Professional Development Courses
Student Services Leadership Institute for NEW and ASPIRING Directors and Assistant Superintendents
ACCEPT Collaborative is pleased to offer a NEW leadership institute for public district Student Services and Special Education Directors, independent of the MA DESE. Districtwide Assistant Directors of Special Education or Student Services who aspire to become districtwide directors or administrators may also be interested in this Leadership Institute. This NEW Student Services Leadership Institute (SSLI) has been designed to reflect current challenges, is application-focused, and has considered input and feedback from our conversations with practitioners in various professional circles across the state.
Spring 2026 – Spring 2027 – View Dates & Times
Live and on Demand Professional Development for BCBAs
Join us the first Friday* of every month to explore cutting edge topics specifically designed for BCBAs. Participants can join live via Zoom or view the recording after the session.
Asynchronous and Synchronous Options | Rolling Admission; Participants can earn up to (14) CEs
Maximizing Mentorships: Best Practices in Mentoring New Teachers
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.
Asynchronous and Synchronous Options
Providing Reading Intervention for Students PreK-3
This graduate course will provide a scaffolded opportunity to learn more from foundational documents and key components of literacy as well as supplemental scholarly literature, tools, and activities that help to strengthen pedagogical practices and target interventions based on real live data.
Asynchronous | Rolling Admission
Providing Reading Intervention for Students Grades 4-9
This graduate course will provide a scaffolded opportunity to learn more from foundational documents and key components of literacy as well as supplemental scholarly literature, tools, and activities that help to strengthen pedagogical practices and target interventions based on real live data.
Asynchronous | Rolling Admission
Science of Reading
This course provides a strong foundation in the best practices of literacy instruction. Essential areas of reading instruction are addressed: understanding the science of reading, phonological and phonemic awareness, phonics and decoding, vocabulary development, fluency, and comprehension.
Asynchronous | Rolling Admission
Literacy Foundations for English Learners
This course serves as a foundation in the methods, materials and approaches for teaching foundational literacy to English learners in grades PK-4. Educators will be provided a scaffolded opportunity to learn more from foundational documents and key components of the Mass Literacy site as well as supplemental scholarly literature, tools, and activities that help to strengthen pedagogical practices and accelerate the outcomes of all English Learners.
Asynchronous | Rolling Admission
Executive Functioning: Helping All Students Become Successful
Unlock the potential of your students by understanding and improving executive functioning skills with our insightful workshop. Designed for educators, coaches, and school psychologists, this workshop delves into the critical role executive functioning plays in student achievement and provides actionable strategies to support and enhance these essential cognitive skills.
Asynchronous | Rolling Admission
Executive Functioning and Reading Comprehension
This graduate course explores the critical connection between executive functioning skills and reading comprehension. Participants will examine how cognitive processes such as working memory, attention, self-regulation, and flexible thinking influence a student’s ability to construct meaning from text. Through readings, discussions, and application-based assignments, educators will learn how executive functioning challenges can affect comprehension and identify strategies to support diverse learners. The course emphasizes both the science of reading and practical classroom applications, equipping teachers with tools to foster stronger comprehension skills by addressing the executive functioning needs of their students.
Asynchronous | Rolling Admission
How Special Education Team Leaders can be Prepared for IEP Meetings
This training is designed for team leaders to elevate their expertise in the Individualized Education Program (IEP) process. The focus will be on professional best practices before, during, and after the IEP meeting. We will also discuss some communication and conflict-resolution techniques to skillfully manage difficult or sensitive topics and build genuine partnership with parents and guardians, ensuring a high-quality, individualized program for every student and the team they are working with.
May 6, 1:00 pm-3:00 pm | Virtual Options also available.
Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) Training Course
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.
Live and Virtual Options available. Please contact us for more information.
ADOS 2 Training
In just two days, learn the potential uses of the ADOS-2 as part of a diagnostic evaluation for autism. You’ll have the opportunity to practice scoring while observing the instructor administer the ADOS-2 to a child with autism. The workshop focuses primarily on Modules 1 through 4, and attendees are given materials to study later to complete training in the Toddler Module. This program is sponsored by the Massachusetts Psychology Association. Massachusetts Psychology Association is approved by the American Psychology Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Massachusetts Psychology Association maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
In Person at ACCEPT | May 11 and 12, 2026; 7:30am – 3:30pm
Advanced Listening for Multilingual Learners: Designing, Scaffolding, and Assessing Comprehension
This advanced course offers teachers a focused, in-depth exploration of listening comprehension for multilingual learners—an essential but often underdeveloped area of instruction. Participants will analyze listening demands, complete a classroom listening task audit, and examine common myths about language comprehension.
