HT1: The Hard Truths of Implementing RTI:
          Lessons Learned in the Trenches
HT2: Autism Methodology Cases to Live By:
         Legal Guidance for Practical Program Strategies
HT3: New IEP Team Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them
HT4: The Ups and Downs of Serving Students With Bipolar Disorder
HT5: MDRs: Two Simple Questions, So Many Implications
HT6: The IDEA and NCLB: Where Will These Laws Take Us Next?
HT7: The Changing Focus of Intervention: From NCLB to RTI
HT8: Transition to Post-Secondary Life: When Does It Start,
         When Does It End, and What Should Happen in Between?

HT1: The Hard Truths of Implementing RTI:
          Lessons Learned in the Trenches
HT2: Autism Methodology Cases to Live By:
          Legal Guidance for Practical Program Strategies
HT3: New IEP Team Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them
HT4: The Ups and Downs of Serving Students With Bipolar Disorder
HT5: MDRs: Two Simple Questions, So Many Implications
HT6: The IDEA and NCLB: Where Will These Laws Take Us Next?
HT7: The Changing Focus of Intervention: From NCLB to RTI
HT8: Transition to Post-Secondary Life: When Does It Start,
          When Does It End, and What Should Happen in Between?

LUA17: The Supreme Court and the IDEA: Implications for
               School Districts and Children With Disabilities
LUA18: Allergies, Asthma and Multiple Chemical Sensitivities:
               On the Cutting Edge of Eligibility and Accommodation
LUA19: Procedural Safeguards: What Districts Need to Understand

PCS29: Evidence-Based Response Guidelines
               for Threats of Violence and Bullying
PCS30: RTI in Middle and High Schools:
               Alternatives to the Three-Tier Model
PCS31: Preventing Seclusion and Restraints:
               Effective Behavior-Change Methods

PCS22: Unraveling the Mystery:
               What Is Specialized Instruction for Students With LD?
PCS23: Alignment of General and Special Education Systems:
               Knowing When, Where and How to Influence Change
PCS24: Alternative Dispute Resolution:
               Making a Difference for Children, Families and Districts
PCS27: Standards-Based Goals vs. IEPs:
              Challenges and Opportunities

LUA17: The Supreme Court and the IDEA: Implications for School Districts and Children With Disabilities
LUA18: Allergies, Asthma and Multiple Chemical Sensitivities: On the Cutting Edge of Eligibility and Accommodation
LUA19: Procedural Safeguards: What Districts Need to Understand

PCS29: Evidence-Based Response Guidelines
               for Threats of Violence and Bullying
PCS30: RTI in Middle and High Schools:
               Alternatives to the Three-Tier Model
PCS31: Preventing Seclusion and Restraints:
               Effective Behavior-Change Methods

Pre-Institute Symposium #2
Special Ed Law Boot Camp: Legal Essentials for Newer Administrators
Darcy L. Kriha, Esq., Franczek Sullivan, Chicago, Ill.
Brad Voehringer, Director of Pupil and Personnel Services, Community
   Consolidated School District 62, Des Plaines, Ill.

Sunday, May 4, 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

This day-long symposium highlights the legal essentials of special education compliance. Designed for newer special ed directors and any district administrators or staff seeking a solid understanding — or a refresher — of special ed law, this interactive session hits the core legal requirements surrounding eligibility, FAPE, LRE, IEPs, discipline, procedural safeguards and other key facets of the IDEA.

Sunday, May 4, 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Learn how to make restrictive settings work for students with emotional disorders — and the staff that serves them. This all-day symposium ensures you understand the legal ramifications of the LRE requirement as it applies to these students; the advantages and disadvantages of placements in segregated environments versus full inclusion; and a specific multi-tiered model of service delivery based on RTI procedures for restrictive settings.

Sunday, May 4, 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

This full-day program examines hearing officers’ responsibilities and the implications and requirements of the law and regulations. Two top-notch attorneys will provide practical advice on preparing for and managing hearings, evaluating evidence, reaching decisions, and crafting appropriate remedies. The presenters will also review the most recent judicial rulings pertaining to due process hearings.

