2026 Summer Institute Strands

Presenters: Jessica Villeneuve and Camille Koosmann

Description: Restorative Practices (RP) first came to schools over 30 years ago as an alternative way to respond to harm that was relational, non-exclusionary, and based in a dedication to healing and growth instead of punishment and shame. Research has linked RP with improved school climate, greater school connectedness, increased student attendance, improved test scores, increased graduation rates, reduced discipline referrals, reduced violent and serious incidents, and decreased punitive and exclusionary discipline responses. As the field has evolved, emphasis has shifted to how to use the principles of restorative approaches to transform climate and culture so that less harm happens, students and adults are more engaged in learning, and everyone is more willing and able to participate in difficult conversations. From this shift, a new field has been born – Holistic Restorative Education (HRE).

In this interactive strand, participants will receive an introduction to RP as well as explore and practice the ways that RP, trauma-informed practices, mindfulness, Social-Emotional Learning (SEL), and equity all weave together to build and strengthen the skill, motivation, and capacity for all members of a school community to thrive. This approach recognizes that educators cannot meet their students’ needs well if their own needs are not being met, and therefore, seeks to change systems and practices to be more human-centered and support the needs of everyone. During our time together, participants will learn practical ways to create a powerful shift in school culture and increase engagement, collaboration, and active responsibility.

Learning Objectives: ​​During this strand, participants will:

• Establish a Restorative Foundation: Experience slowing down and connecting as essential ways to prepare for learning; listen to and experience the importance of capacity, skill, motivation, and “ballast-building”; identify needs of a learning community and strategies to meet them.
• Explore the “What” & “Why” of Restorative Practices: Explore the core concepts of a holistic restorative approach; learn about the call for and the implementation of RP in U.S. schools; practice advocating for needs and using strategies to get there.
• Learn How to Work WITH Each Other: The Heart of Restorative Communication: Examine the Social Discipline Window/Relationship Matrix, Compass of Shame, and P.A.I.R. Up! Communication framework; practice a variety of discrete restorative communication skills.
• Getting Real: Applying Holistic Restorative Approaches to Your Context: practice using the P.A.I.R.Up! Framework with school-based scenarios; design your own restorative practice and review and provide feedback on others’; consider the use of “Street Data” to inform your work in schools on materials to support your foray into holistic restorative education; develop change ideas in their school contexts.

Intended Audience: This strand is recommended not only for educators who desire a comprehensive introduction to restorative practices and principles to lead school change, but also for teachers who wish to use a restorative approach to transform their classrooms and how it feels to be a teacher. No prior experience is needed. Those already familiar with the use of the restorative approach will have ample opportunities to share their experience and develop a deeper understanding.

Bios:

Jessica is a facilitator, trainer, consultant, and coach, and recently completed Brown University’s ACT LPCC Leadership Coaching Program. Previously, Jessica was a school administrator. Before becoming a school principal, she began teaching high school Social Studies with a passion for awakening an understanding of justice, diversity, and global issues in young people. Her path toward Restorative Practices began when she brought Restorative Justice to her school community to target issues of inequity and conflict. She then began to present to a wider audience the powerful impact of these processes. She expanded the restorative model as an administrator, training teachers to implement restorative approaches in their classrooms, thereby decreasing behavior referrals and increasing the strength of the learning community. In the role of assistant principal and principal, her greatest joy was in working closely with families and community stakeholders to repair harm and work towards restoring relationships.

Camille is a restorative practitioner, trainer, and coach who has been in the field of restorative practices since graduating from Champlain College in 2016. She has seen firsthand the impact that a restorative approach has on building and maintaining caring, responsive, and connected communities. Camille has worked applying restorative approaches in many settings, most recently in K-12 schools throughout Vermont. Her passion for restorative practices stems from working alongside youth and educators in creating transformational change in classrooms and school communities. Camille formerly led the Restorative Practices in Schools program for the Franklin Grand Isle Restorative Justice Center, serving as the schoolwide restorative practices coordinator for Bakersfield Elementary Middle School as well as providing support, training, and coaching to 9 other schools in Franklin and Grand Isle counties. Independently, she has worked with other restorative practitioners and schools across the state. She brings a background in communication and conflict management as well as a specialization in resource development to her role as the materials specialist for Starling Collaborative.

