Our Voices | Our State | Be amAZing
Join us February 27 + 28, 2024 for our Virtual Annual State Conference from 2:00 - 6:00 PM MST. This online format means that more educators can attend because the Keynote address is scheduled for 3:45 PM when most teachers are finished teaching and therefore substitutes are not necessary. Travel, hotel, or per diem are also not necessary for this event.
FYI, the 2023 conference info below gives you a taste of the amAZing sessions coming soon! Registration for 2024 will open soon, keynote speakers and the schedule will also post before the end of December.
SAVE THE DATE - SEE YOU IN 2024!
2023 Keynote Speakers
Barbara Steinberg- founder of PDX Reading Specialist
Barbara Steinberg has been mentoring and inspiring students, educators, and parents for more than 25 years, first as a classroom teacher and now as a dyslexia and educational consultant. She is the founder of PDX Reading Specialist, an organization whose mission is to inspire individuals to become CONFIDENT and CAPABLE learners.
At her core, Barbara is an educator and advocate working to reshape the narrative of what it means to learn differently. She is a nationally recognized speaker, delivering keynote speeches for Learning Ally, EdWeb and Decoding Dyslexia. She is passionate about training educators on how to deliver evidence-based instruction, equipping them with tools to be successful, and inspiring all to believe that we can not only overcome reading challenges, but prevent them from taking hold. Barbara hopes her workshop inspires and empowers you to help students become confident and capable learners.
Michael J. Kennedy is Professor of Special Education in the School of Education and Human Development at the University of Virginia
Michael J. Kennedy is Professor of Special Education in the School of Education and Human Development at the University of Virginia. He is the head of the STORMED Lab (Supporting Teachers through cOaching, obseRvations, and Multimedia to Educate students with Disabilities). Before completing his Ph.D. at the University of Kansas, he was a high school special education teacher for six years and an elementary level teacher for three years.
Dr. Kennedy's main area of research is the design, implementation, and experimental testing of multimedia-based interventions to support pre- and in-service teachers' knowledge and implementation of evidence-based practices. He has designed and experimentally tested numerous multimedia products intended to support teacher and student outcomes. Innovations include Content Acquisition Podcasts (CAPs), which are instructional vignettes intended to support teachers’ knowledge and readiness to implement evidence-based and high-leverage practices. CAPs can also be used to support literacy and content related outcomes for students with high incidence disabilities.
Dr. Ben Springer-Director of the Family Education Center in Wasatch County School District
Ben Springer is an award-winning and Nationally Certified School Psychologist. Ben is also the author of the popular book, "Happy Kids Don't Punch You in the Face" and has just released a new book for parents called, "GPS: Good Parenting Strategies: The No-Guilt Survival Guide for Parents During the Pandemic and Beyond" from Corwin Press.
Ben received his master's and doctoral degrees from the University of Utah in Educational Psychology. Ben has worked professionally as a teacher, autism specialist, school psychologist, and director of special education. Currently, Ben works as the director of the Family Education Center in Wasatch County School District and manages Totem PD, a professional learning company focusing on practical, ready-to-use tools for educators
2023 Sessions & Presenters
| 1:45-2:00 | PRE-RECORDED LOOP & INTRO OPENS EACH DAY | |||
| 2:00-3:15 | STRAND | TOPIC | SESSION | PRESENTER |
