Thursday November 9

9:00am - 11:00pm

A Comparison Between the Final IDEIA Regulations to the Proposed and Previous IDEA Regulations
John Namkung, SELPA Director Sonoma County and Chair, SELPA’s IDEA Reauthorization Regulation Development process
A Summary of Significant Changes in the Final IDEA Regulations
A Comparison of the IDEA 2004 Proposed and Final Regulations
IDEA 2004 Regulations Final Exam Questions and Answers
Documentation of Eligibility for Specific Learning Disabilities
Identifying Children with Specific Learning Disabilities

11:00am - 12:00pm

Why the Special Education Administrator Should Ask For Us First
Sarge Kennedy, Bill Gillaspie, Bill Puddy and Barbara Thomas
Common issues that initiate Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team studies of Special Education programs throughout the State.  Generally, it is the fiscal side that calls FCMAT in to conduct these studies.  Special education administrators would be better served by initiating such studies before the fiscal side sets the parameters.

1:30pm - 4:00pm

Critical Legal Issues - Critical Responses
Cathy Holmes
A review of current legal issues in special education, including an update of the status of IDEA and the regulations, NCLB challenges, recent due process decisions, Section 504 implementation, and management of student behavior.

Friday November 10

8:30am - 9:30am

General Session
Alice Parker, PhD, Former Assistant Superintendent, Director, Special Education, CDE
The RTI Revolution: Our Response to This Intervention and its Implications for Moving from Disproportionate Representation to Quality Education for All 
For 30 years we have talked about the need for a system that embraces the students who are disproportionately placed in special education, and for improving outcomes for children at risk of school failure.  From PL94-142 to NCLB and IDEA 04, education has been revolutionized to include accountability for improved outcomes for all students.  The RtI and Early Intervening movement poises us on the brink of doing the right thing for all children.  Are you ready?  What strategies can you employ to create this revolution in your classroom, school, and district? How can you make a difference for all students?
Presentation

9:45am - 11:15 am

Special Education Dispute Resolution:  A Local Level Continuum
Richard Erhard
Richard Peterson
This presentation will provide an overview of a local level Alternative Dispute Resolution continuum available to disputant parties with regard to the provision of special education and related services. The continuum will include:  Interest Based IEP Meetings; Ombuds Programs and the use of Neutral Fact Finders; Co-Mediation; Arbitration Panels and the training options available to implement the continuum.

Video Modeling Training (For Autistic Students)
Bill Thompson
Tamara Fortney
Video modeling has proven to be an effective approach by educating students through the use of viewing peer models on video.  The research supports that students not only acquire skills at a more rapid rate, they also prove to have increased generalization of these concepts.  In this presentation, the topic of video modeling will be explored with a practical application on how to start this program within the classroom setting.  In addition, there will be examples provided of the program presently in place with the Orange County Department of Education.

A Model Program for Response to Intervention for Struggling Readers
Judy Montgomery, PhD
The Responsiveness to Intervention (RtI) component of IDEA 2004, has launched several effective programs for elementary and high school students who might otherwise have been referred for special education. Join us to learn about START-IN, an evidence-based RtI intervention field tested in California. Data on the research group will be presented as well as demonstrations on how to implement the program in third through eighth grade settings. It has been successfully used by teams of general educators and special educators, including resource specialists, SDC teachers, speech and language pathologists, and literacy coaches.
Presentation

CDE RtI Video Session
Response to Intervention (RtI) Why Now?
Jack Fletcher, Dan Reschly W. David Till, III
Leaders in the educational field review the current research, policy changes, and legal rationales for supporting a move towards a Response to Intervention model in the schools for both general and special education populations. This session will review changes to IDEIA 2004, implications for using RtI for special education eligibility, and identify key reasons for districts to begin using a Response to Intervention model now.

11:15am - 12:00pm

Open Time for Exhibits

12:00pm - 1:15pm

General Session and Lunch
Richard Mainzer, National CEC The New IDEA Regulations: The Good, the Bad, and the Aesthetically Challenged!

