Each year at the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) Convention & Expo, thousands of special education professionals from around the world come together to learn, share, grow, and connect. With hundreds of sessions on just about every topic in the field, the CEC Convention & Expo is THE professional development event for special educators to find research, tips, and strategies you can actually apply to supporting students with disabilities and/or gifts and talents. CAST is thrilled to participate in this incredibly important event.
Visit our CAST of Characters at these fantastic sessions and at booth 621 in the exhibit hall:
Wednesday, March 1, 2023
- Workshop 06 – School-Wide Implementation of Universal Design for Learning: A Learner Centered Design Approach
Wednesday, March 1, 2023 | 9:00 am – 12:00 pm ET
Presenters: Bill Wilmot & Jennifer Levine
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework for ensuring all learners, including students with disabilities, have access to curriculum and the opportunity to develop as expert learners. CAST, the originators of UDL, will share the newly developed framework to support the systematic implementation of UDL called the UDL School Implementation and Certification Criteria. They will share an approach to using this framework to drive ongoing school change using a process that merges implementation science and user-centered design to ensure that the needs of all learners placed at the center of improvement processes. Join us to explore the latest tools and thinking about UDL implementation, whether you are in an initial exploration phase or scaling across your whole district. - Workshop 18 – Engaging and Educating Learners Using Technology
Wednesday, March 1, 2023 | 1:00 – 4:00 pm ET
Presenters: Tara Courchaine, Cynthia Curry, Tracey Hall, & Kristin Robinson
Educators and teacher preparation faculty will learn and explore considerations for incorporating technology in their classrooms. Workshop topics will include accessibility and Universal Design for Learning (UDL). You will learn how to select and use technology that meets the needs of all learners, including learners with disabilities, second language learners, and other underserved populations. - Engaging Families as Partners in the Digital Learning Process
Wednesday, March 1, 2023 | 3:30 – 4:30 pm ET
Presenters: Maggie Pickett & Michelle Soriano
Learn from examples of families joining leadership teams to move the needle in collaborative planning, putting students first to ensure equitable access to learning materials by leveraging accessible technology tools and assistive technologies. Participants will be able to: 1. Launch work with their district leadership to coordinate a technology leadership team that includes representatives from families and the special education team. 2. Leverage new resources and the technical assistance tools that are openly licensed and available to all school districts and administrators to support the seamless implementation of accessible materials and assistive technologies. - Opening General Session – Revolution or Evolution: Where is Special Education Headed?
Wednesday, March 1, 2023 | 5:00 – 6:30 pm ET
Presenters: Derek Govin, Darla Gundler, Lindsay Jones, Ruth Ryder, LaRon Scott, Zelphine Smith Dixon, Felicia C. Smith, & Laurie VanderPloeg
As we recover from the rollercoaster that has made up the last three years, is our field in need of a revolution? Or an evolution of what we know? Join eight thought leaders as they discuss their vision of the future of special education in this interactive panel.
Thursday, March 2, 2023
- Experience Corgi: Explore Digital Graphic Organizers to Support Student Learning
Thursday, March 2, 2023 | 8:00 – 9:00 am ET
Presenters: Jenna Gravel, James Basham, Jose Blackorby, Bryan Dean, and Anne-Marie Knokey
In this session, we’ll share a demonstration of Corgi and how it can be used with an NGSS-aligned lesson. Participants will explore Corgi and brainstorm uses for Corgi in their contexts. Participants will be able to: 1. Understand how Corgi supports students with and without disabilities to engage in a step-by-step process to break down and make meaning of complex ideas. 2. Understand how Corgi’s UDL-aligned options and supports reduce barriers and increase access to challenging ways of thinking and doing. 3. Immediately access Corgi and continue exploring its features and potential benefits in their own contexts. - Impact of UDL Instruction on General Pre-Service Educators Lesson Planning
Thursday, March 2, 2023 | 10:30 – 11:30 am ET
Presenters: Haidee Jackson & James Basham
This was a mixed-methods study that utilized quantitative and qualitative methods to assess lesson plans for accessibility. Participants will be able to: 1. Become familiarized with examples of general educators’ lesson plans’ modifications after having received instruction in UDL. 2. Identify some strategies and tools that can be used by general educators in developing lesson plans which support the provision of accessible content for students with disabilities in the general education classroom. - Using Corgi to Support STEM Learning
Thursday, March 2, 2023 | 11:45 am – 12:45 pm ET
Presenters: James Basham, Anne-Marie Knokey, Jenna Gravel, & Bryan Dean
Come check out our Research-to-Practice session, which are sessions led by the experts in the field of assistive and instructional research and development. The experts will demonstrate their innovative technology tools as well as share the tips for technology implementation with brief references to how the research has informed the technology design process. Stop by the table and see examples of new technology tools developed with the input from the users. An opportunity to talk with the developers personally is a unique part of this experience.
