Videos

Training and Consultation (TaC) services support LEAs by providing professional development, technical assistance, and consultation regarding Pennsylvania's special education initiatives. PaTTAN's Training and Consultation to Implement Computer Science (TACTICS) team is a voluntary program for TaC who want to grow their capacity as leaders in Pennsylvania's computer science (CSinPA) education initiatives. Joining PaTTANpod to discuss how TaC support CSinPA are Tom Esposito from Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit 13 and Lauren Walker from Chester County Intermediate Unit. Tom Esposito, Special Education Consultant with Lancaster-Lebanon IU13 Tom Esposito is a Special Education Consultant with Lancaster-Lebanon IU13 and a member of the TaC (Training and Consultation) Team, BrainSTEPS Team, and Deaf-Blind Resource Team. He provides technical assistance to the IU and school districts in the areas of Assistive Technology, STEM, Crisis Intervention, Inclusive Practices and has over 30 years of experience in special education as a paraprofessional, teacher, parent, and administrator. Lauren Walker, Training and Consultation Specialist, Chester County Intermediate Unit #24 Lauren Walker is a dedicated educator with extensive experience in special education. She worked as a special education teacher for the Chester County Intermediate Unit for 10 years, where she provided support to students within a variety of classrooms, including Autistic Support, Emotional Support, and Life Skills Support. During her tenure, she developed a reputation for being a compassionate and effective teacher who truly cared about her students’ well-being. After a decade of teaching, Lauren decided to take her skills and expertise to the next level by transitioning to Training and Consultation. She now works with other educators and schools to provide guidance and support in meeting the unique needs of students with disabilities. Lauren’s passion for education and her unwavering commitment to helping others make her an invaluable resource in the field of special education.

PaTTAN educational consultant, Dr. Nikole Hollins-Sims interviews Dr. Bernard Harris in a special bonus episode of PaTTANpod, following his opening keynote at the Pennsylvania Computer Science for All Summit.

Transition Discoveries is a project intended to provide tools and resources geared towards improving transition practices

With all the hype about technology, Kathryn Helland from Temple University’s Institute on Disabilities talks about how we can harness technology to assist with transition into adulthood.

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is fast becoming a hot topic in the field of education. TBI is now considered a "developing disease." Following TBI, many students return to school without appropriate educational supports in place. Over time, students may exhibit more intensive learning needs that can be connected back to their earlier brain injury. Regardless if the TBI is classified as mild (concussion), moderate or severe in nature, students may exhibit moderate/severe functional needs in school that impact the ability to learn new information. Information about the differences between students who sustain TBI versus other disability categories, the importance of early identification & screening, and a plethora of specific educational strategies will be discussed. A BrainSTEPS student will also share his personal journey.

Hear from Nicole Tucker-Smith about the tier 1 approach of Universal Design for Learning. UDL is essential for some, beneficial for all.

Act 69 of 2014, the Dyslexia Screening and Early Literacy Intervention Pilot Program became effective on June 26, 2014 (24 P.S. Article XVII-C). This Act requires the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) to establish an early literacy intervention and dyslexia pilot program to provide evidence-based early screening using evidence- based services for students with potential risk factors for early reading deficiencies and dyslexia, such as low phonemic awareness, low letter and symbol naming and inability to remember sequences. This session will provide an update on the pilot program, which will operate for three full years beginning with the 2015-16 school year.

Act 69 of 2014, the Dyslexia Screening and Early Literacy Intervention Pilot Program became effective on June 26, 2014 (24 P.S. Article XVII-C). This Act requires the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) to establish an early literacy intervention and dyslexia pilot program to provide evidence-based early screening using evidence-based services for students with potential risk factors for early reading deficiencies and dyslexia, such as low phonemic awareness, low letter and symbol naming and inability to remember sequences. This session will provide an update on the pilot program, which will operate for three full years beginning with the 2015-16 school year.

This session will focus on the use of Data to Inform Growth and how those data are used to Inform Instruction. First, this webinar will focus on "data interpretation decision-rules" to differentiate between growth, improvement without growth and loss of improvement. Central to these decision rules is consensus (mindset) regarding how to interpret data using these decision rules. Second, this webinar will focus on "instructional decision-rules" regarding instructional decision making based on the data decision rules. LINK TO HANDOUTS: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1YRlQPliu1uDVqurJCff4iBUPS9MinxYW