UMSD Faculty and Staff Take Several Professional Development Courses

Upper Moreland School District administrative staff and teachers attended several professional development conferences last month in preparation for the upcoming school year.

As reported by the district’s director of special education Melanie Muden to the Aug. 2 Programs and Services committee, the following are essential training and conferences attended by UMSD staff and teachers in the field of special education:

• Director of Special Education Melanie Munden attended Assistive Technology for Students with Autism July 12 at Abington Junior High School. This workshop addressed expressive communication skills, social interaction, attention motivation, academic, self-help and overall independent daily functioning skills. Munden attended the workshop at no cost to the district.

• Primary school principal Susan Smith attended Introduction to Autism Spectrum Disorders July 12 at Abington Junior High School. This workshop went into detail regarding social, behavioral and communication deficits as they apply to students on the spectrum. Smith attended the workshop at no cost to the district.

• Munden also attended Supporting Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders in Inclusive Settings July 14 at Abington Junior High School. This workshop teaches strategies that support inclusive programming for students with Austism Specturm Disorder in the classroom. Munden attended the workshop at no cost to the district.

• Primary school teacher Tara McKeon attended Moving Beyond Social Stories: Strategies to Support Social Skills Development on July 14 at Abington Junior High School. This workshop explored various methodolgies for incorporating and teaching social skills. McKeon attended the workshop at no cost to the district.

• Smith and McKeon attended Expanding Comprehension for Students with Autism July 13 at Abington Junior High School. This presentation focused on an expanded comprehension strategy, as well as an oral reading strategy. They attended the workshop at no cost to the district.

• Smith attended What is Asperger Syndrome? July 12 at Abington Junior High School. This workshop reviewed the characteristics of Asperger's syndrome. Smith attended the workshop at no cost to the district.

• Smith, McKeon and Munden attended Setting the Stage: How to Design the Classroom Environment July 13 at Abington Junior High School. This workshop discussed why physical and visual structures are so important to students on the spectrum. They attened the workshop at no cost to the district.

• Middle school teacher Joanne Baldassano attended Advanced Strategies in Multi-sensory Structured Language Instruction Aug. 1 and 2 in Morristown, NJ. The training, for teachers with Level 1 Wilson certification, provides strategies to improve all aspects of Wilson small group instruction. The cost to the district was $375.

“We are indeed fortunate to have a Wilson-trained employee,” Munden said of Baldassano’s training.

According to the Wilson Language Training website, the training is said to help middle and high school students who are struggling with their reading skills.

Munden described this training as strenuous, and as a necessary method for students in Upper Moreland.

According to Jenny Lehman, UMSD director of education, faculty and staff who undergo professional development courses will, in turn, share the information with fellow faculty and staff throughout the year in in-service presentations.