Presenter: Jon Kidde

Description: There has been a surge of interest in the use of restorative approaches nationally and in Vermont schools. Many in education are initially drawn to restorative approaches in schools to learn different and more effective ways to respond to wrongdoing and address harm. Yet, with good reason, initial training often focuses on the importance of applying restorative approaches proactively and universally to build a healthy school community. This foundational work is critical to support understanding and application of an approach that differs significantly from our more dominant systems.

Inevitably, educators and administrators who embrace restorative principles end up applying restorative approaches when things go wrong, to address needs, and respond to harm, sometimes without adequate training and support to do so. This training will give participants the necessary skills to respond restoratively and opportunities to reflect on their fidelity to restorative principles.

Learning Objectives: ​​By the end of this strand, participants will:

• Build upon their colleagues’/school’s current understanding of restorative approaches and MTSS
• Create space for reflection around what’s working and offer opportunities for course correction where practice (or procedure) has strayed from principles
• Further develop skills and strategies to respond to harm and re-engage those who have become disengaged
• Assess where and when restorative approaches are most appropriate
• Enhance facilitation of restorative processes through practice, skill development, and navigating common challenges
• Bring strategies and skills needed back to their school community to do this work well on an individual and systemic level
• Connect to a community of colleagues who are exploring and applying restorative principles and practices in schools within an MTSS framework.

Intended Audience: This advanced strand is designed for teams with an administrator. All participants should have a strong foundational knowledge of restorative approaches.

Bio:

Jon has been exploring the concepts of restorative justice (RJ) for 25+ years and has played a critical role in the conceptualization, application, and enhancement of restorative justice within different contexts-education, justice, and within organizations in several states. Jon is currently an independent consultant focused on restorative justice and school discipline & juvenile justice reform living in Vermont. Jon received an MSW degree from the School of Social Welfare at University of California – Berkeley. He co-authored Restorative Justice: A Working Guide for Our Schools with Rita Alfred during the initial implementation of RJ within Oakland Unified School District. He is a Certified Dialogue Education Teacher.

Presenter: Dr. Shelley Moore

Description: Dr. Shelley Moore invites educators to explore how inclusion is built through intentional design of curriculum, instruction, and assessment. This strand focuses on using grade-level learning standards as anchors, applying backwards design, creating asset-based learning continuums, and designing lessons through a Universal Design for Learning lens. Participants will engage collaboratively with real classroom examples to examine how anticipating learner variability, reducing barriers, and centering student agency lead to more equitable, compassionate, and connected learning environments for all students.

Learning Objectives: ​​During this strand, participants will:

• Reframe inclusion as a design responsibility: Articulate inclusion as a commitment to anticipating learner variability through curriculum, instruction, and assessment design, rather than adapting for students after barriers appear.
• Use grade-level learning standards as the anchor for inclusion: Identify and unpack grade-level learning standards (knowledge, skills, and understandings) and explain how maintaining these standards for all students is essential to equity, belonging, and high expectations.
• Apply backwards design to preserve the integrity of learning and assessment: Use backwards design to separate learning goals from tasks, enabling differentiated pathways and student choice without compromising standards-based assessment.
• Design asset-based learning continuums to define growth within standards: Create additive, task-neutral learning continuums that start with essential conceptual understanding, include access points, and extend toward greater complexity, clarifying what growth looks like for all learners.
• Design lessons that reduce barriers using UDL: Design lessons using Universal Design for Learning that intentionally support engagement, understanding, and expression through shared entry points, flexible pathways, and scaffolded challenge.
• Center student agency in learning and assessment: Design learning and assessment experiences that provide student choice of challenge, tools, actions, and evidence, increasing motivation, accuracy of assessment, and meaningful participation.