1:30pm - 3:00pm

Evidence Based Practices for Individuals with Autism
Doreen Ferko
This session will review the main interventions used to address the needs of individuals with Autism. We will specifically discuss in practical terms, what the research says regarding the effectiveness of TEEACH, PECS, DTT, and ABA.
Presentation

Disproportionate Representation Of Minorities In Special And Gifted Education:  The Last Battle Front In The Civil Rights Movement
Brandon E. Gamble
Alnita Dunn
Section 612 (a) (24) of IDEA 2004 requires states to adopt policies and procedures designed to prevent inappropriate identification or disproportionate representation by race and ethnicity of children as children with disabilities.  This session will look at the historical over representation of minority students in special education programs and, conversely, the under representation in programs for the gifted and talented.  Attendees will be provided with an overview of causes of this inequity and recommendations for appropriate policies to reduce inappropriate identification and over identification.
Presentation

References

RCAT: An Evidence-Based Response-To-Intervention Model Focusing on Diverse Learners
Dawn Walsh
Mike Jones, PhD
Participants will learn how the Riverside County Achievement Team (RCAT) process raised academic achievement of all significant subgroups (Special Education, socially economically disadvantaged and EL) by developing a response-to-intervention model using a Professional Learning Community approach supported by a leadership component focusing on systems change and process facilitation.

The presentation will focus on the utilization of data for purposes of instruction, the development of school site leadership teams, and building a culture that promotes responsibility for the education of ALL students.  The presentation will include a description of how the model’s multi-structure at the county office, district office and school site brought coherence across all entities to increase student learning and improve performance in high-stakes assessments.  Data will be presented demonstrating how schools participating in the model outscored both the state and similar schools in API growth points, percentage of growth at or above proficient level in AYP and the percent of growth of students passing the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE).
Presentation

RtI – A Quick Overview & List of Useful Web Based Resources

Leadership Team Meeting Minutes

CDE RtI Video Session
What is Response to Intervention RtI?
Sharon Kurns
Amanda VanderHeyden
This session highlights the foundational beliefs, essential components, and the required shifts in thinking, to understand, implement, and benefit from Response to Intervention.  Definitions and examples of the components of several RtI models will be explained and shown, as will critical steps and strategies for implementing RtI successfully.

3:15pm - 4:30pm

Developing Social Skills Through a Canine Companion
Cheryl Sturzengger
I am the handler for a wonderful service dog named Cajun, who helps facilitate social interaction with a variety of students on campus.  Cajun is used as a learning tool of life skills for all of my students.  He benefits the students as a positive behavioral reinforcement, a way to calm the students, a motivation for mobility, and a positive addition to the community.  He is a great ice breaker in social interactions between the general education students and the student in my class.  Cajun encourages the use of language, safety in the community, recreational activities of fetch, and helps improve students grooming skills by taking an active part in Cajun’s grooming.  Cajun is a perfect example of the many ways a service dog can benefit the special needs community.

Evidence Based Interventions - What Really Works?
Chapman University Students
This is a unique experience to view 15 interactive demonstrations of commercially available interventions used in resource programs and SDC.  Graduate students from Chapman University conducted a controlled intervention with students from preschool through high school for eight weeks.  They report the amount of progress that the students made and offer suggestions for the more effective products.  Lesson plans for each intervention will be provided in the handouts.

CDE RtI Video Session
Administrative Issues in RtI
Judy Elliott
George Batsche
Roy Applegate
This session highlights the foundational beliefs, essential components, and the required shifts in thinking, to understand, implement, and benefit from Response to Intervention.  Definitions and examples of the components of several RtI models will be explained and shown, as will critical steps and strategies for implementing RtI successfully.

Saturday November 11

8:00am-9:30am

General Session
Ken Kavale, PhD
Regent University School of Education
Response to Intervention (RtI)
Responsiveness-to-Intervention is a process that attempts to link treatment and identification through the concept of “treatment validity”.  The use of scientifically-validated interventions as students move through a series of “tiers” while their progress is systematically validated is an undisputed aspect of RtI.  But what about the student who fails to respond?  Does failure to respond indicate the presence of, for example, a learning disability?  RtI becomes contentious when it is deemed a diagnostic process. Is there justification for an SLD designation when a student fails to respond? Or is a comprehensive evaluation necessary to achieve a valid diagnosis. We will explore these issues and place RtI in proper context.

