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March 13, 2026
Ensuring Equity for All Multilingual Learners Through Legal Guidance and Collaboration
Thursday, March 19, 2026, from 3 to 5 p.m.
Session Description
Are you and your colleagues across departments aligned in how multilingual learners are served? Do general education, special education, and bilingual/EL educators share a common understanding of the legal requirements and protections that govern services for multilingual learners, including those with disabilities? Federal laws such as IDEA, ESSA, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, and Section 504, along with state and district guidance, require coordinated, equitable, and legally sound practices across teams.
This session provides an overview of the legal framework guiding identification, service delivery, and progress monitoring for multilingual learners with and without disabilities. Participants will examine how roles and responsibilities intersect across departments and explore strategies for improving cross-disciplinary collaboration, ensuring that communication, service delivery, and documentation are coherent, compliant, and student-centered. Attendees will leave with practical strategies to strengthen alignment, reduce the risk of noncompliance, and improve outcomes for multilingual learners.
Presenters
Rita Brusca‑Vega, EdD, Vice Chair of NAETISL and Professor Emerita of Special Education at Purdue University Northwest, is a longtime educator and consultant with more than 30 years of experience in special education, bilingual educator preparation, and curriculum development for NAETISL.
Cèlia Llaberia Vilalta, Co‑Chair of NAETISL, is an educational diagnostician, district interpreter, and course instructor with 26 years in public education, specializing in culturally responsive evaluation practices, interpreter training, and support for Spanish‑speaking families.
Free Registration
Register for the Ensuring Equity for All Multilingual Learners Through Legal Guidance and Collaboration Workshop. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Continuing Education
Two contact hours will be available to individuals who attend and complete the session evaluation.
If you have any questions, please contact Billy Brooks (billy.brooks@state.mn.us).
Revised SLD Criteria Technical Assistance Sessions are designed to enhance the decision-making abilities of Special Education Teams as they evaluate and plan for students with Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD), in preparation for the revised SLD criteria. Topics center on evidence-based practices, participant-driven questions, strategies for building buy-in, readiness, and capacity, and leadership development.
March 19, 2026, from noon to 1 p.m.
Mind the Gap Part 2: Evaluation of and Planning for Written Expression
Zoom Meeting Link for March 19 - no registration required.
- Defining the referral concern
- What to consider when planning an evaluation
- Assessment Decision Trees
- Defining below-grade-level achievement
- Getting clear on interventions and non-response (examples and non-examples, with contributions from participants)
- Who are the experts in this field, and what are they learning?
- Leadership tips
New and updated materials have been added across several training drawers on the Program Monitoring Training webpage. Directors can browse brief guidance documents, recorded presentations, and quick‑reference resources to support district staff. Visit the Program Monitoring Training webpage for complete details and all links. Please review these updates and share the relevant training drawers with your special education teams to support consistent, compliant practices across your district.
What to Expect: Special Education Program Monitoring
Updated tools to help districts understand their five-year cohort cycle, including timelines and cohort lists.
Preschool and School Age Compliance Topics (ages 3–22)
New resources clarify IEP team membership and excusal, along with expanded secondary transition materials on postsecondary goals, courses of study, and case study practice.
Special Education Essentials
Short, on-demand compliance trainings for teachers, including updated modules and guides on PLAAFPs, goals and objectives, data collection, and exiting from special education.
The captioned recording of the February 13, 2026, Special Education Directors' Forum is available. If you attended the forum or have viewed the recording, please complete the February 2026 Special Education Directors' Forum Evaluation Survey.
Minnesota schools and districts are invited each school year to apply for Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Sustaining Exemplar Recognition.
The purpose of Minnesota PBIS Sustaining Exemplar Recognition is to identify and recognize exemplar schools and districts that have achieved a high level of PBIS implementation and continue to achieve positive student outcomes. These schools and districts are able to demonstrate exemplary status by sustaining school-wide PBIS (SW-PBIS) with fidelity in the 2025-26 school year. Learn more about the Minnesota PBIS Sustaining Exemplar Overview.
Links:
The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) is continuing a webinar series into the 2025-26 school year to support educators in implementing proactive, positive, evidence-based strategies and resources. This series will highlight local examples of work to align systems of support with the needs of diverse learners, provide information on specific disabilities, and include the voices of individuals and families within the community alongside educators and community organizations. We are excited to announce our next webinar in the series.
March 18, 2026, 3-4:30 p.m. with Callie DeVriendt, MSW, LICSW, LSSW, Project AWARE Coordinator at MDE and Prashanth Brahmandam, BTech, MS, PG Diploma in AI/ML, Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Neural Web.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming school mental health by strengthening early identification, intervention, and student support. This session examines how AI can be effectively integrated into school mental health systems within a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) framework. Participants will explore practical applications, including a student wellness chatbot, a counselor co-pilot, and an intervention plan generator. Ethical, equity, and compliance considerations will also be addressed, providing educators with insights and strategies to responsibly harness AI to support student well-being effectively.
Past Webinars to Review
In addition to the current webinar offerings, MDE has posted recordings of previous webinars that may be helpful for teams to review during the current school year. These sessions provide valuable insights and resources for both general educators and those serving students receiving special education services. All recordings include closed captions and are accompanied by accessible slide decks and related materials.
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