Special Education Conference

Accessibility 

Empowering Learners: Building Stamina, Investment, and Confidence through Executive Function (Waco AB) - Nancy Disterlic Hannagan - When students with dyslexia understand their learning profile - their challenges, preferences, and strengths - they become active participants in their own success. This session highlights how intentional executive function instruction and IEP goals can build stamina, motivation, and resilience. Educators will learn how to help students approach new learning with curiosity, problem-solving, and confidence as they navigate academic expectations and life beyond the classroom. Session ends at 11:35am.

In Our Kitchen, We Dance (Lone Star) - Veronica Gloeckner - This session highlights a unique culinary arts program at Connally ISD where students with disabilities build independence through cooking. Participants will learn how hands-on kitchen experiences can support job readiness, self-care, and confidence. The session will also explore how students earn their food handler's license and transition into meaningful employment after graduation. Attendees will walk away with practical ideas for creating engaging, real-world learning opportunities for their students with special needs.

SpEd 101 (Mockingbird) - Stephanie Tankersley-Savage - This session is designed for school staff to enhance their understanding of special education principles, laws, and best practices. Participants will gain the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively support students with diverse learning needs, foster inclusive environments, and lead their teams in implementing successful special education programs.

Assessment

There are no assessment sessions during this time.

Behavior/SEL

Reality Bites! Strategies for Self-Injurious Students (Waco CD) - Anissa Moore - When working with students who engage in self-injurious behaviors, it’s important to know the function(s) of these behaviors as well as the ways to redirect students and keep them safe. This session will teach participants how to 1) recognize antecedents to self-injury, 2) provide proactive supports, 3) teach replacement behaviors (including sensory strategies, communication supports, and environmental manipulation) and 4) effectively reinforce these replacement behaviors for long-term change. Session ends at 11:35am.

Supporting Student Mental Health in the Classroom: Considerations for Learners with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities  (Pecan) - Dr. Sarah Mire, Kristen Padilla - Students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), including autism, often experience co-occurring mental health challenges such as anxiety, depression, emotional dysregulation, and behavioral concerns. These often present differently than in typically developing peers and may be misinterpreted as noncompliance, lack of motivation, or skill deficits. For educators, this creates a critical need to differentiate between skill-based and mental health-related difficulties and to respond in ways that support both learning and overall well-being. This session will help educators build a deeper understanding of how mental health concerns present in students with IDD and how to support them in the classroom. Participants will explore common mental health conditions, risk factors, and school-based indicators of concern, as well as the impact of mental health on learning, behavior, and relationships. The session will emphasize practical, classroom-based strategies, including proactive supports and relationship-centered practices that promote regulation, engagement, and access to learning. Educators will leave with a framework for recognizing underlying mental health needs and implementing feasible, evidence-informed supports within their daily practice. Session ends at 11:35am.

Instruction

Research Based Instructional Strategies (RBIS) for RLA (Bluebonnet) - Kathryn Allen - In this session, participants will deepen their understanding of Research-Based Instructional Strategies (RBIS) and how they can elevate teaching and learning across classrooms. Leaders will learn practical, high-impact strategies that promote student engagement, strengthen instructional delivery, and support improved academic outcomes.

Accessibility 

In Our Kitchen, We Dance (Lone Star) - Veronica Gloeckner - This session highlights a unique culinary arts program at Connally ISD where students with disabilities build independence through cooking. Participants will learn how hands-on kitchen experiences can support job readiness, self-care, and confidence. The session will also explore how students earn their food handler's license and transition into meaningful employment after graduation. Attendees will walk away with practical ideas for creating engaging, real-world learning opportunities for their students with special needs.

SpEd 101 (Mockingbird) - Stephanie Tankersley-Savage - This session is designed for school staff to enhance their understanding of special education principles, laws, and best practices. Participants will gain the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively support students with diverse learning needs, foster inclusive environments, and lead their teams in implementing successful special education programs.

Empowering Learners: Building Stamina, Investment, and Confidence through Executive Function - Continued from previous session.

Assessment

There are no assessment sessions during this time.

Behavior/SEL

Reality Bites! - Continued from previous session.

Supporting Student Mental Health in the Classroom - Continued from previous session.

Instruction

Research Based Instructional Strategies (RBIS) for Math (Bluebonnet) - Jenny Glaser - In this session, participants will deepen their understanding of Research-Based Instructional Strategies (RBIS) and how they can elevate teaching and learning across classrooms. Leaders will learn practical, high-impact strategies that promote student engagement, strengthen instructional delivery, and support improved academic outcomes.

