Join us at OCALICONLINE 2024

We are excited to announce that our proposals have been accepted for OCALICONLINE 2024 this year!

What is OCALICONLINE?

OCALICONLINE 2024 is the premier autism and disabilities conference presented by OCALI (Ohio Center for Autism & Low-Incidence Disabilities).

The online event features breakout and networking sessions by state, national and international leaders and experts on important topics and issues across disabilities and across the lifespan.

Join colleagues and peers from Ohio, across the U.S., and around the world to learn, connect, and share research, best practices, and resources to support the needs of all learners and lifelong challenges and opportunities for people with disabilities.

When is OCALICONLINE?

Join us virtually from November 19-22, 2024.

What are ACT's sessions this year?

Check out our session descriptions for more information on our sessions.

Tools to Communicate with Paraprofessionals for Smooth Sailing in Your Classroom

Thursday, November 21st from 10:00am-11:00am

Are you a teacher who manages one or more paraprofessionals in your classroom? This session will provide tools and strategies to help your team work smoothly in and out of the classroom. Effective communication is crucial when managing paraprofessionals. Develop a positive and supportive relationship with your paraprofessionals to help them effectively support your students. Paraprofessionals are encouraged to collaborate with their teacher or take materials back to share with their colleagues.

Give Me A Break: Troubleshooting Common Challenges During Breaks To Increase Transition Success

Friday, November 22nd from 10:00-11:00am

During previous OCALICON sessions we have emphasized the importance of structuring the different types of breaks throughout a student's day to differentiate between reinforcement, sensory, and in-the-moment breaks. We often hear from school teams that the hardest part of implementing breaks is structuring the breaks in a way that makes it easy to transition students back to scheduled activities, especially work times. In this session, we will address some of the common management challenges during breaks and provide some practical examples for addressing those challenges.

Where can I register?

To learn more and to register to attend, visit the OCALICONLINE website: https://conference.ocali.org/ 

Best Blog Posts for Classroom Schedules

To start this school year, our team is compiling some of our best examples of supports we have seen in our districts and featured in previous blog posts. Today we are highlighting all of the Best Super Star Schedules Blog Posts for Classroom Schedules. 

Click on the hyperlink under each heading below to be taken to the related post on that topic.

• Types of Schedules

• Troubleshooting Common Student Schedule Concerns

• Schedules for Classroom Staff

• Organizing Centers Time

• More Center Time

• Learning Center Rotations

• Scheduling Center Rotations

• 5 Step Implementation of a Location-Based Visual Schedule

• Steps for Implementing Location- Based Schedule

• Location-Based Interactive Schedules

• Implementing Location-Based Schedules That Best Meet Student Needs

• Group Schedules

• Interactive Group Schedules

• More Group Schedules

• Interactive Visual Schedules

• Individual Schedules

• More Individual Schedules

• Even More Individual Schedules

• First-Then Schedules

• Written Schedules

• Top 3 Tips for Creating Written Schedules for Older Students

• Mini-Schedules

• More Mini-Schedules

Best Blog Posts for Classroom Set Up

To start this school year, our team is compiling some of our best examples of supports we have seen in our districts and featured in previous blog posts. Today we are highlighting all of the Best Blog Posts for Classroom Set-Up. 

Click on the hyperlink under each heading below to be taken to the related post on that topic.

• Classroom Layout

• Classroom Layout 2

• Using Physical Boundaries in Your Classroom Layout

• Cubbies

• Play and Leisure

• More Play and Leisure

• Classroom Calming Sensory Space

• Calming Corner

• More Calming Sensory Spaces

• Even More Calming Sensory Spaces

• Home Base

• Calming Classroom Environment

• Reduce Student Overwhelm with a Calming Classroom Environment

• Reducing Visual Clutter

• Reducing Auditory & Visual Clutter

• Paraprofessionals

• Schedules for Classroom Staff

• Communicating with Paraprofessionals

• Delegating Responsibilities to Paraprofessionals

• Visual Supports for Staff

• Preferential Seating

• Adaptive Seating

• Top 3 Tips for Adaptive Seating

Free Pre-Recorded SpEd Hacks Webinars Available On-Demand

To kick off the year, we are featuring our pre-recorded SpEd Hacks webinars that can be viewed for free at your leisure. 

These sessions are about 75 minutes in length and focus on the following topics:

• Classroom Layout and Environment
• Team Building with Paraprofessionals
• Scheduling
• Planning for Instruction

They are a great fit for new or veteran teachers in a self-contained or cross-categorical classroom looking to get a handle on classroom organization and procedures to start the year off right!

Click the image below for access to the flyer which contains the registration links for each session. Once you register, you will be provided with the webinar recording link. 

Please note, due to the "on-demand" format of these sessions, we are unable to offer professional development hours from ACT, however many of our districts have issued their own certificates to provide CEUs to their staff for viewing our on-demand sessions. Please reach out to your district contact to coordinate this.

Feel free to share with colleagues and friends!

On-Demand Training: Pre-Recorded Modules and Facilitated Modules

Our team is excited to provide a new training offering for the 2024-2025 school year! We will be offering pre-recorded modules for self-paced professional development within your district! 

We have two offerings available: 

• Facilitated Modules: There are 10 different module offerings and each module includes unlimited access for one calendar year to a pre-recorded 1-2 hour module with a one-time 30-minute live facilitated Q&A session with members of the MCESC Autism & Low-Incidence Coaching Team following your district’s module viewing.

• Pre-Recorded Modules: We are also providing the option for districts to purchase 5 of our modules as a completely self-paced offering which includes unlimited access for one calendar year to a pre-recorded 1-2 hour module without the live facilitated Q&A session. 

