Viterbo University Graduate Course Proposal
Wausau, February 25-27, 2015
Course Title:
22nd Annual MCSEC Conference
Credits:
One graduate semester hour
Course Type:
Conference presentation format
Instructor:
Dave Funk (instructor of record)
Home Address:
9152 N. Goldendale Drive, Brown Deer, WI 53223
Business Address:
4333 S. Sunny Slope Road, New Berlin, WI 53151
(School District of New Berlin, WI)
Home/Business Phone:
Office: 262-789-6260
Business Cell: 414-587-6237
Email:
Approved Viterbo Instructor:
Yes
Description of Course:
This conference-format course, conducted over a two and one-half day time frame is presented through the Marathon County (WI) Special Education Consortium and is designed to provide participants with interventions and information about legal issues and effective practice for students with disabilities who exhibit learning, behavioral, and emotional problems that negatively impact on educational performance.
Objectives:
Participants will evaluate interventions specific to mental health issues affecting students’ school performance.
Participants will access updated legal information related to specific special education discipline issues.
Participants will have information sufficient to identify guidelines for discipline supported by the Wisconsin DPI.
Participants will identify a continuum of school-based services and interventions for meeting students’ social/emotional needs.
Participants will assess current school-wide and classroom management supports to identify strengths and weaknesses in delivery systems.
Participants will examine how to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions.
Participants will develop strategies to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses in instructional/behavioral delivery systems and behavior plans.
INTASC Standards:
Standard 2: The teacher understands how children learn and develop, and can provide learning opportunities that support a child’s intellectual, social, and personal development.
Standard 3: The teacher understands how participants differ in their approaches to learning and creates instructional opportunities that are adapted to diverse learners.
Standard 4: The teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies to encourage student development of critical thinking, problem solving, and performance skills.
Standard 5: The teacher uses an understanding of individual and group motivation and behavior to create a learning environment that encourages positive social interaction, active engagement in learning and self-motivation.
Outline of Content:
This conference is divided into sections, each comprising a half-day presentation. The summary of content and information for each component is described as follows:
Wednesday (p.m.) Pre-Conference Session
Behavior Problems, Discipline, and the Law: Is There an App for That?
Gary M. Ruesch, Esq., Buelow, Vetter, Buikema, Olson & Vilet, LLC, Milwaukee, WI
Lynn A. Boreson, M.S., To The Point Special Education Consulting, Madison, Wisconsin
Attorney Gary Ruesch and educational consultant Lynn Borenson will present in the format of “point-counter point” to provide a balanced discussion of the legal parameters around educating students with emotional and behavioral issues and the daily realities of the classroom. This session provides an opportunity for participants to obtain informed guidance on complex issues and topics in special education from experts in the field particularly for students with emotional and behavioral issues.
Gary Ruesch has over 30 years experience representing school districts in the areas of special education law, general school law, and labor and employment law. Gary regularly counsels clients on topics such as student discipline, public records/open meetings, special education due process, employee discipline and dismissal, sexual harassment, employment and severance agreements, collective bargaining, grievance arbitration, and prohibited practice complaints. Gary has successfully represented clients before various administrative agencies and courts of law. He has also written about and presented on various subjects related to special education and general school law. In addition, Mr. Ruesch has taught a class entitled Legislative-Legal Aspects of Exceptional Education at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s School of Education.
Lynn Boreson has over 38 years of experience in special education and was the consultant at the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction for program in emotional and behavioral disabilities (EBD) and other health impaired (OHI) until she retired in June 2011. Ms. Boreson has taught at both the technical college and university level and has authored a variety of professional articles on topics including seclusion and restraint, student mental health, eligibility criteria and quality evaluations, student discipline, and other related issues. In addition, she has presented to school districts, CESAs, parent groups, college and university faculty and students, and professional organizations at the local, regional, state, national and international levels. Ms. Boreson is now an independent consultant with To The Point Special Education Consulting located in Madison, WI.