Friday, March 3, 2023
- Instructional Coaching Foundations to Support UDL, HLP, and EBP Implementation
Friday, March 3, 2023 | 10:30 – 11:30 am ET
Presenters: Tracey Hall, James Basham, Kathleen Zimmerman, & Jenna Gravel
Project COOL is excited to share our online foundations modules and crosswalk to support coaches and educators beginning to integrate these strategies in elementary classrooms. Participants will be able to: 1. Develop a foundational understanding of UDL, HLPs and EBPs practices. 2. Discuss how instructional coaching can support the adoption and use of UDL, HLPs, and EBPs in educational settings. 3. Identify and find resources of adopting and using UDL, HLPs and EBPs in their professional practice. - Accessible Educational Materials in the IEP: Why, Where, and How
Friday, March 3, 2023 | 1:00 – 2:00 pm ET
Presenters: Cynthia Curry & Michelle Soriano
Participants will be provided with action steps and resources to be prepared for their next IEP meeting. Participants will be able to: 1. Explain the importance of including AEM in the IEPs of students who require them. 2. Discuss locations in the IEP where it may be appropriate to refer to a student’s need for and use of AEM and related technologies. 3. Use freely available resources to prepare themselves and others, including parents and caregivers of students who need AEM, to develop their next IEP. - Impact of Two UDL Designed Tools for Secondary Students – Clusive and STEMfolio
Friday, March 3, 2023 | 1:00 – 2:00 pm ET
Presenters: Tracey Hall & Kristin Robinson
Come check out our Research-to-Practice session, which are sessions led by the experts in the field of assistive and instructional research and development. The experts will demonstrate their innovative technology tools as well as share the tips for technology implementation with brief references to how the research has informed the technology design process. Stop by the table and see examples of new technology tools developed with the input from the users. An opportunity to talk with the developers personally is a unique part of this experience. - Supporting Students and Teachers in Science Sense Making Projects
Friday, March 3, 2023 | 2:15 – 3:15 pm ET
Presenters: Anne-Marie Knokey, Jenna Gravel, Kristin Robinson, & Tracey Hall
Check out our table at the Educator Share Fair, which is led by selected educators who will share how they use technology in their educational setting and the subsequent benefits experienced by students with disabilities. This will be a share fair experience where attendees can stop by the table and see examples of how technology is implemented. An opportunity to talk with the educator(s) personally is a unique part of this experience.
Virtual Only
Tuesday, April 25, 2023
Please note: These workshops require an additional registration fee.
- Virtual Workshop 24 – Engaging and Educating Learners Using Technology
Tuesday, April 25, 2023 | 11:00 am – 1:00 pm ET
Presenters: Tara Courchaine, Cynthia Curry, Tracey Hall, Bryan Dean, & Kristin Robinson
Educators and teacher preparation faculty will learn and explore considerations for incorporating technology in their classrooms. Workshop topics will include accessibility and Universal Design for Learning (UDL). You will learn how to select and use technology that meets the needs of all learners, including learners with disabilities, second language learners, and other underserved populations. - Virtual Workshop 33 – School-Wide Implementation of Universal Design for Learning: A Learner Centered Design Approach
Tuesday, April 25, 2023 | 5:00 – 7:00 pm ET
Presenters: Bill Wilmot & Jennifer Levine
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework for ensuring all learners, including students with disabilities, have access to curriculum and the opportunity to develop as expert learners. CAST, the originators of UDL, will share the newly developed framework to support the systematic implementation of UDL called the UDL School Implementation and Certification Criteria. They will share an approach to using this framework to drive ongoing school change using a process that merges implementation science and user-centered design to ensure that the needs of all learners placed at the center of improvement processes. Join us to explore the latest tools and thinking about UDL implementation, whether you are in an initial exploration phase or scaling across your whole district.