Professional Development for Educational Support Professionals
For more information or if you have any questions about the ESP Professional Development courses below, contact Cristy McCorkle or Lama Chikh. The most up-to-date course information can be found on the WEA ESP Professional Development page.
WEA - Using Restorative Justice In Your Classroom (6 clock hours)
Monday, April 15, 2024, Thursday, April 25, 2024, and Monday, April 29, 2024
4:30pm - 6:30 pm
(This course is held over three days - two hours each day.)
This course is to create a space where educators can learn to understand the positive impact that restorative justice can play in building relationships and developing community with students daily. Educators will learn how restorative justice implementation can repair harms and restore relationships that could be jeopardized between students, peers, or other educators by participating in small group activities.​
Register: All Dates
WEA - Tier 1 Behavior Interventions Differentiated For Students Part A (4 clock hours)
Saturday, April 20, 2024 or Saturday, May 4, 2024
9:00am - 1:00pm
This class is for ALL ESPs that work with students. The course is focused on how to work with students who are demonstrating unsuccessful behaviors. Participants will learn why student expectations for behavior should be high and how to redefine discipline as a growth and teaching opportunity rather than punishment. Objectives are to identify the various communication styles that are represented in the classroom to develop ways to be responsive and respectful of student communication needs; understand the value and impact of implementing student focus groups; and understand the guiding principles for developing a Tier 1 culturally responsive behavior approach through a relational lens.
Register: 4/20/24; 5/4/24
WEA - FCS01 - Intro to Cultural Identity and Diversity (4 clock hours)
Saturday, April 20, 2024 or Saturday, May 4, 2024
9:00am - 1:00pm
Participants will gain an awareness and deeper understanding of ways to engage, build relationships and communicate with the diverse backgrounds of their students. Objectives are to describe ways to identify and respond to racism, discrimination and stereotypes in the classroom; list strategies for supporting cultural responsiveness and anti-biased instruction; describe ways to foster and support a safe, positive, and culturally inclusive environment; explain ways students family, language, ethnicity, race, gender identity, sexual orientation, economic background, and other cultural assets impact behavior and learning; and describe strategies to support cultural inclusion and responsiveness.
Register: 4/20/24; 5/4/24
WEA - FCS02 - Educational and Instructional Support (4 clock hours)
Saturday, April 20, 2024 or Saturday, May 4, 2024
9:00am - 1:00pm
Participants will learn classroom and building based instructional strategies and supports to assist classroom teachers in various learning environments and with diverse learning styles. Objectives are to identify basic instructional support methods to assist classroom teachers (small group work, one–to-one, computer aided learning programs); introduce diverse learning styles and strategies best suited to enhance and complement student learning requirements various learning styles; review Washington Learner Standards and have basic awareness of academic achievement goals; and demonstrate various instructional support strategies to assist classroom teachers.
Register: 4/20/24; 5/4/24
WEA - Here a Trigger, There a Trigger, Everywhere a Student Trigger (2 clock hours)
Saturday, April 27, 2024
9:00am - 11:00am
As schools begin to put in place trauma informed practices, one of the most important preventative measures is to identify student triggers. Once we can identify triggers, we can create prevention strategies to reduce student triggers and the resulting negative behavior that often is associated. Student triggers can be transitions, individuals, sensory disorders, directives, word or even colors that cause an automatic emotional or behavioral response. And once a student is triggered, as adults we sometimes use intense responses to minimize recurrences.
Register: 4/27/24
WEA - What ESPs Can Do For Students Experiencing Homelessness (2 clock hours)
Saturday, April 27, 2024 or Saturday, May 11, 2024
9:00am - 11:00am
Today we have 1.5 million homeless children and youth attending public schools. That is a 34% increase in the last ten years. ESPs can be a powerful source in helping these students feel safe, important, and stable. In this class we will be using research from the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth and the National Center for Homeless Education. Participants will learn about the McKinney Vento Law, resources and strategies to help form relationships. How to set up their learning environment for success and advocate for learning tools and foster a sense of safety and security.
