Building Strong Starts: Supporting New Special Educators from Day One

Teacher turnover often begins with uncertainty. This session helps administrators and mentor teachers build a structured support plan that balances compliance expectations with instructional growth.

Participants will:

• Define clear “non-negotiables” for first-year success

• Understand the developmental progression of new special educators

• Align mentoring conversations to SDI, collaboration, and IEP implementation

• Build a 30-60-90 day support roadmap

• Identify early warning signs before burnout or compliance concerns arise

This training strengthens alignment between building leadership and special education teams, ensuring new teachers receive consistent messaging and support.

In-person, Harrodsburg RM 111, 8:30-11:30am

Contact:  kim.hinton@ckec.org

This session is designed to assist teachers in the MSD classroom on creating and running stations. It will introduce participants to the purpose and power of using stations in Moderate/Severe Disabilities (MSD) classrooms. Educators will learn why small-group and independent work systems increase engagement, improve skill acquisition, and support differentiated instruction. The training will guide participants through how to get started with stations—beginning small with teacher-led, para-led, and independent stations—and will explore examples of the types of stations that can be used across content areas. Participants will leave with practical tools, clear structures, and simple starting points to begin implementing stations effectively in their own classrooms.

 

This is an in-person session. Participants will receive a 6-hour PD certificate.

Contact erica.price@ckec.org with any questions.

Leading SDI: Building a System Where Special Education Is Instructionally Strong

Compliance is the floor. Instructional clarity is the ceiling.

This session helps administrators understand SDI as a system-level responsibility, not just a special education task. Leaders will examine how scheduling, co-teaching models, staffing patterns, and feedback systems either strengthen or dilute SDI.

Outcomes include:

• A clear SDI observation and feedback framework 

• Alignment between IEP goals and grade-level content 

• Stronger collaboration between general and special education 

• Reduced due process triggers through improved implementation 

• Clear next steps for building schoolwide SDI consistency 

Participants leave with practical tools to support and monitor SDI with confidence.

In-person, Lexington Location, 8:30-11:30

AT in Action is an interactive training designed to help educators understand how assistive technology can meaningfully support student communication, learning, behavior, and independence. Participants will learn what assistive technology is—and what it isn’t—while exploring real examples of lite-tech, mid-tech, and high-tech tools used across daily routines. The session will walk through the SETT Framework for choosing the right tools, demonstrate how to embed AT into instruction, and highlight the role of data collection in determining effectiveness. Educators will leave with practical strategies and ready-to-use ideas they can immediately implement to support diverse learners in their classrooms.

This is an in-person session. Participants will receive a 3-hour PD certificate.

Contact erica.price@ckec.org with any questions.

This session is an introductory training designed to help educators, paraeducators, and school staff build a foundational understanding of autism. Participants will learn key characteristics of autism, common strengths and challenges, sensory and communication differences, and practical classroom strategies that support learning and behavior. This session provides real-world examples, easy-to-use tools, and actionable strategies educators can implement immediately.

This is an in-person session. Participants will receive a 3-hour PD certificate.

Contact erica.price@ckec.org with any questions.

The Autism Helper’s: Executive Functions Masterclass

 

This workshop teaches the importance of building executive functioning skills and how to build

those skills within a wide range of learners. Attendees will learn the entire process from assessment and

goal identification to instructional strategies and data collection. Walk away with a toolbox of strategies to teach essential skills such as flexibility, emotional control, sustained attention, and so much more!

Executive Functions are the skills needed to accomplish goal directed behavior and are critical for every

day success. The skills of planning, organization, shifting and sustaining attention, impulse control, and

more are key to everything from making friends to having a job to completing a math test. In this session,

learn how to identify the skill deficits that your students are struggling with under the area of executive

functioning skills. Learn how to approach teaching and developing these skills with the same rigor and

systematic planning that we give to other areas of need. Identify ways to setup an environment that

promotes independence and problem solving. Finally, learn how to track progress and fade assistance.

Audience Objectives:

– Learner will be able to identify executive functioning skills and how these skills impact daily

living.

– Learner will identify and write goals for executive functioning deficits.

– Learner will be able to create activities, programs, and interventions to improve and build a

range of executive functioning skills.

– Learner will be able to create an environment that promotes independence and problem solving.

– Learner will be able to collect data on executive functioning skills.

This virtual session is scheduled from 9:00-12:00. Participants will receive a 3 hour PD certificate.

Contact erica.price@ckec.org with questions.

Sensory tools can support student regulation, but only when they are used with purpose. This training explores how sensory needs can influence student behavior and classroom engagement. Participants will learn how sensory tools can support regulation, focus, and participation when used appropriately. Educators will also explore how to introduce sensory tools, teach students proper use, and prevent them from becoming distractions in the classroom.

2 PD/EILA Hours will be provided for the training.

Contact: trae.jones@ckec.org with questions.

This full-day training, Why They Do What They Do: A Practical Guide to Behavior, is designed to help educators develop a deeper understanding of student behavior by examining the functions of behavior and how they drive student actions in the classroom.

During this workshop, participants will review the four primary functions of behavior (attention, escape/avoidance, access to tangibles, and sensory) and explore how these functions present in real classroom settings. 

Opportunities will be provided for small group discussion, brainstorming, and collaborative planning to develop behavior support plans for a variety of student profiles.

6 PD/EILA Hours will be provided for the training.

Contact: trae.jones@ckec.org with questions.

When students know exactly what to expect, behavior problems decrease and learning increases. This training focuses on how structure, consistency, and predictability can reduce challenging behavior and increase student success. Participants will explore strategies for establishing clear expectations, building effective routines, and structuring classroom environments that support engagement and regulation. Educators will leave with practical strategies they can immediately implement to create a more organized and supportive classroom environment.

3 PD/EILA Hours will be provided for the training.

Contact: trae.jones@ckec.org with questions.

Every teacher has had that student who seems to challenge every direction, correction, and request. This training helps educators better understand the patterns and challenges associated with Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD). Participants will explore common triggers for oppositional behavior and learn strategies for reducing power struggles and preventing escalation. Through classroom examples, educators will gain practical tools to respond calmly and strategically while maintaining clear expectations.

2 PD/EILA Hours will be provided for the training.

Contact: trae.jones@ckec.org with questions.