Emotional/Behavioral Health Series

10 PDPs available for going to courses A and B, as well as  completing the part C. reflection.

Option A: Executive Functioning Across Tiers

Instructor: Alex Hirshberg
Dates: June 29, 2026
Time:  8:30-11:30 AM
Location:  Freeman Kennedy Library
PDP’s: 3
Description: Students need more than just knowledge to reach their academic potential.  Initiating work, planning and organizing assignments, sustaining attention, these all fall under the umbrella of executive functioning skills.  Participants learn how to embed executive functioning skill deficits in the classroom, identify students who need more, and provide tiered coaching services so that students can implement these skills independently for the rest of their lives.  

Option B: Supporting Anxious Students in School

Instructor: Alex Hirshberg
Dates: June 29, 2026
Time:  12:00-03:00 PM
Location:  Freeman Kennedy Library
PDP’s: 3
Description: Anxiety disorder rates are on the rise in this country.  There are many factors for this, including the pernicious effects of social media.  However, the greatest factor is the way that our society views negative emotional states.  All too often, we choose to accommodate away distress instead of arming our students with the tools needed to tolerate and overcome emotional discomfort.  This training reviews the factors that reinforce anxiety in school and discusses concrete steps that can be taken to move to a new approach:  building self-regulation skills so students can thrive despite emotional obstacles.

Option C: Reflection Project

Instructor: Independent Assignment
Due Date: By October 9, 2026
PDP’s: 4
Description: Educators completing this two part series have the opportunity to complete a small written assignment/ reflection project in order to earn an additional 4 PDPs for a total of 10 PDPs that can be applied towards recertification requirements in the area of Special Education.  Educators should select one or two strategies/ techniques they learned about during the sessions to implement in their classrooms in September.  Following implementation, educators should write a 1-2 page reflection on their learning from the course and on the effectiveness of the strategies or techniques they have tried in their classrooms.  Reflections should be submitted to the Superintendent’s office in your district no later than October 9, 2026