Thursday and Friday April 23rd and 24th
Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center
New Orleans, Louisiana
National experts on law, science, and practice of specific learning disabilities (SLD) and Multi-
Tiered Systems of Supports (aka RtI) will convene in New Orleans to work with school leaders and practitioners to provide state-of-the-art information on best practices. The 2-day conference will cover a range of topics including (a) IDEA regulations and OSEP policies, and case law; (b) what science says about the efficacy of different SLD identification and intervention methods; (c) advances in MTSS/RtI screening and progress monitoring, (d) differentiated secondary MTSS; (e) engaging leaders in implementation and implementation fidelity; and (f) how effective behavior support contributes to an integrated and less-Balkanized MTSS system. Keynotes and targeted break out sessions will provide multiple opportunities to learn from the presenters.
Perry Zirkel, Ph.D., J.D., LL.M.
Professor of education and law at
Lehigh University. He has a Ph.D. in Educational Administration and a J.D. from the University of
Connecticut, and a Master of Laws degree from Yale University.
He has more than 1,400 publications on various aspects of school law, with an emphasis on legal issues in special education.
Jack Fletcher, Ph.D., ABPP (Clinical
Neuropsychology)
Hugh Roy and Lillie Cranz Cullen
Distinguished Professor of
Psychology and Chair, Department of Psychology, University of
Houston. Dr. Fletcher is a board—certified child neuropsychologist, who has published extensive research on children with SLD and attention disorders. He directs a Learning Disability Research
Center grant funded by the National Institute of Child
Health and Human Development and has served on the NICHD National Advisory Council, the Rand
Reading Study Group, the National Research Council
Committee on Scientific Principles in Education
Research, and the President’s Commission on
Excellence in Special Education.
Mark R. Shinn, Ph.D.
Professor of school psychology at
National Louis University who has published more than 100 book chapters and refereed journal articles on academic screening, school-based SLD identification practices, and progress monitoring. Dr. Shinn has provided staff development and consultation to schools and state departments of education in 43 states.
CONTINUED ON BACK

Alan Coulter, Ph.D.
Director of Education Initiatives at the Human Development Center and the T.I.E.R.S. Group that assists
SEAs and LEAs to implement Multitiered Systems of Support (MTSS) and response to intervention (RtI). Dr. Coulter served on the President’s Commission on Excellence in
Special Education in 2001-02 and directed the
National Special Education Outcomes Center.
Kim Gibbons, Ph.D.,
Executive Director of the St. Croix River
Education District (SCRED), a district that has received national recognition for its pioneering work use of RtI since
1979.
Dr. Gibbons has been a director of special education, staff development coordinator, and school psychologist and co-authored three books on RtI.
Wayne Sailor, Ph.D.
Professor of Special Education,
University of Kansas and Director of the Schoolwide Integrated
$325 per Participant Price for 2-Day Registration
BEFORE April 1, 2015
$350 per Participant Price for 2-Day Registration
AFTER April 1, 2015
$200 per Participant Price for 1-Day Registration
BEFORE April 1, 2015
$250 per Participant Price for 1-Day Registration
AFTER April 1, 2015 No Refunds After April 15th,
2015
Instruction for Registration and Payment can be found at dbcconferences.net
Framework for Transformation (SWIFT). Dr. Sailor’s work focuses on comprehensive K-8 school reform within a multi-tiered framework of MTSS/RTI. He has concentrated on school-wide positive behavior applications and developed a school reform model called the School-wide Applications Model (SAM) which was field tested in Kansas City, Kansas, New
Orleans, Louisiana, East Palo Alto, California, and
Washington, DC
Jennifer Maynard Ph.D.
Educational Consultant for the
T.I.E.R.S group providing training, consultation, and support services to
LEAs and SEAs, focusing on improving supports and services provided to students and data-based decision making.
Holly Paczak, Ed.S.
Coordinator of the T.I.E.R.S Group who manages the design and implementation of TIERS Group technological applications. She evaluates compliance of current practice with federal and state requirements.
Bagels, pastries, coffee will be provided for breakfast.
Lunch will be on site with choices among Panera
Bread Box Lunches.
Other Potential Benefits
Documentation for Continuing Professional
Development (CPD) credit for school psychologists will be provided….
1 Semester Hour of Graduate Credit from NLU may be earned by attending the workshop, submitting an analysis of your district’s SLD eligibility plan, and participating in an online discussion. Cost = $265

