March 2024
March 31, 2024, 11:00 PM - March 31, 2024, 11:30 PM | Online
Please note, the dates/times listed under the title of this opportunity are not accurate; licenses will be made available within 48 hours of registration/purchase.
Paraeducator is recognized by the Minnesota Department of Education as an option for the formal assessment required to consider a paraprofessional highly qualified. Paraeducator also provides high quality professional development that districts can use to support all paraprofessionals.
Paraeducator Online Courses Include
- 150+ self-paced courses covering general education and special education environments (Course listing)
- Courses that are organized into bite-sized units and are perfect for training days.
- Post-tests at the end of each course that are automatically graded.
- Training and assessments to highly qualify paraprofessionals and meet Title I, Part A requirements.
- Transcripts and course certificates that paraeducators can access to document their training.
- Content that aligns with CEC standards for paraeducators endorsed by CASE.
- Research-based content written by experts in the field.
Assessment Information
Highly qualified prep courses in the areas of mathematical skills, reading skills, writing skills, and supporting instruction, will be assigned to those taking the assessment. We strongly recommend that individuals complete these prep courses prior to taking the assessments (estimated to take 8-12 hours to complete). The passing scores are 65% for the Instructional Support test and 70% for the Knowledge and Application test.
Instructions for Registering/Purchasing a Paraeducator License
If an individual would like to take the Paraeducator Assessment, he/she should select the Paraeducator Online Course + Assessment License rate when registering. ($79.00/license/year)
If an individual does not need to take the Paraeducator Assessment, he/she should select the Paraeducator Online Course License (no assessments) rate. ($59.00/license/year)
Once an individual has registered/purchased a license, he/she will be contacted via email with next steps for accessing his/her license and for those purchasing the license + assessments, information on scheduling the assessment.
*Individuals planning to take the assessments must have registered here and be assigned a license prior to the testing date and must provide their own internet-accessible laptop.
Districts also have the option to provide testing at their site with a designated proctor.
License Costs
$79 / license - Access to highly qualified online prep courses, access to all online PD courses, and assessments
$59 / license - Access to all online PD courses only
$20 / attempt - Each additional assessment retake
Please use your school email address when registering, even if paying with personal credit card.
Details
March 31, 2024, 11:00 PM - March 31, 2024, 11:30 PM | Online
Join us for a crash course in the essential components needed for students to be successful readers! We will review the "Big 5"(plus 1) of reading instruction and how each component may be implemented in a variety of classrooms.
This on demand training is open for registration at any time. Individuals who register for the training will receive an email confirming their registration. A link to the training content will be emailed to the registrant within 24 hours of registration. Throughout the training, participants will be asked to provide their thoughts or respond to questions posed by the presenter in writing.
At the end of the training, participants will be directed to submit their responses/reflections to the presenter via email. The presenter may respond with questions or feedback. Participants will receive a CEU certificate for the training within one week of their submission.
About the presenter:
Dr. Kori McKibben is originally from Wisconsin, where she attended Carroll University in Waukesha, Wisconsin. She graduated with a degree in elementary education. After teaching in WI for two years, she moved to Minnesota where she was a classroom teacher for five years. Following her work as a classroom teacher, she was the literacy coordinator at a large charter school in St. Paul and kindergarten through eighth grade instructional coach at a small suburban school near the Twin Cities. She has a masters degree in special education and reading and literacy. She completed her Doctorate of Education in reading and literacy in July 2021. She has extensive training in workshop model teaching and balanced literacy, as well as the Science of Reading. She has presented at literacy conferences around the United States on the effective implementation of interactive read-aloud to increase student comprehension. She currently works as an adjunct professor for Winona State University, a course evaluator for Learners Edge, and teaches adult GED courses in the Twin Cities.
In order to receive a CEU certificate for completion of this training, participants must submit their reflections/responses to the presenter by the 15th of the month following the registration date month.
Registration Fee: $59.00/person
Please use your school email address when registering, even if paying with a personal credit card.
Details
Register for this on demand training to review strategies to support English Language Learners in all content areas. Leave with easy to use tools to implement immediately for all grade levels!
This on demand training is open for registration at any time. Individuals who register for the training will receive an email confirming their registration. A link to the training content will be emailed to the registrant within 24 hours of registration. Throughout the training, participants will be asked to provide their thoughts or respond to questions posed by the presenter in writing.
At the end of the training, participants will be directed to submit their responses/reflections to the presenter via email. The presenter may respond with questions or feedback. Participants will receive a CEU certificate for the training within one week of their submission.