Thursday (a.m.) Session I
School-Based Mental Health: Transforming Educational Services to Support and Meet Children’s Needs
Eric P. Hartwig, Ph.D., Administrator, Marathon county Special Education, Wausau, Wisconsin
Working with students experiencing mental health issues can be challenging because of the multi-faceted and cohesive programming required to address multiple student needs. Dr. Hartwig will discuss a new paradigm for thinking about school mental health, one that addresses the needs of these students at school, increases teacher effectiveness, and supplements other services.
Eric Hartwig is experienced and licensed as a Director of Pupil Services and School Psychologist. Currently, he serves as the administrator for Marathon County Special Education, a consortium of six school districts. Dr. Hartwig has done extensive research on discipline, school violence, psychoeducational assessment and related special education issues and is the author of the training for the Just-in-Time: Behavior Initiative Project, and the recently released online universal behavior screener, b.e.s.t.: Behavior, Emotional and Social Traits. A frequent presenter across the country, he also serves as the consulting editor for Today’s School Psychologist and co-authored the recently released book: Disciplining Students with Disabilities: A Balanced Approach to Meeting Legal Requirements and Implementing Positive Educational Practice.
Session II
Understanding Mental Health Disorders: Identification, Treatment, and Intervention
David Vernon Mays, M.D., Ph.D., Consultant, Mount Horeb, Wisconsin
Many students coming to our EBD classrooms have underlying mental health challenges. These children can resort to disruptive behaviors to externalize pain and protect themselves. Without appropriate supports, these children can be on trajectories to exhibit dysfunctional and unproductive behaviors as adults. Dr. Mays will share his extensive work in the field of psychiatry to help better understand and support students in crisis.
Dr. David Mays is a licensed physician in the state of Wisconsin. He is Board Certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and has additional qualifications in forensic Psychiatry. Dr. Mays is a Fellow of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law. Over the last 23 years Dr. Mays has practiced psychiatry in a variety of settings, including an assertive community treatment program, private clinical and forensic practice, and as the clinical director of the forensic program at the Mendota Mental Health Institute. He is a highly sought-after presenter on numerous topics in mental health, including psychiatric diagnosis and treatment, personality disorders, suicide and aggression risk management, mainstream and alternative treatments in psychiatry, and the biology of
ethics.
Thursday (p.m.) Session III
The Process and the Substance: Educating Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders
Renae W. Aldana, Esq., Beulow, Vetter, Buikema, Olson & Vliet, LLC, Waukesha, Wisconsin
Educators working with children with disabilities know that an understanding of special education law is crucial. This session will provide concise guidance and best practice tips to ensure educational professionals are ensuring students receive appropriate services. Attorney Aldana will outline the “nuts and bolts” of the law and provide updates on current topics in educating students with emotional and behavioral disorders.
Renae Waterman Aldana is an attorney with the law firm Beulow, Vetter, Buikema, Olson, and Vliet, LLC located in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Attorney Aldana advises school districts on special education, student discipline, and general school law matters. Her practice focuses on special education mediation, litigation, and counseling school districts with strategies for preventing and responding to due process hearing requests. Attorney Aldana’s work in this area includes successful defense of school districts in federal district court and the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. She regularly trains Wisconsin special education mediators and frequently presents at statewide and national conferences regarding special education and other school law topics. Attorney Aldana also does extensive writing in the area of special education law and is a contributor to national publications including the LRP Special Educator.
Friday (a.m/p.m.) Session I & II
What Really Works: Practical Interventions for the Tough Kid
William R. Jenson, Ph.D., University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
What causes tough kid behavior? Learn how to assess it, apply appropriate interventions, and promote supports for positive student outcomes. Dr. Jenson will provide classroom tested, straightforward strategies to manage and motivate tough-to-teach, tough-to-reach students. You will be informed, motivated and better equipped to manage daily classroom challenges.
William R. Jenson is a professor and past chair of the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Utah. Dr. Jenson is a national and international speaker for students with disabilities, particularly on research and interventions based on his Tough Kid Book series. He has been an Associate Editor for the School Psychology Review and served on the editorial boards of School Psychology Quarterly, Journal of Emotional and Behavior Disorders, School Psychology International, and reviews for several other journals. In addition, Dr. Jenson has served as the Project Director on several funded projects including Personnel Preparations in Autism and low incidence disabilities and leadership from the US Office of Education. His professional interests include behavior management for severe behavior problems, behavioral assessment, school-based interventions, parent training, applied technology, and meta-analytic research.