Accessibility 

Collaborate to Communicate with AAC (Mockingbird) - Staci Istre - Effective communication supports students access, participation, and independence in the classroom. This session will explore practical ways educators can collaborate to support students who use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). Participants will learn strategies for integrating AAC into daily instruction and routines across classroom settings and leave with ideas for strengthening teamwork to support student communication success.

From Crayons to Careers: Every IEP Is a Transition Plan  (Pecan) - Katie Laubender - Transition to adulthood doesn’t begin at age 14; it begins the moment a child enters school. In this session, special education teachers will explore how independence, self-determination, executive functioning, and real-world skill development can be intentionally embedded into IEPs from the earliest grades. Participants will learn practical strategies for shifting from a compliance-focused model to a future-focused framework that builds long-term independence across academic, behavioral, communication, and daily living goals. Through concrete examples spanning the educational lifespan of a student, this session will demonstrate how small instructional decisions today directly shape adult outcomes tomorrow. Attendees will leave with actionable tools to design IEPs that intentionally grow capable, confident, and future-ready students — because every IEP, at every age, is a transition plan. Session ends at 3:35pm.

The 5-Minute Environment Audit  (Lone Star) - Millie Blackwell - We often look at our classrooms, but how often do we look through them from the perspective of a student with complex access needs? In this high-energy, hands-on workshop, participants will move beyond aesthetics to perform a deep-dive "Environment Audit." Using the 4 Lenses of Accessibility (Physical, Sensory, Visual, and Cognitive), we will identify hidden barriers that trigger dysregulation and limit independence. This isn’t about expensive renovations or high-tech gadgets; it’s about "Acoustic Hacking," "Sensory Heat Mapping," and the transformative power of a $1 pool noodle. You will leave with a personalized toolkit of low-cost, high-impact "hacks" that can be implemented when the school year starts.

Assessment

Who Holds the Mic? Centering Student Needs Amid Professional Noise (Bluebonnet) - Lindsay Olsen, Dr. Janeia Vorderkunz - This session is designed for diagnosticians and dyslexia therapists partnering in dyslexia identification and evaluation. Participants will examine how interpretation, interpersonal, and system noise influence decision-making from referral through ARD committee recommendations. Special attention will be given to professionals serving in a dual-role capacity on the multidisciplinary evaluation team and ARD committee. Effective participation requires not only strong assessment knowledge but also a working understanding of dyslexia intervention components, instructional intensity, fidelity, and progress monitoring to ensure informed, student-centered service decisions. Grounded in the Texas Dyslexia Handbook and IDEA requirements, this session provides practical strategies to strengthen cross-disciplinary collaboration, clarify roles, and keep student need at the center of every decision. Session ends at 3:35pm.

Behavior/SEL

Increasing School Motivation for All Students: Climate, Classroom, and Connections to Increase Student Participation (Waco CD) - Anissa Moore - More than ever, educators are dealing with shut-down behaviors, defiant responses, and students more reluctant to come to school than ever before. Game-based technology, lack of social connections, and the changing climate post-pandemic have all been attributed to the lack of school motivation, and teachers are feeling the stress. In this session, participants will analyze the root causes of a motivation vs. motivation, develop self-determination in their students, acquire easy-to-implement strategies to connect with their students, and reignite their own motivation in their field. Session ends at 3:35pm.

Social and Personal Competencies (Brazos) - Dr. Cindy Kososki - Social and personal competencies—defined as the capacity to regulate emotions, pursue prosocial goals, and maintain supportive relationships—are foundational to student mental health and long-term wellness. However, effectively translating these concepts for students with diverse learning needs requires a specialized approach. This session explores evidence-based strategies for integrating social-emotional development into the daily routines of special education classrooms, ensuring these essential life skills are accessible to all learners.

Instruction

How to Incorporate Comprehensive Management into Dyslexia Instruction (Waco AB) - Nancy Disterlic-Hannagan - 
Students with dyslexia often face challenges that extend beyond word decoding. Effective intervention requires a comprehensive management approach—one that integrates evidence-based dyslexia therapy with coaching strategies that build independence, confidence, and classroom success. This session equips educators with practical tools to identify and address the academic, executive function, and emotional needs of students with dyslexia. Participants will learn how to bridge structured therapy with classroom application, empowering students to transfer their reading and learning strategies into daily academic tasks and lifelong learning. Session ends at 3:35pm.

