Educators encouraged to attend Common Core and IEP goal-writing training

The Maine DOE Office of Special Services is offering regional professional development sessions in evidence-based practices this fall. In addition to ongoing technical assistance, the Department will be providing professional development to each of the nine superintendent regions regarding the instructional usage and Individualized Education Program (IEP) goal alignment of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in English language arts and mathematics for children with disabilities. General and special educators are invited to attend.

This full-day, nuts-and-bolts training opportunity is partially funded through the State Personnel Development Grant (SPDG). Trainings will be offered throughout the state in September and October, as well as online.

RSU 13’s Assistant Special Education Director Jessica Yates and additional team members from SPDG Goal 3, Aligning IEP Goals with CCSS’s Implementation will lead the trainings, offering a related hands-on approach to the mechanics of writing IEP goals aligned to CCSS and proficiency-based standards. The workshop is open to special and regular education administrators and professionals responsible for curriculum oversight, as well as to regular and special education teachers. Each district will be asked to utilize the standards, taxonomies and resources they use for developing lesson plans.

Registration for these events is limited by superintendent regions to five participants per school administrative unit, and each training site registration is limited to 125 participants per superintendent region. To determine which superintendent region your district belongs to, please visit the Maine Education Data Management System Directory of Public Schools.

Registration for the regional events opens Aug. 15. For more information, contact Debbie Violette at debbie.violette@maine.gov.