Workshops, consultation or direct work with school districts to assist with the continuous improvement process ‘CIP’. Examples: steering committee meeting, mission/ vision work, data support, data dashboard, comprehensive needs assessment, CIP goal selection, action plans, program evaluation, preparing for the CIP external visit; support for Comprehensive Support and Improvement ‘CSI’, and Targeted Support and Improvement ‘TSI’ and Additional Targeted Support and Improvement ‘ATSI’ student designations.
Workshops, consultation or direct work with school districts to establish Multi-tiered System of Support processes and practices, including Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports ‘PBIS’ and Social Emotional and Behavioral Learning ‘SEBL’. Examples: regional meetings, team meeting, data analysis, action plans, creating process/protocols, on-site coaching, Targeted Improvement Plan ‘TIP’, Results Driven Accountability ‘RDA’, Performance Enhancement and Knowledge ‘PEaK’ Project, NeMTSS.
Training, support and consultation for sustaining, improving and re-establishing school environments that are conducive and supportive of learning. Examples: school safety teams and plans, crisis teams, psychological first aid, standard protocol response training, suicide prevention, staff and student wellness, self care, trauma informed care, school law webinars, Title IX training, de-escalation training (Mandt, Crisis Prevention Institute ‘CPI’), equity.
ESU 7 Principals have the opportunity to meet multiple times each year for opportunities to collaborate. Additionally, principal trainings are scheduled as needs are identified.
Superintendent networking meetings on ESU campus throughout the year. Visits by ESU Administrator to school district Superintendents to discuss, plan and problem solve services provided to the districts. KSB training series. Perry Law Firm policy updates. Other topics for superintendents.
Professional learning and direct support for districts and teachers in digital learning. This includes: remote learning, hybrid learning, blended learning, and the tools and resources used to facilitate digital learning.
Collaborates closely with school district leadership, counselors, and CTE educators to provide customized support and resources related to Career & Technical Education.
Coordination of career and technical education components includes, but is not limited to: strategic planning for CTE growth, facilitating data exploration, program alignment, and work-based learning.
Provide diagnostic, therapeutic, and consultative services for students. Provide services for Birth-21 years of age in many areas, including receptive language, expressive language, articulation, voice, fluency, literacy, and social communication. Individual plans and service delivery made for each student to ensure FAPE. Participate on transition teams.
The ESU7 Vision Team provides resources, services, and support in preparing children/youth, ages birth to 21, who have a visual impairment for success in life through collaboration with schools, families, and community agencies. Vision services are available for students experiencing vision problems. Certified vision personnel provide evaluation, consultation, and intervention for these children. This assistance may include the use of adaptive equipment, assistive technology, instruction in Braille, orientation and mobility, and other skills for accessing the general curriculum, and acquire Adapted Core Curriculum skills specific to individuals with vision impairments.
Early Childhood Special Education services includes managing referrals and conducting evaluations of children birth to 3 years old. If children are in need of special education services; it also includes evidence based service delivery of comprehensive services in homes, childcare and preschool settings that adhere to IDEA Part C rules and regulations.
Schools can utilize coordinators to help manage their Teaching Strategies GOLD requirements.
Provide direct and indirect support through general education and special education processes. Provide individual, team, and systems-level supports and services to various problem-solving teams. Academic, social emotional, and behavioral assessment, consultation, collaboration with classroom teachers, special education staff, specialists, parents, administration, and school personnel to develop an effective plan to meet the needs of each individual student.
At Bridges, we specialize in providing individualized education and support for students with diverse needs, including low cognitive and academic abilities, as well as challenging behaviors. Our dedicated team of educators and Board Certified Behavior Analysts collaborates closely with families to create an inclusive and nurturing environment where every student can thrive.
Through innovative teaching methods, individualized learning plans, and a focus on social-emotional development, we empower our students to reach their full potential. At Bridges, we believe in building not only academic skills but also confidence, independence, and a love for learning.
