Fall and Winter Professional Development Courses
K-12 administrators, educators, school psychologists, school counselors and school social workers |
Gail Okerman |
Ms. Okerman is the owner of Gail Okerman Five Points Counseling and Consultation in Lunenburg, MA. She has been counseling and educating children, teenagers, and adults in public and private institutions/agencies for over 30 years. She is an educational consultant working with numerous districts in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Ms. Okerman is an Assistant Professor at Fitchburg State University and has offered numerous courses through the Center for Professional Studies, as well as in collaboration with Worcester State University. Ms. Okerman works with children, teenagers, and adults by utilizing a strength-based collaborative problem-solving approach that supports resilience. She has co-authored a book entitled Developing Minds: Essential Brain-Based Strategies to Support Success. Ms. Okerman has also co-authored Project EXSEL- An Integrated Executive Functioning and Social-EmotionalModel (2019). Ms Okerman developed the Educator Empowerment Model that is used as the basis in all her courses . Her love of family informs her practice |
This course is designed to deliberately explore and examine the accelerated rate of change that we are experiencing as educators, administrators and counselors during these unprecedented times. The purpose of this course is to engage in a deep reflective process to determine how to best inform practice moving forward. The intention is to create innovative impact projects that reflect the essential changes needed to provide equitable access to all populations served. We will create a working professional learning community to frame constructive conversations and dynamic dialogs for exploring how to equitably meet the diverse needs of the populations we serve during these rapidly changing times. We will explore:
This course enables educators to better facilitate the learning of students by acquiring and applying knowledge, skills, and abilities that address student needs and improvement goals of the district, school, and individual. The course conforms to best practices in research and relates to educators’ assignments and professional responsibilities. |
Synchronous and Asynchronous |
Live via Zoom and Online |
Mondays, 11/18, 12/16 2024; 1/13, 2/10, 3/10, 4/14, 5/19, 6/9 2025; 3:30pm – 6:00pm; Additional time online |
67.5 PDPs |
Participants can apply for (3) optional graduate credits for an additional fee of $375 payable to Worcester State University |
$600 ACCEPT members/$720 non-members |
October 7, 2024 |
Audience | K – 12 BCBAs and All Educators |
Presenter Name(s) | Mary Young |
Presenter Bio(s) | |
Description | De-escalation covers the phases students go through when they become upset in the school environment. During this two hour session, participants will learn:
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Synchronous / Asynchronous | Virtual, Synchronous |
Location | Virtual via Zoom |
Dates & Times | Wednesday, December 4, 2024; 3:30pm – 5:30pm |
PDPs | 2 |
Credit | n/a |
Cost | $150 ACCEPT members/$180 non-members |
Registration Deadline | October 9, 2024 |
Audience | BCBAs |
Presenter Name(s) | Lisa Gurdin MS, BCBA, LABA |
Presenter Bio(s) | For over 20 years, Lisa Gurdin MS, BCBA, LABA, (she/her) has been working with students, families, and school-based professionals with students from preschool to age 22 with a range of special needs and complex profiles. Ms. Gurdin supports educational professionals through consultation, student evaluations, and staff training. She works collaboratively with parents and school professionals to facilitate integrated supports across settings thereby maximizing behavior change and skill development. Ms. Gurdin also provides parent coaching to help parents implement behavioral strategies to improve behavior, encourage independence, and build stronger family relationships. Prior to starting her own private practice, she worked as the Clinical Coordinator for LABBB Collaborative in Massachusetts. In this role, she supervised a team of BCBAs, provided clinical oversight, managed home-based programming, consulted with school teams on complex cases in area school districts, conducted staff training, and provided ongoing consultation to classrooms across the collaborative. Ms. Gurdin is also a Part-Time Lecturer at Northeastern University. Before becoming an ACE Provider, she was the ACE Coordinator for the BCBA Roundtable at EDCO Collaborative in Massachusetts. As an ACE Provider, she coordinates and presents continuing education workshops for local school-based behavior analysts. When she is not working, she is taking care of her three children, ages 19, 17, and 13, and two dogs. |
