Advocating for Students: The Special Education Process and Beyond

3 Renewal Units | 45 Hours

$199.00
$199.00
$199.00
Download Syllabus
  • Exceptional Students
  • Instructional Strategies
Advocating for Students: The Special Education Process and Beyond K-12 teachers professional development course

Course Description

As a special educator, general educator, school counselor or administrator, your role is to ensure that the needs of your students (or clients) are met. Working with students who are not performing to their potential can be tricky. An understanding of student strengths and needs, along with the knowledge of the special education process, are key to ensuring that you are providing those students with what they need in order to be successful. The purpose of this course is to better prepare you with the necessary skills to identify students with a disability as well as implement child-specific interventions and accommodations to support those not performing to their potential. But what do you do to ensure a student’s needs are met? How do you ensure that you are successfully advocating for your students? How do you utilize your school or community’s resources to best meet diverse learners? Students with disabilities? Gifted students? No matter what your role is in the school system or outside of the school system it’s important that you understand why special needs identification and planning works the way that it does.

This course will provide you with a strong foundation in the principles of special needs advocacy, with an emphasis on practical application of the fundamental legal requirements that drive special needs education. You will learn about the IEP process and about 504 Plans, and use your knowledge of the rights and entitlements granted by the aforementioned special education laws to create effective plans for student success. Through learning the differences between IDEA and Section 504, you will be better equipped at determining which plan is best for a particular student. Once a plan has been created, you will learn tips and be given tools to implement that plan and monitor the plan’s effectiveness and the child’s progress. This course will also focus on exploring how to maximize effectiveness by writing S.M.A.R.T. goals and choosing appropriate accommodations and adaptations. By the end of this course, you will be able to feel confident in their ability to successfully advocate for struggling students and understand the process necessary to ensure their needs are met.

To Enroll in a Course:

  • Select the course you wish to take.
  • If you need a certificate of completion only (for MT Renewal Units), choose the Course Only option. Or…
  • If you need an official transcript, choose the Course & University Credits option. See our University Partners page for more information about our regionally accredited university partners.
  • Add the course to your cart.
  • When you are ready to check out, go to your cart, and click “Check Out”.
  • You will be asked to log into your account or create a new account.
  • Follow the enrollment and payment prompts. If you have a gift card or discount code, you will enter it at the end of the enrollment process.
  • Upon purchase, you will receive an email receipt and be able to log in to your course at eClassroom Sign in. You have 180 days (about 6 months) from your purchase to complete your course.

If you have any questions, check out our FAQs or email support@cecreditsonline.org.

How to Obtain Montana License Renewal Units:

CE Credits Online is a Montana State approved provider for Renewal Units

The State of Montana requires you to complete the Registration and Verification Form for each CE Credits Online course you complete.

If you wish to receive renewal units for your completed course(s) please follow the steps below:

  1. Contact the CE Credits Online office at support@cecreditsonline.org for your Registration and Verification Form, once your course is completed. Provide your name, the course you completed and that you are requesting a Montana Registration and Verification Form.
  2. CE Credits Online will email you the form with the CE Credits Online portion of the form completed.
  3. Complete your part of the sections on the Registration and Verification Form. The form requires you to include the Instructor of Record, which is found on your Certificate of Completion.
  4. Remember all events you use to obtain License Renewal Units must be completed within your current five-year license renewal cycle.
  5. Be sure that the information provided in Sections I, II, III is accurate and complete. If any information is missing, the form may not be acceptable for license renewal.
  6. The original copy of this certificate is required to be included with the application for educator license.

You will no longer be required to send in official transcripts and renewal unit certificates at the time of renewal application! Renewal applications will now be randomly audited to verify accuracy. Therefore, even though you no longer need to submit your documents at the time your complete your renewal application, you will need to have them for your records. If your application is chosen for audit you will have 60 days to submit your documents for verification. Your license will NOT be issued if you are unable to provide the documents needed to verify your professional development activities.

Find Your Montana renewal requirements

It is recommended that you keep a copy of all application materials submitted for license renewal. It is particularly important that you keep a copy of each Registration and Verification Form in case an audit of renewal applications of provider records is initiated.

If you have any questions please contact us via email support@cecreditsonline.org or call 425-788-7275 ext. 104