Sunday, May 4, 8:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.

As an RTI leader in your district, you need to know the special ed administrative issues that can make or break your RTI model. What staff changes are necessary? What are your professional development needs? How do you redistribute resources to implement or improve your RTI efforts? Are interventions implemented with fidelity? Does staff understand when, how and why a child moves from Tier III to special education? Are you sure your RTI approach provides the tools an IEP team needs to make a legal eligibility determination? Learn the answers to these questions and more in this half-day session, with plenty of Q&A.

Wednesday, May 7, 1:45 – 5 p.m.

Help your IEP teams reclaim the IEP as a tool for guiding ongoing instruction. In this session, you’ll learn how to develop well-written, measurable annual goals; the strategic use of progress monitoring and effective behavioral data collection; the pros and cons of mastery and CBM; new IEP-writing strategies that adapt to statutory/regulatory changes; and more.

Wednesday, May 7, 1:45 – 5 p.m.

Don’t succumb to the “seven deadly sins” that can sink your next (or first) due process hearing! Learn how to avoid common mistakes such as inadequate document preparation, poor witness preparation and performance, and failure to listen to counsel’s advice. Activities include role-playing, audience participation, case law studies, real-life horror stories, and more. Don’t wait for a due process hearing to become an unfortunate “professional development opportunity” — learn the most common mistakes before you litigate.

During six years of implementing an RTI model, former Knox County Schools administrator John McCook learned some important lessons — some not too pretty. Here’s a sampling of the “hard truths” he will impart: No one is coming with money, so stop waiting for it; The “enemy” is more often within the system than outside it; intervention fidelity is critical for educators who like to do things “their way.” Join John as he provides candid advice on how to navigate these murky waters.

HT5
MDRs: Two Simple Questions, So Many Implications
Jose Martín, Esq., Richards, Lindsay & Martín, Austin, Texas


Monday, May 5, 10:30 a.m. - 12 p.m.
                           3:30 - 5 p.m.

In 2004, Congress simplified the manifestation determination review standard to be applied prior to disciplinary changes in placement: Is the conduct caused by or directly related to the disability, or is it the result of failure to implement the IEP? This practically oriented session will address how the new MDR standard is generating new cases and questions. Topics will include conducting MDRs without meetings, dealing with special offenses, preventing manifestation disputes, learning from new case law, preparing properly for MDRs, analyzing patterns of behavior, and handling unexpected parent claims during reviews.

HT8
Transition to Post-Secondary Life: When Does It Start, When Does It End, and What Should Happen in Between?
Jan E. Tomsky, Esq., Fagen Friedman & Fulfrost, Oakland, Calif.


Monday, May 5, 10:30 a.m. - 12 p.m.
                           3:30 - 5 p.m.

This presentation focuses on lessons learned from recent administrative and court decisions that clarify the IDEA’s transition requirements related to assessment, creating post-secondary goals, offering transition services, and working with other public agencies to ensure service delivery. Learn how educational teams can successfully bridge the gap between school and post-school life by defining the essential components of appropriate transition assessments, goals and services, and by examining how transition planning fits in the context of broader annual planning.

PCS21
Serving Students With Asperger Syndrome: Issues and Strategies for Compliance
Cathy Pratt, Ph.D., Indiana Resource Center for Autism, Bloomington

Monday, May 5, 1:45 - 3 p.m.
Tuesday, May 6, 10:45a.m. - 12 p.m.

Students on the autism spectrum who have a normal or above-normal intelligence still can challenge those who educate and support them. Here you’ll discuss the characteristics associated with individuals who have a diagnosis of Asperger’s and the challenges they pose for special and general educators, including child find, eligibility, placement, IEP content, accommodation and behavior support, curricular needs and issues, and programming strategies that promote educational and social success.

PCS22
Unraveling the Mystery: What Is Specialized Instruction for Students With LD?
Maureen Burness, Assistant Superintendent, Student Support Services,
    Folsom Cordova USD, Rancho Cordova, Calif.