Intended Audience: The primary audience for this strand is K-12 Classroom Teachers, Special Education Teachers, and Paraprofessionals. Support Staff, Administrators, and District Staff are also welcome to join.

Bio: 

Based in British Columbia, Canada, Dr. Shelley Moore is a highly sought-after inclusive education researcher, teacher, consultant and storyteller. She has worked with school districts and community organizations around the world. Her research explores how to support teachers to design for all learners in grade level academic classrooms that include students with intellectual disabilities using strength based and responsive approaches. Shelley completed her undergraduate degree in Special Education at the University of Alberta, her Masters at Simon Fraser University, and her Ph.D. at the University of British Columbia. Shelley is so grateful to live on the traditional, unceded, and ancestral territory of Squamish First Nation, specifically Nex̱wlélex̱wm, also known as Bowen Island, with her wife, their two daughters and Irish Terrier.

Presenter: Dr. Deonna Smith

Description: Educators will engage in hands-on, implementation-focused sessions. We’ll blend theory and practice to leave participants feeling excited and with a sense of agency around creating joyful and inclusive spaces. We will explore what it means to intentionally build and then sustainably maintain a joyful and inclusive classroom. We’ll cover a wide variety of topics, from setting up the classroom and laying the foundation for a thriving classroom culture, to systems where educators spend less time “managing” behavior and more time learning. We’ll unpack strategies that create an ecosystem where educators have the means to lead a healthy classroom culture and respond to dysregulated students in a way that addresses challenging behaviors while still humanizing students with a minimal impact on classroom culture. We will engage with all tiers of MTSS with practical and sustainable strategies. Participants will explore the power of joy as perhaps the most meaningful lever inside their classrooms. During the strand, educators will engage with Rooted in Joy. The text will anchor our work, but also provide educators with a tangible reference point to make the learning endure long past the session itself.

Learning Objectives: ​​During this strand, participants will:

• Build Educators’ Capacity to Cultivate Joyful & Inclusive Classrooms: Participants will begin to understand what a classroom that fosters a joy of learning & community looks like. We’ll engage the mindsets and approaches necessary to create an inclusive culture of positivity and belonging.
• Develop an Educator Toolkit: Educators will develop a robust toolkit of strategies and practices from community building to responding to escalated students in a way that humanizes students, maintains a healthy ecosystem and culture, and reduces teacher burnout. We will dive deep into what it means to respond to all MTSS tiers in a joyful and sustainable way.
• Bridge the Gap between Best Practices & Implementation: This strand will allow participants to move from understanding and skill-building to practice and implementation.

Intended Audience: Sessions will be ideal for teams, but accessible for individuals as well. Materials are suited for classroom teachers, school leaders, and other educators.

Bio:

Dr. Deonna Smith is an author, former school leader, and advocate for justice. Deonna started her career teaching 5th grade in Oakland, CA, and went on to teach middle school math and science, K-8 intervention, and several electives and academic support subjects along the way. Dr. Smith’s specialty is asset pedagogies, including ensuring that Black and Brown students are able to thrive in their classrooms. After a decade in schools, Deonna has now stepped into the role of facilitator and coach for organizations across the country who want to start, sustain, and scale their equity work.

Presenter: Sarah Ward

Description: Tired of reminding students what to do, where to go, what to bring, and when to start? Imagine a classroom where they do it without you. Executive function instruction often happens outside the classroom, but executive function challenges show up inside it. This session bridges that gap by aligning support with the setting where it’s needed most.

