Professional Development | News

Blended Schools Network Debuts PD for Special Ed

• By Michael Hart
• 09/24/14

A new online professional development course to help classroom teachers improve their instructional skills with students in special education programs is now available.

The Blended Schools Network (BSN) will begin offering its professional development courses October 6 to all teachers responsible for the learning of special education students.

These courses, for teachers with general education classes that include special education students, will help them with individualized education plans, differentiation, paraprofessional potential, data collection and instructional strategies.

According to a BSN spokesperson, teachers will develop skills with the courses that they will be able to incorporate into the classroom the very next day.

The courses have been developed by Pam Danklefsen, an advisor for professional development and special education at Sibling Group Holdings, of which BSN is a subsidiary. Danklefsen has extensive experience both in and out of the classroom developing programming for children with disabilities.

This will be the first time BSN has offered the courses; most of its professional development courses in the past have been intended to help teachers with blended and online learning.

BSN representatives said the development of the courses was in response to a great need for professional development for special education. According to the National Education Association, the number of students in the United States enrolled in special education programs has increased 30 percent over the last 10 years and three out of four students with disabilities now spend all or part of their day in general education classes.

For more information on the professional development courses, go to the Blended Schools site.