| Legal/ Policy | Legal/ Policy | IDEA Legal and Policy Implications of Applied Behavior Analysis for Students with ASD | Juliet Hart Barnett, Ph.D. | |
| Legal/ Policy | Legal/ Policy | Your Top 10 IEE Questions Answered | David Garner | |
| Legal/ Policy | Legal/ Policy | Title TBA | Denise Lowell-Britt | |
| Legal/ Policy | Legal/ Policy | Implementation Of ESG Metrics For A More Sustainable Future | Amanda Johnson | |
| Support | Staff Support/ Retention | Building Educators Agency: Giving Educators Their Power Back | Benjamin Sullens | |
| Support | Staff Support/ Retention | Strengthening Schools Through Educator Wellbeing | Michael Fauteux | |
| 3:15-3:30 | BREAK | BREAK | BREAK SHOW 2021 AWARD PRESENTATIONS IN A LOOP | SOCIO |
| 3:30-3:45 | WELCOME | WELCOME | WELCOME & MEMBERSHIP | Kim Peaslee & Carrie Brandon |
| 3:45-5:00 | Keynote Speaker | Keynote Speaker | Preventing Reading Failure: The Importance of Explicit, Foundational Skill Instruction for ALL Students | Barbara Steinberg |
| 5:00-5:15 | BREAK | BREAK | BREAK SHOW 2022 AWARD PRESENTATIONS IN A LOOP | SOCIO |
| 5:15-6:30 | STRAND | TOPIC | SESSION A TITLE | PRESENTER |
| Keynote | Interventions | How to Intensify Instruction for Students who Struggle | Barbara Steinberg | |
| Legal/ Policy | Legal/Policy | Legal Tips from Federal Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) Guidance | Lorie A. Gerkey | |
| Legal/ Policy | Legal/Policy | Top 10 Ways Schools Sabotage Themselves In Due Process (And Avoiding Them)! | David Garner | |
| Legal/ Policy | Legal/Policy | Title TBA | Heather Pierson | |
| HLP | Interventions | Stop The Disciplinary Train In Its Tracks - Effective Interventions | Evelyn Shepherd | |
| HLP | Interventions | My Kids Don’t Know Their Facts! Seven Significant Strategies for Math Fluency | Jenifer Fernandez | |
| Support | Staff Support/ Retention | Self-Care Is Not Selfish | Sandy Ortiz | |
| 2/15/23 WEDNESDAY 2023 ANNUAL CONFERENCE SCHEDULE 1:45-6:30 pm MST | ||||
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| 1:45-2:00 | PRE-RECORDED LOOP & INTRO OPENS EACH DAY | |||
| 2:00-3:15 | STRAND | TOPIC | SESSION TITLE | SESSION PRESENTER |
| Support | Staff Support/Retention | HLP Book Study: Bringing educators together for best practices in inclusive classrooms | Dr. Jessica DeBiase, Ed.D. | |
| Support | Staff Support/Retention | Helping Staff Identify Signs/Symptoms And Establish Self-care To Prevent Burnout | Dr. Sylvia Cohen, Ph.D. | |
| Support | Staff Support/Retention | The Power of Relationship in Collaborative Circles | Diane Kent | |
| Support | Staff Support/Retention | Recruitment and Retention of School-Based Behavioral Health Professionals | Jesscia Fisher, M.Ed., CAGS | |
| HLP | Interventions | MTSS Essentials To Build A Successful and Sustainable Framework From The Ground Up | Stacy Anderson | |
| HLP | Interventions | High Leverage Practices Do Change The Learning Profiles For Students With Dyslexia | Brill Pennington | |
| 3:15-3:30 | BREAK | BREAK | BREAK SHOW 2021 AWARD PRESENTATIONS IN A LOOP | SOCIO |
| 3:30-3:45 | BREAK | BREAK | BREAK SHOW 2022 AWARD PRESENTATIONS IN A LOOP | SOCIO |
| 3:45-5:00 | Keynote Speaker | Keynote Speaker | Are We Paying Enough Attention to Cognitive Load When Designing and Delivering Instruction for Students with Disabilities? (Probably Not – But We Should!) | Michael J Kennedy |
| 5:00-5:15 | BREAK | BREAK SHOW 2022 AWARD PRESENTATIONS IN A LOOP | SOCIO | |
| 5:15-6:30 | STRAND | TOPIC | SESSION TITLE | SESSION PRESENTER |
| Keynote Speaker | Interventions | Supporting Students Through Investments in Your Practice: Come to the Bank of the HLPs | Michael Kennedy | |
| Support | Staff Support/Retention | Responsive Facilitation: Preventing and Navigating Conflict in Meetings | Stacey Anderson | |
| Support | Staff Support/Retention | Educator Wellness & Resiliency Workshop | James Bock Ed.D | |
