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 The APR: Career Exploration Publication Series offers valuable insights into the various professional roles in special education and can educate students on potential career paths. Visit the APR Repository to learn more about Pennsylvania's APR initiative.

This bundle includes factsheets that explore the roles of an Accessible Media Producer (AMP), Adapted Physical Education (APE) Teacher, Assistive Technology (AT) and Behavior Specialists, Educational Audiologist and Interpreter, Job Coach, Occupational (OTP) and Physical (PTP) Therapy Practitioners, O&M Specialist, Paraprofessional, School Social Worker and Psychologist, Special Education Teacher, Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP), Teacher of the Deaf (ToD), and Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments (TVI) and Low Incidence Disabilities.

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.

APR: Steps to Obtaining a Pennsylvania Special Education Teaching Certificate Are you or someone you know interested in earning a bachelor’s degree and becoming a special education teacher? This infographic explains the steps to take in order to obtain a special education instructional I certification in Pennsylvania.

BSE/OVR Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Bundle This bundle includes eight publications that focus on various aspects of the BSE/OVR Memorandum of Understanding. Included in this bundle are the following publications: Benefits Counseling Toolkit for Educators and Families, Establishing a Process for Coordination, Interagency Agreement: Appendix of Definitions, Inviting OVR to the IEP Meeting, Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Infographic, MOU: Overview for Professionals, Why Should a Student Work with OVR?, and IDEA – WIOA Secondary Transition Crosswalk.

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.

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 double-sided 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 double-sided 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.