We’ll take a deep dive into the award-winning 360 Thinking™ Executive Function Methodology and how to seamlessly weave it into every classroom, subject, routine, and transition. No isolated lessons. No “EF period” at 2:15. Just real students using real tools for situational awareness, time management, task planning, self‑regulation, and cognitive flexibility in real time. Participants will learn how to implement these strategies not as an “add-on,” but as a mindset and method that fits within your existing teaching practices and your school’s MTSS framework.

This is a learn-it-today, use-it-tomorrow kind of training. You’ll leave with dozens of practical strategies you can start using immediately, plus new language to describe what executive function is, how it develops, and how it can be supported across the day.

Learning Objectives: ​​By the end of this strand, participants will learn:

• What executive function actually is and how lagging EF skills (not lack of motivation) drive many student challenges
• How to teach students to “see” the future and act with intention
• How to use the “Get Ready * Do * Done” Model to turn any academic task into a teachable moment
• Visual time management strategies to help students feel and manage time independently
• How to reduce prompt-dependence and shift students from “What do I do next?” to “Here’s my plan”
• Simple, powerful ways to tweak routines and transitions to increase student independence.

Intended Audience: Individuals and teams are acceptable. This strand offers more of an intermediate to advanced level of instruction. Appropriate for general education teachers, SPED teachers, SLP/OT/PT, school counselors, psychologists, behavior specialists, and administrators.

Bio:

Sarah Ward, M.S., CCC/SLP has over 30 years of experience in the treatment of executive dysfunction. She is an internationally recognized expert on executive function and presents seminars on the practical strategies she has developed with her Co-Director, Kristen Jacobsen. Together, they created the 360 Thinking Executive Function Program, which received the Innovative Promising Practices Award from CHADD. Their latest work, The Time Tracker Program-a groundbreaking three-volume book series-has received high acclaim for its innovative approach to shifting students from adult-managed to self-regulated time management. Sarah has presented to over 2,000 public and private schools and organizations across the globe. In recognition of their international impact on executive function skills in education, Sarah and Kristen were named one of the Top 10 Professional Development Providers for 2023 by Education Technology Insights Magazine. M.S., CCC/SLP has over 30 years of experience in the treatment of executive dysfunction. She is an internationally recognized expert on executive function and presents seminars on the practical strategies she has developed with her Co-Director, Kristen Jacobsen. Together, they created the 360 Thinking Executive Function Program, which received the Innovative Promising Practices Award from CHADD. Their latest work, The Time Tracker Program-a groundbreaking three-volume book series-has received high acclaim for its innovative approach to shifting students from adult-managed to self-regulated time management. Sarah has presented to over 2,000 public and private schools and organizations across the globe. In recognition of their international impact on executive function skills in education, Sarah and Kristen were named one of the Top 10 Professional Development Providers for 2023 by Education Technology Insights Magazine.

Presenters: Howard Moody and Maureen Burford

Description: Play is one of the most natural ways young people explore, connect, and make meaning of their world. Yet as students move through the K–12 years, opportunities for playful learning often diminish—even as students’ need for agency and connection grows.

This strand invites you to explore play through an intentional, holistic lens. Together, we will examine how thoughtfully designed, playful learning supports the whole child or teen, deepens engagement across subject areas, and empowers students with greater agency in their own learning and well-being. Integrating compelling new research on holistic human development and playful learning, you will experience specific, practical ways that intentional playfulness in learning can strengthen focus and discernment, inspiration, self-discipline, empathy, and other foundational capacities—and support students’ ability to learn and engage meaningfully with others.

Drawing on their experience across classroom and out-of-school settings, including Creative Lives’ work in holistic human development, the presenters will share strategies that foster connected, compassionate learning communities. Guest presenters will include a principal who will share how her school creates large-scale, community-driven play events that strengthen relationships across grade levels and families, and a teacher who will demonstrate how well-guided social play has transformed her students’ emotional balance, cooperative skills, and compassion.

