Bridging the Opportunity Gap: Special Education in WELS Schools
What does special education look like in WELS schools? How can organizational structure support educators and administrators to serve students with disabilities? This session will include a practical discussion on how to organize and start a special education program at your school or group of schools.
A clarifying overview of important definitions, terms and processes will be introduced and reviewed including: child find, pre-referral, referral, eligibility criteria, the special education process, and planning appropriate adaptations: accommodations and modifications. A legal overview of the special education process, navigating federal and state laws, policies, funding streams, and building a positive relationship with your local public school will be discussed and resources will be provided for future reference. In addition, information on how WELS leadership, particularly in the area of special education, can serve you and organizational structure will be presented. Registered participants will be contacted prior to the session with a pre-assessment in order to customize the presentation to the specific needs of the attendees. This sectional is intended to support educators and administrators to serve students with disabilities.
Kelli L. Green serves as professor of special education at Martin Luther College. Kelli has a Master’s of Arts in Special Education with a K-12 Learning Disabilities and Emotional Behavioral Disorders licensure. She also holds state licenses for Elementary Education K-6 and Communications Language Arts 5-8. Kelli recently completed her licensure in Administration of Special Education and Year 2 of Ed.D. in Leadership and Learning at University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN. Kelli has twenty-one years of teaching experience as a Lutheran school third grade teacher and public school special education teacher who also served nonpublic schools gaining a wide variety of experiences that included students K-12 with learning disabilities, emotional behavioral disorders, autism spectrum disorder, other health disabilities, trauma, diversity, and more. The Lord has given Kelli a passion for serving educators as they serve these precious students and their families.
Dr. Mark Murphy serves as a professor at Wisconsin Lutheran College. He teaches SPED courses in the undergraduate and graduate programs. He is the administrator of the graduate program, with oversight of principal, director of instruction, and director of SPED licensure. He is a licensed elementary, biology, general science, and SPED teacher focusing in the area of learning disabilities. He earned an M.A. in Ed. Leadership with certifications as a Pre K-12 Principal and Director of SPED. He completed his PhD in SPED Leadership with an emphasis in Learning Disabilities. He recently worked for a year as a superintendent intern in a district to complete his K-12 superintendent licensure. He has experienced the educational process from the classroom teacher and administrative perspectives in both public and parochial settings. Some of his most rewarding experiences have been working with students with learning disabilities, watching them overcome obstacles, and experiencing success.
