Professional Development

State Support Team - Region 8 offers free professional development to educators in Medina, Portage, and Summit Counties in the areas of special education, teaching and learning, school improvement, and early childhood.  By providing high quality technical assistance, coaching and professional development, SSTs support districts in developing the capacity to fully implement research-based processes and educational practices using a connected set of tools and resources that result in data based decisions, learning across all levels of the system and sustained implementation. 

Throughout the year, SST8 offers a variety of regional professional learning events which aim to build the capacity of educators to build strong processes and implement evidence-based practices.  Most of these events are offered as a series of sessions aimed at teams of district- and/or building-level leaders who take new learning back and grow the practices of their colleagues.  Highlights of our regional offerings are shared below, including a flyer with the session's learning objectives, targeted audience, registration details, and an SST8 point of contact.  If you find a series that interests you but has already begun, you may wish to contact the session lead to get on a waiting list for future offerings or find alternative resources to move forward with your learning.

 

Registration is typically through STARS or OCCRRA.  To learn more about how to set up an account and register for events in these systems, visit our About STARS and About OCCRRA pages or contact SST-8 Administrative Assistant Alice Doyle. 

 

Mental Health and Trauma series
This series, led by Summit ESC and co-facilitated by SST-8, brings together Summit Co. agencies and service providers to cover key topics related to the mental health needs of students who have experienced trauma, including depression/anxiety and suicide prevention, juvenile justice, child abuse/neglect, truancy, bullying and resiliency, and drug addiction. Participation in all 5 sessions of the series is preferred, but not required.

     

Trauma-Informed Care: Train-the-District Trainer
This session is currently closed. Check back for additional opportunities for professional learning on this topic. To learn more about how trauma-informed care connects to and enhances schoolwide PBIS work, contact SST-8 Consultant Heidi Kerchenski.

Internal Monitoring for IDEA Compliance
Ohio Department of Education’s Office for Exceptional Children (OEC) now expects each district or community school to have a process for ensuring that special education documents meet state and federal requirements. Any corrective action plans for special education services must be able to identify a mechanism for internal compliance monitoring. SST-8 is pleased to offer a multi-day series designed to help teams of district and building special education leaders develop a feasible and sustainable plan for ETR and IEP record monitoring across their system. 

Leading Reform in Least Restrictive Environment
With the current focus on standards and accountability, a “key aspect in thinking about achievement of students with disabilities is access – access to general education curriculum, access to high quality instruction, and access to peers” (Theoharis and Causton, 2014). This impactful 4-day session empowers district teams to analyze data on their current service-delivery model, examine the latest research on integrated instructional approaches, and redesign special education service delivery to increase access, equity, and success for all students. The 2017-2018 session is now underway and registration is closed. For more information about future LRE cohort series offerings, or to learn how your can begin examining your district's service delivery now, please contact SST8 consultant Stephanie Denham.