Monday, May 5, 1:45 - 3 p.m.
Tuesday, May 6, 3:30 - 4:45 p.m.

This session answers the difficult question about what “specialized instruction” really is, especially in light of interventions available after the first and second tiers in Response-to-Intervention (RTI) models. You’ll explore the latest research, the importance of data in structuring interventions and instruction, the relationship of specialized instruction to RTI, and the connections between the requirements of IDEA and NCLB.

PCS23
Alignment of General and Special Education Systems: Knowing When, Where and How to Influence Change
Carol Kosnitsky, Special Education Consultant, Concord, N.H.

Monday, May 5, 1:45 - 3 p.m.
Tuesday, May 6, 3:30 - 4:45 p.m.

Special ed directors serve two legislative masters: the “individualized” IDEA and the “all means all” NCLB. Learn about the increasing alignment of NCLB and IDEA and how to create new opportunities to influence the development of a unified system built on strong leadership and a culture of collaboration. You’ll explore “systems” issues you can influence, including participation in effective problem-solving teams (RTI), development of IEPs that are relevant to general educators, and the implementation of planning and teaching practices that can lead to greater opportunities for students to make AYP.

PCS24
Alternative Dispute Resolution: Making a Difference for Children, Families and Districts
Carlo V. Rossi, Independent Child Advocate, Sonoma SELPA, Santa Rosa, Calif.

Monday, May 5, 1:45 - 3 p.m.
Tuesday, May 6, 3:30 - 4:45 p.m.

Learn about ADR procedures and the Independent Child Advocate Program, a successful ADR strategy developed by the Sonoma County (Calif.) SELPA. Now in its seventh year, this innovative program has successfully resolved more than 90% of all disputes or cases referred. You’ll learn about program design, statistics, resolution techniques and anecdotal success stories that demonstrate and support the values of collaboration, cooperation and open communication that are at the foundation of this program.

PCS25
Maintaining LRE Through Supplementary Aids and Supports
Diana Browning Wright, Educational/Behavioral Consultant, Sierra Madre, Calif.

Tuesday, May 6, 10:45 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Wednesday, May 7, 11:15 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Students with disabilities are being placed more often in general education environments, requiring differentiated instruction and other supports. In this presentation you’ll review the role of supplementary aids in maintaining LRE and supporting skill attainment in general ed curriculum and IEP goals. You’ll also discuss effective progress monitoring aids to assure students receive necessary supports. Three primary components will be reviewed: classroom accommodations and modifications, selection of “least intrusive behavior supports” when behavior may result in consideration of more restrictive settings, and effective use of paraeducator supports.

PCS26
Alternatives to Suspension and Expulsion:
Using Common Sense in a Complex World
Eric Hartwig, Ph.D., Marathon County Special Education, Wausau, Wis.

Tuesday, May 6, 10:45 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Wednesday, May 7, 11:15 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Repeated suspension and expulsion of students with disabilities not only leads to complicated disciplinary procedures, such measures typically don’t help kids learn. Discover alternatives to suspension and expulsion that work, as well as when they work, why they work, and how to implement them. You’ll also explore the connection between removals and racial disproportionality in discipline, referral and identification — and how alternative disciplinary removals address this pitfall.

PCS27
Standards-Based Goals vs. IEPs: Challenges and Opportunities
Carol Bartz, Ed.D., Director, North Inland SELPA, Ramona, Calif.

Tuesday, May 6, 3:30 - 4:45 p.m.
Wednesday, May 7, 11:15 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

The NCLB 2% modified assessment regulations provide another option to measure the achievement of students with disabilities who will not reach grade-level standards in the same time frame as other students. This new provision, however, also requires students’ IEPs to be developed based on their chronological grade level, with reduced “depth and breadth.” How do we do this? How does this requirement align with the traditional focus on individualized goals and services to provide “educational benefit”? This hands-on workshop will examine these issues and provide specific strategies for individualizing goals based on grade-level standards.