Description | Join us the first Friday of every month to explore cutting edge topics specifically designed for BCBAs. Topics will include:
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Synchronous / Asynchronous | Synchronous and Asynchronous |
Location | Live via Zoom and On Demand Options |
Dates & Times | Fridays, November 1, December 6, 2024; January 3, February 7, March 7, April 4, May 2 and June 6, 2025 Sessions meet live via Zoom 12pm – 1:30pm with an optional Q & A from 1:30pm – 2:00pm All sessions are recorded and are available On Demand after the session |
PDPs | Participants can earn up to (14) CEs |
Credit | n/a |
Cost | $235 ACCEPT members/$285 non-members |
Registration Deadline | Rolling registration |
Additional Notes | Participants who enroll through ACCEPT will receive an email with additional details and a coupon code for accessing the courses and zoom links through Behavior Live. |
Audience | All Educators |
Presenter Name(s) | Friends Academy |
Presenter Bio(s) | |
Description | The 30-hour Orton-Gillingham Classroom Level training is for individuals who are looking for an introduction to the Orton-Gillingham approach. Participants include parents, administrators, and educators working in a classroom or with a small group. Topics include:
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Synchronous / Asynchronous | Live Sessions |
Location | Via Zoom |
Dates & Times | Tuesdays, February 4th, 11th and 25th and March 4th and 11th, 2025 ; 9am – 4pm |
PDPs | 30 PDPs |
Credits | n/a |
Cost | $1,000 ACCEPT members/$1,200 non-members |
Audience | K – 12 educators |
Presenter Name(s) | David Turo |
Presenter Bio(s) | David Turo is an English as a Foreign Language teacher with 25 years of successful experience with the Boston Public Schools. He regularly facilitates SEI Endorsement classes and is a firm believer that each student has something special that can be built upon. David also invests his time teaching ESOL classes to adults. |
Description | The ACCEPT Collaborative is a Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education approved provider of the SEI Teacher Endorsement course. Participants who successfully complete the course and its requirements will be eligible to receive the SEI Endorsement. 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). During the course, teachers are expected to practice instructional strategies grounded in SEI research both in the endorsement course and in their classrooms. Teachers will also be encouraged to sustain and develop their SEI practices over time through a variety of professional growth opportunities. This course is designed to promote continuous improvement in educator practice and to build teachers’ confidence and familiarity with instructional methodology for working with English Learners. |
Synchronous / Asynchronous | Live Sessions |
Location | via Zoom |
Dates & Times | Dates & Times: Tuesdays, 1/14, 1/21, 1/28, 2/4, 2/11, 2/25, 3/4, 3/11, 3/18, 3/25, 4/1 & 4/8/25; 4pm – 7pm Capstone Presentations: 4/15/24; 4pm – 8pm Whole Class Make Up Sessions (if needed): Thursdays, 2/13 & 3/13; Friday, 4/4/25 |
PDPs | SEI endorsement and 67.5 PDPs |
Credits | Participants may choose to apply for (3) optional graduate credits for an additional fee of $375 payable to Worcester State University. |
Cost | $425 |
Registration Deadline | January 7, 2025 |
Audience | K – 12 PE and Health & Wellness Teachers |
Presenter Name(s) | Maria Melchionda and Mary Connolly |
Presenter Bio(s) | Maria Melchionda, MAHPERD Executive Director, PT Faculty Bridgewater State University Mary Connolly, Program Chair, Skills-Based Health/SEL at Cambridge College and Chair of the Higher Education Committee for MAHPERD. |
Description | Please join us for this half-day workshop focusing on how to use the new Health and Physical Education Framework to update your curriculum. We will start by examining the Framework and understanding how it is organized. Participants should bring their health/physical education curriculums as well as the scope and sequence for each discipline and we will compare similarities and differences and begin to think about how to proceed. |
