VT-HEC has a full schedule of learning opportunities planned for the spring covering a variety of topics within the general education area including the practical use of learning scales, gender diversity, using technology in early elementary grades and a series on where proficiency & personalization is working in Vermont. We welcome some of VT-HEC favorites such as Jen Patenaude and Bill Rich as well as some new presenters that we are very excited about including Paul Foxman on anxiety in the classroom and Joelle van Lent and Gillian Boudreau on trauma and resilience. In short, there is something for just about everyone.

Creating Gender-Affirming School Environments: What Leaders Need to Know and Do in S. Burlington, VT (2/15) Experts from Outright VT will help leaders and their teams understand gender-related issues, the challenges, legal implications and, most importantly, what you can do to create a system-wide environment accepting of all kids.

Where is it Working? Studying VT-Made Models of Student-Centered, Proficiency-Based Learning in Action with Bill Rich in Montpelier, VT ~ Two more workshop dates (3/22, 5/15) presenting real examples from VT schools that are working hard to implement the ideals of personalization and proficiency-based instruction.

The Why, What, and How of Taking a Brain-Based Approach to Student-Centered, Proficiency-Based Learning with Bill Rich in Killington, VT ~ Two more WORKshops covering performance assessment and how to put it all together in your classroom and school (3/7, 5/11)

It Came from Outer Space: Integrating Technology and Writing Across the K-3 Curriculum with Arlyn Bruccoli and Jennifer Fitch in Montpelier, VT (3/9) The title says it all…. Arlyn, a library/media specialist, and Jennifer, an accomplished classroom teacher, will show you how. They will have you practicing with the tools they use working together using technology to help younger students express their ideas and reactions about science, social studies, literature, etc.

Creating a Gender Inclusive Classroom with Lisa Estivill in Montpelier, VT (4/5) How to move past basic understanding of gender diversity to reviewing examples of classroom resources and strategizing how to implement gender inclusive language, curriculum and group expectations in your own classroom.

Fostering Resilient Learners: Creating Trauma Sensitive School Communities, with Joelle van Lent, Psy.D, and Gillian Boudreau, Ph.D., in Montpelier, VT ~ Four workshop days (1/18, 2/16, 3/16, 4/12) and an additional date (5/17) for 3-credit graduate course. From the basics on the impact of trauma on kids’ ability to form relationships to utilizing mindfulness and other strategies to build their resilience, these workshops and course will put you and your school on track to support students dealing with or recovering from trauma.  Joelle and Gillian form a dynamic team with complimentary expertise and experience.

Managing Anxiety in the Classroom, with Paul Foxman, Ph.D., in Montpelier, VT (1/26) Daily headlines seem to bring more sources of anxiety that are difficult enough for adults to deal with but are putting more and more kids in the situation of trying to deal with chronic anxiety without the supports or tools to help. Paul will help you recognize the symptoms and develop strategies to help your students cope and succeed.

MTSS Ground Level Systems Planning: What does effective, daily implementation look like? (K-6) with Jen Patenaude in Rutland, VT (4/4 & 4/5) Do you need to make changes to your MTSS structure and systems in order to more effectively implement multi-tiered programming designed to serve all students? If so, this intensive two-day workshop is the perfect time to plan with your team for the next school year. Strategies and suggestions are drawn from the collective experience of schools from across Vermont that are well underway with implementing MTSS. Jen is the perfect person to lead your team to assess your needs and design the changes your system should put in place for next year.

Proficiency-Based, Personalized-Learning within an MTSS System: What does effective, daily implementation look like? (7-12) with Jen Patenaude in Rutland, VT ~ A two day offering (5/8 & 5/9) A middle/high school version of the above offering taking into account the efforts toward personalization and proficiency-based learning.

Check out our other series for offerings that may also address your interests and needs including: Special Education and Early Childhood – Grade 3

 VT-HEC WORKshops are learning opportunities that are planned to have participants practicing, applying and tailoring the concepts, skills and models that are being shared for much of the day and often include a course option to support implementation in your own setting.

Jen Patenaude, Bill Rich, Jon Udis & David Melnick

Every year the VT-HEC has gotten requests to hold more events in the Rutland/Killington area and this year we have made a special effort to do just that with 13 days scheduled; including major offerings with some of our finest presenters covering many of our most requested topics: Trauma, Proficiencies & Personalization, Behavior, Advanced Assessment and MTSS. In addition, these offerings provide extended learning opportunities and/or support for implementation in your own setting. We hope to see you there.

