Updated May 9, 2022

WEA's Inclusionary Practices Project and Special Education Support Center (SESC) are providing professional development via Zoom.

Courses are free and clock hours are available for each session. Courses are available to all. Register early as space is limited. Once a course is full, the course will no longer be listed in the dropdown menu.

IMPORTANT: Registration is a TWO-step process.

1. Register for each course using this link: https://forms.washingtonea.org/Forms/pdonline

2. Use the registration link in your confirmation email to complete the Zoom registration

You will immediately be directed to the course Zoom information page, including the link to access the course. SAVE this information.

If you have questions or need registration or clock hours assistance, please contact Thera Grady or Rosy Wokabi.

At the end of each course, you will receive a course evaluation via email. Once you've completed and submitted the course evaluation, you will receive a clock hour verification form (also via email). Please look for these emails. Use the clock hour verification form to process your clock hours and/or attendance according to your district policies.

Creating Truly Inclusive Classrooms: Becoming a Circle Maker (8 Hours) | REGISTRATION FULL

  • Session 1: Tuesday, March 22, 2022
  • Session 2: Thursday, April 28, 2022
  • Session 3: Thursday, May 26, 2022
  • Session 4: Thursday, June 9, 2022

5:00PM-7:00PM

This interactive four-part series is a must for any educator who wants to learn more about creating inclusive classrooms and schools. Each session includes magical learning experiences with two of the most sought after experts in the field of inclusive education, Dr. Julie Causton and Dr. Kristie Pretti-Frontczak. During the sessions, we’ll explore the what, why, and how of inclusive learning experiences, gain a deeper understanding of when students learn best, and participants will receive practical
strategies for supporting students’ multiple identities and seeing disability as a form of diversity. You will also learn highly effective low and high preparation strategies for differentiating lessons, making curricular modifications, and literally 100s of strategies for adapting and supporting students’ access to the general education curriculum and content. Let’s come together to widen our circles!

In this cohort-style series, you will have the opportunity to meet with educational colleagues, learn key
concepts, & practice in small groups.

Learning Objectives:

1. To understand the what, why, and how of inclusive education
2. To gain practical strategies for creating differentiated and inclusive lessons
3. To know when and how to make curricular modifications
4. To move from compliance to compassion when supporting students with behaviors that are challenging

Teen Career Path – Technology for Life Skills and Career Readiness for Students with Disabilities (3 hours - STEM) | Registration

Choose one the session options below. Capacity is limited to 25. 

  • Option 1: Monday, May 9, 2022
  • Option 2: Thursday, May 12, 2022
  • Option 3: Monday, May 16, 2022
  • Option 4: Tuesday, May 17, 2022
  • Option 5: Tuesday, May 24, 2022

4:30PM-7:30PM

Teen Career Path (TCP) is a life skills and career readiness program with 23 careers covering 15 career sectors. In this professional development you will learn about how the TCP interactive video game experience and career readiness curriculum can meet the needs of all students, especially students with disabilities, in both special education and general education. You will explore the 6 essential skill areas that encompass the program and the lessons within each skill area. The skill areas include self-awareness, communication, community, employment, home, and finances. The program is designed to meet the needs of all students, especially students with disabilities, in grades 6-12 for general education and special education students. The program also allows teachers and case managers information to develop Individualized Transition Plans (ITP).

Participants will be able to:

  • Explore and understand the 6 essential life skills and career readiness skills for instruction
  • Learn how to use the Teen Career Path with students to inform Transition or High School & Beyond Plans
  • Plan how to use TCP with individual students alongside your classroom instruction

Each attendee will receive a FREE Teacher Account and 5 Student Accounts from now until the end of the 2022-2023 school year.

The Social Express - Technology for Social Skill Development for Students with Disabilities (3 hours) | Registration

Choose one the session options below. Capacity is limited to 25. 

