Building Capacity in Special Education
Catapult Learning has the distinction of not only being an industry leader in the area of Coaching and Professional Learning, but also a leading provider of special education services for students with varying disabilities across the country. Our national special education platform provides training, consulting, classroom and school operations to over 500 school districts to address their most pressing special education needs.
As such, we are uniquely positioned to help you build capacity to serve all students with behavioral and academic support needs. With an exceptional national team of experts and practitioners we help schools and districts reach their visions of helping every student succeed.
Special Education Capacity Building Programs
Our Special Education Capacity Building programs are tailored to the needs of your school community and target specific areas to create the greatest impact based on our mutual assessment. Job-embedded Coaching coupled with a sequence of trainings enable the implementation of new ideas and effective, evidence-based practices that promote the achievement of students with special needs. Programs can be designed for both special and general education leaders and teachers. As most students with special needs spend the majority of their time in general education classroom, it is vitally important these educators are also prepared to create classroom climates and instruction that meet that needs of all their students, including those with special needs.
School-wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a systems approach to establishing the culture and behavioral supports needed for all children in a school to achieve both social and academic success. PBIS incorporates core elements that can be achieved through a variety of strategies integrated within organizational systems in which teams, working with administrators and behavior specialists, can build systems capacity for implementing a multi-tiered approach to social, emotional and behavior support. Catapult Learning will partner with educators to examine the structures and strategies necessary to establish pro-social climates and cultures for learning. The goal of which is to improve the effectiveness, efficiency and equity of schools to achieve social, emotional and academic outcomes for all students, including students with disabilities and students from underrepresented groups.
Featured Trainings Include:
Schoolwide PBIS: Positive Behavioral Intervention and Support
Schools can take a systematic approach to promoting pro-social and pro-academic behaviors by implementing Positive Behavioral Intervention and Support in a systematic and schoolwide way. School teams will examine their existing structures and systems and explore various strategies to strengthen their schoolwide approach to behavioral management and intervention, with a particular emphasis on putting in place supports and structures to organize intervention and respond to misbehavior at the Tier 1 or primary level.
Promoting a Safe and Positive School Climate
Studies have found that schools can address the root causes of school violence by prioritizing the development of a positive school climate. In this session, participants will explore ways to increase social awareness and build relationship management and responsible decision-making skills within the school community. Participants will also examine practices for setting rules and consequences that promote mindfulness and inclusion as part of a safe learning environment.
Trauma-Informed Educational Practice
All schools and educators work with children who have experienced trauma, but they may not know who these students are. Childhood trauma can have direct, immediate, and potentially overwhelming effects on a child’s development and ability to learn. Trauma affects not only individuals, but also their families and the communities in which they live and learn. Yet, this issue has largely been ignored by our education system.
All educators are being asked to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse student population in the general education setting. Catapult Learning offers strategies for understanding the needs of students with learning differences and designing and delivering flexible and responsive instruction that meets the needs of every learner in the classroom. With a focus on thoughtful co-planning and co-teaching practices, we partner with educators to explore how to provide different paths to learning, including specially designed instruction for students with disabilities, to accelerate the performance of all students.
Featured Trainings Include:
Differentiation to Enhance Learning
Differentiation is a flexible, responsive, and proactive approach to meeting the needs of every learner in the classroom. Differentiating instruction ensures that all students can access, understand, and apply new skills and concepts. Educators will learn how to provide different paths to learning and consider ways to differentiate instruction based on content, process, product, and learning environment to provide appropriate levels of challenge for all students.
Identifying & Understanding the Needs of Students with Learning Differences
Students receiving special education services have needs that differ both from the general student population and among themselves. With an increase of students with special needs in general education settings, teachers must be equipped with the tools to support their individual needs. Educators will explore the common attributes of various disabilities and learn how to provide instructional support in general education classrooms.
Keys to Successful Inclusion: Co-Planning and Co-Teaching
There is remarkable power in partnerships. In order to best support the needs of students most at-risk in general education settings, both regular education and special education teachers need to be armed with tools and strategies to improve the quality of instruction to meet the needs of diverse populations. Co-planning and co-teaching refers to the practice of two teachers planning lessons, delivering instruction, and sharing the responsibility for student learning.
An important part of the role of a general educator is to understand and abide by the laws and regulations that guide our work in serving students with disabilities. Catapult Learning will partner with your educators to explore major pieces of federal legislation which impact their role as a classroom teacher, as well as some of the actions and activities necessary to participate fully as a member of the instructional team surrounding students with disabilities.
