A Special Education Teacher, Administrator and Lawyer walk into a bar....all you ever wanted to know about special education

Listen in while Angela, Robin and Abby discuss a complicated and emotionally challenging part of the special education legal landscape - when a Handbook/Code of Conduct infraction IS or IS NOT a manifestation of a student's disability.
 Legal reference: 34 CFR §§300.530-300-536

For the flowchart mentioned in the podcast click here.

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Join Robin, Abby and Angela as they review the importance of the role of the general education teacher in IEP meetings. 

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In this episode Abby, Angela and Robin interview Kathleen Browning, a former SLP and current Early Childhood Program Director to learn more about the amazing world of Integrated Preschool.

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Listen in as Angela, Robin and Abby discuss what they are thinking and how they respond when someone in a meeting makes an unexpected statement or decision. Check out the resource for developing comprehensive evaluations from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction here.

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Listen in as the girls debate key concepts of Extended School Year from how the determination of eligibility gets made, to the goals and mission of ESY services, all the way to the nuts and bolts of what kinds of programs for how many days and hours. We're referencing the MADESE ESY Q and A in its most recent form and don't all agree on everything it says or what it all means. BUCKLE UP for a spirited deep dive into ESY!

MADESE Q & A

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Join Robin and Abby as they geek out on our field's research base (and sometimes, lack thereof).  Listen in to a discussion of High Leverage Practices (HLP's); the 22 skills that we (sort of) have all agreed a special education teacher must consolidate to be effective in the role.

For more information  and to read the Official HLPs  click here:
https://highleveragepractices.org/

Check out the IRIS Center at Vanderbilt University's super cool think tank for more info and helpful visuals on HLP's here.

Here is the link to the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)'s 2024 publication:
High Leverage Practices for the Inclusive Classroom, 2nd. Ed.

Here is the CEEDAR Center's webpage (including a tool to check your school's alignment with HPL's). So freakin' neat!!

And finally, here is a PDF of the whole  2017 book that is easier to read than the new one - happy HLPing!!!!!!

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This November Massachusetts voters will determine the fate of keeping the MCAS exam as a high school graduation requirement. We had a longer debate last year when it was on the ballot as a citizen petition (Oct. 13, 2023 episode). This week we revisit the topic.

We also plug Unified Sports    as people begin thinking about budget season (as well as starting fall athletics) because this initiative is a high impact, low budget culture booster! 

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We're just getting back into the swing of things so join us as we preview some upcoming topics and catch up. Hope everyone's school year is off to a great start! 

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We're interrupting our summer to record our response to a June 2024, 1st Circuit court decision regarding the case: L.M. v. Town of Middleborough that affirms a Massachusetts school’s decision to forbid a middle school student from wearing two T-shirts to school that say, “There are only two genders” and “There are [censored] genders."  We hope you enjoy it!

Here is a link to the full case document.

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Can you believe we've uploaded 100 episodes?! We're ending Season 4 celebrating our 100th episode and choosing our favs from each season. Please go back and listen to those if you started mid-way through our show. Here is a list of the top 20 downloads if you want listener favorites. We've already planning for season 5- be back soon! Thank you listening- Robin/Abby/Angela 

S1 Ep. 1. With Friends Like These: Intro Pod

S3 Ep. 6  The 1,2,3s of IEPs (meetings, that is!)

S2 Ep. 26 Final Episode of Season 2! AKA Robin's Had It!

S3 Ep. 25 Season 3 is a wrap!

S2 Ep .11 What's so special about specialized instruction?

S3 Ep. 8 Please stop saying that!

S1 Trailer

S4 Ep. 13 20 Questions

S1 Ep. 10 What is the "Least Restrictive Environment" and Why Do We Keep Talking About It?

S2 Ep. 22 Administration Consideration

S3 Ep. 12 Inclusive Fitness: Interview w/Greg Austin

S3 Ep. 22 We've Got Mail 2nd Edition

S2 Ep. 7 Interview with Laura Gillis (parent side attorney)

S2 Ep. 4 Discipline Deep Dive... Part 1

S2 Ep. 2: Behavior IS Communication - Interview with Kristin Pas, BCBA

S3 Ep. 5 There's something SPECIAL going on.....

S4 Ep. 3 Top 10 Common Logical Fallacies

S3 Ep. 1 What happens if there are no teachers?

S3 Ep. 13 What do you do when things don't go the way one would expect?

S3 Ep. 7 Can you fix a disability?

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