Consultation & Professional Training Services

Consultation Services:

Kennedy Krieger’s special education staff offers consultation services to school districts and individual schools in three formats:

• Services to classrooms
• Services to schools
• Services to districts

Services to Classrooms:

These services include observation of teachers and students to determine strengths in the instructional programs, as well as needs. Observers can meet with classroom staff or administrators to identify instructional and behavioral components of individual classes that need continuation or change. Consultation can be arranged with teachers, para-educators, or teaching teams to suggest and/or demonstrate research-based techniques and strategies to strengthen or improve performance in the classroom.

Services to Schools:

Our services are available to public, charter, independent and parochial schools. Schools are learning communities, and all members of the community contribute to the outcomes of instruction and management of the learning environment. We offer consultation with teams that include teachers, para-educators, related service providers and administrators, to study and identify components of the total school community's design and efforts that might benefit from enhancement or change. Professional development offerings can include single sessions on specific topics, meetings and training sessions for specified teams or grade/content areas or whole group training sessions. Services in this area include surveying administrators and staff, discussion of identified needs for planning strategies and identifying and using community resources to enhance performance outcomes in the school. Additionally, we offer case management and IEP management services related to identifying, serving and monitoring the programs of students with special needs at all levels of service.

Services to Districts:

Our services are offered to public, charter, independent and parochial districts. District-wide training initiatives often include updates and presentations on current trends, practices and policies. We offer half- and full-day training sessions, including multiple topics designed for professional development days. Topics include legal issues (IDEA, 504 and NCLB), research-based best practices in instruction and behavior, universal design for learning (UDL), response to intervention (RTI) and effective use of assessment data for instructional design.

Additionally, we provide training sessions to families and to those who provide community resources -- libraries, museums, recreational and spiritual resources, etc. Call for a fee structure for these offerings.

Speakers Bureau:

Kennedy Krieger’s School Programs provide speakers to schools and community organizations on a variety of topics related to understanding the needs of individuals with disabilities. Call for fees. Topics include but are not limited to:

• Effective Behavior and Classroom Management
• Using Assessment Data for Effective Instruction
• Neurobiology of Learning -- The Brain in the Classroom
• Understanding Response to Intervention (RTI)
• Using Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
• Introduction to IDEA for Related Service Providers
• Understanding the Maryland Online IEP

Ongoing Training Opportunities:

Kennedy Krieger’s School Program staff offer training programs that are more extensive than single session or single day events. These offerings include more comprehensive trainings in specific areas related to the instruction and management of students with special needs at all levels. Call for fees. These training packages include, but are not limited to:

• Introduction to Special Education for Social Workers:
  A course for social workers designed to meet their Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) certification requirement. This 45-hour professional development course provides three Continuing Professional Development credits from MSDE and meets the requirement for school-assigned social workers. The format is a hybrid (part face-to-face, part electronic).
   
• Para-Pro Prep:
  A four session course for para-professionals who need to meet federal, district or school requirements for para-professional credentials in order to work in classroom settings. This preparation provides review and practice for the Para Pro examination, with attention given not only to content, but also to providing practice in taking the test in the electronic format.
   
• Praxis Prep:
  A three-session course for educators who need to meet federal and/or state requirements for certification, either in content or grade-level areas of certification, or in special education. This preparation provides review and practice tests for educators who have registered to take the Praxis.

Positive Behavioral Support Training:

Success in the classroom requires a systematic approach to both behavior management (the management of individuals and their responses to academic and social demands) and classroom management (the organization and management of the learning environment). Kennedy Krieger School Programs offers ongoing training in both of these areas.

Positive behavioral interventions are presented in a complete scope, from creating and using effective point systems, with appropriate incentives for positive behaviors, through the design and implementation of systems for giving appropriate statements of expectations, verbal warnings and use of resources such as self-regulation, time out, seclusion and judicious and legal use of restraint. Sessions also present effective use of the physical space in the classroom, seating, grouping, distribution of materials and communication between staff and students.