Oceanside Septa has licensed an archived collection of Advocacy Institute webinars for the
exclusive viewing of our membership.
The Advocacy Institute is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization dedicated to the development of
products, projects and services that work to improve the lives of people with disabilities.
The Institute publishes a series of training seminars on various Special Education topics. They
make these available using a methodology that they refer to as webinars. A Webinar (web +
seminar) is a great way to learn from experts without having to travel. When originally presented,
the webinar was streamed as a live interactive real-time presentation combining phone
conferencing and an online web presentation.
The webinar experience is both visual and auditory. You will hear the presenter speaking and
answering the questions of the original participants and will see the slides, pictures, and graphs
that they are speaking about (much like a PowerPoint presentation). The technology is seamless
and unobtrusive - just watch and listen. There are also supporting documents that are available for
download. Each webinar session is between 60 and 90 minutes.
Please note that playing Webinar archives requires Adobe FLASH Player and viewing the related
materials requires Adobe READER. Both are available at no charge from www.Adobe.com. Most
computers already have these installed.
If you are interested in viewing these webinars, please contact us at info@SEPTAOceanside.com
and we will forward you the ID and Password that are required for access. Please do not distribute
or provide others with access to these materials.
--Advocacy Institute Webinars--
[ID and Password required]
1. What are Functional Behavioral Assessments (FBA) and Function-Based Intervention Plans (FBIP)?
2. What are the legal requirements for FBAs and FBIPs?
3. What are quality indicators of FBAs and FBIPs?
4. What strategies can advocates use to obtain quality FBAs and FBIPs for clients?
Go to: http://www.advocacyinstitute.org/academy/Jun06FBA
-§§§-
Functional Behavioral Assessments -
Foundation for Effective Interventions
featuring Dr. Carl Liaupsin. (Conducted June 7, 2006)
This event will offer an overview of assistive technology, how to measure the effects of assistive
technology and interpret claims of technology enhanced performance for students with disabilities.
Strategies for advocates will be discussed
Go to: http://www.advocacyinstitute.org/academy/Apr06AT/
-§§§-
Negotiating Assistive Technology
Supports and Services
featuring Dr. Dave Edyburn (Conducted June 28, 2006)
IQ testing is frequently used to determine eligibility for special education and programming
that a child receives. This workshop will focus on different measures of IQ, a comparison of
the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Third and Fourth Editions, and on issues related
to interpretation. It will also focus on the role of IQ testing as considered in IDEA 2004.
IQ Testing:
Not Just about the Numbers (2 parts)
featuring Dr. Melissa Farrall (Conducted August 23, 2006)
An overview of the Woodcock-Johnson III, the most widely used achievement test for school
age children with disabilities, including the tests of achivement and tests of cognitive abilities.
How these tests are used to diagnosis learning difficulities and learning disabilities as well as
how to use the test results to determine instructional needs will be discussed.
New approaches to the identification of specific learning disabilities will be explored and
misuses of test results will be explained. Supplemental materials will be made available to
participants to further aid in their use of the knowledge learned during the presentations.
Understanding the
Woodcock-Johnson III (2 parts)
featuring Dr. Nancy Mather (Conducted September 6 and 13, 2006)
Go to: http://www.advocacyinstitute.org/academy/Sep06WJIII/
-§§§-
Nationwide, approximately 43 percent of students who receive special education services
are identified as having a specific learning disability. The new federal special education
regulations that go into effect October 13, 2006 include important changes to the way
students with learning disabilities are identified as eligible to receive special education
services under IDEA 2004. This 90 minute Webinar event will explain these changes and
provide information about related topics like responsiveness-to-intervention (RTI) and
state education standards. The event will also provide tips and advocacy strategies.
Specific Learning Disabilities Under
Federal Special Education Regulations
featuring Scott F. Johnson, Esq. (Conducted September 28, 2006)
With the 2004 reauthorization of IDEA and the extensive revisions to the federal regulations
effective October 13, 2006, school districts now have greater latitude in their approaches to
determining students with specific learning disabilities (SLD). Over the past five years, the
NRCLD (www.nrcld.org) has conducted research and evaluations about the scientific basis
and practical implications of RTI. Information from a RTI model can be included and in many
respects should be included in the determination of SLD. One of the great advantages of a
rigorous RTI implementation to SLD determination is that classroom instruction or
inappropriate curriculum can be ruled out as an explanation of the student’s learning and
achievement difficulties. RTI also has implications of school’s efforts at meeting the adequate
yearly progress (AYP) requirements mandated in No Child Left Behind and in ensuring that
struggling students receive timely, scientifically based interventions in their deficit areas.
This event will address the following topics:
1) Legal framework in IDEA for RTI
2) Three distinctive RTI models
3) Components of RTI
4) Resource materials through National Research Center on Learning Disabilities (NRCLD)
5) Challenges for states and local districts with implementation.
Response-to-Intervention: What Special
Education Advocates Need to Know
featuring Dr. Daryl Mellard (Conducted October 19, 2006)
Go to: http://www.advocacyinstitute.org/academy/Oct06RTI/
-§§§-
IDEA 2004 mandates that students must be provided with reading instruction that includes
the five essential components (or sub-skills) before being identified as disabled and in need
of special education. Understanding these sub-skills is now a critical part of special
education advocacy.