Synchronous / Asynchronous | Live, Synchronous |
Location | ACCEPT Collaborative, 4 Tech Circle, Natick, MA |
Dates & Times | Tuesday, January 28, 2024; 8:30am – 11:30am |
PDPs | 3 |
Credits | N/A |
Cost | $200 ACCEPT members / $240 non-members |
Registration Deadline | January 14, 2025 |
Audience | K – 12 Art Teachers |
Presenter Name(s) | Kathryn Lobo, ESL Teacher, Brown Middle School, Newton |
Presenter Bio(s) | Kathy Lobo, ESL teacher at the Brown Middle School in Newton Massachusetts, holds Professional Massachusetts Teaching Licenses in Art and English as a Second Language. Since 2013 she has been a Department of Education Trainer for RETELL SEI Teacher Endorsement courses. She earned a BFA from the University of the Arts and a certificate in traditional Chinese Painting from the Tianjin Fine Art College. She has experience teaching in private and public schools in the US and in International Schools overseas. Her artwork has been displayed in galleries and is part of collections in museums and libraries. |
Description | Art teachers are in a unique position in working with English Language Learners (ELs). The art classroom provides a welcoming and safe environment for English Language Learners to be able to express themselves, and the creation of art can prompt important oral language skills. Additionally, as art teachers often work with students over multiple years, they can be a source of support for EL students as they adjust to new classes from year to year. This workshop will allow us to explore how we can take advantage of hands-on strategies and activities specific to the art classroom that are effective with ELs. This course will consist of five face-to-face meetings. There will be some reading, writing and art creating assignments in between sessions. This workshop will include 2D and 3D art making such as collage, assemblage and book arts. We will also discuss simple strategies to adapt what you already do with your students to make your lessons more “EL friendly”. Materials for art-making will be provided, though participants are welcome to bring their own favorite materials. Upon completion, participants will leave with a deeper understanding of effective methods for working with ELs, an assortment of activities to use in their classrooms, and examples of art works they may use in their classroom. |
Synchronous / Asynchronous | Live in Person |
Location | ACCEPT Collaborative, 4 Tech Circle, Natick, MA |
Dates & Times | Tuesdays, 2/25, 3/4, 3/11, 3/25 & 4/1/25; 4:00pm – 7:00pm Snow Date: 4/8/25 |
PDPs | 15 |
Credits | Participants may choose to apply for (1) optional graduate credit for an additional fee of $125 payable to Worcester State University. |
Cost | $295 ACCEPT members/ $355 non-members |
Registration Deadline | February 11, 2025 |
- 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 by the Early Adopter teams who piloted it early.
Price:
ACCEPT Member: $210
ACCEPT Non-Member: $250
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.
Pricing:
Member
- Single Registrant: $185
- District – 25 participants and below – $1560
- District – 26-100 participants – $1875
- District – 101-175 participants – $ 2030
- District – 176+ participants – $2340
Non-Member
- Single Registrant: $235
- District – 25 participants and below – $2600
- District – 26-100 participants – $3120
- District – 101-175 participants – $ 3510
- District – 176+ participants – $3900
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
Pricing:
Member
- Single Registrant: $185
- District – 25 participants and below – $1560
- District – 26-100 participants – $1875
- District – 101-175 participants – $ 2030
- District – 176+ participants – $2340
Non-Member
- Single Registrant: $235
- District – 25 participants and below – $2600
- District – 26-100 participants – $3120
- District – 101-175 participants – $ 3510
- District – 176+ participants – $3900
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.
Pricing:
Member
- Less than 50 participants: $1460
- More than 50 participants: $1875
Non-Member
- Less than 50 participants: $2100
- More than 50 participants: $2600
Note: Accommodations for Persons with Disabilities: We want to provide the best learning experience for everyone in compliance of the ADA, should you require any accommodations to fully participate in this training please contact [email protected].