About the presenter:
Dr. Kori McKibben is originally from Wisconsin, where she attended Carroll University in Waukesha, Wisconsin. She graduated with a degree in elementary education. After teaching in WI for two years, she moved to Minnesota where she was a classroom teacher for five years. Following her work as a classroom teacher, she was the literacy coordinator at a large charter school in St. Paul and kindergarten through eighth grade instructional coach at a small suburban school near the Twin Cities. She has a masters degree in special education and reading and literacy. She completed her Doctorate of Education in reading and literacy in July 2021. She has extensive training in workshop model teaching and balanced literacy, as well as the Science of Reading. She has presented at literacy conferences around the United States on the effective implementation of interactive read-aloud to increase student comprehension. She currently works as an adjunct professor for Winona State University, a course evaluator for Learners Edge, and teaches adult GED courses in the Twin Cities.
In order to receive a CEU certificate for completion of this training, participants must submit their reflections/responses to the presenter by the 15th of the month following the registration date month.
Registration Fee: $59.00/person
Please use your school email address when registering, even if paying with a personal credit card.
Details
April 2024
SSC has opened up its Superintendent Advisory Committee meetings to all member district superintendents in our region. These meetings are an opportunity for SE MN superintendents to learn more about and provide input on SSC's programs and services, communicate ways in which SSC can support their district, and network with peers. These meetings will take place four times per year at SSC. There will be no charge to attend, lunch and refreshments will be served, and attendees will be reimbursed for their mileage.
Details
April 24, 2024, 08:00 AM - April 24, 2024, 12:00 PM | Maple/Willow Room
Is your district or school interested in implementing restorative practices, but not sure how to plan in a systematic manner that will allow teachers to feel part of the process? Join other leaders and implementation teams to learn more about restorative practices, tools that can be used in the implementation process, and to develop an implementation plan for your building or district.
As part of this series, participants will participate in a book study for the book The Restorative Practices Playbook: Tools for Transforming Discipline in Schools and review resources available from MDE. One copy of the workbook will be provided per team. If additional copies are preferred, they may be purchased here.
The first three sections of the Playbook will be reviewed in the initial session with a facilitated conversation to inform your team in developing building and district implementation plans as part of your spring planning. Follow up sessions will be focused on providing guidance, resources, and implementation planning to allow participants to focus conversations around their building/district plan for the coming months. In the last session, participants will finalize their building/district implementation plan for the 2024-25 school year. As an added resource, each building/district team will be provided the opportunity to participate in up to three follow up calls with facilitator Joe Jezierski throughout the process.
Districts are encouraged to send a team of building and district leaders to these sessions.
Session 1 - Wednesday, April 24, 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Session 2 - Wednesday, May 22, 9:00 - 11:00 AM
Session 3 - Wednesday, June 12, 9:00 - 11:00 AM
Session 4 - Wednesday, August 14, 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
*Sessions are in person at SSC; virtual option provided if needed.
Registration Rates:
SSC Member Rate: $229.00/person
Non Member Rate: $239.00/person
About the Presenter. Joe Jezierski is a School Climate Advocate with the SE/ Metro Regional Center of Excellence. Prior to his work with the Regional Center, Joe served as a teacher, coach, principal, activities director, and Director of Teaching and Learning in districts throughout Minnesota.
Details
Do you work or volunteer with youth? Please join us for this in-person opportunity to learn more about working with adolescents.
Youth Mental Health First Aid teaches adults how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges among children and adolescents ages 6-18 years old.
Participants will be on their own for lunch, but snacks and refreshments will be provided.
Registration Costs:
SSC Member Fee: $89/person*
Non Member Fee: $99/person*
*Approximately 50% of the cost is being covered by a grant funded through the MN Department of Health)
Seats are limited so register now!
This training will also be offered on June 11, 2024. To register for this date, please go back to the main events listing and choose the date you would like.
About the presenter:
Cheryl Wendt, D. Ed., LSW, has worked in schools and non-profits for 25 years. She has experience as a school social worker, special education director, charter school director and a program manager. She is currently the Mental Health Program Coordinator for the Southeast Service Cooperative and is a certified Youth Mental Health First Aid Trainer.
Details
April 30, 2024, 09:00 AM - April 30, 2024, 03:00 PM | Cedar Room
School Nurse Community of Practice for the 23-24 School Year
Details
May 2024
Do you work or volunteer with adults? Please join us for this in-person opportunity to learn more about working with others who may be experiencing a mental health concern.
Adult Mental Health First Aid is a skills-based training that teaches people how to identify, understand and respond to signs and symptoms of a mental health or substance use challenge in adults ages 18 and over.