Perry Zirkel
Dr. Zirkel’s half day session will present a national and state perspective of SLD identification, including RTI, in terms of the relevant regulations, OSEP policy interpretations, and case law.
This discussion will clarify the difference between legal requirements and professional recommendations and serve as the foundation for well-informed policies and practices that focus on evidence-based collaboration.
Jack Fletcher
Dr. Fletcher’s half day session will focus on identification and intervention issues for students potentially eligible for special education as SLD. Particular attention will be devoted to reliability and validity issues for methods based on patterns of strengths and weaknesses (PSW) and methods that emanate from RTI. There are major psychometric issues with identification that affect all methods of identification, particularly when strict cut points are used and the effects of correlated measures and reliability are considered. More important is the issue of how to intervene.
Evidence-based approaches for each of the six academically-based disabilities in IDEA (basic reading, reading fluency, reading comprehension, math calculations, math problem solving, and written expression) will be presented.
Mark R. Shinn
Dr. Shinn’s sessions will include knowledge and practice advances in data-based decision making with an emphasis on proactive and high quality screening and progress monitoring practices, and secondary MTSS/RTI that is substantially different from elementary implementation on features of instructional focus, screening, and progress monitoring.
Kim Gibbons
Dr. Gibbons’ session on Improving and Evaluating RtI/MTSS will guide participants through a process to audit MTSS practices in their building or district across the five areas of (1) assessments, (2) data-based decision-making, (3) multilevel instruction, (4) infrastructure, and (5) fidelity and evaluation.
Interview and survey tools will be shared along with a rubric to evaluate fidelity of implementation across the five areas.
Finally, tips for linking the results of audits and/or needs assessments to action plans will be presented.
W. Alan Coulter
Dr. Coulter’s session builds on research showing that School Leadership is second only to teacher quality in factors critical to student performance and implementation of RtI/MTSS systems.
Participants will be engaged in active consideration of specific leadership behaviors that underpin effective installation of RtI.
An engaged reflection process will facilitate participants’ consideration of applications to their school context.
Wayne Sailor
Dr. Sailor’s session   will describe a new OSEP-funded approach that is emerging at local and state levels to integrate and transform all funding sources into a braided program for all students to reduce the fragmented silos that characterize traditional approaches to special and general education. Initial results on student achievement offer hope for all educators.
Jennifer Maynard and Holly Paczak
Dr. Maynard’s and Ms. Paczak’s breakout sessions provide information for ensuring installation and sustainability of effective behavioral practices at the school multi-tier behavioral framework within MTSS with building level.
Dr. Perry Zirkel will spend the morning session giving a national and state legal perspective on RtI and SLD identification, discussing a range of ideas including how schools can engage in practices consistent with
IDEA regulations, and ensure that schools and parents are provided appropriate protections.
Dr. Mark R. Shinn, will spend the afternoon session on the science and practice of RtI as SLD eligibility, with separate, but related K-8 (norm-based approaches) and 9-12   (standards-based approaches) identification practices that enable consistent and seamless special education decision making and contribute to an early intervention, tiered services model.

The conference will be held at the LSUHSC
Human Development Center located in the heart of the regional medical complex and just blocks from the Super Dome.
The HDC is a state-of-the-art conference center with advanced technology to support adult learning.
411 S. Prieur
New Orleans, LA 70112
New Orleans is one of America’s most attractive cities and is famous for its architecture, food, and especially its music. The conference dates were selected to be adjacent to the world famous New
Orleans Jazz Fest http://www.nojazzfest.com
This year’s line up includes Elton John, the Who,
Chicago, Keith Urban, Wilco, Widespread Panic and numerous others.
http://lineup.nojazzfest.com
Headliners can be viewed on line at https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fYzSN1SYiM
Jazz Fest offers its own attractive travel packages with discounts for airlines and hotels.
http://www.nojazzfest.com/travel/
Dr. Perry Zirkel will spend the morning session giving a national and state legal perspective on RtI and SLD identification, discussing a range of ideas including how schools can engage in practices consistent with
IDEA regulations, and ensure that schools and parents are provided appropriate protections.
Dr. Mark R. Shinn, will spend the afternoon session on the science and practice of RtI as SLD eligibility, with separate, but related K-8 (norm-based approaches) and 9-12   (standards-based approaches) identification practices that enable consistent and seamless special education decision making and contribute to an early intervention, tiered services model.