By: Alicia Swedberg, M.Ed. and Patricia Williams.
STETSON & ASSOCIATES, INC., an education consulting firm, has been awarded the IBCCES Blue Ribbon Award as a certified program that offers teachers and paraprofessional’s online courses that will improve the quality of instruction for all students. Stetson & Associates was selected for the company’s focus on supporting staff that work with special needs students and is among only a select group of programs operating throughout the United States.
Stetson Online courses were created to address shrinking budgets for professional development and limited opportunities for training. Stetson & Associates, Inc. has a talented staff of professionals and course authors who have served in instructional and administrative roles in general education, special education, and with other special populations, such as gifted and talented, English Language Learners (ELL), and at-risk student populations. Associates consist of former principals, central office administrators, teachers, coordinators, diagnosticians, and speech/language pathologists.
Stetson Online Courses
The topics represented in the Stetson Online catalog were identified based on visits to hundreds of schools each year and address current challenges and trends in education. Courses such as the Side by Side series and Accommodations and Modifications improve how paraprofessionals collaborate with general and special education teachers. Differentiated Instruction, Multi-Level Instruction and Culturally Responsive Instruction courses teach strategies for addressing diverse student needs within the classroom or school community. The Stetson Online math series and collaborative teaching series improve the use of special education teachers within the inclusive classroom. For a list of available courses, visit the Stetson website: http://stetsonassociates.com/stetson-online/.
Stetson Online is the answer to relevant, standards-based online courses that provide anywhere, anytime access to teachers and paraprofessionals interested in earning credit to support autism specialist certification and professional development. Participants conveniently complete courses at their own pace, and also have the opportunity to collaborate with teachers across the country who are already using Stetson Online. Each course is interactive and engaging, with opportunities to check your knowledge and understanding after each component. States one Stetson Online participant, “The way it was presented made it simple to remember and the quizzes were a great review of the material.”
The online courses also give schools and school districts the option to introduce blended learning to reduce training costs and deliver up-to-date, research-based content within an interactive job-embedded context. Administrator tools and resources are available to guide faculty meetings, discussions, walk-throughs, and reflection. According to Charlene Rohlehr, Program Coordinator for Prince Georges County Public Schools, “Teachers ask me all the time to please keep them in mind when there are more of these courses. Stetson is truly the future of professional development.”
Why Would You Use Stetson Online Courses?
Do you need a common vocabulary among all stakeholders? Stetson Online courses provide easy access to professional development content so all stakeholders possess a common vocabulary and set of skills for inclusive practices, instruction, and collaboration.
Need Staff Development? Enroll with your colleagues in the Multi-Level Instruction course. All faculty members may complete the course during the morning of a designated in-service day – it only requires one hour to complete! You may want to debrief the course at an afternoon staff meeting and break the audience into grade level or content area groups to begin applying what they have learned!
New Teachers Need Training? Provide new teachers with login information for a Stetson Online course. Each teacher will receive three hours of credit for each course they complete at home or after school. Stetson Online delivers a detailed course report to document participant progress, including completion date and time, assessment scores, and responses to reflection questions. Or, work with Stetson & Associates, Inc. to create a custom course for your school!
Paraprofessionals Need Training? Provide teachers and paraprofessionals who work together with the Side by Side course series. After completing the course, provide protected planning time for each pair or group of teachers and paraprofessionals who work together consistently to debrief the course content and make structured plans to work together more effectively. They will download collaborative planning tools from the course. One general education teacher states, “This module explained in detail what is expected of the supervising teacher and the par-educator. This information was very helpful because I am now able to demonstrate better communication with my par-educator. It has been several years since I had any training concerning a par-educator.”
How to Take Your Course
Complete Stetson Online courses in four simple steps!
- Select your Stetson Online course from our extensive catalog!
- Receive your login information by email.
- Complete your Stetson Online course.
- Download your certificate!
Earn credit while improving your practice anywhere, anytime! Visit our website to view our growing course catalog: http://stetsonassociates.com/stetson-online.
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