Featured Trainings Include:
Foundations of IDEA and Section 504
The provision of services for students with disabilities is mandated by two central pieces of federal law: The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). During this workshop, participants explore the foundational elements of each, including how they ensure that all students with disabilities receive a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). The notion of “Least Restrictive Environment,” an essential component of IDEA which ensures that children have access to schools or classrooms with peers who do not have disabilities, will also be considered.
Exploring Modifications & Accommodations for Students with Learning Differences
For many students with learning differences, the key to success lies in having appropriate accommodations for instruction and other classroom activities. These changes help a student access the general education curriculum in a way that makes the most sense for his or her individual needs. During this session, educators will learn practical instructional and assessment strategies to create an inclusive classroom setting.
The IEP: Your Role as a General Educator
IDEA, the federal law that guides special education, requires that a general education teacher familiar with the child be involved as a member of the individualized education program (IEP) team. The general education classroom teacher plays an important role in the development of the IEP and is the curriculum expert on the multidisciplinary team. In this workshop, we define and discuss the IEP and its components, focusing on the role of the general education classroom teacher as it relates to each element. We also explore what to do before, during, and after an IEP meeting.
Organizing a school around a model of tiered intervention holds the promise of guaranteeing all children have access to high quality instruction and behavioral support. Additionally, it ensures that struggling learners are identified, supported, and served effectively. Catapult Learning will enable educators to discover the essential components of effective multi-tiered support, which can include Multi-Tier System of Supports (MTSS), Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS), and Response to Intervention (RTI). We will partner with you to develop a building-level plan for successful implementation of multi-tiered support systems and review strategies for designing and delivering tiered interventions in academics and behavior.
Featured Trainings Include:
Introduction to (MTSS) RTI: A Framework for Instruction
Response to Intervention (RTI) is a resource allocation framework that focuses on achievement for all students. It is a systematic process of connecting assessment and instruction to support the needs of every type of learner. Educators will explore the what, why, and how of RTI and plan to implement an RTI process in their schools.
Tiered Academic Interventions
To meet the needs of all students, a school’s core instructional program must incorporate a high-quality curriculum and evidence-based interventions. An important goal of a tiered intervention system is to create an instructional model for all students. Educators will be introduced to a framework for constructing a tiered intervention system and will work cooperatively to develop this type of system for their schools.
Tiered Behavioral Interventions
High-quality instruction prevents many behavior problems from occurring; however, there are times when teachers must utilize targeted interventions with students who require additional support. This session introduces the idea that a strong school-wide core behavioral support plan is a prerequisite to building a tiered intervention system. Educators explore interventions and strategies for promoting positive behavior and collaborate with colleagues to design a tiered behavioral support system.
The National Center for Intensive Intervention (NCII) identifies a set of essential practices for planning and implementing effective instruction to meet the needs of students with disabilities and impact student outcomes. These practices can be employed by both special educators and general educators serving students with learning differences. Catapult Learning will partner with educators to explore a full range of instructional strategies which include modifying delivery of instruction through prioritizing skills and providing systematic and explicit instruction. Other strategies include changing the learning environment to promote attention and engagement, changing intervention dosage or time by increasing the quantity of instruction, and combining cognitive processing strategies with academic learning.
Featured Trainings Include:
Universal Design for Learning
Digital tools are the mainstay of informal learning in the lives of 21st century students, who use technology to connect, communicate, and create. We will explore how to use technological tools to support the unique needs of students with special needs, while at the same time motivating and engaging all students within the classroom.
Specially Designed Instruction in Math
Specially designed instruction means adapting as appropriate the content, methodology or delivery of instruction to the needs of an eligible child. Educators will explore the steps and strategies for designing and delivering explicit instruction in math for students with an individualized education program (IEP). We will also examine progress monitoring practices to determine ways to improve the process of monitoring and adjusting instruction so that all students can learn.
Specially Designed Instruction in Reading
Specially designed instruction means adapting as appropriate the content, methodology or delivery of instruction to the needs of an eligible child. In this session, participants will explore the steps and strategies for designing and delivering explicit instruction in reading for students with an individualized education program (IEP). We will also examine progress monitoring practices to determine ways to improve the process of monitoring and adjusting instruction so that all students can learn.
Job-Embedded Coaching Brings New Learning to Life
At Catapult, we place coaching at the center of our professional development efforts. Our comprehensive coaching platform is a capacity-building support system for leaders and teachers as they strive to implement or advance research-based best practices.
