Statewide SPED Directors Meetings

A Reoccurring and Monthly Statewide SPED Directors meeting will be scheduled on the 2^nd Wednesday of each month from 8:30-9:30 via Zoom. These interactive meetings are geared toward disseminating information from the State Education Agency (SEA) to Local Education Agency (LEA’s) in addition to providing networking opportunities for those in the field with potential service providers.

Our next meeting will be November 8th at 8:30 am.  

Join Zoom Meeting https://mt-gov.zoom.us/j/81095558755?pwd=Mk1SdnJwVUI3cGFZWEZIL1ZuQ3VuUT09

Meeting ID: 810 9555 8755 Password: 727045

Dial by Telephone +1 646 558 8656 Meeting ID: 810 9555 8755 Password: 727045 Find your local number: https://mt-gov.zoom.us/u/kIaKIwge4

MTSS High School Forum

November 6-7, 2023 in Helena, Delta Hotels by Marriot Helena Colonial

The Montana OPI MTSS High School Forum brings together teachers and administrators from around Montana to network and discuss “best practice" in the secondary school environment.

Attendees engaged in this forum will learn about MTSS tools and resources to enhance the implementation framework and strengthen school climate to provide all students with the best opportunities to maximize achievement, both academically and behaviorally.

TWO DAYS OF WORKSHOPS

• Monday Afternoon: MTSS District Panel  & Tuesday Closing: Youth Panel
• “Supporting Staff Wellness through PBIS” Susan Barrett, Director, Center for Social Behavior Supports, Old Dominion University
• "Using Data for Middle and High School MTSS" Amy Williamson & Jen Adams, The Public Progress
• “Options & Strategies for Meeting the Needs of High School Gifted & Talented Students” Tamara Fisher Alley, Polson School
• “Integration of MTSS Pyramid, Literacy, and Instructional Framework”  Kathy Kidder & Hollee Goody, Capital High
• “Engaged Learning in the Secondary ELA Classroom” Andrea Visocan, Belt High School
• "Math is a Verb Not a Noun" Beckie Frisbee, Great Falls Public Schools
• “Teaching Inference to Deepen Student Reading Comprehension and Engagement” Beverly Chin, UM & Stephanie Swigart , OPI
• “Beyond Circles- Using Restorative Practices to Improve School Climate”  Matthew Johnson, Browning Schools
• “MTSS & Middle School” Todd Wester, Livingston Middle School
•  “Brain-Based Principles and Better Stress Management” Joe Moriarty, OPI
• “Collective Teacher Efficacy: Together We Can Achieve More!” Matt Allison, Flathead High School
• “Don't Panic!  Let's Adopt a Thoughtful Approach to Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI)” Jason Neiffer, MTDA
• “Supporting Student Mental Health, Wellness, and Feelings of Safety: Connecting Youth Voice to Action” Lona Carter, Helena Public Schools & Michele Hensen, OPI
• “Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports (PBIS) Reboot” Keith Hoyer, Belt School & OPI and Joe Moriarty, OPI
• “Engagement Techniques that Work” Aimee Konzen, Julie Gavin, Lindsay Mahoney, & Sara Tiffany, OPI
• “Suicide Safe Care for Students” Karl Rosston, MT Suicide Prevention Coordinator
• “Career Lab & MCIS 360: Tools to Support Students’ Futures” Mary Ellen Earnhart, Montana Career Lab

SPED Community of Practice

Virtual

Date:  2nd Wednesday of each month, October 2023 - May 2024; 3:30 - 4:30 PM

Topics(s):

November 8, 2023      Extended School Year

December 13, 2023     IEP Tips and Alternate Assessments

January 10, 2024         TBD

February 14, 2024       TBD

March 13, 2024           TBD

April 10, 2024              TBD

May 8, 2024                TBD

REGISTER Here

MYTransitions Conference 2023 Breaking Limits

Date:  November 14-16, 2023

Billings Hotel and Convention Center

Welcoming Montana youth with disabilities, families, teachers and service providers for an unforgettable and fun learning experience. The 2023 MYT conference will offer workshops, training, networking, resource development and even some breakdancing to help you create successful transition plans for independent living in the adult world.