9:45am - 11:15am

Hearing from Adults with Developmental Disabilities: Community Interaction and Social Inclusion
Jeff McNair, PhD
At last year’s state CEC conference, participants were delighted to hear from a panel of adults with developmental disabilities specifically share their school experiences.  Many had gone through school before PL 94-142 and others had experienced special education programs that were provided for, after this legislation.  The topics discussed focused on characteristics of good teachers, relevant content in instruction, and social opportunities in school.  This year (Part Two), the panel of adults will return and the focal points of the discussion will include current community involvement and aspects of social inclusion.  The information from this presentation will be beneficial to both current classroom teachers and university faculty by highlighting the importance of including social skills training and community networking in the school curriculum for individuals with developmental disabilities.

Kathi and Jeff McNair will facilitate the panel discussion and also summarize the research in the area of community support for individuals with disabilities, the role of “faith” in social inclusion, and the academic skills taught in school that are relevant to “life after school.”  The honest, sharing, and dialogue with these adults will not only show how essential self-advocacy is, but also highlight the resiliency they have developed along with coping skills for life in our fast-paced society.

The Move From IFSP to IEP - Transition for Autistic Students
Doreen Ferko
This session will discuss the issues related to the transition from an IFSP to an IEP for students with Autism. Issues related to hindering and promoting a successful transition will be reviewed.
Presentaion

White Paper - State Report on Rtl
Anjanette Pilliteer
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and the current reauthorization of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) mandate that educators focus on supporting the academic progress of all students through research-based instructional strategies. Further, recent calls to reform special education have emphasized the importance of using problem-solving approaches to support at-risk students within general education.

ACSA has taken the lead in this effort by sponsoring the RtI Summit with support from interested stakeholders and sponsors throughout the State of California such as CARS+, CASP, CSHA, CTA, DKY Consulting and SELPA. Key Stakeholders from General educators, parents, attorneys, Psychologists, and special educators were invited to represent their organization’s perspective to provide CDE with input regarding the RtI guidelines that will be presented to constituents after the final IDEA 04.  Regulations are available to the public.
Participants will be provided with the following information:

• Urgency of Intervention
• RtI Defined
• RtI Guiding Principles
• Scientifically Researched Based
• Specific Learning Disabilities
• Access and Participation
• Monitoring
• Implementing RtI Strategies
• Recommendations by RtI Summit3 to CDE

Response to Intervention White Paper Group


CDE RtI Video Session
Instruction in RtI Systems
Barbara Moore-Brown
Wendy Robinson
Barbara Moore Brown and Wendy Robinson provide detailed information about the structure, implementation, and development of a site and district level RtI program. They identify specific types of reading and writing interventions that can be utilized, and direction on how to structure intervention services.

11:30am - 1:00pm

SEEPAC
Hedy Hansen
Nancy McGovern, PhD
Support, Education and Empowerment for Parents of Autistic Children (SEEPAC), is a multidisciplinary training curriculum designed to assist parents in learning to navigate their "new world" after receiving a diagnosis of autism for their child.  Our presentation will highlight the successful education strategies used to train parents to become informed consumers for the benefit of their children's success as well as the collaborative benefits seen by parents and professionals.  SEEPAC was designed in response to a need for in-depth training of families coping with, not only a new diagnosis, but with new and diverse service delivery systems.

Designing Preschool Classrooms for Students with Autism
Chris Romanosky, MS
Analee E. Kredel, M.A Session will focus on creating classroom environments that capitalize on the concrete learning styles of students with Autism. Get practical ideas and strategies to use in creating environments to reduce challenging behaviors.

CDE RtI Video Session
So You Want to Do RtI?
Getting Started
Margaret McGlinchey
Anita Rettig Dunn
Jan Mayer
The final session of the CDE RtI Series will focus on the pragmatics of planning, setting up, and implementing an RtI model.  Information about how several districts have managed and succeeded in setting up district and site level RtI programs, including staffing, problem solving teams, scheduling, and other structural issues are discussed.  Additional information about confounding factors and implications of using RtI for behavioral functioning are also shared.