Whether joining the strand as an individual or as part of a team, you will develop a plan for integrating playful learning in ways that feel most relevant and appropriate to your role and setting. You’ll leave with practical tools that support academic success and social-emotional well-being.

Learning Objectives: During this strand, participants will:

• Learn seven essential developmental capacities that support learning, behavior, and well-being—and practical ways to strengthen each through intentional play and playful learning routines.
• Identify which forms of playful learning (social, imaginative, reflective, structured) best align with students’ developmental needs, subject areas, and MTSS tiers of support.
• Learn to use play-based strategies to promote self-awareness, perspective-taking, and student voice across ages, grade levels, and learning contexts.
• Apply playful approaches to strengthen focus and discernment, supporting learning retention, problem-solving, and wise decision-making in academic work.
• Learn to use well-facilitated social play to build connection, compassion, and belonging, foundational to a positive school climate at all grade levels.
• Experiencing how collective focus and shared attention support collaboration, discussion, and community problem-solving.
• Practice adult awareness and attunement strategies that support educator steadiness and perception in complex teaching environments—strengthening connection, safety, and learning for children and adolescents.

Intended Audience: This strand is for educators working with students in PreK-12th grade. It will be meaningful for teams and individuals.

Bios:

Howard Moody has been facilitating workshops for over 35 years. Howard has also been a teacher and successful coach of numerous sports for many years and deeply understands the value of creating effective teams and how to achieve peak performance. Howard has been a faculty member at the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies for many years and is also the co-founder of The Adventure Game Theater, an extraordinary improvisational learning process for teens that has been featured on PBS and NPR). Combining experiential learning with creativity, improvisational theater, play, community building, mythology and storytelling the Adventure Game theater has brought magic into many young people’s lives. Deepening connections among people is Howard’s passion and his mission is to help people be fully inspired, creative and playful in all that they do. Howard is also the author of Nurtured Heart Approach and the comprehensive games book, The Heart of Play Games Manual- 200 Activities for Connection and Joy. Recently through his collaboration with the Starling Collaborative, a strong focus of the work is for educators to articulate the importance of, and the how-to of, Building Relational Trust and Connection through Play. Howard is also a certified trainer in Conscious Communication, Emotional Responsibility and Laughter Yoga and a certified Playmaker with Life is Good Playmaker Project.

Maureen Buford, Creative Lives Director, is a veteran educator and accomplished musician with 38 years of experience working with students from the early years through college. In 2012, she partnered with author Ellen Tadd to bring Tadd’s discoveries about the chakra system and its role in human development to the field of education. Maureen has shared the Framework approach with thousands of children and teens, locally and nationally, in classroom and out-of-school settings. In 2018, Maureen received The Lynn von Trapp Award for excellence in leading preventative programming for youth in Vermont. Maureen has held numerous teaching positions in her career, serving on the faculties of New England-based schools, colleges, and learning organizations. She is a former artistic director of the music, dance and drama company Revels North. She holds an M.Ed. in Creative Education from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a B.A. in music performance from Cornell University.

Presenter: Dr. Joelle van Lent

Description: Expanding the expertise of school professionals can be inspiring, fun, and remarkably challenging. Given the needs and responsibilities that educators navigate, training opportunities must honor their capacity for deep and sophisticated learning, while also recognizing what is realistic, practical, and immediately effective. This strand will offer a set of topic-based resources for professional development and student-specific consultation and programming.

The set of resources that will be modeled and provided will address the topics of improving student emotional regulation, responding to interfering behaviors, forming relationships with students who have complex attachment histories, recognizing and responding to varied types of stress and anxiety, increasing student motivation and engagement, improving executive functioning, and tending to the compassion fatigue of our staff. Participants will leave ready to build and sustain trauma-responsive systems on a universal level, as well as plan for specific students.

