8:00 – 9:00 a.m.   Breakfast

 

9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.   Lindsay E. Jones, Esq.

 

 

Over its first 2 years, the Obama Administration laid the groundwork for sweeping education reforms through programs such as Race to the Top. Now with a new political dynamic in Washington D.C., after the November elections, this education reform agenda will be tested and education funding will be on the forefront.

 

In light of these developments, CEC’s Lindsay Jones will explore education policies supported by the Administration and Congress and their impact on special/gifted education. Such policies include the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), also known as No Child Left Behind, including controversial provisions – like teacher preparation, the definition of highly qualified, differentiated compensation, restraint and seclusion and charter schools. She will also examine ongoing implementation of Race to the Top grants and their impact on special/gifted education and other states including Maine.

 

Finally, she will highlight the advocacy process in Maine and some specific challenges and opportunities for special education within the state’s current political environment. The afternoon session will include an advocacy workshop where participants will learn the basics of legislative process and how to actively voice their views and effect change. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions and share their experiences.

 

1.      Identify and understand key special/gifted education policy issues currently under consideration by the Obama Administration and U.S. Congress

2.      Understand issues complicating the reauthorization of ESEA/NCLB

3.      Understand relevant U.S. Department of Education guidance

 

Lindsay is the Senior Director for Policy and Advocacy at the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). In that role, she designs CEC’s federal legislative strategy and advocates for CEC’s policy agenda before the U.S. Congress and Executive branch departments. She also develops CEC’s advocacy campaigns and works closely with its grassroots Children and Youth Action Network (CAN) to implement them.

 

Before joining CEC, she was a partner with the law firm of Gust Rosenfeld in Phoenix, Arizona. As a practicing attorney, she advised public school districts in the area of special education compliance and litigation. She represented school districts in Office of Civil Rights investigations, state complaints before the Arizona Department of Education, and in IDEA and Section 504 due process hearings and litigation. She is admitted and has litigated before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the federal district courts, state and administrative courts in Arizona. She is the author of the Arizona Risk Retention Trust’s Technical Information Bulletin: Section 504 and is a frequent speaker on special education matters.

 

Lindsay is a graduate of the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law, received her Masters in Latin American Studies from the University of New Mexico and her undergraduate degree from the University of Arizona. She is married to Craig M. LaChance who is a proud product of public schools in Manchester, ME.

 

10:15 – 10:30 a.m.      Break

 

11:45 – Noon               Annual MADSEC Membership Meeting

 

Noon – 1:00 p.m.        Lunch

 

2:15 – 2:30 p.m.          Break

 

5:00 – 6:00 p.m.          Reception

6:00 p.m.                      Dinner with Annual Awards presentations

 9:00 – 10:15 a.m.   Cathy Pratt, Ph.D.

                                    Director of the Indiana Resource Center for Autism

                                    Through the courtesy of the University of Maine

 

With the increasing incidence of autism spectrum disorders and the various treatment approaches being marketed, districts must make important decisions about methodologies and practices that are evidence-based, that reflect universal design and that lead to desired outcomes. This session will discuss evidence-based practices, the issues around fidelity of implementation, and the importance of focusing on outcomes.

 

Dr. Cathy Pratt is the Director of the Indiana Resource Center for Autism at the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community located at Indiana University. Dr. Pratt is on faculty at Indiana University, and presents internationally. Dr. Pratt serves on numerous Advisory Boards, including the Advisory Boards of Maap Services, Inc., the College Internship Program, and the Autism Society of Indiana. She currently serves on the Board of the national Autism Society and is the Immediate Past Chair. Dr. Pratt also serves on the Panel of Professional Advisors for the Autism Society and is a member of NATTAP (Network of Autism Training and Technical Assistance Programs). Currently, Dr. Pratt serves on the advisory board for the National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorders grant funded through the US Department of Education. Dr. Pratt also assists with the coordination of the Autism Special Interest Group (SIG) through the Association of University Centers on Disability (AUCD). She has been involved with the Institute on Rehabilitation Issues focused on Autism; the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee as a member of the Expert Working Group on Services; and served on the Scientific Advisory Board for IMFAR (International Meeting for Autism Research). She also served as a member of the public review committee for the Research Roadmap of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee and in 2010 was invited to the White House to provide feedback on the president’s initiatives on autism spectrum disorders. Dr. Pratt has been honored by the Autism Society with the Individual Achievement Award, with the 2005 Princeton Fellowship Award, and with various awards through NYFAC (New York Families for Autistic Children, Inc.), including recognition from the United States House of Representatives. In 2008, Dr. Pratt was awarded with the Distinguished Service Award by the Indiana Council of Administrators of Special Education. She has written articles and presents on the following topics: autism spectrum disorders, functional behavior assessment/positive behavior supports, instructional approaches, systems change, and policy. Prior to pursuing her doctorate at Indiana University, Dr. Pratt worked as a classroom teacher for students across the autism spectrum and with other disabilities. Most recently, Dr. Pratt earned her BCBA and is now a board certified behavior analyst.

