The Arkansas Department of Education, Special Education Unit, is offering a comprehensive training package on the co-teaching model, which provides support to students with disabilities in general education classrooms. This training is designed to support the implementation of a co-teaching program and/or improve existing programs within a school/district. Based on feedback and data received following the co-teaching training implemented during 2005 and 2006, the success of this program is largely dependent on the degree to which general and special educators develop a collaborative co-teaching relationship and the level of system support provided. To this end, the co-teaching training package is composed of three phases that provide critical information to a building leadership team and co-teaching partners.
Districts choosing to participate must commit to completing all three phases of training as well as agree to participate in an implementation evaluation process. Participating schools must agree to develop a plan that provides co-teaching partnerships with joint planning time. A variety of scheduling options for identifying joint planning time and an implementation evaluation plan will be provided during the building leadership team training to assist teams with these requirements.
The following choices of dates and locations are available:
Phase 1: One-Day Building Leadership Team Training
October 5, 2006, Northwest Arkansas Educational Cooperative, Farmington
October 11, 2006, Doubletree Hotel, Little Rock
October 13, 2006, Crowley’s Ridge Cooperative, Harrisburg
Phase 1-- a one-day training that is provided to a building-based leadership team to assist in planning, monitoring and evaluating the co-teaching program. This team must consist of at least the following members: a building level administrator, one general education and one special education co-teacher, and one other school support staff (such as a special education supervisor, curriculum coordinator, math or literacy coach, professional development coordinator, school counselor, or ACSIP professional development committee member). Teams should indicate a choice of three regional locations on the application form.
Phase 2: One-Day Co-Teaching Partnership Training
October 26, 2006, Doubletree Hotel, Little Rock or
October 27, 2006, Doubletree Hotel, Little Rock
Phase 2 -- a one-day training for the general and special education teachers using co-teaching in the classroom setting. Each building that participates must send the co-teaching partnership from Phase 1 and may send one additional co-teaching partnership, with a maximum of four teachers attending. Since training space is limited, administrators are encouraged to select partnerships to attend the training that have classrooms which can serve as model sites for other co-teaching partners in the building. The building administrator or support person from the leadership team may also choose to attend this training in order to gain a comprehensive understanding of the co-teaching process and the classroom application. Participants should indicate a preferred date of attendance on the application.
Phase 3: Webinar Follow-up Meetings
Phase 3 -- provides web-based implementation support to both the building leadership team and co-teaching partnerships. This web-based support will consist of on-line modules and five, one-hour web meetings tailored to meet identified needs of participants. Additional technical assistance will be provided to leadership teams and co-teaching partnerships through email and telephone consultations. In addition, co-teaching partnerships will be invited to attend an optional end-of-the-year celebration designed to provide an opportunity to share successful practices with other partnerships across the state.
On the attached application form, teams are to indicate preferred dates and locations. All trainings will begin at 8:30 AM and conclude by 3:30 PM.
Individuals are responsible for hotel reservations and travel expenses. The Doubletree Hotel in Little Rock is offering accommodations at a special rate of $94 per double room. To make reservations at the special rate call, 501-372-4371 and reference the Arkansas Department of Education, Special Education Co-Teaching Training.
The total cost of the training package is four hundred dollars ($400.00). The fee will offset the cost of meals and materials that will be provided to the specified teams during all phases of the training. Additional team members and co-teaching partnerships may attend for an extra $100.00 per person if space is available. Payment should be made in the form of a check made payable to the Arkansas Department of Education, Special Education, and mailed with the attached application to:
Rose Merry Kirkpatrick
ADE, Special Education
1401 W. Capitol, Suite 450
Little Rock, AR 72201
Deadline to apply is September 22, 2006. Space is limited; applicants are encouraged to register as soon as possible. Only application forms that include correct team member make-up and are accompanied by a check will be considered. Cancellation must be made at least 48 hours BEFORE the training date in order for the team to be eligible for a refund.
If there are any questions about Co-Teaching or the Co-Teaching training package, please contact Rose Merry Kirkpatrick at 501-682-4222 or by email at RoseMerry.Kirkpatrick@arkansas.gov.