PCS28
RTI for Behavior: Applying RTI Logic to ED Eligibility
Clayton R. Cook, Research Scientist and Education Consultant, Girls and Boys
    Town, Omaha, Neb., and University of California, Riverside
Jeffrey R. Sprague, Ph.D., Co-director, Institute on Violence and Destructive
    Behavior, University of Oregon, Eugene

Tuesday, May 6, 10:45 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Wednesday, May 7, 11:15 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Learn how to use an RTI model for behavior to identify students as emotionally disturbed (ED). This data-based, intervention-focused approach offers many advantages beyond the traditional psychometric approach to ED identification. Participants will learn how an RTI model for behavior both provides a better model of service delivery to address the social behavior challenges and solves many of the legal and practical shortcomings of the traditional approach to ED identification.

PCS29
Evidence-Based Response Guidelines for Threats of Violence and Bullying
Dewey G. Cornell, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist and Professor of Education,
    University of Virginia, and Director, Virginia Youth Violence Project,
    Charlottesville

Tuesday, May 6, 1:45 - 3 p.m.
Wednesday, May 7, 9:45 - 11 a.m.

This fast-paced presentation will explain what student threat assessment is, how it works and why it’s critical to compliance. With a special focus on requirements for students with disabilities, Dr. Cornell will review a decision-tree model for threat assessment that is more flexible, practical and legally defensible than either student profiling or zero-tolerance approaches. Also learn how threat assessment represents a new evidence-based standard of care in school safety that can be combined with research-validated bullying prevention techniques.

PCS30
RTI in Middle and High Schools: Alternatives to the Three-Tier Model
Denise Gibbs, Director, Alabama Scottish Rite Foundation Learning Centers,
    Birmingham, and President, Alabama Branch of the International Dyslexia
    Association, Montevallo

Tuesday, May 6, 1:45 - 3 p.m.
Wednesday, May 7, 9:45 - 11 a.m.

The current initiatives in middle and high school literacy encourage an RTI framework that doesn’t necessarily fit into the 3-Tier Model widely recommended for elementary schools. This session will describe key elements of a scientific, research-based RTI framework for middle and high schools. You’ll explore an extensive collection of intensive intervention programs designed for adolescents, along with practical comprehension strategies designed for specific content implementation.

PCS31
Preventing Seclusion and Restraints: Effective Behavior-Change Methods
Denise Keller, Behavior Specialist, Mendocino SELPA, Ukiah, Calif.

Tuesday, May 6, 1:45 - 3 p.m.
Wednesday, May 7, 9:45 - 11 a.m.

Restraint and seclusion in schools usually signals problems in program planning, services and supports and can result in injury to students and staff, as well as litigation. Session participants will review federal policies and regulations, recent cases involving restraints and seclusion, and what research and experience tells us works. You’ll also learn appropriate and inappropriate circumstances for restraints, the differences between appropriate reactive strategies such as time out or time away and seclusion, and how a positive behavior support plan process can reduce or eliminate the need for reactive strategies.

LUA9
FAPE: Same as It Ever Was … But Different
Jim Walsh, Esq., Senior Partner, Walsh, Anderson, Brown, Schulze & Aldridge, Austin, Texas

Monday, May 5, 1:45 - 3 p.m.
Tuesday, May 6, 3:30 - 4:45 p.m.

What does it mean to provide a “free appropriate public education”? Does it mean the same now as it did in 1975? Has NCLB changed the equation? This session will discuss the legal standards for FAPE through an analysis of the statute, the regulations and the case law – with an emphasis on practical application. Key issues to be addressed include recent court cases that focus on how NCLB impacts the FAPE standard; the effect of rising standards for student achievement on the analysis; how IEP teams deal with “peer reviewed research”; and the FAPE standards for students removed for disciplinary reasons.

LUA10
Cracking the Code: NCLB/IDEA Modified and Alternate Assessment
Rules Made Easy
Sue Gamm, Esq., Public Consulting Group, Chicago

Monday, May 5, 1:45 - 3 p.m.
Tuesday, May 6, 3:30 - 4:45 p.m.