Primarily asynchronous (Google Classroom) with limited synchronous sessions
5 Weekly Modules, approximately 3 hours per week; February 2nd – March 15th
Oracy and Academic Talk for Multilingual Learners: Structured Speaking Across Proficiency Levels
This session focuses on structured speaking and academic talk for multilingual learners, building directly on prior listening comprehension skills. Participants will learn to create scaffolded oral language opportunities, design speaking routines aligned to WIDA proficiency levels, and support student participation in a meaningful, equitable way.
Speech and Language Therapists Professional Development Series
Session 1: Informal Assessments in the School Setting
Session 2: Apraxia: Assessment and Treatment Protocols and Resources
Session 3: The Role of the SLP in Central Auditory Processing Disorders
Participants can choose to participate in individual sessions or sign up for the entire series.
Live via Zoom | Tuesday, 2/10, Tuesday 3/10 & Wednesday, 5/10; 11:30am – 2:30pm
Partnering with Families of Neurodivergent Students: Practical Strategies for Educators
Families of neurodivergent students often navigate extra layers of stress. They spend a lot of time seeking support, advocating for services, and managing behaviors that may be misunderstood. As an educator, your role in welcoming and supporting these families is critical. You don’t need to have all the answers. But the way you communicate, collaborate, and show empathy can build trust and support the student.
Live via Zoom | NEW SPRING DATE COMING SOON
Collaborative Transition Planning
This workshop will cover strategies to help schools guide SPED families and students through transition planning, to help the student prepare for life after school. Participants will learn about the mindset and needs of families at this time and how to encourage ongoing discussions about the student’s future goals. We’ll also cover key parts of transition planning that parents will need to know, and share resources to help them engage in the process.
Live via Zoom | March, 10, 2026; 12 pm – 2 pm
AI Ethics, Literacy, Policy & Security
Part 2: Advanced Leadership & Implementation
This is part two of a two-part series, which aims to equip Massachusetts K–12 school and district leaders to evaluate, govern, procure, and communicate about AI in ways that protect students, support staff, and meet community and School Committee expectations. Part two will convert those foundations into durable systems for governance, privacy, procurement, instructional integrity, and continuous improvement.
Live via Zoom; Sessions will also be recorded | Tuesdays, March 24th, March 31st, April 7th, April 14th & April 28th | 9:00am – 11:00am
Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) Teacher Endorsement Course
The Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) Teacher Endorsement course is designed to help equip teachers to address the needs of a multilingual and multicultural student population by training teachers in research-proven practices for working with English Learners (ELs).
Live via Zoom | Tuesdays, 3/3 3/10, 3/17, 3/24, 3/31, 4/7, 4/14, 4/28, 5/5, 5/12, 5/19, 5/26/26; 4pm – 7pm
Capstone Presentations: 6/2/26; 4pm – 8pm | Whole Class Make Up Sessions (if needed): Thursdays, 5/7, 5/28 & 6/4/26
Writing in Ways that Matter Across Your Day, Week and Year
It is challenging to find time in a packed school day to support oral language, grammar, conventions, and writing—and we know that assigning writing tasks to students is not the same as teaching it. In this workshop, we’ll explore realistic ways to incorporate efficient writing instruction across a day, week, and school year.
Live via Zoom | March 10, 2026; 11:30am – 2:30pm
Turn Those Spreadsheets Into Sustainable Teaching: Assessment-Based Instruction That Makes an Impact
Teachers spend lots of time and energy on assessment in the elementary grades—making it critical that these assessments actually inform teaching. In this workshop, presenters will help teachers understand the possibilities and limitations of various assessment tools that are commonly used across a grade band, including both screeners and diagnostic assessments.
Live via Zoom | March 18, 2026; 11:30am – 2:30pm
Cultivating Character, Resilience, and Well-Being: Integrating Positive Psychology and Strength-Based Approaches in Clinical Practice
In an era of increasingly complex, evolving, and unpredictable needs, the critical importance of effective school-based mental health counseling cannot be overstated. Schools are not only educational institutions but also crucial spaces for mental health intervention and student development.
Live via Zoom | March 20, 2026; 11:30am – 2:30pm