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SPECIAL ED. DIRECTORS OFFER BEHAVIORAL GUIDANCE VIA SATELLITE

October 29, 1999

Learning about the 1997 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, as well as learning under it, continues to be a major focus of attention for many states, as educators and administrators sift through the law's many provisions and requirements. The National Association of State Directors of Special Education and the Pennsylvania Department of Education's Bureau of Special Education are hoping to advance understanding of IDEA '97 with a four-part satellite teleconference series running during the 1999-2000 school year. The second installment airs Wednesday afternoon to help educators determine whether behavioral support plans are working.

The entire series, this year titled "Creating School Environments Conducive to Learning," targets a broad range of people involved in providing services for students with special needs, including NASDE's members, state and local agency staff, teachers and other direct service providers and parents. Each conference includes a general discussion of key information on each topic, presented by various experts, and an opportunity for viewers to pose questions to them via telephone. NASDSE also provides support information on its web site.

All of this year's teleconferences deal with the implementation rules for IDEA '97, which were released last spring. Wednesday's conference, "Monitoring the Effectiveness of Behavioral Support Plans: A Practical Guide," is a follow-up to September's satellite clinic on designing effective behavior support plans. The four-part series will continue next spring with a March 22 teleconference on accommodations and a May 10 teleconference on research-based reading instruction. November's installment will discuss strategies for monitoring plans based on a variety of goals, such as improving quality of life, teaching alternative skills or reducing problem behaviors. Judging the behavioral intervention program's effectiveness hinges on several other factors as well, NASDSE says. For example, positive side effects such as improved grades or peer acceptance or improvements in the student's health or well being are all indicators of a successful behavioral intervention program.

PAST ARTICLE HEADLINE October 13, 1999

The teleconference will also discuss the features of an effective crisis management plan and the law's new requirement that the behavioral intervention plan include specific plans to provide support for educators and other team members responsible for implementing the program.8