SCHOLARSHIP App for  Educators and service provider staff who work with youth with disabilities  OR   REGISTER HERE FOR MY TRANSITIONS CONFERENCE

C.I.R.C.L.E. Time (Community-Based Implementation of Resources using a Collaborative Learning Environment)

TIPS OVERVIEW
The Training for Interpreters in Public Schools (TIPS) is an online course specifically designed for educational interpreters. Four modules are sequenced to build upon
one another and take an average of 8 hours per week over a four-month period to complete. All activities are online so access to a reliable computer, web camera, and highspeed internet is required. The course topics in TIPS were designed based on critical skill sets identified by developers of the EIPA. TIPS on-line coursework consists of 4 modules: Preparing for the Learning Journey, Interpreting Educational Discourse, Fingerspelling in the Classroom, & Discourse Mapping in Education.
Costs are covered by the Montana OPI and offered at no cost to the participant. Space is limited. There is one upcoming offering for the TIPS course:.
Dates: January 6, - May 4, 2024 (Application Deadline December 3, 2023)

Questions, contact Jennifer Harvey, jenn.harvey@usu.edu 

Check out CSPD Trainings in your area:

Region I Region II Region III Region IV Region V

S'Cool Moves Zoom Training 🅥

Virtual

Tuesday, November 7th    8:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Presenter Deb Wilson

• Gain knowledge of S’cool Moves concepts that include academic, behavior, and educational supports to facilitate classroom management and achievement of educational goals.
• Understand the S’cool Moves Energy Expenditure Model and how it ties to participation in educational and therapy settings.
• Examine concepts of Trauma Informed Teaching and how it integrates with S’cool Moves activities for optimizing social-emotional health.
• Participate in labs designed to master quick, easy-to-use therapy and academic based activities that improve executive functioning, self-regulation, alertness, and attention levels.
• Differentiate instruction to support students with learning differences and behavior challenges within therapy and classroom settings.
• Learn the eight sensory systems of the body and how each impacts children’s behavior control and academic success.
•  Increase time-on-task for students by using evidence based therapeutic interventions proven effective in classroom settings.
• Plan how to integrate S’cool Moves activities into RTI or MTSS models using push-in, pull-out, or consult models.
• Facilitate independence in students so they learn how to manage their own behavior and become classroom leaders.
• Develop a deeper understanding of how key learning systems affect academic success and behavior control in the classroom.
• Participate in an easy-to-use problem solving model for behavior management using effective strategies that elicit more time for teaching.

Register Here

How to Write Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Goals for IEPs

In-Person:  Great Falls Crystal Inn

Date:  November 2, 2023; 12:30 PM - 3:30 PM

Presenter:  Doug Doty

• What are the compliance monitoring requirements for PLAAFPs, MAGs and STOBs? 
• How do you make PLAAFPs and MAGS agreeable? 
• Critique PLAAFP examples
• What is the CBCC method of writing MAGS?
• Sing-Along Time: “Kill the Wabbit!”
• Why is, “Independently” an absolute? 
• Critique MAG examples
• Independently Write a MAG 
• Show and Tell Time

REGISTER HERE

On November 30^th from 4:30-5:30, those who attend the IEP goal writing training will have the opportunity to attend a follow-up zoom where you will submit post-training IEP goals such as a sample PLAAFP and/or MAGS, and we will have a small group review each anonymous submission.  The follow-up Zoom link will be sent to interested participants after this training.

Two Sides of a Story: Thanksgiving

In-Person:  MSUB College of Education, Room 122

November 4; 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM

Presenter: Ruth Ferris and Kathi Hoyt

Come join us for an informative and useful workshop on Thanksgiving. This workshop will explore Thanksgiving from many different view points from how many of us understand it from our cultural perspective to the view from the other side of the story from the Native American perspective. Come and learn the story and you will never see Thanksgiving the same way as our presenters share primary sources, historical information, resources, and activities for the classroom.

Register Here

Special Education General Information: 

Contact Kelley Brown, 406-444-5661 or check out our webpage. 

The OPI is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to people with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation, require an alternate format, or have questions concerning accessibility, contact the OPI ADA Coordinator, 406-444-3161, opiada@mt.gov, Relay Service: 711.