These are a great option for new hires, paraprofessionals, or district professional development days!

See the images below for more information and/or click to download the flyers. 

FAQs:

• How long do we have access to the modules?
  
• From the time of purchase, you have access for a full calendar year. For example, if you purchase a module in November 2024 you will continue to have access through November 2025. 
• How long are the modules?
  
• Each module is between 1-2 hours in length with the exception of Comprehensive Literacy Instruction for Students with Complex needs which is a 5-part series. 
• How do we access the modules?
• We are excited to be partnering with Teacher Campus which is an online professional development platform. Each staff member that is registered will have their own log-in in order to self-pace their learning.
• How many staff members can watch the module?
  
• There is no limit to the number of staff members that can access the modules. Also, additional staff members can be added to the roster at any time throughout the year-long access timeframe by contacting Mary Fryman at mary.fryman@mcesc.org. In the case of a facilitated module, if additional staff members are added after the scheduled facilitated discussion, then they will 
• Are CEUs available?
• YES! This is a popular request and we are thrilled to announce that through our partnership with Teacher Campus each participant will receive a certificate upon completion of their module. In the case of a facilitated module, attendees for the live Q&A session will receive an additional certificate for the 30-minute session. These certificates are for general CEUs and are not discipline-specific. 
• Can we use a module during a staff-wide in-service day?
• Absolutely! If you want staff to access the module individually for self-paced instruction, you will follow the standard procedures for registering each participant. Or a single staff member can register for the module and then play it to a group of participants. However, if playing the module for a group, you will not have automatic access to individual CEU certificates for each staff member, therefore your district is responsible for providing these. Additionally, if you decide to play the module for a group, ACT would love a total headcount of participants so that we know how many people our training impacts each year! This is appreciated but not required. 
  
• What is the process for purchasing a module?
  
• Please contact Mary Fryman at mary.fryman@mcesc.org for a Training Request Form. Once you submit the form, our team will work with you for invoicing, completing your registrant roster, and scheduling the facilitated discussion (when applicable). 

Super Star Schedules: Schedules for Classroom Staff

Daily schedules in the world of a special education classroom can be especially challenging because there are many moving parts! There are often multiple grade levels of students, different related service times, and multiple classroom staff members. Having a consistent schedule that is clearly communicated with staff and students is an essential foundational component of a well-run classroom!  

Today's Super Star Schedules post will use examples from around our region to illustrate the different stages of developing a schedule for classroom staff and clearly communicating so that everyone can implement the routine with consistency.

Step 1: Overview Schedule

The first step is to create a general outline of your schedule which outlines daily activities and at which times they occur. 

Taylor Anglin
Louise Troy Elementary, Dayton

Lia Andrix
Learning Center- West, MCESC

Courtney Pearce
Trotwood ELC, Trotwood

Phil Beresic
Ruskin Elementary, Dayton

Nicole Bellard
Fairview Elementary, Dayton

Granville Bastin
Twin Valley South, Preble County ESC

For older grades, this is often pre-determined through the school building's block schedule. 

Hayward Middle School, Springfield

Fairborn High School, Fairborn

Michelle Hiegel
Miami East Junior High, Miami East

Step 2: Detailed Schedule

The next step is to detail who is covering what during each time period and activity. For staff schedules, this often includes which student(s) they are working with. This is an important step because it ensures that staff know exactly who to be working with at a given time so that you can be sure all students have coverage at all times. 

Abbie Opdycke
Kenwood Elementary, Springfield

Christine Scarborough
Tecumseh Elementary, Xenia

Steve Mahle
Miamisburg Middle School, Miamisburg

Color-coding can make it easier visually for staff to follow the schedule.

Mandy Schetter
Northmoor Elementary, Northmont

Anjie Rose
Schnell Elementary, West Carrollton

Chris Stanley & Nick Moore
Kleptz ELC, Northmont

Heidi Grumpp
Miami County CLC

Many teams also incorporate this detail into their daily Google Slide Schedules to communicate to staff and students who will be together during centers time. 

Jodi Schweikardt 
Kiser Elementary, Dayton

Tava Reese
West Carrollton ECC, West Carrollton

Mandi Haynes
Perrin Woods Elementary, Springfield

Step 3: Lesson Plans and Materials

The final step with schedule creation is using the detailed schedule to provide most explicit direction through a lesson plan which may detail specific activities that will be done during that given time. 

Amy Beanblossom
Arcanum-Butler Elementary, Arcanum

Heather Clark
Saville Elementary, Mad River

Polly Amspaugh
Roosevelt Elementary, Dayton

Brittany Wendling
Valley Elementary, Beavercreek

Jenna Fitch
Demmitt Elementary, Vandalia

Many teams organize staff materials to align with the provided lesson plans in a predictable way so that everything needed is easily accessible to limit down time and waiting for students who need immediate engagement. 

Amy Beanblossom
Arcanum-Butler Elementary, Arcanum

Taylor Ruef
Stevenson Elementary, Mad River

Jackie Vollmer
Driscoll Elementary, Centerville

Step 4: Staff Communication Corner

A "bonus" step that makes the schedule process even easier is creating a staff communication corner where extra schedules can be posted and schedule concerns can be communicated on a whiteboard or parking lot. This simple step can eliminate interruptions during the school day when staff need to know what to do next or notice an issue with the schedule because there is a consistent place where this information can be communicated. 

Molly Magoteaux
Kleptz Elementary, Northmont

Jamie Minnish
Prass Elementary, Kettering

Jackie Vollmer
Driscoll Elementary, Centerville