Essential Bulletin for Educators

If you have questions or content recommendations, email us at bsebulletin@pattankop.net.

With appreciation for all you do,

The Pennsylvania BSE and PaTTAN Staff

• Collaborative Learning
• Social/Emotional Learning and Mental Health
• Classroom Management and Teaching Strategies
• Formative Assessment
• Communication Skills and Student Voice
• Math and Literacy
• Student Engagement

Discussion is a skill, and skills are like muscles: the more they are exercised, the stronger they become. When employing these strategies for the first time, don’t be surprised if the outcome is less than you hoped. The skill may be atrophied. Students need to become comfortable processing and sharing with others, and this takes time and practice. However, once they learn they are capable of sharing their thoughts and ideas, and have regular opportunities to do so, they will learn the content of your class in a deeper way, and possess a skill they will use the rest of their lives.

From Trevor Muir "My Favorite Class Discussion Strategies"

The teenage years, when students start to juggle priorities and manage workloads from multiple teachers, are critical for the development of executive function—a set of skills that help us organize, prioritize, focus, and exercise self-control in order to be productive and accomplish tasks. These skills have been shown to be strong indicators of success in school and in life.

Special educators strongly relate to this statement and recognize the relationship between student learning and the progression of society as a whole. Through Pennsylvania’s Bureau of Special Education prioritization of Attract-Prepare-Retain (APR), The Accelerated Program for PK-12 Special Education Teacher Certification Grant is showing great gains in the 15 Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) that have been awarded grant funds.

With an emphasis on increased summer field experiences, mentoring by experienced special education teachers, and strategically planned courses designed for working educators, students are on-track to complete their post-baccalaureate programs in the Fall of 2024. This will result in an additional 190 certified PK-12 special education teachers for Pennsylvania! The efforts of these IHEs and students are moving the needle and influencing the future of special education.

• Network for Supervisors of Speech & Language Programs, November 9 from 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
  
• Paraprofessionals: Supporting Students to Independence, November 16 from 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
  
• Networking for Teachers of the Deaf, November 16 from 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
  
• Corrections Education Teachers: Special Education Overview - Back to the Basics, November 17 from 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
  
• Speech And Language: Master Class Learning Community for SLPs: Learning Language and Literacy Connections, November 30 from 12:30 PM - 2:30 PM
  

View the flyer below to find the networking series that best fits your needs and mark your calendars to learn alongside others with similar job responsibilities. All sessions will be posted on the PaTTAN training calendar and open for registration soon, so check back often!

• APR Institute for Transition Coordinators: Using Transition Assessment to Inform the IEP Process, November 2 from 9:00 AM – 12:15 PM, PaTTAN Central; November 2 from 11:45 PM – 3:00 PM, PaTTAN West
• APR Learning Institute for Leaders: Cultivating Environments to Proactively Support Students with Complex Needs, November 8 from 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM, PaTTAN East; November 29 from 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM, PaTTAN Central

Have you been in this role for three years or less? If so, you are eligible to apply to participate in the APR Mentoring Project.

As a participant in the Mentoring Project, you will be matched with an experienced colleague in a similar role. You will meet with your mentor monthly, either in a virtual or face-to-face environment, for a minimum of 30 minutes. During mentoring, you will have the opportunity to ask questions, engage in discussions, receive support, and access tools and resources relevant to your educational role.

Complete an application today. Once your application and supervisor endorsement are received, you will be matched with a mentor. Click the button below to access the application on the APR Repository.

On August 30, 2023, the Pennsylvania Department of Education released a notification of a policy change that effective no later than September 5, 2023, all students entitled to FAPE and all of the rights and procedural safeguards under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Chapter 14 of Title 22 of the Pennsylvania Code may remain enrolled in public school until they turn 22 years of age. This includes students who turned 21 and exited during or after the 2022-2023 school term.

The Prior Written Notice for a Reevaluation and Request for Consent form has been separated into two forms, the Prior Written Notice for a Reevaluation form and the Request for Consent for a Reevaluation form (linked below). The form was separated into two forms to ensure that local educational agencies (LEAs) provide parents with prior written notice and obtain parent consent at proper times during the reevaluation process, in accordance with 34 CFR 300.300 and 300.503.

The video linked below explains the rationale for the change and how to use the two new forms.

PDE's new website includes information about the benefits of teaching, along with a career toolkit to get people started on the path to certification.

Disciplinary exclusions are found to be ineffective in reducing problematic behaviors (Sundius & Farneth, 2008). Therefore, it is recommended that schools shift their approach from a focus on punitive measures towards strategies that support students' strengths while addressing needs through collaboration and support.

By adopting a multi-tiered systems approach, school teams can choose options that align with their school's culture and implement multiple strategies that can improve support for students.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education is establishing a fully automated pep talk phone line that users can call to hear words of encouragement, jokes, and advice from PA students in kindergarten through high school.