Accessibility 

AU 101 (Lone Star) - Millie Blackwell - AU 101, provides educators with an overview of autism and practical, evidence-based strategies to support autistic learners in educational settings. Participants will explore core characteristics of autism, common learning and communication differences, and how these differences may present in the classroom environment. The session emphasizes the use of research-supported, high-leverage instructional practices, including visual supports, structured teaching, reinforcement strategies, prompting hierarchies, and proactive behavior supports. Educators will learn how to implement these strategies in ways that promote access, independence, and meaningful participation for all students.

From Crayons to Careers - Continued from previous session.

Assessment

Who Holds the Mic? Centering Student Needs Among Professional Noise - Continued from previous session.

Behavior/SEL

A Shared Vision of MTSS: Behavior Support (Brazos) - Dr. Cindy Kososki - Join us in shaping conversations and reframing visions of a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) in your school. You will explore tools to effectively address behavioral biases and walk away with knowledge to implement change with diverse stakeholders to support all students, including students in special education. This session’s materials and information will focus on behavior, but can easily be applicable to other areas of MTSS.

Increasing School Motivation for All Students - Continued from previous session.

Instruction

Serving Dually Identified Students (Mockingbird) - Amy Johnson - For students who are emergent bilingual and eligible for special education and related services, instruction must address both disability and second language acquisition related needs. This is achieved when educators, leaders, and support personnel effectively collaborate to ensure each dually identified student has appropriate supports for meaningful access to grade-level curriculum. What does effective collaboration look like, and why is it so important? Participants will have the opportunity to reflect on current local systems' strengths and opportunities for growth, and plan intentional next steps.

How to Incorporate Comprehensive Management into Dyslexia Instruction - Continued from previous session.

Accessibility 

Modify Your Mindset to Accommodate for All Learners (Bluebonnet) - Dr. Brynn Biggs - This session equips special educators and administrators with strategies to strengthen support for students with disabilities participating in Career and Technical Education (CTE). The focus is on practical application of IEPs within CTE environments, collaborative planning with CTE teachers, and fostering high expectations for all learners. Participants will engage with real-life case studies and discussion prompts to explore how to adapt CTE spaces, instruction, and assessment while maintaining rigor, relevance, and meaningful access. Session ends at 11:35am.

Future Ready: Prevocational Skill Building through a Class-Run Business (Lone Star) - Sarah Fabian, Myranda Nalley - This session explores how teachers can help students develop real-world work skills through hands-on learning. Participants will learn how a class-run business can build communication, responsibility, problem solving, and teamwork. The session will share practical ideas for setting up and managing a classroom business with students. Teachers will also see examples of how these experiences support students with diverse learning needs. Participants will leave with simple strategies they can use to begin building prevocational skills in their own classrooms.

Assessment

Curriculum-Based Assessment: From Student Work to Defensible Impact Statements and PLAAFPS (Waco AB) - Dr. Edward Schultz - This session focuses on the use of curriculum-based assessment to strengthen evaluation and instructional decision-making for students with disabilities. Designed for special education teachers and evaluators, participants will examine how curriculum-based measures provide authentic, standards-aligned data that directly reflects student performance in the classroom. The session will explore different types of curriculum-based assessments and provide guidance on how to design and select measures that align with grade-level expectations. Participants will also learn how to use AI-assisted analysis to identify error patterns, interpret instructional response, and organize data efficiently. Emphasis will be placed on translating these findings into clear, defensible impact statements and Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance (PLAAFPs) that are grounded in real student work and directly connected to instruction. Session ends at 11:35am.

Behavior/SEL

Decreasing Challenging Behavior through Structured Routines and Smooth Transitions (Pecan) - Rene Tilsley -  
Challenging behavior often emerges during unstructured times and chaotic transitions. This session explores practical, research-informed strategies for establishing predictable routines and creating smooth transitions that reduce problem behavior and increase instructional time. Participants will learn how to proactively structure the environment and teach transition expectations. Attendees will leave with ready-to-implement tools that promote consistency, engagement, and positive classroom climates. Session ends at 11:35am.

Practical Supports for Students with Anxiety  (Mockingbird) - Ashlie Bramlett- This session provides educators with a better understanding of how anxiety can impact students throughout the school day, including learning, behavior, attention, communication, and classroom participation. Participants will learn how to recognize common signs of anxiety and explore practical, easy-to-use strategies that can support students during instruction, transitions, testing situations, and other stressful moments. We will share realistic classroom interventions and supportive responses that help students feel safe, regulated, and successful while remaining engaged in learning.

