INFORMATION FOR
Inclusive education is proactively planning for the needs of all learners.
The Learning Resource Center-North Satellite (LRC-NS) is an NJDOE grant-funded program that promotes inclusive education by integrating professional learning opportunities, family and community events, resources, and services. Services include an educational resource lending library, a self-service production center, and in-person and virtual professional learning opportunities.
As a member of the Learning Resource Center Network, the LRC-NS works to support the education of students with disabilities, helping them to succeed and achieve in the least restrictive environment.
The LRC-North Satellite at William Paterson University is a partnership with the New Jersey Department of Education Office of Special Education and is 100% funded by federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part B funds (CFDA #84.027A).
The LRC-NS is a membership-based organization that is available to the general public at no cost. When you join LRC-NS, you gain access to the production center, lending library and more! Not a member yet? Join today!
The Learning Resource Center - North Satellite at William Paterson University, in collaboration with the Office of Special Education, NJDOE, is pleased to offer free and engaging Professional Learning Opportunities for educators, leaders, and Instructional coaches. Through active engagement, participants will focus on content area instruction specific to inclusive education. Please see below for registration information and session details.
Determining LREParticipants will explore the principle that students with disabilities should be educatedalongside their nondisabled peers to the maximum extent appropriate, while receiving thespecialized instruction, services, accommodations, and supports necessary to meet theirindividual needs. This workshop will emphasize that the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) isan individualized educational decision, not a specific classroom, program, or placement.Participants will examine how LRE can provide students with disabilities with meaningfulopportunities to learn, participate, and develop relationships with their peers, while ensuringaccess to the supports necessary for meaningful educational progress.
Executive Functioning in Today’s ClassroomMemory, time management, organization, self-regulation, and attention are essential skills forsuccess in today’s classroom. With the many competing demands placed on students and theconstant availability of distractions, educators need effective strategies to help studentsremain engaged, focused, and ready to learn.This session will explore a range of supports available within schools, from environmental andsystemic strategies to individualized assistive tools designed to address specific studentneeds. Participants will gain practical, classroom-ready strategies that can be implemented atboth the classroom and schoolwide levels to support all learners, with particular emphasis onstudents who experience challenges with executive functioning.
Bridging the Literacy Gap: Age-Appropriate Literacy Strategies for SupportingSecondary StudentsMiddle and high school students who read significantly below grade level often face a dualchallenge: gaps in foundational literacy skills, including phonics and decoding, combined withlimited access to age-appropriate instructional materials. Traditional intervention resourcesdesigned for younger learners may fail to engage adolescents and can negatively impact theirconfidence and motivation.This session will provide practical, instructional strategies for explicitly teaching phonics,decoding, encoding, syllabication, and morphology to adolescent learners while maintainingage-appropriate content and meaningful engagement.
Prevention Before Intervention: Building a Continuum of Student Supports from PreK andBeyondSchools are most effective when student support begins before challenges become crises. Thisinteractive session will examine how schools can develop a proactive continuum of supportsgrounded in strong universal practices, early identification, and responsive intervention.Participants will explore how to use multiple data sources to identify emerging needs, alignacademic, behavioral, developmental, and social-emotional supports across grade levels,provide increasingly targeted interventions, monitor student progress, and adjust supportsbased on student responses. Participants will leave with practical strategies for strengtheningalignment, reducing fragmentation, and developing a coordinated system designed to supportstudent success from PreK and beyond.
Beyond Behavior: Supporting Regulation, Communication & Participation with AAC/ATEvery student wants to feel secure, understood, and able to participate, but that starts withunderstanding what they need to access the people, activities, and learning around them. Thisworkshop dives into the connection between regulation, communication, and participation, andhow assistive technology (AT), augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), and visualsupports can help create more responsive learning environments. We'll explore what might beunderneath challenging behaviors, how regulation affects a student's ability to communicateand engage, and how our support can shift in response. Walk away with practical, low-tech toolsand strategies you can easily customize for your students and your classroom.
Building Language Through AAC ModelingCommunication partners play a huge role in language development, and this workshop showsyou how. We'll explore what effective language modeling looks like in practice, with an emphasison providing language input through everyday interactions rather than testing, prompting, orrequiring a response. You'll leave with practical ways to weave these strategies into classroomroutines, so AAC modeling feels like a natural part of the day.
MTSS in Action: Turning Student Needs into Strategic SupportMulti-Tiered System of Supports is more than tiers, interventions, and data meetings. It is apractical framework for identifying student needs early and responding with the right supportat the right time. This interactive session brings MTSS to life by exploring how educators canuse classroom data, evidence-based strategies, progress monitoring, and collaborativeproblem-solving to make informed instructional decisions. Participants will leave with practicalstrategies they can apply immediately to strengthen support for all learners.
Bringing Winter Fun to Morning Meeting with AACBring fresh ideas to your morning meeting with targeted communication supports designed forearly childhood and elementary classrooms. In this interactive, winter-themed session,participants will explore practical strategies for increasing communication, participation, andconnection during morning meeting routines through the use of visuals and augmentative andalternative communication (AAC) supports.Participants will leave with access to a printable Morning Meeting Communication Starter Kitfeaturing ready-to-use supports that can be implemented immediately.
High-Quality IEPs: Practical Roadmaps for Student SuccessWell-developed IEPs are more than compliance documents; they provide clear direction forinstruction and services, establish measurable expectations for student progress, and ensurethat students with disabilities receive individualized supports designed to help them achievemeaningful educational outcomes.This session will emphasize the importance of using current and relevant student data toidentify strengths, needs, and areas for growth. Participants will explore strategies fordeveloping clear, measurable, and achievable goals that are directly connected to identifiedstudent needs and can be effectively monitored throughout the school year. The workshop willalso highlight the importance of selecting appropriate services, supports, accommodations,and modifications based on individual student needs rather than relying on a one-size-fits-allapproach.