  • Option 1: Wednesday, May 11, 2022
  • Option 2: Wednesday, May 18, 2022
  • Option 3: Wednesday, May 25, 2022
  • Option 4: Wednesday, June 1, 2022
  • Option 5: Tuesday, June 7, 2022

4:30PM-7:30PM

The Social Express is a high-quality, animated, research-based, interactive program that allows children, and young adults an opportunity to learn and practice skills needed to help them develop meaningful relationships, and successfully navigate our social world. We will explore the basic foundations of social emotional learning (SEL), with a focus on how SEL supports inclusion and strengths-based environments. Through Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) components of SEL, we will take a closer look at the importance of building a strong, equitable base of emotional intelligence so that academic achievement is attainable. The goal for this presentation component is to support you in implementing an explicit social skill development program by providing strategies and practices that will make a difference in everyone’s experience.

Participants will be able to:

  • Explore and understand the fundamentals of social emotional learning (SEL)
  • Understand the connection between strengths based, SEL instruction and inclusive classrooms
  • Learn The Social Express program and plan how to use it with students for social emotional learning & instruction.

Each attendee will receive a FREE Teacher Account and 5 Student Accounts from now until the end of the 2022-2023 school year.

PD for Paras (up to 12 hours) | Registration

For more details please visit the registration link.

This on-demand four-part series was designed specifically for paraprofessionals! For PreK-12 paraprofessionals, teaching assistants, and one-on-one aides. And you read it right, it’s for PreK through 12th grade. ALL really does mean all. The series includes sessions about going beyond the label, helping kids become independent, decoding the ABCs of the IEP, and dealing with big emotions. In addition to the on-demand four-part series, there will be 4 (1 hour) live, virtual sessions to come together, reflect, and discuss the on-demand content. -  Choose ONE live, session for each module from 6 PM – 7 PM (see attached flyer for details), capacity 500 per session

Youth Mental Health and First Aid #7218 (8 Hours) | REGISTRATION FULL

  1. #7252 Saturday May 14, 2022 &Saturday, May 21, 2022 | 9:00AM-12:00PM

Youth Mental Health First Aid is designed to teach parents, family members, caregivers, teachers, school staff, peers, neighbors, health and human services workers, and other caring citizens how to help an adolescent (age 12-18) who is experiencing a mental health or addictions challenge or is in crisis. Youth Mental Health First Aid is primarily designed for adults who regularly interact with young people. The course introduces common mental health challenges for youth, reviews typical adolescent development, and teaches a 5-step action plan for how to help young people in both crisis and non-crisis situations. Topics covered include anxiety, depression, substance use, disorders in which psychosis may occur, disruptive behavior disorders (including AD/HD), and eating disorders. Youth Mental Health First Aid teaches about recovery and resiliency – the belief that individuals experiencing these challenges can and do get better and use their strengths to stay well.

Participants will be able to:

  • Identify risk factors and warning signs of mental health problems.
  • Understand information on depression, anxiety, trauma, psychosis, and addiction disorders.
  • Explore a 5-step action plan to help someone developing a mental health problem or in crisis.
  • Identify where to turn for help — professional, peer, and self-help resources.

Note: This course includes 2 hours of asynchronous pre-work online and 6 hours of synchronous, live training via Zoom. You cannot participate in the live sessions unless you have completed the pre-work. Each course is open to 30 registrants. Choose which course you want to attend and register, according to the correct ID number.

Please Read: YMHFA is a nationally recognized course that uses a learning management system (LMS), MHFA Connect, for your prework, live session, and course completion. After registering, you will receive three emails: The usual registration confirmation, including the Zoom pre-registration link (from pd@washingtonea.org, within 48 hours of registering) . An invitation to our group & create your profile in MHFA Connect (Sent by Mental Health First Aid Team, notifications@learnupon.com, within 72 hours of registering). A confirmation you have been enrolled in the course (Sent by Mental Health First Aid Team, notifications@learnupon.com 2-3 weeks prior to the start of the live session(s) *except for courses starting on 4/9 & 4/11, you will recieve the course enrollment with 72 hours of registering)

Once enrolled in the course you will be able to complete your prework. If your prework is not completed prior to the 12:01 AM on the day of your first live session, you will be unenrolled from the course and will not be allowed into the live session.