The ESU7 Resource Coach focus is working with teachers, other district staff, and families to assist, provide guidance, training, resources, and strategies for working with students by utilizing programming and materials to improve learning through meeting each individual student's needs (ages 0-21). Training Topics: Functions of Behavior and Behavior Strategies, Classroom Management Strategies, Stages of Behavior Escalation, Least Restrictive Environment, Functional Behavior Assessment/Behavior Intervention Plan, Paraprofessional Roles & Responsibilities, Writing Measurable IEP goals, General/Special Education Teacher Responsibilities, Disability Awareness, Social Skills, and Verbal Behavior
Available Services:
Implement verbal behavior program, IEP development-how to write measurable goals, District IEP meeting facilitation, Direct teaching to assist IEP implementation, Para, Parent & Teacher training-Behavior strategies, role modeling, coaching, & data collection, Model, instruct and collect data for social skills & functional life skills, Develop data collection systems, Direct student services in the home, Differentiate instruction, Provide resources (web sites, trainings, and curriculum materials, evidence based research )
Provision of supports and services, including technology and self-advocacy, for students who are deaf or hard of hearing. Examples: Regional programs, direct services, consultation, DHH Teacher, DHH Interpreter
A transition specialists primary focus is preparing students with disabilities to transition from high school to life after graduation. The specialist supports districts through training opportunities, linkages to agencies and specialists, and providing student workshops on transition-related topics.
Behavior and mental health support includes conducting Functional Behavior Assessments to determine why a behavior is occurring and then develop a Behavior Intervention Plan to address the challenging behaviors. Individuals providing support works closely with school administrators, teachers, paraprofessionals, and school psychologists. Services can be minimal, such as conducting an observation and helping with classroom strategies, or much more extensive. Some students may require intensive behavior interventions, social skills training and/or emotional behavioral health support. Training for districts to discuss the basics of behavior, classroom strategies to help manage challenging behaviors, de-escalation strategies, and various other topics that the school district specifies are also provided.
The Northeast Regional ASD Network is available to provide Resources and Training to local school districts in the areas of:
Assessment and verification of ASD
?Program planning, including identification and implementations of appropriate strategies and interventions for students with ASD
The Northeast region has a lending library consisting of books, videos, and other resources that is available to school districts and parents upon request. These may be checked out from the ESU7 Media Department.
Provides grant facilitation, management, professional development, and networking for Career and Technical Education teachers through the Carl D Perkins Grant Consortium.
Provide support in coordinating school wide and targeted assistance Title 1 programs. Training and support provided for teachers, administrators, and bookkeepers.
A transition specialists primary focus is preparing students with disabilities to transition from high school to life after graduation. The specialist supports districts through training opportunities, linkages to agencies and specialists, and providing student workshops on transition-related topics.
Planning Region 7 is an organized group of parents, advocates and representatives from school districts, agencies, educational service units, Head Start, and other relevant agencies or persons responsible for assisting in the planning and implementation of the Early Intervention Act in each local community or region. PRT also tracks, arranges or provides the required NDE training for PART C providers and is the entity to compliance monitoring of Part C in our 7 counties.
PEaK, formerly known as ILCD stands for Improving Learning for Children with Disabilities, a Nebraska Department of Education Initiative designed to enhance program improvement that will result in better outcomes for children with disabilities. The ESU7 PEaK Coordinator assists school districts with their improvement activities for students with disabilities. The Facilitator partners with districts to gather and analyze data in collaboration with the Continuous School Improvement Process and to assist in the development of Targeted Improvement Plans. Each Nebraska school district will develop a Targeted Improvement Plan that will lead to better child and student performance and report annually to NDE on the Plan's progress.
Coordinates and oversees the grant application by researching, identifying potential new funding sources, developing and responding to public and private grant opportunities for ESU 7 and districts. Responsible for writing proposals and other supporting documents at the federal and state level, and with private funding agencies.