Learning Objectives: ​​By the end of this strand, participants will:

• Learn about various forms of stress and the impact of exposure to trauma on child development, specifically focusing on emotional regulation, relational health, and executive functioning.
• Gain insights related to how healthy motivation develops, as well as obtain strategies to promote increased motivation and engagement for students experiencing stress and adversity.
• Examine concepts related to the use of trauma-responsive discipline to promote student engagement and diminish inequities within a school community.
• Increase understanding of the factors essential to building a culture of community care, including the risks for compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, and burnout. This strand will include strategies to promote the well-being of school professionals.

Intended Audience: The materials and approaches offered are appropriate for those who are relatively new to the topic of resilience and trauma-responsive schools, as well as those who have developed more advanced expertise. The information will be relevant to preschool through grade 12, and examples will be provided for this full range. The ideal participation option is for a school team to attend the full strand together; however, that is not required.

Bio:

Dr. Joelle van Lent is a licensed psychologist with over 25 years of experience working with children, families, and child serving agencies. Dr. van Lent has expertise as a therapist, clinician, evaluator, consultant, and trainer. Her work focuses on child and adolescent mental health, family therapy, trauma, and neurodivergence. Dr. van Lent’s approach is geared toward fostering resilience and creating communities that support healthy development. She is currently in private practice based in the northwestern part of Vermont and works across the state with schools and agencies.

Presenter: Katie Meyer

Description: Implementing foundational classroom practices that are positive and proactive improves students’ academic and behavioral outcomes (e.g., Lewis et al., 2004; Simonsen et al., 2008) and teachers’ perceptions of self-efficacy and self-competence (e.g., Herman et al., 2020; Reinke et al., 2013). Participants will learn how to implement and differentiate core features of effective, research-based classroom practices to support all students’ social, emotional, behavioral, and academic growth. We will consider how to develop effective classroom habits to support student and educator wellbeing and draft an action plan for turning practices into habits. We will also consider data and systems features needed to scale effective classroom habits.

Learning Objectives: ​​By the end of this strand, participants will:

• Describe the core features of effective classroom practices to support all students, and develop an effective classroom environment plan.
• Discuss how we develop habits, and create an action plan to develop habits to support wellbeing in the classroom.
• Identify data and systems features needed to scale habits of an effective classroom.
• Learn how to implement classroom practices that support all students’ social, emotional, behavioral, and academic growth.

Intended Audience: Classroom teachers and those who support them (e.g., SEL Coach) who want to improve their use of positive and proactive classroom practices to create positive learning spaces for all. While not required, we recommend that individuals attend as a team with someone else from their school.

Bio:

Katie Meyer, PhD is a Research Associate with the Center for Behavioral Education and Research (CBER) at the University of Connecticut. She has over a decade of experience supporting schools with implementing multi-tiered systems of support such as PBIS and RTI. She conducts research in the areas of improving outcomes for students with disabilities through MTSS and advanced-tier implementation.

Presenter: Jeremy Tretiak

Description: This interactive training will focus on building the knowledge, skills, and systems essential for applying a function-based approach to human behavior in ways that promote compassionate, person-centered student engagement and support. Participants will explore the critical precursors needed to build effective and sustainable behavior supports within a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS).

The session begins by examining strategies for establishing and maintaining strong, trust-based relationships with students and colleagues—recognizing that relationships are the foundation of effective prevention and response. Participants will then investigate the role of classwide universal systems and how these practical strategies strengthen both proactive and responsive supports.

The training will also highlight how aligned systems within MTSS increase the likelihood that skills identified through the behavior planning process are effectively taught, maintained, and generalized across settings. Special attention will be given to the importance of clearly defining and supporting adult behaviors that make individualized student support plans successful.

Learning Objectives: ​​By the end of this strand, participants will:

• Explore strategies to build rapport and relationships with students and colleagues.
• Identify ways to build effective student support plans within the context of a universal system.
• Understand the basic principles of a function-based approach to human behavior and a process for ensuring student behavioral support planning is compassionate and person-centered.
• Examine the importance of defining and supporting specific adult behavior in the context of individualized student support plans.

