In the rapidly evolving special education landscape, professional development and continuing education are essential for providing quality education that drives student success. This is especially true in the digital age. With innovative technologies like CR Assessments, CR LiftEd, and avail by CentralReach becoming increasingly integrated into special ed classrooms, educators, paraprofessionals, and support staff must stay current with pedagogical best practices and technological advancements. CentralReach is committed to supporting educational teams in promoting the best possible student outcomes with expert-led professional development and continuing education opportunities.
Implementation and Fidelity
As educators add technology into their classrooms, implementing the systems with fidelity is vital. The effectiveness of digital assessments, assistive technology, data collection, and other special ed software depends on how well they are utilized. Research has shown that one of the barriers to successful technology integration in special education is a lack of support and teacher training (Starks & Reich, 2023). Administrators, directors, and supervisors must develop meaningful standardization of technology and provide the support needed to implement them accurately and consistently.
To ensure high fidelity with CentralReach’s suite of educational software, we provide implementation and fidelity packages. In these online courses, kickoff sessions, and professional webinars, educational team members learn how to set up the software and successfully implement it in their classrooms. If used at full capacity, this software allows educators to create highly personalized educational plans for improved student outcomes.
Professional Development for Special Educators
Ongoing professional development is vital for special educators and support teams. As research evolves, educators must be trained on new methods, curricula, and technology to drive educational success. Recent research suggests that professional learning is more effective when paired with robust support for teachers’ day-to-day practices and accountability for change and improvement (Hill & Papay, 2022).
Professional development in special education is all about growth— both for the educators and the students. When done right, ongoing professional development can improve student outcomes, provide a more positive educational experience, and improve staff satisfaction.
CentralReach offers a range of professional development supports to enhance educators' expertise in assessments, IEPs, digital data collection, and more.
"I wanted to make sure that [implementing CR LiftEd & CR Assessments] didn't feel like it was an additional burden and that the purpose of utilizing CR was to actually reduce the amount of additional work that they had to do. And so I think that it really has held true as we went through the process…And Joanna has been great in being able to kind of guide myself and my team on slowly integrating additional features of the program, so starting out with just using the activities portion and then now the behavior…So what's nice about it is that we can still be using components of it and meeting the needs that we have, but knowing that we can continue to grow with additional components that are available as part of CR."
Supervisor of Secondary Special Education
Old Bridge Township School District
Professional Development Sessions
CentralReach offers ongoing support beyond initial implementation and fidelity. Professional development sessions are interactive meetings with up to 40 educational team members. These individualized sessions aim to increase engagement and ensure continued fidelity in implementing CentralReach software. Staff can continue to gain fluency in utilizing CentralReach’s suite of educational software through these group sessions.
Expert-led Professional Development Content
CentralReach also offers thought-leadership content for special educators and behavior analysts to deepen their knowledge and understanding of best educational and behavior management practices. Our team of experts strive to provide an ongoing stream of fresh ideas, tips, blogs, whitepapers, webinars, knowledge-based guides, and continuing education.
Explore Professional Development and Continuing Ed, Supported by CentralReach
Ongoing professional development and continuing education are paramount for fostering student success. CentralReach extends support to educators beyond software by offering a comprehensive array of expert-led continuing education.
Check out the resources available to set you and your team up for success.
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