NCLB and IDEA allow states to distribute two alternate statewide assessments for particular groups of students with disabilities. While the alternate assessment for 1% of students with the most significant cognitive disabilities is fairly well understood, the alternate assessment based on modified academic achievement standards (2%) is not. Learn the key components of this latter form of assessment and how its use would enable many more students to demonstrate what they have learned. Similarities and differences between the two alternate assessments also will be discussed.

LUA11
Dispelling the Myths of Disciplining Students With Disabilities
Gary Ruesch, Esq., Quarles & Brady, Milwaukee

Monday, May 5, 1:45 - 3 p.m.
Tuesday, May 6, 3:30 - 4:45 p.m.

The discipline of students with disabilities has sparked much litigation, controversy and rhetoric over the years. Many myths have arisen – some based on the law, others not. In this presentation, you’ll review discipline myths in a way that will clarify and simplify the process, so you can avoid mistakes that cause liability, litigation and distress.

LUA12
Legal Issues in Responding to Aggressive Students
Jeanne Kincaid, Esq., Drummond Woodsum, Portsmouth, N.H.

Monday, May 5, 1:45 - 3 p.m.
Tuesday, May 6, 3:30 - 4:45 p.m.

How do school district administrators balance the rights of “aggressive” individual students with disabilities with the rights of the entire school community when the safety of all students is at stake? Learn the range of statutory and regulatory requirements surrounding these students — from bullying to causing “serious bodily injury” — and the case law that guides school districts on the minimum legal requirements that must be in place to protect the disabled student’s civil rights and ensure a safe community for all learners. You’ll examine the rights of students on Section 504 plans and get practical tips to help you avoid legal vulnerability.

LUA13
Frequently Asked Questions on Grades, Grading and the IDEA
Dave Richards, Esq., Richards, Lindsay & Martín, Austin, Texas

Tuesday, May 6, 10:45 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Wednesday, May 7, 11:15 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

This session will address a wide variety of grades and grading questions as they impact eligibility and services under the IDEA. Questions will include: Must a student receive failing grades to be IDEA-eligible? Can a student with failing grades be receiving a FAPE? Is a student with passing grades always receiving a FAPE? Are grade penalties appropriate, and if so, when? What types of notations can be made to transcripts and report cards regarding special education or 504 services? When the campus fails to implement the IEP, can the IEP team change a failing grade? Get the answers — and the opportunity to ask your own questions.

LUA14
Special Ed Law Conundrums: Questions the 2006 IDEA Regulations Left Unanswered
Julie Weatherly, Esq., Attorney/Consultant, Resolutions in Special Education,
    Mobile, Ala.

Tuesday, May 6, 10:45 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Wednesday, May 7, 11:15 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

The 2006 IDEA Part B regulations were promulgated to clarify IDEA 2004, but many questions were left unanswered. This session will explore the unanswered questions and the resulting conundrums in areas such as eligibility, special education and related services, transition, discipline, and procedural safeguards, among others. Learn strategies that work in lieu of clear regulatory guidance.

LUA15
Solving the OHI Eligibility Puzzle
Jan E. Tomsky, Esq., Fagen Friedman & Fulfrost, Oakland, Calif.

Tuesday, May 6, 10:45 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Wednesday, May 7, 11:15 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Determinations regarding eligibility and appropriate services based on health issues present unique challenges for educational team members, who often feel they lack the necessary information and expertise. You’ll get practical guidance on these questions and more: When is a medical assessment warranted, or even required? Who pays for such an assessment? What criteria apply in determining that a student requires specialized instruction due to a health problem — or is the need for health- related services, alone, sufficient to establish eligibility as OHI? To what extent do mental health issues qualify as “other health impairments”? And what expertise is needed on the team when the student’s issues are psychiatric rather than physical?

