Weekly Update (10.13.2016)
TEA Information
TEA STAAR 2016-2017 Accommodations TETN Scheduled!
Wednesday, October 26, 2016 10:00a.m. – 12:00p.m.
This session will be provided by the Texas Education Agency and discuss the approved accommodations and their use on the 2016-17 State Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) assessments. If your district is a videoconferencing network member, you may be able to attend this meeting in your district. Contact your district videoconferencing coordinator or the
Region 4 videoconferencing team at vcsupport@esc4.
If you would like to attend at Region 4 please register for Session ID 1280714, or select this link to be taken directly to the session registration page.
Contact: Kirsten Omelan, Ph.D. at or 713-744-6361 or Cynthia Barrett, Ph.D. at or 713-744-6343
Updates to TEA Student Assessment Webpage
Updates have been made to the Student Assessment Accommodations Resources webpage
- Language related to 2017 STAAR Accessibility has been added, with additional details coming soon.
- The final version of the TETN Accommodations Presentation from 9/23/16 has been posted to this page and is attached to the weekly update. Please review as additional Question and Answers have been added.
NOTE: We apologize for any inconvenience, however, the Region 4 Assessment Updates Session scheduled for November 2, 2016 has been rescheduled for December 2, 2016. Due to recent updates and revisions to the assessment system and accommodations policies, we have rescheduled the date to allow us to provide the session and resources in the most comprehensive manner possible. Participants who were registered for the November 2, 2016 session will receive a communication notifying them of the changes and options for their enrollment.
Region 4 Special Education Assessment Updates Session December 2, 2016 Sesion ID 1231999
Contact: Kirsten Omelan, Ph.D. at or 713-744-6361 or Cynthia Barrett, Ph.D. at or 713-744-6343
Required RF TrackerData Collection
TEA has issued a TAA letter to notify local education agencies (LEAs) of timelines related to the required 2016-2017 collection of data for students with disabilities who reside in residential care and treatment facilities (RFs) within the geographic boundaries or jurisdiction of an LEA. Texas Education Agency (TEA) staff continue to work toward data elements being added to the Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) in order to be able to identify these students and facilities throughout the state. However, until such time that this can be accomplished, LEAs have the ongoing obligation to enter data into the RF Trackerdata collection system, which is now open for 2016-2017 data entry.
Link:
IDEA-B Maintenance of Effort Tool Revisions
TEA has updated the tools for districts and charters to use to determine maintenance of effort. The additional changes include:
- Two templates
- One for districts
- One for charters
- Ability to carryover exceptions if failed an area of compliance
TEA will share the power point training as soon as possible. Go to this link to access the new tools:
For more information, feel free to contact Jerry Klekotta via email or telephone at 713.744.6393.
For Your Information
How to Organize Your Child’s IEP Binder—Guidance for Parents
Making an IEP binder is a great way to keep information organized and at the ready when needed. An IEP binder can help prepare for IEP meetings and stay up to date on student progress. This powerful tool can also help parents communicate and collaborate with teachers and their child’s IEP team.
Link:
21 Chrome Extensions for Struggling Students and Special Needs
See the link below for 21 Chrome web extensions that can assist students in five main categories:
- Text to Speech
- Readability
- Reading Comprehension
- Focus
- Navigation
Link:
Call for Proposals: Inclusion Works! Conference
See attachments (2):
- Inclusion Works Call for Proposal Letter
- Inclusion Works Call for Proposal Form
Due date for proposals: October 27, 2016
Conference Date: February 12-14, 2017
Contact: Nancy House, The Arc of Texas at or 512-746-6204
Region 4 Upcoming Professional Development
Video Modeling: Applications for School- and Transition-Aged Youth
Attendthis professional development session to learn more about video modeling, an evidence-based practice for instructing students with disabilitiesin the classroom and postsecondary settings. Following this session,participants will be able to immediately incorporate this technique into their existing practices. Examples of how video modeling (VM) has been used by different districts throughout the country and across disability categories will be provided. Participants will be shown, and have a chance to practice, all of the steps needed to create and deliver VM interventions using an iPad or other commonly available technology. Practitioners will also be shown how to monitor and chart student progress. As part of the professional development, practitioners in small teams will develop, film, and implement their own VM intervention.
Session ID: 1226438
Dates: November 4, 2016
Time: 9:00 – 4:00
Fee: $35
Contact information: Cathy Williams, , 713.744.6801
Autism and Self-Determination: Teaching Skills across the Life Span
Join this session to learn more about the development of self-determination skills in individuals with autism. Most students leave high school with self-determination skills that are sufficient to help them continue their education and attain employment. However, many students with autism do not develop these skills resulting in limited future opportunities. In this session, participants will learn 1) what self-determination is and why it is important, 2) how to assess self-determination skills, and 3) how to promote self-determination starting at an early age and continuing into adulthood.
