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The webinars in this series highlight important and emerging special education policies and how to apply them within Iowa schools. Participants will also have opportunities to ask questions with team members from the Department's Division of Special Education.
Special Education Professional Learning
Explore upcoming courses and webinars, along with recordings and resources designed to support Iowa special education teachers, administrators and teams with practical tools and information.
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Join the webinars on Zoom using passcode 431127. No registration is required. The link remains the same each session.
Back to topUpcoming Dates & Topics
The time for all webinars in the Policy & Practice Webinar Series is 9:00 to 10:00 a.m.
- Oct. 14, 2026: IEP Team Member Roles and Responsibilities
This webinar provides guidance on the policy and practice surrounding IEP Team membership, roles, responsibilities, attendance, excusal, and documentation. Participants will understand required and discretionary IEP Team membership; the selection and contributions of team members; who may serve as the LEA representative, parent, or surrogate parent; and requirements related to parent participation. The session will address written documentation and attendance requirements, excusal procedures, and district responsibilities for tracking staff required to review IEPs and amendments and documenting removals or excusals.
Participants will also examine how IEP Teams work collaboratively to make decisions that support the provision of a free appropriate public education (FAPE), including the roles of LEAs and AEAs and the contributions of general and special education teachers and related service providers. The webinar will address relevant considerations involving HHS, divorced or disagreeing parents, and reasonable efforts to secure parent participation, as well as recent ACHIEVE updates. Finally, participants will review the impact of SF 2428 on IEP Team roles and responsibilities.
- Nov. 18, 2026: Appropriate Duties of Paraeducators
- Dec. 9, 2026: Accessible Educational Materials
- Jan. 13, 2027: A Deeper Dive into Secondary Transition
- Feb. 10, 2027: Manifestation Determination Part 1
- March 10, 2027: Manifestation Determination Part 2
- April 14, 2027: Continuum of Services
- May 12, 2027: General Supervision for Learners Outside of Your District
- June 9, 2027: Lessons Learned From the Field
Previous Webinar Recordings & Materials
- Sept. 9, 2026: Prior Written Notices - Provides information of Prior Written Notice (PWN) requirements under IDEA, including when a PWN is required, how to document high-quality content, and common areas of concern identified through state complaints. Explores the need for incorporating parent-friendly language and learn about upcoming PWN enhancements in ACHIEVE.
- Aug. 12, 2026: All Things Preschool for Administrators - Provides information to help connect the dots between IDEA regulations, preschool assurances and program standards. Participants will gain actionable tools and considerations for successful FAPE, LRE and transition planning for early childhood special education.
- June 10, 2026: Continuous Improvement in Special Education - End of Year Program Review - Outlines how district leaders can use the IDEA General Supervision duties and Iowa’s Continuous Improvement Model to evaluate end-of-year (EOY) special education data to drive on-going actions that improve student outcomes for students with disabilities.
- May 13, 2026: Dispute Resolution - Provides an overview of dispute resolution options, including state complaints, due process, and mediation, along with associated timelines. Reviews current trends in Iowa and across the country, and explores prevention strategies districts can use to reduce conflicts and strengthen collaboration with families.
- April 8, 2026: FAPE - Special Requests - Provides information for how IEP teams should respond to and consider a variety of parent requests, including topics such as transportation, health and related services. Also covers recent case law to support administrative application of IDEA requirements.
- March 11, 2026: Extended School Year Services - Provides an overview of Extended School Year Services (ESYS), including decision-making considerations, legal requirements and best practices for planning and implementation. The session also addresses common misunderstandings about ESYS and provides strategies for administrators to ensure compliant decision-making and implementation.
- Feb. 11, 2026: Connecting Alternate Assessment (DLM) to Instruction & Licensure - An overview of key considerations when making instructional and assessment decisions for students with significant cognitive disabilities. Participants will review the policy on instructional licensure, examine practices related to determining when a student needs to participate in the alternate assessment and implications for instruction. Lastly, administrators will learn more about their role in monitoring implementation and student outcomes.
- Jan. 14, 2026: Behavior and Discipline - In coordination with the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs, all districts in Iowa are required to complete Department training on discipline procedures for students with disabilities. At least one school administrator from each district in Iowa is required to participate, but all school district administrators are welcome. At the end of the session, the district’s superintendent will receive an email requesting a list of who participated in the Policy and Practice webinar.