Intended Audience: Individuals responsible for supporting student behavior outcomes who want to strengthen their foundations and skills in function-based thinking and person-centered student support planning within an MTSS framework. Teachers, administrators, specialists, and teams are encouraged to participate.

Bio:

Jeremy Tretiak is an Implementation Coach and Trainer for Vermont PBIS. He has been working in the field for over a decade, during which time he has been a classroom teacher and worked in both direct service and consultation roles with children, families, and schools. Jeremy earned his BS from St. Lawrence University and an MA in Education from Johnson State College. He has been a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst since 2015 and is also a Licensed Behavior Analyst in Vermont. He has extensive experience training and supporting school staff in the implementation of compassionate and person-centered Applied Behavior Analysis and PBIS. He is also a certified CPI instructor.

Presenters: VTPBIS State Team Trainers

Description: This training supports eligible school teams in building a universal Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) framework that focuses on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). Teams will analyze current systems, data, and practices to develop an action plan to support the social, emotional, behavioral, and mental health success of all within the learning environment. Restorative principles, equity considerations, and trauma-responsive practices are infused throughout.

Learning Objectives: ​​By the end of this strand, participants will:

• Understand PBIS foundations
• Develop the school-wide systems needed for equitable, fidelity-based PBIS implementation
• Finalize and define 3-4 positively stated, culturally responsive school-wide agreements and create procedures for teaching and acknowledging those agreements
• Develop consistent practices, procedures, and a continuum of supports for preventing and responding instructionally to interfering behaviors
• Create procedures for collecting data and making data-based decisions
• Develop an action plan for implementing PBIS at the Universal Level with fidelity.

Intended Audience: School team participants should include: principal and/or assistant principal, school PBIS coordinator, Supervisory Union/Supervisory District PBIS coordinator, other representative staff members, and, if possible, family/caregiver representative(s).

For more information and pre-requisites go to this page.

Presenters: VTPBIS State Team Trainers

Description: The Refreshing, Expanding, and Deepening Universal PBIS (RED) training provides opportunities for schools at any level of PBIS implementation to explore ways to strengthen their Universal implementation of systems, data, and practices. The training differentiates content and activities based on individual school needs and school data. School teams may choose to attend in order to address needs including: deepening an already established Universal implementation; ensuring equity and cultural responsiveness; increasing implementation fidelity; building momentum and staff skill and commitment; responding to staff and/or administrator turnover; expanding/strengthening evidence-based practices; embedding restorative and trauma-informed practices; refining systems; using data more effectively; and/or keeping up to date with PBIS best practices. School teams that have not trained at Universal for some time, that have not been able to access consultation/coaching, or that began implementing during the pandemic are especially encouraged to attend.

Learning Objectives: ​​By the end of this strand, participants will:

• Identify, examine, and respond to their school’s particular implementation needs;
• Refine school-wide systems, practices, and data-based decision-making processes needed for equitable, fidelity-based PBIS implementation and improved student outcomes;
• Identify and make a plan to address equity and cultural responsiveness needs.
• Explore ways to support staff in preventing and responding instructionally to interfering behaviors;
• Design a system for training and supporting new and returning staff in implementing PBIS with fidelity.
• Develop a 3-year action plan for implementation, growth, and professional development.

Intended Audience: School team participants should include: principal or assistant principal, school PBIS coordinator, Supervisory Union/School District PBIS coordinator, other representative staff members, and, if possible, student and/or family/caregiver representative(s).

For more information and pre-requisites go to this page.

Presenters: VTPBIS State Team Trainers

Description: The Targeted Training is the first training within the Advanced Levels series. This training supports school teams in building and planning for implementation (or refreshing) a system of Targeted supports based on strong Universal foundations. Teams will learn evidence-based practices, including Check-in/Check-out and/or Teacher Check, Connect, and Expect, and leave ready to implement. Restorative principles, equity considerations, and trauma-responsive practices are infused throughout.

