Education Support Professional: Outside the Classroom Management This session targets bus drivers, custodians, food service employees, office staff, and paraprofessionals as they deal with managing student behavior in non-classroom areas of the school. The session focuses on enhancing the structure of the educational support personnel's work environment to be a place in which students are cooperative, well-behaved and where ESPs are supported as valuable members of the whole school staff. (ESPs)
Keys to Excellence for Your School
Keys to Excellence for Your School (KEYS) is designed to help schools build a culture of continuous improvement through the use of a research-based and field-tested instrument. This instrument focuses on the conditions of teaching and learning that research has shown relate to high student achievement. During this overview, participants will develop foundational knowledge about the KEYS process. From this information, a school staff and key decision makers at the district level may consider if KEYS is the appropriate approach for their school improvement quest. (All teachers and administrators)
PRAXIS I
This session for pre-education students will provide an overview of PRAXIS I. Concentration will be placed on the essay portion of the exam. Students will participate in a mock writing assessment and peer review utilizing the 6-point PRAXIS rubric.
PRAXIS II
This review session is designed to help teacher education candidates and others seeking initial certification by providing an overview of the Praxis II series. Registration and study tips, test-taking strategies, and test-anxiety pointers are offered to help examinees develop confidence for these professional assessments. Since all beginning teachers in Tennessee must pass the appropriate grade-level version of the Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT), in-depth review of the PLT topics is presented. (Pre-service teachers, all grade levels)
Preparing for the ParaPro Assessment
Paraprofessionals in Title I instructional positions must be able to demonstrate they are "highly qualified" as mandated by federal legislation known as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) or sometimes known as No Child Left Behind. One method of achieving "highly qualified" status is by successful completion of the ParaPro Assessment offered by Education Testing Service. This course will help paraprofessionals prepare by providing a review of test skills and knowledge as well as test-taking strategies. (Paraprofessionals seeking "highly qualified" status)
The Successful Substitute
Basics for new substitutes are included in this workshop. Participants learn practical strategies from organizational skills to classroom management that will enable them to enter any classroom prepared for a successful experience. (Substitute teachers)
What is Inclusion and Collaboration?
In this six-hour professional development offering, participants will learn about state and federal laws that impact special education. Beliefs and practices needed for successful inclusion programs will be explored and defined. This will help participants evaluate school readiness for inclusion and plan the first steps to becoming a full inclusion school. Strategies for getting started, common concerns, planning methods and co-teaching models will be explored and discussed by participants. In this hands-on workshop, everyone will create action plans while exploring the benefits of shared teaching and leave with practical advice whether they are just getting started with inclusion or striving to improve current programs. (General Ed., Special Ed., ESP and Administrators)
Writing for ESPs
This workshop provides ESPs with an understanding of how to assist students with writing activities. The steps of the writing process are discussed and practiced. Information is presented in the context of preparing students for the TCAP writing assessments. (ESPs) |
