the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in Massachusetts and holds the following licenses:
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Description | This workshop satisfies the requirement for 15 PDPs in Special Education for recertification. The purpose of this course is to provide an overview about the special education process. This course will help staff to understand, instruct, and assess students with varying disabilities, as well as collaborate to employ strategies that ultimately help all students access curriculum. Staff enrolled in this course will learn the ins and outs of special education in the state of Massachusetts that include the referral and eligibility process as well as the development and implementation of the IEP. Together, we will “unpack” both an academic and a psychological evaluation to further understand how these results can inform teachers when planning to ensure they are reaching all students. A variety of teaching methods will be modeled, and the course lessons will be presented using presentations, videos and current articles and publications. Course Objectives: At the completion of this course, participants will be able to:
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Synchronous / Asynchronous | Asynchronous |
Location | Online |
Dates & Times | January 22 – March 11, 2024 |
PDPs | 15 |
Credit | 1 optional graduate credit available for an additional fee of $125 payable to Worcester State University |
Cost | $295 ACCEPT members/$355 non-members |
Registration Deadline | January 8, 2024 |
This two part series will include (2) three hour asynchronous workshops that will guide all SPED, General Ed teachers & administrators through the new proposed IEP process and forms currently being developed by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
These workshops have been developed by current Early Adopters from school districts who have piloted the new form.
Workshop 1: Introduction: The First 4 Sections of the New Form
Objectives for this workshop will include:
- Identify the current timelines related to the new IEP form to ensure proper implementation.
- Develop an understanding of the currently released IEP forms through direct exposure and practice scenarios.
- Understand the feedback related to the new IEP process and forms provided by the Early Adopter teams as it relates to anticipated changes.
A second workshop, Implementation & Guidance to the Finalized IEP Process and Forms, will be available once DESE has finalized the rollout date.
The objectives for Part II of this workshop will focus on providing strategies for full implementation and continued guidance once the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has finalized the new IEP process and forms.
Based on the popular work of master teacher mentors, Carol Pelletier (Mentoring in Action) and Lois Zachary (The Mentor’s Guide) and the MA DESE Mentoring Guidelines, this workshop is designed to provide practical and reflective principles and activities that help the teacher mentor maximize trust, collegiality, communication, reflection and personal growth with their mentee. The asynchronous format allows the mentor, to go at their own pace, while completing activities that will be useful in their mentoring journey.
This course focuses on the Effective Principles of Effective Mentoring as outlined in the work of Carol Pelletier in Mentoring in Action. This workshop lays the foundation for thoughtful, successful mentorship for either beginning teachers or teachers who are new to a district.
A second part of this course is being developed and will focus on the work of Lois Zachary (The Mentor’s Guide) and extends the 5 principles of effective mentoring into actionable practices for the mentor.
REGISTER
This workshop is designed to help teachers and mentor teachers better understand the MA Teacher Evaluation System for the purpose of successful completion. The workshop is a step by step approach that allows participants to complete their own Educator Plan while completing the workshop.
The Four Focus Areas of the workshop include:
- Focus Area 1: Create a common understanding of the professional Standards for Educators and the Focus Indicators as defined by the DESE.
- Focus Area 2: Create strong student learning goals and action steps.
- Focus Area 3: Create strong professional practice goals and actions steps.
- Focus Area 4: Identify meaningful evidence and artifacts.
This course will take approximately 10 hours to complete.
Audience: Teachers who are unfamiliar with the Teacher Evaluation System or need a refresher, Mentor Teachers who are Assisting New Teachers through the Evaluation process.
Location: Online & Asynchronous
Earn: 10 PDPs
In support of building instructional capacity and providing exemplary educational services for all students, ACCEPT has developed an affordable online paraprofessional training program. This program offers total flexibility, allowing participants to begin at any time during the year. Advanced tracking features also allow districts to see participants’ progress within each learning module to inform future professional development opportunities.
Each of the modules listed below requires approximately 2-3 hours to complete. They can be completed in any order. Our course utilizes the Blackboard online learning platform, one of the most widely used online course sites in higher education institutions. The ease-of-use and interactive features make this tool an invaluable resource to provide innovative professional development opportunities to your employees.
Audience | Educators and Paraprofessionals |
Presenter Name(s) | Anne Donovan, M.Ed, BCBA, LABA |
Presenter Bio(s) | Anne Donovan, M.Ed, BCBA, LABA, has been serving as the Director of ACCEPT Education Collaborative’s School Consultation & Assessment Services for over 10 years. She received a Masters Degree in Education and is a licensed Special Education Administrator and Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Anne has extensive experience working with public school districts and Collaboratives to develop a range of special education programs and services and provide professional development opportunities to build districts’ capacity to meet the needs of diverse student populations. She has presented at numerous conferences and workshops on a variety of topics in the field of Special Education, and she also serves as an Adjunct Faculty member at Bridgewater State University and Framingham State University where she teaches graduate level courses. Anne’s interests include special education program development and improvement based on systemic evaluation. She has an advanced certification in Organizational Behavior Management (OBM) and works to apply these principles in the program evaluations she conducts in order to help administrative teams determine strengths and areas for improvement within their school district’s special education programs. She has also participated in several initiatives with the Massachusetts DESE, including being a trained strategic planning facilitator using the Planning for Success (PfS) framework. |
Description | This course will introduce participants to basic concepts and principles of behavior analysis as they relate to children and adolescents, with an emphasis on students with Autism Spectrum Disorders and related developmental disabilities. Participants will become knowledgeable about evidence-based interventions, based on basic principles of behavior, for intervening on behalf of children and adolescents in educational settings. This is a fully asynchronous course that includes both face-to-face meetings and online learning modules that meet the requirements set forth by the Behavior Analysis Certification Board® for the 40-hour training program based on the RBT Task List. Participants are required to complete a Competencies Assessment administered by a Board Certified Behavior Analyst following the training in order to be eligible to apply for RBTcertification.* RBT exam study-guide materials will also be provided to participants who wish to pursue RBT certification following the training. * Participants will be required to secure a Board Certified Behavior Analyst to administer the Competencies Assessment on their own, as this service is not included as part of the 40-hour training program. ACCEPT Education Collaborative does not guarantee that participants will pass all portions of the Competencies Assessment following the training program or guarantee that individuals will be approved for Registered Behavior TechnicianTM status by the Behavior Analysis Certification Board. This training program is based on the Registered Behavior Technician Task List and is designed to meet the 40-hour training requirement for the RBT credential. The program is offered independent of the BACB. |
Synchronous / Asynchronous | Asynchronous |
Location | Online |
Dates & Times | Online January 19, 2024 – March 10, 2024 |
PDPs | 40 |
Credit | 3 optional graduate credits may be available for an additional fee |
Cost | Individual Rate: $480 ACCEPT members / $550 non-members Group Rate: 3 or more Participants (ACCEPT members) $455 / $525 (non-members) |
Registration Deadline | January 5, 2024 |