 

10:15 – 10:30 a.m. Break

 

10:30 – 4:00 p.m.   The Ziggurat Model:  A Framework for Improving Outcomes for Students with ASD

 

 

The Ziggurat Model is a guide for designing comprehensive behavior interventions for individuals of all ages with autism spectrum disorders.  The Ziggurat approach centers on a five level system, structured in a hierarchy.  Each level represents an area that must be addressed in order for an intervention plan to be comprehensive.  The premise of the Ziggurat Model is that underlying needs and characteristics related to the autism spectrum must be addressed. Assessment tools to facilitate this process will be introduced. The Model has been adopted at the district-wide and state-wide levels.

 

School administrators, parents, teachers, speech pathologists, psychologists, physicians, occupational therapists, counselors, autism consultants, and others will benefit from this training. Emphasis is placed on working as a team, complying with state and federal legal standards, improving behavior intervention plans, and building district capacity.

 

 

Ruth Aspy, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist in private practice with the Ziggurat Group. Dr. Aspy specializes in assessment and intervention for individuals with autism spectrum disorders. She is co-author of the Ziggurat Model, winner of the 2008 Autism Society of America Literary Work of the Year. Dr. Aspy speaks internationally. She has experience in both the clinic and school settings.

 

Barry G. Grossman, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist and author. He is in private practice with the Ziggurat Group and specializes in assessment and intervention for individuals with autism spectrum disorders. Dr. Grossman, along with Dr. Aspy, wrote The Ziggurat Model—a book on designing interventions for students with Asperger’s Disorder and high-functioning autism. He and his co-author present on this model internationally. The Ziggurat Model has been adopted at the district-wide and state-wide levels.

 

Noon – 1:00 p.m.        Lunch and Officer Installation

 

2:15 – 2:30 p.m.          Break – Silent Auction winners announced

 

8:00 – 9:00 a.m.     Breakfast

9:00 – 11:30 a.m.   A Year in Review,  Eric Herlan, Esq. and Amy Tchao, Esq.

 

Eric Herlan has been working for more than 20 years representing public school districts on a wide variety of legal issues, but with a focus on both special education and general school law questions.

 

Eric’s particular expertise is in the areas of special education and disability rights law. He has represented local school units in more than 100 special education due process hearings, in addition to state complaint investigations, human rights proceedings, and in federal Office for Civil Rights investigations. Eric has also practiced in both federal and state courts, including many cases before the First Circuit Court of Appeals as well as the United States District Court. He has also appeared before the Maine Supreme Court.        

 

In addition to his legal practice, Eric regularly presents on school law topics in Maine, New Hampshire, and nationally. His presentations are energetic and entertaining, whether in front of school staff in a local school district or in front of attorneys at a national conference. Eric also publishes frequently on special education and other school law topics. He is a regular contributor to the School Law Advisory, as well as serving in the past as its editor for many years. He is a contributing author to the treatise Maine School Law (Third Edition), Editor of Maine School Law for Board Members, a Reference Manual (Second Edition), and authored the Commentaries on Maine State Special Education Regulations. He has written for the Maine Law Review and was its editor in chief while in law school. Eric is listed in Best Lawyers in America, a guide to leading lawyers in the country, and in the New England Super Lawyers directory in the category of Education Law.

 

 

Amy Tchao practices in the areas of school law and municipal law. Amy's school law practice has concentrated in special education and disability rights law, and legal issues involving student rights. She has advised both public and private schools on a variety of issues, including disability rights, anti-discrimination laws, student and parent handbooks and employment issues.

 

Amy has presented at a number of school law conferences nationally and across the State and has been the lead instructor for a number of graduate level school law courses for the University of Southern Maine. She is also co-editor with Harry Pringle on the leading school law treatise in Maine, Maine School Law (Third Edition), and contributing author to Drummond Woodsum's on-line quarterly publications, the School Law Advisory and the Special Education Quarterly.  She is listed in Best Lawyers in America, a guide to leading lawyers in the country, in the category of Education Law.          

 

In the municipal law area, Amy has represented a number of towns in southern Maine on a variety of issues including land use and zoning matters, interpretation and enforcement of ordinances, property tax and assessment matters, and review of contract and personnel issues.  Amy currently serves as the Town Attorney for the Towns of Kennebunkport and Sebago, and provides ongoing legal assistance to a number of other Maine municipalities.

 

 

 

 

  

10:15 – 10:30 a.m. Break