Register: 4/27/24; 5/11/24
WEA - FCS11/12 - Communication Basics/Challenges (4 clock hours)
Saturday, April 27, 2024 or Saturday, May 11, 2024
9:00am - 1:00pm
Participants will gain an understanding of essential communication strategies, conflict management, conflict resolution and how to effectively work in a team environment. This course is designed to help enhance collaboration and communication between paraeducators and other applicable stakeholders that will enhance student success and achievement.
- Part A-Communication Basics
Identify communication skills required for working with team members
Explain the importance of decision making as it applies to school-based teams - Part B: Communication Challenges
Discuss the nature of conflict among team members, students and families
Identify strategies for repairing relationships after conflict
WEA - Tier 2 Behavior Interventions Differentiated For Students Part B (4 clock hours)
Saturday, April 27, 2024 or Saturday, May 11, 2024
9:00am - 1:00pm
Participants will learn how to change interactions with students positively through courageous conversations so that students feel included, valued and respected. Objectives are understand the guiding principles for developing a Tier 2 culturally responsive behavior approach; increase awareness of opportunities we have as educators to ensure our interactions with students promote safe inclusive buildings; develop an understanding of Tier 2 interventions that can be applied to our school context; and demonstrate an understanding for how to apply the protocol for Courageous Conversations for students to your context educators to ensure our interactions with students promote inclusive buildings.
Register: 4/27/24; 5/11/24
WEA - FCS06 - Equity (4 clock hours)
Saturday, April 27, 2024 or Saturday, May 11, 2024
9:00am - 1:00pm
Participants will gain an awareness of the legalities, polices, procedure and practices surrounding discrimination and how to respond to such violations. This course is designed to help foster a learning environment that is unbiased, safe and promotes the academic success of all students. Objectives are identify the basic regulations and polices that apply to the civil rights of students; describe ways to respond to racism, discrimination, and stereotypes based on family, language, ethnicity, race, gender identity, sexual orientation, economic background, or other elements of culture; and define discrimination and recognize unlawful practices.
Register: 4/27/24; 5/11/24
WEA - Embracing Diversity with True Colors (4 clock hours)
Saturday, April 27, 2024 or Saturday, May 11, 2024
9:00am - 1:00pm
In this training, participants use the True Colors system to focus on embracing diversity in the classroom and in the larger school community to improve learning opportunities for all students and enhance communication between student, teacher, sta? and parents. The True Colors system identifies intrinsic values, motivations, self-esteem, sources of dignity and worthiness, causes of stress, communication styles, listening styles, non-verbal responses, language patterns, social skills, learning styles, environmental motivators, cultural appeal, negative mental states, relationship orientation, and ethical behaviors.
Register: 4/27/24; 5/11/24
WEA - ESP DEEPER DIVE Session 1 - Data Does Matter The Power of Observation (2 clock hours)
Saturday, May 4, 2024
9:00am - 11:00am
Participants will learn why and how to use observational data to build student relationships, and improve behavioral and academic success. Participants will also learn educational observational data is most commonly used method for behavioral science, a scientific tool to collect data, is systematically planned and subject to check and controls on validity and reliability, and a process of recording the behavior patterns of people and occurrences without questioning or communicating.
Participants will be able to define the various methods of observation, and learn about the characteristics of an observation.
Course fulfills WA State Para general certificate clock hours.
Register: 5/4/24
WEA - Building Winning Teams for Paras - Effective Communication Collaboration and Instruction (4 clock hours)
Saturday, May 4, 2024
9:00am - 1:00pm
Participants will learn about their personality types and how those characteristics impact their roles as team members. The characteristics of highly effective teams will be examined, and attendees will participate in a variety of activities to build strong, cohesive teams. Participants will also apply what they learn about themselves and how that relates directly to their current classroom, and learn tools and resources to better support students and increase student achievement. This class meets General Para Cert Requirements.
Register: 5/4/24
WEA - Building Winning Teams for Paras ll - A Deeper Dive to Focus on Collab Discourse/Scenario-Based Immersion (4 clock hours)
Saturday, May 11, 2024
9:00am - 1:00pm
Participants will take a deeper dive into the paraeducator- teacher relationship/partnership and work effectively together to have a positive impact on student learning through scenarios, role-playing and discussion. Course Objectives are participants will learn to define and delineate roles and responsibilities for the para and teacher; communicating strategies and creating a system for transparency; how to manage and resolve conflict using the 7-step problem-solving method; self-awareness and your personal effect on the team; and practice the 5 “knows” of collaborative teaming.