| HLP | Interventions | Using the High Leverage Practice of Precision Teaching and Standard Celeration Charting to Improve Reading and Math Skills | Anne Iniguez, M.Ed. ET/P | |
| HLP | Service Delivery | Increasing Student Transition Planning Knowledge And Skills With Pre-Employment Transition Services Collaboration | Traci Przecioski, MA CRC | |
| HLP | Interventions | Low Intensity Classroom Practices Will Save Your Day | Carrie Brandon, NBCT | |
| HLP | Service Delivery | Training paraprofessionals to utilize the hand under hand teaching strategy | Katie Armstrong | |
| 2/16/23 THURSDAY 2023 ANNUAL CONFERENCE SCHEDULE 1:45-7:00 pm MST | ||||
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| 1:45-2:00 | PRE-RECORDED LOOP & INTRO OPENS EACH DAY | |||
| 2:00-3:15 | STRAND | TOPIC | SESSION TITLE | SESSION PRESENTER |
| Support | Staff Support/ Retention | Building a Culture and Community of Caring | Steve King | |
| Support | Staff Support/ Retention | Burn the Churn: Retention Support for Life-Long Special Education Teachers | Kimberly Rice, MEd | |
| HLP | Interventions | Differential Reinforcement: Learn, Practice, and Apply Right Now! | Lianne McGinley, M.Ed | |
| HLP | Service Delivery | Using Peer Tutors to Increase Student Engagement & Achievement | Jennifer Perry | |
| 3:15-3:30 | BREAK | BREAK | SHOW 2022 AWARD PRESENTATIONS IN A LOOP | SOCIO |
| 3:30-3:45 | AWARDS | 2023 AWARDS | NEW!! 2023 AWARD PRESENTATIONS | Trish Alley |
| 3:45-5:00 | Keynote Speaker | Keynote Speaker | Optimism, Resilience, and You | Ben Springer |
| 5:00-5:15 | BREAK | BREAK | NEW!! 2023 AWARD PRESENTATIONS IN A LOOP | SOCIO |
| 5:15-6:30 | STRAND | TOPIC | SESSION TITLE | SESSION PRESENTER |
| Keynote | Staff Support/ Retention | Title TBA | Ben Springer | |
| HLP | Interventions | Supporting Students with Executive Function Challenges | Samantha DePalo, M.Ed. | |
| Support | Staff Support/ Retention | Paraprofessionals: What Makes Them Stay and What Makes Them Leave? | Kassandra Spurlock, M. Ed. | |
| Support | Staff Support/ Retention | Taking a Closer Look: IEP Facilitation Through a Trauma-Responsive Lens | Lauren Blocher | |
| HLP | Interventions | Super HLP: Your Classroom Management Origin Story | Will Butler, Ed.D | |
| HLP | Service Delivery | Implementation of hand under hand instruction: effect on student performance | Katie Armstrong | |
| 6:30-7:15 | Meeting | All AZCEC Members Welcome | Annual General Meeting – Annual Reports, Nominations for Board Positions | AZCEC, AZCASE, AZCCBD |
2023 Sponsors
Keynote Sponsors
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I Can Do It Award Sponsors
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Conference Exhibitors
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2024 Exhibitor Application
For over 30 years, AZCEC/AZCASE has provided a wonderful opportunity to exhibit your business, services, and support for special education students, teachers, principals and administrators in Arizona. Our virtual conference and after-school event allows schools from across the state to send participants regardless of distance - providing great visibility and awareness of your company.
As always, we sincerely appreciate your support of our organizations, participants and student awards!
2024 Sponsor/Exhibitor Packages
Email Carrie for more information
2024 Registration
Early Bird Conference Rate:
- CEC Member - $69
- Team of 3 - $69 each
- Non-Member Rate - $89
Conference Rate in January 2024:
- CEC Member - $89
- Team of 3 - $89 each
- Non-Member Rate - $109
Annual General Meeting | Feb.16 @ 6:30 PM
- Join the AZCEC and AZCASE Annual General Board Meeting immediately after the conference. The board meeting is OPEN to all members.
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Agenda available in February
Questions?
Please email all conference questions to: AZCEC.conference@gmail.com