In the first session of this two-part workshop, each of the five components of reading
(phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension in conjunction with
writing and oral language development) will be described in the context of a graphic that
depicts the reading process. This provides critical information about a child’s reading profile
by linking it with five components of reading that must be addressed within the instructional
program. This information, along with data and observation, clarifies how the child’s reading
instruction should be designed in terms of discovering which of the five sub-skills, or
components of reading, might be emphasized temporarily more than another, “tilting the
balance” in a “balanced reading program,” both through special ed and general ed classes.
The second session will provide guidance in choosing specific materials, programs, and
resources in each of the five components of reading for a given type of student. It will begin
to address some criteria for choosing one over another, for example, looking at some of the
most commonly used core, supplemental and intervention programs. Finally, it will outline
other sources of information helpful to parents and advocates in securing appropriate
reading instruction for students.
Understanding Reading Instruction
and Remediation (2 parts)
featuring Sally Grimes, Ed.M.(Conducted November 13 and 15, 2006)
Eligibility and appropriate placement, special services and special education, transition,
FAPE and LRE, behavior plans and manifestation determinations. Section 504 is not just a
prescription for accommodations and modifications but protection for the civil and
constitutional rights of students with disabilities. Section 504 also applies to those students
served by an IEP.
School attorneys and their supporters are actively engaged in teaching administrators,
teachers, and principals about limiting the access to Section 504 rights by students with
disabilities and their parents. It has become a subjective selection process, whereby
inexperienced and unknowledgeable individuals are making decisions about the civil rights of
students with disabilities. Severe curtailment of these rights leaves students with an inability
to access the curriculum and to receive educational benefit, in other words a potential denial
of FAPE.
Those who advocate for students with disabilities, the students themselves, as well as
counselors, teachers and parents, need to understand this powerful legislation, especially
since it follows students into postsecondary education and employment. And with the
reauthorization of IDEA and the focus on limiting access/eligibility to Section 504 we will see
many of our students left floundering in the educational system. Students poorly equipped
with self-advocacy skills, understanding how they learn, understanding how to leverage their
strengths, and acquiring and maintaining employment.
Participants will get a strong overview of Section 504, its meaning, and its application. Learn
the several key strategies for 504 plans and IEPs. Participants will understand how to use
Section 504 language to preserve the civil and constitutional protections afforded to students
with disabilities that impact learning and other major life activities in their K-12 education.
The Power of Section 504
featuring Claudia Lowe, J.D., SENC (Conducted December 13, 2006)
Go to: http://www.advocacyinstitute.org/academy/Dec06504/
-§§§-
IEP meetings can be complicated and overwhelming under the best circumstances. When
parents and schools disagree, communication breaks down, distrust seeps in and the
“team” becomes warring adversaries. Is this working in the best interest of the student?
Negotiation is often a give and take process resulting in winners and losers. Collaborative
negotiation is positive, forward thinking, respectful and allows the needs of all parties to be
incorporated into the solution. This session will cover a four-step collaborative problem
solving process and touch on effective communication skills that support all team members
to do their best work together.
Realistic Ways to Build
Collaboration in IEP Meetings
featuring Claudia Lowe, J.D., SENC (Conducted December 13, 2006)
Evaluating and grading student performance is a complex and controversial practice for
all students, but is especially so for students receiving special education services. This
presentation will describe common issues and concerns regarding grading students
with exceptionalities, including increased risk of low or failing grades, and the
indiscriminate use of special grading procedures that may not be useful. Strategies for
assessing the accuracy, fairness, and usefulness of grades and grading systems will be
described, as will a process for making appropriate grading adaptations.
Equitable, Effective and Meaningful Grading
Practices for Students with Disabilities
featuring Dennis D. Munk, Ed.D. (Conducted March 21, 2007)
Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) and Behavior Intervention Plans (BIP) are
terms frequently used in the education community. But what do these terms really
mean? How does one determine if the FBA and BIP are of high quality? The purpose of
this webinar is to provide participants with the indicators that can be used to determine
if an FBA and BIP are technically sound and socially meaningful. The presenter will go
through the FBA and BIP process showing what should happen at each step and the
questions to ask to ensure the process results in high quality intervention supports.
Behavior Intervention Planning:
Beyond Legal Mandates
featuring Sharon Lohrmann, Ph.D. (Conducted April 18, 2007)
Go to: http://www.advocacyinstitute.org/academy/Apr07BIP/
-§§§-
Preparing for and making the move from school to adult life is challenging for both
youth and families. The purpose of this webinar is to provide participants with
information on the changes in IDEA 2004 for meeting the transition needs of students
and families. Included with be an explanation and examples of a simple IEP process
that is outcome oriented and will lead toward improved transition planning and post
school results. Additionally, he will cover the roles of the student, parent, school and
adult agencies in the transition planning process and the work he has been doing with
states and districts through the Transition Outcomes Project.
Transition Planning Under IDEA 2004
featuring Ed O’Leary, Ph.D. (Conducted May 9, 2007)
This Webinar will explore the new IDEA 2004 requirement for age appropriate
transition assessments for youth with disabilities as part of transition planning.
The session includes an overview of Indicator 13, followed by an examination
of transition assessment in our schools including its strengths and limitations,
practical issues, and an overview of sample tools. Participants also will be able
to review a Transition Assessment Guide for practitioners and access
additional transition assessment services for their students or children.
Transition Assessments for
Students with Disabilities
featuring Ed O’Leary, Ph.D. (Conducted May 9, 2007)
OCEANSIDE
SEPTA
