Training

To provide leadership, oversight, and technical support the EQA Division will be hosting an Office Hours Series for schools eligible for Comprehensive and Equity Supports.  Office hours will be once a month from 9 am – 10 am on January 22, Feb 5, Mar 19, April 16, May 14, and June 11.

Audience: Schools Eligible for Comprehensive and Equity Supports, but open to All Schools 

Links to EQ Office Hour Series:

Wednesday, January 22, 2025 – 9-10 am

Wednesday, February 5, 2025 – 9-10 am

Wednesday, March 19, 2025 – 9-10 am

Wednesday, April 16, 2025 – 9-10 am

Wednesday, May 14, 2025 – 9-10 am

Wednesday, June 11, 2025 – 9-10 am

No registration is required.

Description: LEA staff and Independent school representatives are invited to come together for this collaborative training, so that both parties hear from equitable service ombuds directly regarding the importance of due dates, the new required independent school section of the data inventory and the shared data reporting requirements.

Audience: CFP Team Leaders, Business Managers, Grant manager other support staff, Independent School Representatives

Date: Feb. 19, 2025

Time: 9 -10 a.m.

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Event Dates: April 2, 2025 from 8-9:30 a.m. and April 8, 2025, from 3-4:30 p.m.

Audience: Pathway (D) Participants, New teachers to the State, Newly Licensed Teachers and Graduates, Special Education Endorsement Candidates, General Education Teachers, High School Special Education Teachers, Educational Support Teams (EST) Members, Evaluation Team Members, Related Service Providers, Interventionists 

Purpose: During this training, participants will learn about the three options available for resolving disputes related to student receiving special education services. These options include administrative complaints, mediation, and due process hearing

Registration Link: Please register for Dispute Resolution training.

Contact: Cassie Santo 

Event Dates: March 25, 2025, from 1-2 p.m. and March 27, 2025, from 11 a.m.-12 p.m.

Audience: Pathway (D) Participants, New teachers to the State, Newly Licensed Teachers and Graduates, Special Education Endorsement Candidates, General Education Teachers, High School Special Education Teachers, Educational Support Teams (EST) Members, Evaluation Team Members, Related Service Providers, Interventionists 

Purpose: This training will focus on regulations and best practice related to Parent Participation in IEP Meeting and Parent Input. Participants will also review the Parent Involvement Survey and recent Vermont data related to the percentage of parents who report that the school facilitated parent involvement.

Registration Link: Please register for Parent and Family Engagement training.

Contact: Ana Russo

Event Dates: February 4, 2025, from 10-11:30 a.m. and February 5, 2025, from 2-3:30 p.m

Audience: Pathway (D) Participants, New teachers to the State, Newly Licensed Teachers and Graduates, Special Education Endorsement Candidates, General Education Teachers, High School Special Education Teachers, Educational Support Teams (EST) Members, Evaluation Team Members, Related Service Providers, Interventionists

Purpose: This training will provide an overview of Functional Skills as it’s listed in Basic Skill Areas in Rule 2392(g). Functional skills reflect a student’s current abilities, skills, strengths, and weaknesses; academically, socially, and physically. Knowing this information about a student should shape the goals of their IEP by informing how their learning differences affect their ability to learn in the general education curriculum

Registration Link: Please register for Functional Skills training.

Contact: Cassie Santo 

Event Dates: December 9, 2024, from 2-3 p.m. and December 10, 2024, from 10-11:00 a.m.

Audience: Special Education Directors, District Test Administrators, Special Educators and Case Managers

Purpose: All publicly funded students with significant cognitive disabilities are required to participate in a statewide assessment for math and reading in grades 3 through 9 and for science in grades 5, 8, and 11. Students who cannot participate in the general assessment with accommodations may be eligible to take an alternate assessment.  In Vermont, this alternate assessment in the Multi-State Alternate Assessment (MSAA). MSAA is a comprehensive assessment system, designed to promote access for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities, in preparation for a broader array of post-secondary outcomes. The Alternate Assessment Eligibility Training will discuss the alternate assessment, MSAA, and eligibility decisions and requirements for the alternate assessment. This training will provide resources to help IEP teams to make this decision.

Registration Link: Alternate Assessment Eligibility Training

Contact: Ana Russo, Inclusion and Accessibility Coordinator, at ana.russo@vermont.gov

Event Date: January 14, 2025, from 3:30-4:30 p.m. 

Audience: VT High school special educators and Special Education Directors 

Purpose: This tool is designed to be used by IEP teams each year that a student is in high school. This is a tool the IEP team should be reviewing and discussing with the student and family at each annual IEP meeting. This tool was created by an interagency team that included school professionals, VT developmental disability services, VT HireAbility and VT Family Network. This training will go over all aspects of the tool as well as the updates to the tool. In addition to going over how to use this tool we will also hear from our Developmental Disability services partners on best practices regarding the timeline for students as they get closer to graduation and ready for the “handoff” from school to developmental disability services. 

Registration link:  Please register for Best practices in IEP Transition Plan Development Training.

Contact: John Spinney 

Event Dates: December 17, 2024, from 3:30-4:30 p.m. 

Audience: Vermont High School Special Educators and Special Education Directors 

Purpose: This training will cover all aspects of the IEP Transition plan in terms of best practices as well as the Indicator 13 compliance requirements around the 8 elements that need to be included in the plan. There will be emphasis on identifying necessary transition skills that students need and how to build goals that support development of those skills. We will also go over common areas of noncompliance found during the monitoring process.  

Registration link:  Please register for Graduation Readiness Tool Training.

Contact: John Spinney 

Event Dates: January 23, 2025, from 9-10 a.m. and from 1-2 p.m. 

Audience: Pathway (D) Participants, New teachers to the State, Newly Licensed Teachers and Graduates, Special Education Endorsement Candidates, General Education Teachers, High School Special Education Teachers, Educational Support Teams (EST) Members, Evaluation Team Members, Related Service Providers, Interventionists 

Purpose: This training will provide an overview for all of the items that special educators need to know related to best practices and Indicator 13 compliance for the IEP Transition plan. Additionally, this training will cover the graduation readiness tool, the summary of performance and a brief overview of the LEA Transition capacity building rubric.   

Registration link:  Please register for Post-Secondary Transition Basics with John Spinney. 

Contact: John Spinney 

Event Dates: January 13, 2025, from 8-9:30 a.m. and January 15, 2025, from 3-4:30 p.m. 

Audience: Pathway (D) Participants, New teachers to the State, Newly Licensed Teachers and Graduates, Special Education Endorsement Candidates, General Education Teachers, High School Special Education Teachers, Educational Support Teams (EST) Members, Evaluation Team Members, Related Service Providers, Interventionists 

Purpose: Participants attending this training can expect to review Special Education Disability and Eligibility for Specific Learning Disability in the state of Vermont. 

Registration link:  Please register for Disability Determination and Eligibility: Specific Learning Disability with Cassie Santo and Ernie Wheeler. 

Contact: Cassie Santo