Enhance your conference experience with interactive, in-depth pre-conference workshops designed to provide practical strategies, tools, and implementation guidance you can apply immediately in your work. These extended sessions offer focused learning and hands-on engagement led by experienced presenters.
Registration Fees
Members: $75 per session
Nonmembers: $175 per session
Fees are listed per workshop session. Pre-conference workshops require separate registration from the main conference.
Morning Sessions 8:30 am - 12:30 pm
Integrated MTSS in Elementary Schools: Learn How to Evaluate Fidelity of Implementation Using the IMFR
Strand: Integration and Alignment
Do you work with elementary schools that currently implement or are interested in implementing an
integrated MTSS framework? Join us to learn about a freely available tool that measures fidelity of
implementation for integrated MTSS practices. The Integrated MTSS Fidelity Rubric (IMFR) is a free tool
that underwent a rigorous validation process through data collection with 100 schools over the past three
years. The IMFR helps evaluators measure the degree to which elementary schools implement components
of integrated MTSS. The goal of the workshop is to train individuals who can serve as external evaluators
(e.g., district/state leaders, technical assistance providers, professional development providers, researchers)
of schools who want to evaluate fidelity of their integrated MTSS practices. Workshop participants will
have access to the rubric materials, learn scoring guidance, and have opportunities to practice using the
IMFR. Learning Objectives: After completing this workshop, participants will be able to: 1. Define
integrated MTSS and explain its importance. 2. List the domains of and criteria for integrated MTSS. 3.
Name the IMFR scoring procedures. 4. Use the IMFR to rate integrated MTSS practices.
Disruption to Engagement: Practical Classroom Management Strategies That Build Positive, Inclusive Classrooms
Strand: Classroom
A recent survey found that 92% of classroom educators (i.e., general and special education teachers and
paraprofessionals) manage disruptive behavior in the classroom at least weekly. To address this behavior,
classroom teachers are in urgent need of effective and easy to use classroom management strategies to
redirect disruptive behavior and create calm, connected, and academically engaged classrooms. This session
will share simple classroom management strategies that are grounded in research and aligned positive
behavior intervention and support Tier 1 systems. These strategies will help educators shift from reacting to
disruption to proactively teaching prosocial behavior. We’ll share practical tools that support students’
social, emotional, and behavioral growth while improving overall classroom climate. Topics include
teaching function-based replacement behaviors, using behavior-specific praise, pre-correcting problem
behavior, delivering positive redirection, and incorporating group contingencies and reward systems. These
strategies are simple to implement, easy to measure, and powerful in impact. Recommendations for
providing training and coaching to classroom educators in these strategies will be provided.
Sustaining Success Together: The Power of Coaching Across Minnesota PBIS
Strand: Integration and Alignment
Coaching is central to sustaining high-quality PBIS. This session highlights Minnesota’s statewide coaching
structures, emphasizing local capacity-building, equity, and consistency across diverse school contexts.
Participants will explore internal and external coaching roles, cycles of modeling and data use with TFI, and
the Coaching Development Tool. Examples illustrate the 2-year cohort training model, reconnecting
schools, maintaining fidelity, leveraging data, and statewide collaboration to ensure consistent, effective
practices.
Afternoon Sessions 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Nothing About Us Without Us: Centering Student Voice in Tiered Supports Across Grade Levels
Strand: Equity
A hands-on workshop to discover how integrating student voice can transform your school’s mental health
system by boosting effectiveness, equity, and student belonging. Based in research and the real-world
insights from 50+ K-12 schools, explore and practice practical, inclusive strategies that can be applied
across all tiers of support. Engage with resources you can utilize immediately and walk away with a
personalized action plan to cultivate and utilize student voice in your district.
Building Equity in Discipline at the Classroom, School, and District Levels
Strand: Equity
Aligned, parallel implementation in classrooms, schools, and at the district level can support reductions in
disciplinary disparities and increases to access and success at higher tiers of behavioral supports. This
workshop will detail the implementation and outcomes from two Pacific Northwest Districts. Both districts
worked within capacity, in a graduated model of external coaching, to achieve normalized risk ratios for all
student groups, and increasingly robust advanced supports.
From IDEA to Implementation: Sustaining PBIS for All Learners
Strand: IDD
Discover how PBIS, rooted in the IDEA reauthorization and Minnesota statutes, strengthens inclusive
education. This session guides leaders in aligning Tiers 1–3, differentiating supports for students with
disabilities, and using data-driven systems to prevent misidentification. Participants will explore strategies to
sustain PBIS fidelity, foster collaboration, and improve equity and outcomes for all learners
