SLD Professional Learning Opportunities

COVID-19 and Special Education

View information for educators and parents to support students with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 resources for special education

Current SLD Learning Opportunities

Strategies to Write Informational Text (Online Course)

Strategies to Write Informational Text for Secondary Students is an 8-week self-paced course with 11 modules that provide resources to support the writing process. It follows the book by Jill Jackson, How to Teach Students to Write Informational Text. You will not need the book to complete the course, but will receive a copy if you do.

Learn more about this opportunity on the Strategies to Write Informational Text CDE Professional Development Page.

Register for the online course.

Course Start/End Dates: September 28 - November 20, 2020 (Registration closes September 26th)

Strategies to Write Informational Text Flyer [PDF]

Assessing, Preventing and Overcoming Reading Difficulties - Fall 2020

September 7 - December 13, 2020 (Registration coming soon!)

Assessing, Preventing, and Overcoming Reading Difficulties is an on demand eLearning series that was developed by David Kilpatrick, Ph.D., in collaboration with the Specific Learning Disability Specialist in the Exceptional Student Services Unit of the Colorado Department of Education. Content of the online series was originally included in the book Essentials of Assessing, Preventing, and Overcoming Reading Difficulties (Wiley, 2015).

Participants will learn:

Why popular and commonly used instructional practices do not work for struggling readers.
How to appropriately assess students to determine root cause for reading difficulties.
Highly effective and evidence based strategies and instructional practices to improve reading skills.

Who is this course designed for?

This course will be beneficial to anyone who is interested in deepening their understanding of the science of reading. This course will be especially beneficial to special educators, general educators, interventionists, special service providers, and parents who support struggling readers in all grades.

Do I need the book to complete the course?

Participants DO NOT need the book to complete the online course, but may view the series as a tandem companion or supplemental resource for supporting a study of the book: The Essentials of Assessing, Preventing, and Overcoming Reading Difficulties (Wiley, 2015)

What is the objective of this course?

Through engagement in this series of 13 on-demand webinars, participants will understand the current research, implications, and the essential elements necessary for assessing, preventing, and overcoming reading difficulties.

How many CDE credit hours?

Participants who successfully complete the requirements of this course will receive 10 CDE credit hours

Q & A webinar with David Kilpatrick!

This course will include a live question and answer webinar with the author, David Kilpatrick, on Tuesday, April 21st from 4:30-6:00 PM MDT. We will have a form for gathering questions as we move through the course.

APORD Flyer

Assessing, Preventing and Overcoming Reading Difficulties

Content of the webinar series was originally included in the book Essentials of Assessing, Preventing, and Overcoming Reading Difficulties (Wiley, 2015).

This on demand eLearning series is designed for use in multiple ways:

Complete all 13 modules: Participants who engage in all thirteen modules will be provided a comprehensive learning experience encompassing research, impact, and critical elements of assessing, preventing, and overcoming reading difficulties.
Complete individual modules: Participants may view a session/s for specific information and guidance on topics related to assessing, preventing and overcoming reading difficulties. This format is ideal for short professional development opportunities, e.g., during an Impact Team meeting or Professional Learning Community.
Complete as a book or chapter study: Participants may view all or part or the series as a tandem companion or supplemental resource for supporting a study of the book: The Essentials of Assessing, Preventing, and Overcoming Reading Difficulties (Kilpatrick, 2015)

At this time, this series is NOT set up for participants to receive any CDE credit hours.

Click on the green computer icon above to be directed to the professional development platform. You may enter as a guest. Once you have successfully completed all modules, you will have an opportunity to offer feedback.

Determining SLD Eligibility: An Overview

This 40 minute video will discuss:

the differences between MTSS and RtI and how they are interrelated.
how to to build a body of evidence through an RtI process in order to determine eligibility for Specific Learning Disability.
review considerations for English Learners during the eligibility process for special education services.

View the video on the CDE Professional Development Portal.

Archived SLD Learning Opportunities/Trainings

Archived SLD Professional Learning/Presentations

Other Training Opportunities

Visit the Colorado Department of Education's Professional Development Training Portal for a full list of professional development opportunities offered by the Colorado Department of Education.

CDE Professional Development Training Portal

For more information, please contact:

Veronica Fiedler
Phone: 303-866-6863
Email Veronica Fiedler

Find what you were looking for?

If you have problems with broken links or accessing the content on this page, please contact our web content coordinator Amanda Timmerman at Timmerman_A@cde.state.co.us. Please copy the URL link for this page into the email when referencing the problem you are experiencing.