Session ID: 1260235
Dates: January 23, 2017
Time: 9:00 – 4:00
Fee: $35
Contact information: Cathy Williams, , 713.744.6801
Structured Teaching: It's More Than Just Work Systems, A 3-Day Series
Join this 3-day series to gain in-depth information on creating a structured classroom to support the learning and behavior of students with autism and other disabilities. During this professional development series, participants will learn 1) the principles and research base for structured teaching; 2) how to apply structured teaching principles to support students of varying ages and ability levels; 3) how to implement structured teaching in a variety of settings including special education classrooms, general education classrooms, and the community; 4) how to teach students to use structured teaching components; and 5) how to “re-structure” systems when students are not responding positively. Participants will also create materials, use these materials to practice implementing structured teaching in their classrooms through “homework” assignments, and receive feedback.
Session ID: 1224374
Dates: January 24, February 7, and February 28, 2017
Time: 9:00 – 4:00
Fee: $105
Contact information: Cathy Williams, , 713.744.6801
Verbal Behavior: Teaching Communication Skills to Children with Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities
Join this session, presented by Dr. Vincent Carbone, to learn more about the behavioral approach to teaching communication skills to children with autism and other developmental disabilities. Participants in the workshop will learn how to 1) conduct a Behavioral Language Assessment, 2) select the most appropriate form of communication for a child (vocal, signing, pointing to or exchanging pictures, or activating an augmentative device), and 3) select the communication responses and supporting skills that should be taught first.The workshop includes the recommended teaching procedures for those children who have no formal communication skills to those who are near conversational speakers. Dr. Carbone will also describe and demonstrate errorless teaching, specific quick-transfer (prompting and fading) procedures, and the use of both discrete trial training in the natural environment and during intensive teaching sessions. Many video tape demonstrations are provided to illustrate the methods to increase spontaneous language and to develop conversation.
Session ID: 1225548
Dates: March 7 & 8, 2017
Time: 9:00 – 4:00
Fee: $70
Contact information: Cathy Williams, , 713.744.6801
Region 4 Autism Symposium
Join this 3-day symposium to gain the most recent information on autism research and issues related to autism from birth to transition. Keynote speaker, Temple Grandin, Ph.D., will share her personal experiences as an individual with autism. Additionally, leaders in the field, Celine Saulnier, Ph.D., Paula Kluth, Ph.D., and Peter Gerhardt, Ed.D. will provide information regarding research on the etiology and early identification of autism, strategies to support students with autism in the classroom, and issues related to adolescence and early adulthood.
Session ID: 1143551
Dates: August 1, 2, & 3, 2017
Time: 8:30 – 4:00
Fee: $200
Contact information: Cathy Williams, , 713.744.6801
ADOS 2 Training
The Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second Edition (ADOS-2) improves an instrument already viewed as "the gold standard" for observational assessment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This is a 2-day workshop that teaches you how to use the ADOS-2 to assess and diagnose autism. An experienced workshop leader will describe the ADOS-2 and demonstrate administration and scoring, operationalizing diagnostic criteria for ASD. The workshop focuses primarily on Modules 1 through 4.
Session ID: 1231648
Date: October 25-26, 2016
Time: 9:00a.m. – 4:00p.m.
Location: Region 4 ESC
Fee $90
Contact: Kara Zwolinski at or 713-744-6562
Ethics for Licensed Specialists in School Psychology
Examine ethical situations that commonly occur for individuals providing psychological services in the school setting. This session will review relevant rules of practice, ethical standards, and legal implications. Session and materials costs are partially funded through state or federal grants.
Session ID: 1221537Session ID: 1231524
Date: November 4, 2016Date: February 10, 2017
Time: 8:30a.m. – 11:30a.m.ORTime: 8:30a.m. – 11:30a.m.
Location: Region 4 ESCLocation: Region 4
Fee $30Fee $30
Contact: Kara Zwolinski at or 713-744-6562
Issues in Cultural Diversity for the LSSP
Attend this session to consider and discuss current issues in cultural diversity as it relates to the field of school psychology. This session will satisfy the annual requirement for 3 hours of cultural diversity training that is required by the Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists.
Session ID: 1221540Session ID: 1231546
Date: November 4, 2016Date: February 10, 2017
Time: 1:00p.m. – 4:00p.m.ORTime: 1:00p.m. – 4:00p.m.