Instruction

Click. Create. Classroom Ready: Using AI for UDL and ESL Supports (Brazos) - John Allen, Faith Foster, Cassie Joffre -Come learn and practice using AI to extract UDL and EB (ESL) supports from a curriculum document and convert them into practical scaffolds teachers can grab and use. You'll walk away with a completed sentence frame and a clear workflow for transforming AI power into classroom practice. A device is required. A device is required. We have devices available for checkout in Travis.

Increasing Access to the General Education Curriculum for Students with Extensive Support Needs (Waco CD) - Dr. Deidre Gilley -  This interactive session will briefly trace the history of academic instruction for students with extensive support needs (ESN; e.g., intellectual disability, autism, other developmental disabilities), highlighting how increasing access to high-quality, meaningful, and rigorous grade-aligned learning opportunities is strongly linked to improved post-secondary outcomes. Building on this foundation, this session will highlight various evidence- and research-based instructional strategies that can be applied to all four general curriculum content areas: math, literacy, social studies, and science. These high-quality instructional strategies, such as explicit and systematic instruction, differentiating instructional materials, and embedding supports, will be provided using concrete examples and applied practice to enable participants to immediately incorporate within their own classroom instruction. Session ends at 11:35am.

Accessibility 

Future Ready: Prevocational Skill Building through a Class-Run Business (Lone Star) - Sarah Fabian, Myranda Nalley - This session explores how teachers can help students develop real-world work skills through hands-on learning. Participants will learn how a class-run business can build communication, responsibility, problem solving, and teamwork. The session will share practical ideas for setting up and managing a classroom business with students. Teachers will also see examples of how these experiences support students with diverse learning needs. Participants will leave with simple strategies they can use to begin building prevocational skills in their own classrooms.

Modify Your Mindset to Accommodate All Learners - Continued from previous session.

Assessment

Curriculum-Based Assessment - Continued from previous session.

Behavior/SEL

Practical Supports for Students with Anxiety  (Mockingbird) - Ashlie Bramlett- This session provides educators with a better understanding of how anxiety can impact students throughout the school day, including learning, behavior, attention, communication, and classroom participation. Participants will learn how to recognize common signs of anxiety and explore practical, easy-to-use strategies that can support students during instruction, transitions, testing situations, and other stressful moments. We will share realistic classroom interventions and supportive responses that help students feel safe, regulated, and successful while remaining engaged in learning.

Decreasing Challenging Behavior through Structured Routines and Smooth Transitions - Continued from previous session.

Instruction

Click. Create. Classroom Ready: Using AI for UDL and ESL Supports (Brazos) - John Allen, Faith Foster, Cassie Joffre - Come learn and practice using AI to extract UDL and EB (ESL) supports from a curriculum document and convert them into practical scaffolds teachers can grab and use. You'll walk away with a completed sentence frame and a clear workflow for transforming AI power into classroom practice. A device is required. We have devices available for checkout in Travis.

Increasing Access to General Education Curriculum for Students with Extensive Support Needs - Continued from previous session.

Accessibility 

Collaborate to Communicate with AAC (Mockingbird) - Staci Istre - Effective communication supports students access, participation, and independence in the classroom. This session will explore practical ways educators can collaborate to support students who use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). Participants will learn strategies for integrating AAC into daily instruction and routines across classroom settings and leave with ideas for strengthening teamwork to support student communication success.

Modify Your Mindset to Accommodate for All Learners (Bluebonnet) - Dr. Brynn Biggs - This session equips special educators and administrators with strategies to strengthen support for students with disabilities participating in Career and Technical Education (CTE). The focus is on practical application of IEPs within CTE environments, collaborative planning with CTE teachers, and fostering high expectations for all learners. Participants will engage with real-life case studies and discussion prompts to explore how to adapt CTE spaces, instruction, and assessment while maintaining rigor, relevance, and meaningful access. Session ends at 3:35pm.

Assessment

Curriculum-Based Assessment in Reading: Establishing Baselines and Driving Instruction (Waco AB) - Dr. Edward Schultz - This session focuses on the process of curriculum-based assessment in reading, using oral reading fluency as the primary example. Participants will learn how to administer measures, establish accurate baseline data, and set meaningful, measurable goals. While oral reading fluency will be emphasized, the procedures and decision-making process will generalize toother areas of reading, including decoding and comprehension. The session will highlight how to use assessment data to guide instruction and monitor student progress.