Register: 5/11/24
CRCM - Classroom Meeting Strategies (2.5 clock hours)
Thursday, May 30, 2024
5:00pm - 7:30pm
This training helps educators learn how to conduct social problem-solving meetings as a strategy for creating safe, equitable, and inclusive classrooms. Participants will engage in discussions to better understand how classroom meetings build relationships, increase students' sense of belonging, and support students in developing social-emotional skills. Participants will learn how to set up the foundation for conducting classroom meetings, as well as a framework for implementation.
Register: 5/30/24
WEA - FCS01/06 - Intro to Cultural Identity and Diversity/Equity (7 clock hour)
Saturday, June 1, 2024
9:00am - 4:00pm
Participants will gain an awareness and deeper understanding of ways to engage, build relationships and communicate with the diverse backgrounds of their students. There will also be a focus on the legalities, polices, procedure and practices surrounding discrimination and how to respond to such violations. This course is designed for paraeducators to help ensure that students experience a positive, consistent, safe, unbiased and equitable classroom which will enhance educational opportunities and student achievement.
Register: 6/1/24
WEA - FCS02/11/12 - Educ and Instr Support/Communication Basics/Challenges (7 clock hours)
Saturday, June 1, 2024
9:00am - 4:00pm
Participants will learn classroom and building based instructional strategies and supports to assist classroom teachers in various learning environments and with diverse learning styles. This training will also focus on essential communication strategies, conflict management, conflict resolution and how to effectively work in a team environment in order to increase student achievement.
Register: 6/1/24
WEA - Behavior Interventions Differentiated for Students Parts A and B (7 clock hours)
Saturday, June 1, 2024
9:00am - 4:00pm
This class is for ALL ESPs that work with students. The course is focused on how to work with students who are demonstrating unsuccessful behaviors. Participants will learn why student expectations for behavior should be high and how to redefine discipline as a growth and teaching opportunity rather than punishment. Objectives are to identify the various communication styles that are represented in the classroom to develop ways to be responsive and respectful of students communication needs; to understand the value and impact of implementing student focus groups; to understand the guiding principles for developing a Tier 1 culturally responsive behavior approach through a relational lens.
Register: 6/1/24
WEA - Educator Well-Being (2 clock hours)
Saturday, June 1, 2024
9:00am - 11:00am
This course helps educators understand compassion fatigue and working to support students in a challenging time. This course will help educators recognize symptoms commonly associated with compassion fatigue and its impacts. This course will help educators to promote the calm, relaxed, but enlivened classroom environment that children need to learn. This training will also help educators to be more effective at reducing internal stress, conflict and developing more positive ways of relating in the classroom, which can contribute to higher levels of job satisfaction.
Register: 6/1/24
WEA - Assets and Resilience of Immigrant Students (3 clock hours)
Saturday, June 1, 2024
9:00am - 12:00pm
Course objectives are to define what is an immigrant, why do people migrate to the US and what are the different kinds of immigrations, and what are the emotional and mental effects of immigration on families and specifically on kids. Participants will also determine how the education system can support families and students of immigrants feel included and help them integrate so that these children succeed, and how we can help our educators look at the immigrants families and students as assets rather than a burden.
Register: 6/1/24
WEA - Communicating Effectively with Diverse Students and Families (4 clock hours)
Saturday, June 1, 2024
9:00am - 1:00pm
Participants will gain an awareness and deeper understanding of ways to engage, build relationships and communicate with the diverse backgrounds of students and families. This course is designed to help ensure that students experience a positive, consistent, safe, unbiased and equitable space wherever they are in schools. Objectives are to describe ways to identify and respond to racism, discrimination and stereotypes in schools, list strategies for supporting cultural responsiveness and anti-biased ways, describe ways to foster and support a safe, positive, and culturally inclusive environment, and describe strategies to support cultural inclusion and responsiveness.
Register: 6/1/24