Learning Objectives: ​​By the end of this strand, participants will:

• Assess current Targeted-level systems, including teaming structures, request for assistance process, etc.
• Develop criteria and procedures for providing Targeted supports, with a primary focus on Check-in/Check-out and Teacher Check, Connect, and Expect
• Develop a foundational understanding of Functional Behavior Assessment and Universal Screening, and create a plan to integrate these into the Targeted level of PBIS
• Explore how data is used to match students to Targeted-level supports, monitor progress, and evaluate implementation
• Consider how to center equity by ensuring access, representation, meaningful participation, and high outcomes for all
• Design a system for training staff and supporting students and families/caregivers’ understanding of PBIS at the Targeted level.

Intended Audience: School team participants should include: principal and/or assistant principal, school PBIS coordinator, Supervisory Union/Supervisory District PBIS coordinator, classroom teacher(s), staff member(s) who are likely to provide Check-in/Check-out support, other representative staff members, and, if possible, family/caregiver representative.

This training is also appropriate for Teams who previously attended this training and who want a refresher in targeted systems and CICO.

For more information and pre-requisites go to this page.

Presenters: VTPBIS State Team Trainers

Description: The Beyond Check-In-Check-Out (CICO) training within the Advanced Levels series is designed for eligible school teams to explore ways to strengthen and build upon Universal systems and practices while enhancing and developing new Targeted-level interventions. Participants will focus on expanding “check-in/check-out,” using a function-based lens for matching interventions to student needs; and learning new Targeted-level interventions that meet the needs of students with internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Several classroom and school-wide examples will be provided.

Learning Objectives: ​​By the end of this strand, participants will:

• Expand current thinking about student needs and how to meet them
• Strengthen and enhance your school’s inventory of Targeted interventions
• Identify methods to collect and use data to monitor progress and make decisions about duration, modification, and fading of supports
• Hear examples from multiple Vermont schools
• Plan a process for supporting staff to implement all targeted interventions with fidelity.

Intended Audience: School teams consisting of PBIS Targeted coordinator/members, EST members, school counselors, special educators, administrators, other representative staff members, and, if possible, student and/or family/caregiver representative(s).

For more information and pre-requisites go to this page.

Presenters: VTPBIS State Team Trainers

Description: The Installing Intensive Systems training within the Advanced Levels series is designed to provide a continuum of individualized, comprehensive, and team-based interventions for students with complex needs that have not been adequately addressed with less intensive interventions at the Universal and Targeted levels. Participants will also explore systems that support access to functional behavioral assessments and pathways for community-based services, including a request for assistance process, and strategies for engaging families/caregivers. Restorative principles, equity considerations, and trauma-responsive practices are infused throughout.

Learning Objectives: ​​By the end of this strand, participants will:

• Refine and strengthen an Inventory of Targeted practices that can be adapted for individualized supports
• Increase knowledge and fluency about the Intensive level of VTPBIS with a restorative approach lens
• Understand the features of individualized supports, including teaming; setting goals; assessments; intervention(s); and evaluation
• Explore ways to involve students and their family members meaningfully in goal-setting and intervention design
• Develop strategies for building effective Student Support Plans and data systems needed to facilitate effective Student Support Plans
• Consider strategies for building community supports that can support students across home, school, and community environments
• Plan a process for supporting all staff in understanding intensive levels of support and equitable access for all.

Intended Audience: School or Supervisory Union/Supervisory District team participants should include: the principal and/or assistant principal, school PBIS coordinator, Supervisory Union/Supervisory District PBIS coordinator, special educator/s, classroom teacher/s, staff member trained in FBA, other representative staff members, and, if possible, family/caregiver representative. This training is also appropriate for Teams who previously attended this training and who want an Intensive refresher training.

For more information and pre-requisites go to this page.