Walpole's Lead School To Hold Educational Conference In Dedham

WALPOLE, MA - The League School in East Walpole, known for its excellence in teaching children on the autism spectrum, is sponsoring an event for educators on Friday, April 1, 2022 at Dedham Holiday Inn Conference Center on helping students on Individualized Education Programs, or IEPs, plan for post-secondary transition.

During IEP team meetings for students ages 13 and older placed at League School, some districts have shared their imaginative and creative responses to the demands of the post-secondarytransition process. Employing presenters from some of these creative districts as presenters, League School is sponsoring a valuable day of sharing in a conference setting.

By presenting an opportunity for districts to come together and share their innovative and useful in-house curricula, models, and processes, participants can return to their districts with low- or n0-cost suggestions of how to expand implementation of their post-secondarytransition process. Presenters have a broad range of specialized experience in addition to awillingness to models, assessments, procedures, source materials and sample work products.

The conference will open with a brief discussion of transition-related draft forms/resources currently under consideration by DESE for feedback. An overview of the current and emerging process requirements, with resource materials and activities related to IEP and TPF development will be led by Dr. Margaret Reed. Following these activities, attendees will have the opportunity to participate in several workshops.

Although post-secondary transition planning has been a component of special education regulations since Chapter 766 was enacted in 1972, a compliant process can be challenging to both design and implement.

Over the past decade there has been an increased awareness by IEP team participants of
the need for more individualized services for all students receiving services through an IEP.
This awareness has sometimes come when staff are challenged by parents or advocates to
implement the required post-secondary transition planning process on an individualized level
that can seem difficult to design.

During that same time, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary
Education (DESE) has disseminated multiple advisories, resources, and materials to clarify
elements of this process. However, the sometimes-unrealistic expectations of disparate
team members, the uncertainty of how to address families’ anticipation of increased skill
mastery, the limited time for consultation in service schedules, and the required individual
specificity of the process has led to numerous settlements or outplacements by districts to
avoid entanglement in the appeals process.

Those who register before March 11 will receive a discounted rate of $99 per person, with a rate of $149 after that.

The Dedham Holiday Inn Conference Centeris located at 55 Ariadne Rd. in Dedham.

For more information, contact Pam Verbeck, Executive Assistant at this email address or by phone at 508-850-3900 ext. 343. Also, visit the League School's website to learn more about it.