Article archive / November 1, 2013
Originally published: . Volume 5, No. 3. Source pages: 15.
The LSUHSC Human Development Center will offer two half-day training sessions on December 2: “Critical Issues in Implementing Response to Intervention (RtI) in Schools,” and “Stay Out of I.D.E.A. Jail: Ensuring Your Evaluations are 1508 Compliant. Workshops will be held at the Mildred Osborne Charter School, in New Orleans.
Both workshops are particularly important for those in the mental health community who serve local schools, said Dr. Alan Coulter, Director of Education Innovations at the LSUHSC Human Development Center.
“The morning session will focus on the state-required use of response to intervention systems in schools as part of identification of disabilities,” Coulter said. “The afternoon session will feature a working session for professionals to ensure compliance of assessments of children for eligibility under Bulletin 1508 (IDEA) submitted to schools as part of an evaluation for special education.”
Coulter noted that he has begun to see more child assessments that are rejected by compliance reviewers, and that those in private practice need to be aware of Bulletin 1508 and other regulations.
Amanda VanDerHeyden, PhD, will present the morning workshop, “Critical Issues in Implementing Response to Intervention (RtI) in Schools.” She is a psychologist and researcher who has directed and evaluated numerous school-wide intervention and reform efforts, according to the program information.
VanDerHeyden will illustrate how RtI, when implemented effectively, can produce large returns for school systems. “\
VanDerHeyden’s work has been featured by the U.S. Department of Education on “Education News Parents Can Use” on PBS and The Learning Channel. Dr. VanDerHeyden serves as advisor to the National Center for Learning Disabilities and iSTEEP (a web- based data management system). She has consulted with several state departments of Education to guide and evaluate instruction and intervention effects and has given keynote addresses to state school psychology associations and state depart- ments of education in 21 states.
The afternoon workshop will feature a working session for professionals to ensure compliance of assessments of children for eligibility under Bulletin 1508 (IDEA) submitted to schools as part of an evaluation for special education.
“Stay Out of I.D.E.A. Jail: Ensuring Your Eval- uations are 1508 Compliant.” “DSM and other diagnostic systems commonly used outside of schools are largely irrelevant and can be misleading in determining eligibility for special education. Importantly, if an evaluation is not 1508- compliant, schools find the information useless in determining a need for special education services and may be cited for non- compliance by the Louisiana Department of Education.”
This workshop will provide a practical overview of the Bulletin 1508 require- ments, a tool for determining compliance, and guided activities in examining evaluations.
The TIERS group includes Alan Coulter, Ph.D.; Ms. Holly Paczak coordinates TIERS Group which
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