Behavior/SEL

HB3 Mental health Training for School Personnel who Regularly Interact with Students (Pecan) - David Baker, Jeni Janek - In the 87th Legislative session, HB 3, a school safety bill, was passed including a mandate for mental health training for all school personnel who “regularly interact with students”. Stipulations to this mandate were refined in the TEA’s Commissioners’ rules, stating that an Education Service Center could offer a course that may meet the requirements set forth in the Commissioner’s rules. In this session, participants will learn of evidence and research-based practices regarding mental health, in compliance with TEC §153.1015, in an engaging and interactive session with pre and post-tests, delivered by instructors who are Licensed Professional Counselors from ESC Region 12. Participants will receive a separate certificate that satisfies the requirement for completing the Youth Mental Health First Aid training. Session ends at 3:35pm.

Restorative Circles in Action: From Misconception to Meaningful Practice (Brazos) - Brian Riddle - Discover how to effectively implement restorative circles to build community, address conflict, and support student growth. This interactive session includes real examples, hands-on practice, and guidance on avoiding common misconceptions that often limit impact. Participants will explore how restorative circles can be integrated into the regular flow of classroom instruction, particularly at the Tier 1 level, while also examining implications for more intensive supports at Tiers 2 and 3. Learn key structures for using restorative circles with fidelity and explore resources available through the ESC Region 12 program. Session ends at 3:35pm.

Instruction

Bridging Language and Special Education: Effective Strategies for Bilingual Teachers in Inclusive Classrooms (Lone Star) - Dr. Dalila Ochoa - Emergent bilinguals with disabilities represent one of the fastest-growing student populations in schools, yet many educators feel underprepared to address the intersection of language development and specialized learning needs. Bilingual teachers working in inclusive classrooms are often tasked with supporting students’ second language acquisition while ensuring access to grade-level instruction and inclusive practices. This session explores how language development and disability may intersect in the classroom and provides evidence-based strategies for supporting English Learners with disabilities in inclusive settings. Participants will examine key concepts related to second language acquisition, linguistic development, and inclusive instructional practices while learning how to distinguish between language differences and potential learning needs. Through classroom-based strategies, participants will gain instructional tools that support academic language development, student participation, and collaboration between bilingual and special education services. Educators will leave with practical approaches that strengthen inclusive classrooms and promote meaningful learning opportunities for bilingual students with diverse learning needs.

Empowering Mathematical Minds: Grade Aligned Math Instruction for Students with Extensive Support Needs (Waco CD) - Dr. Deidre Gilley -  This interactive session is designed to equip educators with the tools and strategies needed to empower the mathematical minds of their students with extensive support needs. Through a dynamic, hands-on, and application-based approach, attendees will explore research- and evidence-based practices for delivering high-quality, grade-aligned mathematics instruction. This session goes beyond traditionally taught “functional math skills” and simplistic “plug-and-chug” computational approaches, focusing on fostering deeper mathematical understanding and knowledge students can apply in their real lives.

Accessibility 

From Classroom to Community: Promoting Financial Independence for Students with Extensive Support Needs through Word Problem Solving (Waco CD) - Dr. Deidre Gilley -  This interactive session will highlight the critical role of finance instruction for students with extensive support needs (ESN; e.g., intellectual disability, autism, other developmental disabilities) in promoting success in post-secondary independence and community participation. This session will introduce an evidence-based mathematical practice, modified schema-based instruction, for teaching financial word problem solving that can target a range of financial literacy skills and generalize beyond the classroom. Additionally, attendees will learn practical tips for integrating community based instruction to provide students with authentic real-world opportunities and application.

Modify Your Mindset to Accommodate All Learners - Continued from previous session.

Assessment

Curriculum-Based Assessment in Mathematics: establishing Baselines and Driving Instruction (Waco AB) - Dr. Edward Schultz - This session focuses on the process of curriculum-based assessment in mathematics, using TEA progress monitoring tools and other free math CBMs as primary examples. Participants will learn how to administer measures, establish accurate baseline data, and set meaningful, measurable goals. Emphasis will be placed on assessing key math domains and selecting appropriate measures, establish accurate baseline data, and set meaningful, measurable goals. The procedures and decision-making process will generalize across math skills, allowing participants to use assessment data to guide instruction and monitor student progress.

Behavior/SEL

HB3 Mental Health Training for School Personnel Who Regularly Interact with Students - Continued from previous session.

Restorative Circles in Action: From Misconception to Meaningful Practice - Continued from previous session.

General

SpEd Panel Q&A (Mockingbird) - Region 12 SpEd Department -  Join the Region 12 Special Education Department for an interactive Q&A session designed to address your most important questions. Our panel of experts will provide clear answers and practical guidance on today's hot topics in special education. Participants will benefit from responses to pre-submitted questions as well as the opportunity to ask new questions during the session. Walk away with valuable insights, updated information, and practical strategies to support your students.

Instruction

There are no instruction sessions during this time.