Location: Region 4Location: Region 4
Fee $30Fee $30
Contact: Kara Zwolinski at or 713-744-6562
Special Education Webinar – Orthography and Reading
A common misconception is that phonological deficits are at the root of all reading disorders. This webinar will explore the critical role that orthographic processing plays in reading while introducing the concept of a functional reading system. Participants will learn how to identify orthographic deficits, and will be provided information on research-based intervention recommendations.
Session ID: 1240442
Date: November 8, 2016
Time: 10:00a.m. – 12:00p.m.
Location: online
Fee $20
Contact: Kara Zwolinski at or 713-744-6562
Introduction to the Vineland-3
The Vineland is a standardized, norm referenced instrument for the assessment of adaptive behavior. This workshop will provide an orientation to the changes in the revised Vineland-3, along with guidance on the basic use of the instrument.
Session ID: 1231552Session ID: 1256515
Date: November 17, 2016Date: November 17, 2017
Time: 9:00a.m. – 12:00p.m.ORTime: 1:00p.m. – 4:00p.m.
Location: Region 4Location: Region 4
Fee $30Fee $30
Contact: Kara Zwolinski at or 713-744-6562
PROMO CODE: R4DirectorV3 for one (1) free registration per district.
Houston Metropolitan Educational Diagnostician Association 41st Conference
Houston Metropolitan Educational Diagnosticians Association (Hou-Met), a local chapter of the Texas Educational Diagnosticians Association (TEDA), promotes professionalism, excellence, and continuing growth for diagnosticians to provide individuals with disabilities quality educational services in the Houston-Metropolitan area. The purpose of this conference is to provide the latest information on evaluation for eligibility and facilitate networking opportunities for school personnel involved in the evaluation of children with disabilities. Attend this annual conference to learn more about current special education evaluation issues.
Session ID: 1213201
Date: November 29-30, 2016
Time: 9:00a.m. – 4:00p.m.
Location: Region 4
Fee $125
Contact: Kara Zwolinski at or 713-744-6562
Language Development: What Diagnosticians and LSSPs Need to Know
Distinguishing language development from disability is a common challenge for many evaluation professionals in Texas. This workshop will review the different language development trajectories of ELL students, formal and informal assessment practices for language proficiency and data interpretation from a cross-linguistic perspective. Emphasis will be given to the evaluation of Spanish-speaking students.
Session ID: 1256514
Date: December 2, 2016
Time: 9:00a.m. – 4:00p.m.
Location: Region 4
Fee $35
Contact: Kara Zwolinski at or 713-744-6562
Help! I’m Not Bilingual and I Have ELL Students to Evaluate
Students from diverse cultures and backgrounds are often referred to special education for evaluations. Sometimes, a bilingual evaluator is not available. What are the best practices for both monolingual and bilingual evaluation staff? This presentation will provide practical field-based guidelines and research findings for the assessment of ELL students.
Session ID: 1242967
Date: December 6, 2016
Time: 9:00a.m. – 4:00p.m.
Location: Region 4
Fee $35
Contact: Kara Zwolinski at or 713-744-6562
Special Education Webinar – Dyslexia, the Diagnostician, and the FIE
In their Dear Colleague Letter dated 10-23-15, OSERS discusses that evaluation professionals in determining whether the child has a specific learning disability would find it helpful to include information about the specific condition (e.g., dyslexia) in documenting how that condition relates to the child’s eligibility determination. This webinar will assist participants in understanding the dyslexia identification process through a differential diagnosis approach, and analyzing the definitions and characteristics of Dyslexia and Specific Learning Disability within the special education evaluation pathway. The domains to assess for dyslexia, including achievement, cognitive processes, and other related areas, and how to use a pattern of strengths and weaknesses as part of the evaluation process to differentiate between dyslexia and other disabilities will also be addressed.
Session ID: 1241148
Date: December 13, 2016
Time: 10:00a.m. – 12:00p.m.
Location: online
Fee $20
Contact: Kara Zwolinski at or 713-744-6562
Paraprofessionals: Effective Support in the Inclusive Classroom
Learn about the changing role of the paraprofessional and how to work as a team with general and special education teachers. The session will address problem solving, communication, collaboration, and learning skills. The session will also address working with teachers, students, and parents; collaborative learning approaches; and student behavior management techniques. Teams of teachers and paraprofessionals who work together are encouraged to attend. Session and materials costs are partially funded through state or federal grants.
Session ID: 1240453
Time: 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Date: October 27, 2016
Registration Fee: $35
Location: Region 4 Education Service Center
Contact: Cynthia Barrett, Ph.D. at or 713-744-6343