Developmental Trauma and Trauma-Informed Schools: Transforming Knowledge into Action Presenter: David Melnick, LICSW September 26 & October 23, 2017 ~ Rutland Holiday Inn

This workshop with course option will focus on the global impact that chronic traumatic stress has on the developing child through examination of the “Seven Domains of Impairment” and their application by educators in schools.
Click Here for More Details and Printable Flyer

Spring: Level 2 Course on Creating Trauma-Informed Schools for completers of Course I

The Why, What, and How of Taking a Brain-Based Approach to Student-Centered, Proficiency-Based Learning – WORKshops Designed by Bill Rich

Overview of Series:
Each WORKshop will begin with compelling activities and findings about the remarkable adolescent brain, followed by guided application devoted to participants accessing resources, ideas, and each other to draft and refine products they’ll use back in their settings with their learners. Throughout the series, we strive to model what we teach. One of the greatest compliments we’ve received came from a participant who wrote, “Your medium is your message.” Come learn how to take a brain-based approach to student-centered, proficiency-based learning…by experiencing it. Click Here for More Details and Printable Flyer
WORKshop 1: The Fundamentals of Brain-Based Learning Design (October 4)
WORKshop 2: Designing & Using Learning Scales that Create Competence (November 14)
WORKshop 3: Keeping It Real: The Promise and Perils of Performance Assessment (March 7)
WORKshop 4: Pulling it All Together: Just How Great Can Learning Get?  (May 11)

Power Struggles: What to do When a Student Says, “Make Me!” Presenter: Jon Udis – November 8, 2017 ~ Killington Mountain Lodge

During this engaging and fun seminar, participants will:  explore assumptions about why adult-student power struggles occur; learn adult responses that escalate the conflict; and learn multiple strategies for avoiding and minimizing power struggles, as well as skills that de-escalate and productively resolving the conflict. Participants will also develop a take-home strategy to use during the next power struggle. Click Here for More Details and Printable Flyer

The following workshops will be open for registration in December.

Cognitive Profile Analysis for Struggling Learners: Advanced Assessment Topics
Presenter: Jen Patenaude – March 28 and 29, 2018 ~ Killington Mountain Lodge

If you are interested in learning how to use comprehensive evaluation information to deepen your understanding of varied learning disability profiles to provide more diagnostic, targeted programming, this workshop is for you! An overview/ comparison of most current measures of cognitive abilities, discussion of the causal relationship between cognitive and academic achievement abilities, selective decisions for choosing the tools that best align with evaluation concerns, and review of common learning disability profiles and suggestions for subsequent program planning will be covered.  This workshop is designed for experienced practitioners with a solid foundational understanding of norm referenced assessments and comprehensive evaluations.

MTSS “Ground Level” System Planning – What does effective, daily implementation look like K-6? Presenter: Jen Patenaude – April 4 and 5, 2018 ~ Holiday Inn, Rutland, VT

 Audience: This workshop is designed for K-6 systems. We strongly suggest you attend with a team that might include: building administrator, classroom teacher, interventionist, special educator, guidance counselor/behavior specialist, district level coaches and district administrators. 

Do you need to make significant changes to your MTSS infrastructure and systems in order to more effectively implement multi-tiered programming designed to serve all students?  If so, this intensive two-day workshop is the perfect time to plan for the next school year.  Strategies and suggestions shared are drawn from the collective experience of schools from across Vermont well underway with MTSS.

Proficiency-Based, Personalized-Learning Within an MTSS System – Grades 7-12
What does effective, daily implementation look like in grades 7-12? Presenter: Jen Patenaude – May 8 and 9, 2018 ~ Holiday Inn, Rutland, VT

Audience: This workshop is designed for 7-12 systems. We strongly suggest you attend with a team that might include: building administrator, classroom teacher, interventionist, special educator, guidance counselor/behavior specialist, district level coaches and district administrators. More Details Coming Soon!

vthec.org

MTSS: Getting To Effective & Efficient Daily Implementation

The VT-HEC is announcing a new offering focused on the Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) titled, MTSS “Ground Level” Systems Planning led by Jen Patenaude.  The new offering is planned for May 2nd & 3rd at the Hampton Inn in Colchester, VT.

This event is being designed to support school teams as they develop plans to improve their MTSS and implement those plans in the coming new school year. Special team rates and an option for additional support over the summer will also be offered.

We are very pleased that Jen Patenaude, one of Vermont’s most popular and expert presenters in the area of special education and MTSS, has agreed to develop this offering specifically to help teams assess their systems and lay out plans to improve their: service delivery model, operation of their Education Support Teams, coordination of services, use of assessment data, scheduling, etc.

Details and flyers will be available soon at vt-hec.org – attendance will be limited.