- Dec. 10, 2025: Unique Placements (Out-of-State and Residential, PMIC) - Provides an overview of the IEP Team’s obligations toward students served in unique placements, including placements initiated by other State agencies. The recording addresses how teams identify and document learner needs and ensure FAPE in these settings, including placements outside Iowa.
- Nov. 12, 2025: Secondary Transition (with Work-based Learning content) and Four Plus Programming - Explore how administrators can strengthen compliance with IDEA transition requirements while improving postsecondary outcomes for students with IEPs. The recording highlights strategies that connect existing school infrastructure with high-quality transition services and proven predictors of postschool success. By aligning compliance efforts with student-centered practices, administrators can help ensure students leave high school prepared for success as lifelong learners, colleagues and community members.
- Secondary Transition (with Work-based Learning content) and Four Plus Programming PowerPoint (3.23 MB) .pptx
- Secondary Transition Checklist for Administrators: Indicator B13 with Indicator B14 Predictors Embedded (174.24 KB) Archived .pdf
- Predictor Implementation Self-Assessment (PISA) Guide (125.92 KB) .pdf
Secondary Transition Decision Guide- Living (113.59 KB) .pdf
Secondary Transition Decision Guide - Learning (188.04 KB) .pdf
Secondary Transition Decision Guide - Working (181.17 KB) .pdf
- Oct. 8, 2025: Accessible Educational Materials and Assistive Technology on the IEP - Provides an overview of assistive technology (AT) and accessible educational materials (AEM) in the Individualized Education Program (IEP) process. Participants will gain an understanding of the concepts, policy and case law that shape the use of AT and AEM in schools. The session highlights essential components to include in the IEP, offers practical examples across disciplines and emphasizes accurate documentation to support student success. The webinar is organized into three sections: access and participation, policy guidance, and practical guidance for AT and AEM within ACHIEVE, with opportunities for participant questions.
- Sept. 10, 2025: ACHIEVE and General Supervision - Provides a reminder of how the state ensures the implementation of IDEA through its general supervision responsibilities, including duties to prevent, inform, inspect, detect, and correct. Describes the ACHIEVE reports the state regularly pulls as part of general supervision. Also shares information about Prior Written Notice (PWN) and its role in supporting an effective general supervision system. Oct. 1 note: The slides for this webinar have been updated with minor revisions. Refer to the linked slides for the most up to date version. We are also updating the ACHIEVE "Overdue IEP" report to reflect IEPs being overdue when the meeting roll call has not been finalized before the end of the previous IEP, not when the IEP is finalized (as discussed on the webinar). This note will be updated once the change to the report has been made.
- May 14, 2025: Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) - Learn about the meaning of a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE), especially digging into the concept of appropriate. We will identify the things to look for and to consider when determining what is a FAPE for a learner. Connections will also be made between prior webinar content and the concept of FAPE.
- April 9, 2025: Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) - Explores policies and practices related to LRE in special education. The presentation will focus on gaining an understanding of what is meant by LRE, discuss common misunderstandings, share strategies for administrators for monitoring and implementing LRE, and relevant case law examples.
- Feb. 12, 2025: Designing Behavior Instruction and Supports for Learners with Disabilities - Provides information on the updated OSEP guidance on using FBAs to create supportive learning environments. Information on reintegration plans will be provided as a follow-up from participant questions in the May 14 session. Panelists shared considerations for leadership when creating a reintegration plan with respect to the IEP and current behaviors.
- Jan. 15, 2025: General Supervision
- General Supervision PowerPoint (1.38 MB) .pptx
- General Supervision Quick Reference for Administrators (126.35 KB) .pdf - Contains examples of general supervision duties for building administrators.
- Dec. 11, 2024: Shortened School Days: Smart Use in Special Education
- Shortened School Day: Smart Use in Special Education PowerPoint (821.17 KB) .pptx
- Checklist for Medically Necessary Shortened School Day (128.24 KB) .pdf
- Checklist for Homebound Instruction (160.41 KB) .pdf
- Checklist When IEP Teams Consider a Shortened School Day for Non-Medical Reasons (129.97 KB) .pdf
- Oct. 30, 2024: Considerations for Exiting - One Data Point is not Enough