This session includes an introduction to the event and keynote presentation. In the keynote, Dr. Tessie Rose Bailey focuses on critical considerations for developing and implementing high-quality educational programming for students with disabilities that ensures access to free appropriate public education (FAPE) and progress toward appropriately ambitious goals.

In this session, participants learn why developing an internally consistent IEP is important and how to look at the IEPs they design to make sure the parts fit together to promote progress. Part 1 of the session focuses on the present levels of academic achievement and functional performance (PLAAFP) statement and how it provides the foundation of the IEP. Part 2 demonstrates how a well-written PLAAFP statement can help you more efficiently develop the other parts of the IEP.

This session highlights and shares how to use ready-made high-quality resources from the PROGRESS Center to prepare in-service and pre-service educators working with students with disabilities.

This session includes a panel discussion with a young adult with a disability, a parent, an assistive technology coordinator, a special education administrator, and a special educator. These panelists share their perspectives and stories, with a focus on what it takes to implement high-quality educational programming that promotes progress for students with disabilities.

How can you ensure all students in your school feel like they belong? In this session the TIES Center and PROGRESS Center define 10 elements of belonging, which, when addressed together, promote learning environments in which all students with disabilities thrive and are seen as valued members of the school community. The session defines the elements, provides examples of how the elements look in schools, and shares freely available resources to support educators as they promote belonging within their schools.

Family participation is an essential feature of the development and implementation of high-quality educational programming for students with disabilities. In this session, presenters share findings from a series of focus groups with families and caregivers, resources from the PROGRESS Center, and partners that schools can use to help families feel knowledgeable and confident in supporting the development and implementation of their children’s IEPs. The session also highlights how Rhode Island is working with local educators to improve family engagement.

Developing a high-quality IEP is important, but teams also must think about how the IEP is implemented to promote progress. This session focuses on the importance of implementation in providing FAPE, reviews five elements to consider when thinking about fidelity, shares tools for monitoring fidelity, and demonstrates how to use fidelity data with student progress-monitoring data to make decisions about student responsiveness and program delivery.

The essential obligation of school districts is to provide a FAPE to students with disabilities who are eligible for special education services under the IDEA. The development and implementation of a student’s IEP are how a FAPE is conferred. It has been estimated that 80% to 90% of all due process hearings and special education litigation involve FAPE-related issues. In this session, presenters provide practical information from the due process hearings to ensure that school-based IEP team members are crafting educationally meaningful and legally sound IEPs.

This session celebrates what participants learned across all the sessions at the two day event, reminds participants where they can access the tools and resources from the PROGRESS Center and partners that were shared during the event, and highlights some upcoming resources and opportunities to support continued learning.