Practical Trauma-Informed Strategies to Reduce Anxiety in Students w/Jessica Minahan, M.Ed., BCBA (4.5 Hours) | Registration

  • Tuesday, April 12, 2022
  • Tuesday, May 3, 2022
  • Tuesday, May 10, 2022

4:00PM-5:30PM

With up to one in three children struggling with anxiety in this country, overwhelmed adults require a new approach as well as a practical and easy-to-implement toolkit of strategies that work. In the time of COVID19, and the subsequent societal changes, anxiety has become ever-present in students of all ages. It is probable that during a pandemic that heavily impacts everyday life, levels of anxiety in children and teens are even higher, and the possibility of subsequent trauma greater. Through the use of case studies, humorous stories, and examples of everyday challenging situations, participants will learn easy-to-implement preventive tools, strategies, and interventions for reducing anxiety, reducing negative thinking toward writing, increasing self-regulation, accurate thinking, and self-monitoring in students.

Jessica Minahan is a licensed and board-certified behavior analyst (BCBA), author, special educator, and consultant to schools internationally. Since 2000 she has worked with students who struggle with mental health issues and challenging behavior in public school systems. She specializes in training sta and creating behavior intervention plans for students who demonstrate explosive and unsafe behavior. She also works with students who have emotional and behavioral disabilities, anxiety disorders, or high-functioning Autism. Her particular interest is to serve these students by combining behavioral interventions with a comprehensive knowledge of best practices for those with complex mental health profiles and learning needs. She is a blogger on The Huington Post, the author of The Behavior Code: A Practical Guide to Understanding and Teaching the Most Challenging Students, with Nancy Rappaport (Harvard Education Press, 2012), and author of The Behavior Code Companion: Strategies, Tools, and Interventions for Supporting Students with Anxiety-Related or Oppositional Behaviors (Harvard Education Press, 2014).

Learning Objecties:

  • Describe the relationship between anxiety and working memory
  • Describe why traditional breaks might not be effective for students with anxiety or trauma histories
  • Identify why common interventions may not always work for students with anxiety-related behavior
  • Enumerate strategies for reducing negative thinking toward writing
  • Participants will be able to enumerate strategies to promote initiation skills in students with work avoidance

Designing Learning Experiences with UDL - Pam Tupy, Novak Ed Consulting (14 Hours) | REGISTRATION FULL

  • Wednesday, April 13, 2022
  • Tuesday, April 26, 2022
  • Monday, May 23, 2022
  • Monday, June 6, 2022

4:00PM-6:00PM

Now that you understand why we must design for variability and pro-actively remove barriers to learning, and how UDL can help us create more equitable learning experiences, it’s time for us to begin putting theory into practice. How can the guidelines help you identify barriers in engagement, representation, and action and expression? What goes into a UDL lesson plan, and how can you adapt adopted curriculum to ensure it is inclusive and equitable? What does the UDL design process look like in action? These questions will be answered in this UDL series with Pam Tupy.

This course series includes a monthly, two-hour, live learning experience with Pam Tupy (4 total) and a monthly two-hour homework assignment (3 total). Participants will receive strategies & supplemental resources/tools to explore and apply in their classroom. Each monthly session includes small group work designed to apply UDL in the classroom and receive responsive professional development, including feedback from Pam on the homework assignment in between live sessions.

Learning Objectives:
• Become adept at identifying barriers in lesson design, delivery, and learning environments
• Understand how to create assessments, materials, and methods that align to learning goals and standards while eliminating construct irrelevance
• Revise and/or develop UDL lesson plans, activities, or assignments
• Practice the creation of UDL assessments and materials in your discipline

STEM Integration and Inclusionary Practices (15 Hours - STEM) | REGISTRATION FULL

  • Thursday, April 14, 2022
  • Thursday, April 21, 2022
  • Thursday, April 28, 2022
  • Thursday, May 5, 2022

4:30-6:30 PM 

This workshop is designed to highlight and deep dive into the Science (NGSS), Technology (Washington State Standards), Mathematics (Common Core), and Engineering standards in order to have participants build and implement an integrated lesson with a minimum of two of the STEM components. Participants will engage in STEM related activities, be introduced to a multitude of technologies, produce a lesson, and understand the connections to careers. This workshop will include computer science, ELL, UDL, and game based learning components. 