LUA16
“Prescription Pad” Diagnoses and Other IEE Issues
Jose Martín, Esq., Richards, Lindsay & Martín, Austin, Texas

Tuesday, May 6, 10:45 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Wednesday, May 7, 11:15 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

After the school has carefully collected and reviewed evaluation data on a student, the parent presents the IEP team with a doctor’s note that conflicts with all prior diagnoses and data. This session addresses these “prescription pad” recommendations and many other potential independent evaluation scenarios, including handling unique requests for IEEs, disputes over local criteria, IEEs resulting from RTI-based evaluations, and reviewing and considering IEE data.

LUA17
The Supreme Court and the IDEA: Implications for
School Districts and Children With Disabilities
Kathy Mehfoud, Esq., Reed Smith LLP, Richmond, Va.
Charles Weatherly, Esq., The Weatherly Law Firm, Atlanta

Tuesday, May 6, 1:45 - 3 p.m.
Wednesday, May 7, 9:45 - 11 a.m.

Burden of proof. Witness fees. Pro se representation. Provision of services. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled, or agreed to hear arguments, on each of these special education-related issues. What are the implications of the high court’s unprecedented activity in attempting to resolve splits among federal circuits over IDEA interpretation? Ms. Mehfoud and Mr. Weatherly will offer their unique and informed perspectives on where the court has been, where it’s likely heading during 2008 and beyond, and what it means to you.

LUA18
Allergies, Asthma and Multiple Chemical Sensitivities:
On the Cutting Edge of Eligibility and Accommodation
Darcy L. Kriha, Esq., Franczek Sullivan, Chicago

Tuesday, May 6, 1:45 - 3 p.m.
Wednesday, May 7, 9:45 - 11 a.m.

This lively session will look at the unique and complex issues raised by these three types of impairments, whose occurrence is increasing rapidly. Through analysis of Section 504 regulations, OCR decisions and case law, you’ll learn which factors determine eligibility (under either Section 504 or the IDEA) and what information schools can and should ask parents to provide. You’ll also focus on which accommodations are considered appropriate and critical components of a health plan.

LUA19
Procedural Safeguards: What Districts Need to Understand
David B. Hodgins, Esq., Bracewell & Giuliani LLP, Houston

Tuesday, May 6, 1:45 - 3 p.m.
Wednesday, May 7, 9:45 - 11 a.m.

This session focuses on the key procedural safeguards provided by IDEA 2004 and the Part B implementing regulations, including notice requirements, consent, IEEs, due process hearing procedures, attorney fees and more. Get a thorough understanding of these issues to help avoid, and effectively respond to, potential IDEA litigation.

LUA20
Ethics for Special Education Attorneys: Real-Life Survival Stories
Diane Wiscarson, Esq., Diane Frost Wiscarson, PC, Portland, Ore.
Lana Traynor, Esq., Lana L. Traynor, LLC, Portland, Ore.

Tuesday, May 6, 3:30 - 5:30 p.m.

Through engaging visual aids and audience participation, you’ll explore real-life ethical dilemmas two practicing special education attorneys have faced. You’ll apply the American Bar Association’s “Model Rules of Professional Conduct” to scenario facts and solutions in this high-spirited ethics session designed exclusively for attorneys.

The JoLeta Reynolds Service to Special Education Award is presented annually to one or more people who demonstrate dedication, excellence and integrity in serving students with disabilities and their families, or who support those serving this exceptional population. The award is named in honor of JoLeta Reynolds, senior policy advisor under the Assistant Secretary for OSERS, Department of Education. Dr. Reynolds played a key role in the 1997 IDEA reauthorization and helped develop the law’s implementing regulations. She also held a similar role in the 2004 IDEA reauthorization and regulation process. Her many accomplishments, ability to persevere through challenge and unyielding standard of excellence inspire all who serve students with disabilities.

Join us for lunch and the 3rd Annual JoLeta Reynolds Service to Special Education Award ceremony, followed by special musical performances by students from Charlotte’s Metro School and Morgan School.

For details and to download a nomination form, click here . Or contact Linda Arch, 561-622-6520, ex. 8724; larch@lrp.com.