Participants will be on their own for lunch, but snacks and refreshments will be provided.
Registration Costs:
SSC Member Fee: $89/person*
Non Member Fee: $99/person*
*Approximately 50% of the cost is being covered by a grant funded through the MN Department of Health
Seats are limited so register now!
About the presenter:
Cheryl Wendt, D. Ed., LSW, has worked in schools and non-profits for 25 years. She has experience as a school social worker, special education director, charter school director and a program manager. She is currently the Mental Health Program Coordinator for the Southeast Service Cooperative and is a certified Adult Mental Health First Aid Trainer.
Details
Join us virtually for an opportunity to connect with other school mental health professionals (school social workers, school counselors, etc.) to discuss relevant topics to our day-to-day work. This will be our last MH CoP for the school year. More information about the virtual link will come out closer to the date.
This opportunity is being provided at no cost to participants through grant funding received from the Minnesota Department of Health.
CEU's provided.
Details
June 2024
Stay tuned for details regarding the agenda.
Details
The Emerging Leader Workshop is designed for aspiring and early-career school administrators who want to learn how to apply the capacities of leadership through skills development that will be used on the job immediately.
During this two-day workshop, the following topics will be covered:
- Facilitative Leadership: How to use techniques and strategies of process facilitation to build culture and achieve measurable outcomes.
- Emotional Intelligence: How to recognize the type of leadership needed for various contexts through the application of emotional intelligence.
- Andragogy Leadership: How to understand and respect the characteristics and needs of adult learners, and how to design and deliver learning for adults through application of processes coaching.
Participants will walk away with the capacity to design and deliver learning and collaborative experiences specific to adult learners, facilitation skills and techniques for creating a positive and productive staff culture and climate, and strategies to improve emotional intelligence and use it to enhance leadership performance.
This exciting learning opportunity, facilitated by Agile Ideas Leadership facilitators Shannon Helgeson and Ross Herdina, will take place at SSC from 8:30 AM to 2:30 PM on Monday, June 10, and Tuesday, June 11, 2024.
Lunch, refreshments, and Admin CEUs will be provided.
Registration Rates:
SSC Member Rate: $489/person
Non Member Rate: $509/person
About the Presenters:
Ross Herdina is a leadership development facilitator focused on building the skills of educators to be the leaders in their buildings and communities through training focused on andragogy as a central practice to improving learning experiences. Through his expertise in development of systems, schools build cultures of learning, feedback, and growth.
Shannon Helgeson is a growth-focused coach and team facilitator who supports leaders in becoming facilitators in their schools and communities. Through a deep understanding of the psychology of learning and an emphasis on team collaboration and individual engagement, she moves teams from "going through the motions" to team buy-in and advocacy.
Details
Please join us at the annual Facilities Management Town Hall, co-hosted by SSC and IEA. Topics to be covered during the event include MDE legislative and LTFM updates.
Details
Do you work or volunteer with youth? Please join us for this in-person opportunity to learn more about working with adolescents.
Youth Mental Health First Aid teaches adults how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges among children and adolescents ages 6-18 years old.
Participants will be on their own for lunch, but snacks and refreshments will be provided.
Registration Costs:
SSC Member Fee: $89/person*
Non Member Fee: $99/person*
*Approximately 50% of the cost is being covered by a grant funded through the MN Department of Health)
Seats are limited so register now!
About the presenter:
Cheryl Wendt, D. Ed., LSW, has worked in schools and non-profits for 25 years. She has experience as a school social worker, special education director, charter school director and a program manager. She is currently the Mental Health Program Coordinator for the Southeast Service Cooperative and is a certified Youth Mental Health First Aid Trainer.
Details
August 2024
Teachers from Southeast Minnesota STEM Forward member schools will be learning to use the We Share Solar suitcases and curriculum.
Details
September 2024
September 10, 2024, 09:30 AM - September 10, 2024, 11:30 AM | Oak Room
SSC is hosting the annual MDE Tax and Certification workshop on Tuesday, September 10, from 9:30 to 11:30 AM. MDE will have levy certification forms available for each school district prior to these workshops. Please have access to your district forms during the workshop – no additional data for your district will be provided.
You can download your information at the Department’s website as follows:
- Go to the MDE website http://education.state.mn.us and click on the tab at the top labeled “Data Center” and choose the item labeled “Data Reports and Analytics” in the drop-down menu
- Click on Minnesota Funding Reports (MFR) which is under the "School Finance Reports section.
- Click on your district name.
- Click on Report Categories, then scroll down to find Levy Limitation and Certification Reports and click on the 2024-25 link. (The 2024-25 information will not be available until early September.)