STEM in Sports: Using Sports for STEM Learning in the Classroom (15 Hours - STEM) | REGISTRATION FULL

  • Part I: Friday, April 29, 2022 
  • Part II: Monday, May 2, 2022 
  • Part III: Friday, May 6, 2022 
  • Part IV: Monday, May 9, 2022 
  • Part V: Friday, May 13, 2022 

4:30-6:30 PM 

This course includes 10 hours of synchronous training via Zoom and 5 hours of independent, asynchronous training (homework) 

This course is designed to help you to take the practice of a sport (any sport) and show and enhance STEM through the lens of sports. The course will shine a light on students who are motivated by sports and show how STEM can be incorporated into sports activities. 

This course includes inclusionary practices so that all kids can learn. Universal Design for Learning will also be a part of this course. 

This course includes a brief overview of STEM Standards, a few examples then asks participants to address their own standards. 

STEMisizing your Instruction (6 Hours - STEM) | REGISTRATION FULL

Wednesday, May 4, 2022 & Wednesday, May 11, 2022

4:30pm-6:30pm

Welcome to the training on STEMizing your instruction. STEM is so much more than a new buzz word in education. It's a way of organizing real world challenges for students. It goes beyond the traditional meaning of the acronym and this training will help transform your classroom through a STEM lens.  

Together we will explore how to engage students using standards from multiple content areas. This means we will also have to leave our comfort zone and reevaluate how we present content to students. After all, curiosity leads to creativity and a deeper understanding. 

This course includes four hours of synchronous instruction via Zoom, and two hours of asynchronous homework. 

Foundations of Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) (6 Hours) | Registration

Monday, May 9, 2022 & Wednesday, May 11, 2022

4:30-7:30 PM 

Participants will be introduced to the foundational principles of how to conduct a functional behavioral assessment (FBA). This course emphasizes the use of a team-based approach for the development of FBAs. Participants will be taught key vocabulary essential for understanding the FBA process, understand state and federal laws that regulate FBAs, learn how to collect and analyze data, identify the importance of the function behind the behavior, and learn how to leverage where students are successful to build an effective plan. Participants will have a deeper understanding of the specific components of a functional behavioral assessment and how to create a strengths-based plan with a student's team that leads to positive, lasting results.

Participants will be able to…

Explain what a functional behavioral assessment is and why a student may warrant one

-Determine appropriate data collection methods in order to identify the function of the behavior
-Understand how to leverage where students are successful to build an effective plan
-Understand key vocabulary and know the laws that regulate FBAs
-Apply and incorporate the principles of Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) immediately into practice

Advanced Game-Based Learning in the Inclusive Classroom (3 Hours - STEM) | Registration

Friday, May 20, 2022 

4:30-7:30 PM 

This course will dive into game-based learning, GBL, as participants build games in order to work with their content and teach students. We will be examining game mechanics as well as game development. 

Long Term Project Management with Sarah Ward M.S., CCC/SLP (1.5 Hours) | Registration

Thursday, June 2, 2022

4:00-5:30 PM 

Teach students how to break down complex tasks and assignments and then plan for, organize and initiate task. Help students adopt a mindful approach to homework and to use schedules Long Term Project Management is a challenge for students with executive dysfunction as they struggle to see into the future to plan ahead for completing the smaller parts of the project. While we often tell students to break projects down into smaller parts, many students do not actually know HOW to do this. Teach students methods to visually break large projects into smaller steps, to estimate time to complete and schedule these steps, to visually learn the impact of procrastination and to prioritize steps of the project. Practical strategies will be given to help with the initiation of difficult assignments and to ensure work is returned in a timely manner.

Participants will be able to:

  • State the functional working definition of what is meant by the term “executive function skills”as it pertains to therapeutic interventions
  • Define how situational awareness, visual imagery, forethought, mental time travel and the spatio-temporal frame are the foundational skills for successful task execution of complex assignment
  • Use the 360 methodology to improve a student’s capacity to visualize and sense the passage of time and plan long term projects within allocated time frames and control for procrastination and time distractors.
  • List the 3 steps of the process to teach a student how to break down the directions of a complex open ended assignment, future sketch the assignment and create a temporal sequential plan to complete the assignment by the assigned date