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Methodology:
Conference format, keynote and lecture presentations
Networking, informal interaction with instructor and other conference participants
Assignments and Requirements:
Analyze content from presentations
Develop an action plan that represents an application of the conference presentations to the participant’s workplace or particular area of interest
Required readings (see “Required Texts/Readings” section)
Evaluation Method/Grading Rubric:
Note: This conference-format course is comprised of four major presentations that represent sectionals that address a unified theme of the legal and instructional issues for special education students with behavioral disabilities. Although attendance at the individual presentations is an expectation and forms the basis of knowledge acquisition, this grade is given for the entire course, not for individual sessions.
GRADING CRITERIA FOR ASSIGNMENTS
(Adapted from Cardinal Stritch University College Of Business grading criteria.)
Note: The following criteria are intended to be applied to any component used to assess participants (e.g., culminating project). Point values are assigned to each grading component within the range indicated and averaged to determine the final grade.
Exemplary = The student’s performance on elements used for grading demonstrates a thorough understanding and application of the material covered in the course. Ideas are fully and coherently developed and represent a conceptual framework that exceeds expectations, even for graduate level work. Presentation is clear, direct, and communicates new, creative, or original information that can be considered to advance a professional knowledge base. Mechanical or format errors are minor and, if present, do not distract from the overall product. The project exhibits originality in conception and execution and is not merely the fulfillment of a directed mechanical task. Significant application to classroom instruction is readily apparent. Project is peer-reviewed prior to submission and is to include anticipated or actual outcome. Point value: 3.6-4 (A)
Proficient = The participants performance on elements used for grading has a clearly recognizable purpose and/or focus. Ideas are substantially developed and applicable to classroom instruction. The student’s product covers its assigned topic adequately but may lack complete coherence or integration into the overriding purpose of the assignment. What the student produces may fail to completely follow through on implications of its own ideas, even though the rest of the effort itself is excellent. The assignment has few mechanical and stylistic problems and approaches the subject material in an appropriate but perhaps conventional or predictable way. Applications to classroom instruction may be limited or require extended explanation to be applicable. Overall product may confirm an already established professional knowledge base. Project includes anticipated or actual outcome, but is not peer reviewed. Point value: 3.0-3.5 (B)
Basic = The elements used for grading may be conventional, unimaginative, superficial, or perfunctory. The assignment may lack a discernible, controlling purpose or focus, or its focus may change as it goes along. The assignment may be presented without an awareness of the needs of its audience. The assignment’s important ideas may be buried under details or facts of lesser importance or consequence. Important themes or ideas may not be sufficiently announced and differentiated from subordinate material. Connections between ideas may be unclear. The assignment may simply be underdeveloped, leaving the grader with questions and a desire for more explanation or elaboration. The assignment’s style may include awkwardness or inaccurate use of language, and it may contain numerous grammatical and mechanical errors. Application to classroom instruction is possible, but not readily apparent and overall product is minimally acceptable for graduate level work and is essentially a personal reflection on or summary of the content presented. Point value: 2.0-2.9 (C)
Emerging=An assignment is poorly presented and does not fulfill the minimum
expectations of the assignment. Mechanical, stylistic, and format errors so common that question of adequate preparation is seriously considered. Length of project is inadequate to address topic. Overall product shows a level competency not acceptable for graduate level work. There is little to no applicability to classroom instruction. The product represents a lack of competence or effort on the part of the student. Point value: 1.0-1.9 (No grade. Project would have to be revised to issue grade.)
Grading will be based on the quality of work with components as follows:
Attendance (because of the format, there is only informal opportunity for discussion or other involvement and is essentially for accountability purposes)
Applicability of independent project
Research component
Quality of independent project (as per grading criteria)
Grades are based on completion of individual components within standards identified in course materials/orientation session. Assessment of student performance is conveyed by the following symbols: