OEA Grow

Welcome back to part 2 of Venus’s conversation with Katie Gates, Kenny Long and Kim Sullivan. Affectionately known as “The Special K’s,” they are an elementary, special education team and members from Eugene Education Association. In this episode, they continue sharing their team approach and philosophies.

The Special K’s share the challenges and success within special education and their conversation is full of relatable anecdotes that humanize and normalize the special education field. Is your school navigating budget cuts? Katie, Kenny, Kim and Venus speak honestly about how budget cuts are impacting their program, likely similar to your school district.

They share ideas on how to look at challenges from a positive perspective. Their conversation closes with an invitation for educators to collaborate in order to better serve the needs of Oregon students. Listen in to grow! 

Resources: 

Kenny Long: [email protected]; Katie Gates: [email protected]; Kim Sullivan: [email protected]; and Venus Reeve: [email protected] 

SpEd Connect Form for Special Educators

Oregon Council for Exceptional Children 

Teaching through Relationships 

Welcome back to OEA Grow! In this episode, Venus speaks with Katie Gates, Kenny Long, and Kim Sullivan, an elementary special education team who are also members of the Eugene Education Association. This conversation is part one of a two-part series covering a variety of everyday concerns that impact general and special education staff.

Collaboration is the theme in this episode. Kenny, Kim, and Katie, affectionately known as “the special k’s,” speak about the positive impact of collaboration and support of a student’s family. They share their experience with how to adjust to staffing shortages and ever-changing schedules within the school setting. They offer tips and strategies on how to address staffing and communication issues.

You won’t want to miss their ideas on how to efficiently communicate and collaborate with specialists and others invested in student support and special education. Listen in to grow.

Resources: 

Supporting Parents of Students with Special Needs

Trauma-Informed School Enviornments

Small (personal-use) Laminator 

In this episode, Venus speaks with Nathan Anderson, a Special Education Case Manager for the Baker School District. In his role, Nathan focuses on students who access online special education. They discuss the unique benefits and challenges of providing special education in an online education setting. Nathan describes his role as an online educator and how he strives to ensure that students are getting what they need within their home learning environment.

How do other specialists navigate and support students in an online setting? Nathan shares how occupational therapists, speech and language pathologists, and school psychologists function within online education and the similarities and differences of service delivery within that unique domain. Listen in to grow. 

Resources:

Apply for a CEC Mini Grant

OEA Grow is a member of the Labor Radio Podcast Network.

Welcome back to part two of our conversation with Tenneal Wetherell, Assistant Superintendent in the Office of Enghaning Student Opportunities at ODE. The conversation picks up with Tenneal sharing ideas on the upcoming changes to requirements for abbreviated school day programs. Tenneal explains the purpose of the programs and drills down on how to access support when IEP teams are deciding whether an abbreviated day is an appropriate accommodation for a student.

Tenneal and her colleagues at ODE see themselves as partners with educators. Her office offers a myriad of support to educators and collaborates with many community organizations and agencies. Creating a supportive, equitable, and robust education system resonates in this episode. Listen in to grow.

Resources: 

Abbreviated School Day 

Senate Bill 819 

District Support Specialist Contacts

How to contact the Office of Enhancing Student Opportunities at ODE

OEA Grow is a member of the Labor Radio Podcast Network.

Have you heard about the changes impacting education related to Senate Bill 13 and 16? These two important pieces of legislation are going to change several key parts of the eligibility and special education process. You don’t want to miss this two-part episode!

In part one, Venus talks with Tenneal Wetherell, Assistant Superintendent in the Office of Enhancing Student Opportunities at the Oregon Department of Education (ODE). This episode highlights how and why Senate Bill 13 and 16 aim to reduce barriers and increase the asset based approach to our work as educators. Both Senate Bills hope to achieve a more equitable eligibility process for students and families while also streamlining processes for teachers.

Tenneal shares a number of reasons why such changes will help families, students, and teachers. She and Venus discuss a number of supports that ODE is offering to ensure ease of use, seamless transition, and effective implementation. Listen in to grow. 

Resources:

Senate Bill 13

Senate Bill 16

District Support Specialist Contacts 

Learn More about Joining the OEA SPED Committee

Can we create learning environments where students are treated how they would like to be treated? Trace Mansfield, an Assistive Technology Specialist with Lane County Education Service District, calls that “the platinum rule.” In this episode, Venus talks with Trace about assistive technology (AT) and how AT can connect many students to what they want to explore and learn.

Trace focuses his support on how to use AT to improve the learning experience for students. Venus and Trace speak about what AT can do to help our students, as well as the challenges around how to provide those supports to students without costs to families. His AT examples range from providing eyeglasses to setting up and managing complex language support systems. Their conversation will be relevant to all educators because Trace shares a broad scope of information. Listen in to grow. 

SETT Framework - Joy Zabala

Assistive Technology - Lane Education Service District

Types of Assistive Technology - State of Minnesota Guide to Assistive Technology

Free or Low Cost AT for Classroom Teachers - edutopia

In part two of Venus’s conversation with school psychologist Justin Potts, and Student Services Administrator Dr. Karen Apgar, we learn about IEPs and the myriad of roles that school psychologists have in education. Data and teamwork resonate as the critical components in the special education eligibility process. Karen shares how the scientific method can be used as a framework to understand that process. Her explanation simplifies what can sometimes be an overwhelming and time-consuming experience for teachers and families.

We learn why trauma influences learning and how the Covid-19 school closures have impacted learning progress and loss. The lesser known, but critical roles of a school psychologist conclude this episode. Every listener will learn something from Justin and Karen’s vast expertise and experience. Listen in to grow. 

Resources: 

Oregon Alliance To Prevent Suicide

Adi’s Act

Oregon School Psychologists Association 

OEA Grow is a member of the Labor Radio Podcast Network.

This episode is part one in a two-part series explaining 504 plans (504s) and Individual Education Plans (IEPs). Venus talks with Justin Potts, a School Psychologist, and Dr. Karen Apgar, a Student Services Administrator. Justin and Karen share the origins of and changes that continue to impact special education and 504s.

Karen debunks common myths associated with 504s and IEPs. Complicated and detailed aspects of special education are explained in understandable and are relevant to all educators. For example, the guests explain how to navigate difficult conversations about the specific criteria that is needed for students to qualify for 504s and IEPs under Oregon law.

Karen, Justin and Venus also speak about the importance of team-based decision-making and using data to inform decisions. They break things down in an understandable way that will help teachers and support staff better understand the entirety of the process. This episode is filled with relevant information for all educators. Listen in to learn! 

Resources: 

Child Find

IDEA

504s

OEA Grow is a member of the Labor Radio Podcast Network.

Ever wondered what your Educational Service District (ESD) support providers do? This week, Venus talks with Kelly Gill and Sam Aley, specialists in the South Coast ESD. Their broad knowledge on ESDs and their humor is beneficial for everyone to hear! Sam’s and Kelly’s conversation brings clarity to a system that plays a critical role in supporting many Oregon schools. We learn about the services and structure of an ESD and how ESDs’ individual service plans help the districts they serve.

Kelly and Sam share their insights into how ESDs are impacted by resources, staffing, and urban vs. rural schools. For example, Sam and Kelly talk about the challenges facing Oregon’s rural schools and how an ESD can provide vital support to a school that can not access such support on their own. Listen in to find out how an ESD is likely supporting students in special education or other programs within your school. You will come away from this episode informed about ESDs and with an appreciation of the work ESD service providers offer. 

Resources:

Oregon’s Statewide ESD Map

OEA Grow is a member of the Labor Radio Podcast Network.

Ever wondered how Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) are created? This week Venus speaks with Sandra Walk, a school psychologist at a Canby-area high school. Sandra discusses how to achieve an individualized plan that meets the needs of the student. She describes the difference between an accommodation and a modification.

Team-based decision making is a critical part of the IEP process, and Sandra shares the value of general education teachers being an integral part of the IEP process. Venus and Sandra discuss a flexible approach to data collection and how to make data collection feasible in a classroom setting. Sandra shares accommodations for a variety of students from elementary to high school.

Have you ever wondered when is it okay to modify the curriculum for a student? Sandra explains when to modify without documentation in the IEP and when to notify the case manager. Sandra’s broad experience working from the elementary to high-school level brings clarity to what can be a confusing process of IEPs. Listen in to learn! 

Resources: 

Educator’s Guide to an IEP 

Products that may support learning

Understanding Accommodations

OEA Grow is a member of the Labor Radio Podcast Network.