Special Education Leadership

Achieving Balance: Managing Compliance, Leading Improvement

Welcome, dedicated leader of special education! Thank you for your commitment to supporting students with disabilities and their families across the Commonwealth.

Special education leadership is as complex and diverse as the students it intends to serve. The roles, duties and responsibilities of special education leaders are as varied as the practices, policies and systems of accountability that govern their ability to meet the challenges they encounter on a regular basis. In response to these demands, the resources on this webpage are designed to help you achieve balance, manage compliance and lead improvement. Aligning to federal and state regulations while promoting evidence based practices, PaTTAN’s training and technical assistance opportunities ultimately help support outcomes for students with disabilities and their families.

Pennsylvania’s Special Education Leadership Initiative is a statewide effort that strives to Attract, Prepare and Retain special education leaders across the Commonwealth as they administer programs and services for students with disabilities. Special education administrators are expected to be knowledgeable about special education law and effective programming for students with disabilities.

Videos
Resources
Consultants

Videos

Having Those Tough Conversations: Mediation Process for IEP | PaTTANpod [S3E6] minutes

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Resources

Annotated IEP Companion Checklist for English Language Learners (Fillable Form)

This publication is a guide for English Language (EL) Development Specialists to support the participation, development, and implementation of an Individualized Education Program (IEP). Each section provides questions to help guide discussion. EL Development Specialists can utilize the IEP Planning Notes column to support their planning and participation for an upcoming IEP meeting.

This downloadable PDF is a fillable, calculable form. This publication is also available in hard copy.

Answering Special Considerations for Students Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired This publication addresses how the Learning Media Assessment is used to help individualized education program (IEP) teams when developing IEPs for students who are blind or visually impaired.

APR: Career Exploration Series Bundle Are you wondering if a career in special education is right for you? In alignment with Pennsylvania’s dedication to Attracting, Preparing, and Retaining practitioners in education, this publication series was developed for those interested in learning more or pursuing a career within special education.

Included in this bundle are the following publications:

To order multiple bundles, type the quantity in the box and click the "Add to Cart" button. You can alter the quantity of individual issues by clicking "My Cart" and editing the quantity for each issue.

BSE/OVR Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Bundle This bundle includes eight different publications that focus on the aspects of the BSE/OVR Memorandum of Understanding. Included in this bundle are the following publications:

CAPS School Attendance: Strategies for Schools, Families, and Youth This publication focuses on attendance attendance strategies for students regarding increasing graduation rates and decreasing dropout rates.

Also available in Spanish.

CAPS: Are you on-track to graduate? Check your A-B-Cs! This one-page publication in English and Spanish was designed for and with students, including students with disabilities. It provides strategies to increase their chances of graduating from high school and decrease their chances of dropping out.

CAPS: Helping Students Succeed and Graduate From High School - Strategies for Families This fact sheet provides strategies for families to help students succeed and graduate from high school.

Also available in Spanish.

CAPS: Helping Students Succeed and Graduate From High School - Strategies for Families (Spanish) This fact sheet provides strategies for families to help students succeed and graduate from high school. (Spanish version).

Also available in English.

CAPS: How Can Families Support Students to Graduate? Check the A-B-Cs!

This one-page publication in English and Spanish was designed for families, including families of students with disabilities. It provides strategies to increase students' chances of graduating from high school and decrease their chances of dropping out.