Special Education for Beginners | Managing Paraprofessionals, Special Education Strategies, First Year Sped Teachers, Special Ed Overwhelm, Paperwork for Special Education Teachers - The Basics of Data Collection with Caitlyn from Beltran's Behavior Basics

The Basics of Data Collection with Caitlyn from Beltran's Behavior Basics

12/15/21 • 25 min

Special Education for Beginners | Managing Paraprofessionals, Special Education Strategies, First Year Sped Teachers, Special Ed Overwhelm, Paperwork for Special Education Teachers

Managing behavior might very well be one of the hardest aspects of being a special educator.

Luckily, collecting data on those behaviors doesn't have to be difficult.

Today’s guest is Caitlyn Beltran and we're talking about all things dealing with the how, when and why of collecting behavior data.

Listen in as Caitlyn and I chat about:

What behavior data is and what is it used for
The different methods of collecting data
What a data collection session looks like
Some roadblocks to obtaining good data
And The steps she takes to teach paraprofessionals how to take data?

If you have ever bought behavior products off of TPT before, it’s likely that you’ve come across her store...Beltran’s Behavior Basics. She has over 200 products in her store where she creates resources to help teachers track and manage student behaviors. dealing with everything from

✏ IEP Goals & Objectives
✏ Behavior Data Sheet
✏ Behavior Management
✏ Digital and Paper Data Trackers
✏ File Folder Activity
✏Social stories and so much more

You can find the products she mentions in the show here:
Paraprofessional Binder: Reviews various types of behavior data collection as well as skill acquisition elements.

Guide to ABC Data: Walks you through the process of taking this type of data with both digital & paper data collection options.

Special Education Data Sheets (Paper) Varied data collection

Digital Behavior Tracker

Connect with Caitlyn here:
TeachersPayTeachers
Instagram: @BeltransBehaviorBasics

Follow me on Instagram
Sped Prep Academy
and check out the What's Your Special Educator Superpower Quiz mentioned in the show

Listen in as Caitlyn and I chat about:

What behavior data is and what is it used for
The different methods of collecting data
What a data collection session looks like
Some roadblocks to obtaining good data
And The steps she takes to teach paraprofessionals how to take data?

✏ IEP Goals & Objectives
✏ Behavior Data Sheet
✏ Behavior Management
✏ Digital and Paper Data Trackers
✏ File Folder Activity
✏Social stories and so much more

You can find the products she mentions in the show here:
Paraprofessional Binder: Reviews various types of behavior data collection as well as skill acquisition elements.

Guide to ABC Data: Walks you through the process of taking this type of data with both digital & paper data collection options.

Special Education Data Sheets (Paper) Varied data collection

Digital Behavior Tracker

Previous Episode

Episode 64: Assisting Teachers with Assistive Technology

Episode 64: Assisting Teachers with Assistive Technology
How is it possible to go through 27 years of teaching and not be more knowledgeable about assistive technology??
I thought I was doing what I needed to for my students by determining if they needed special pencils or scissors. Or maybe they needed a large button keyboard or a slant board for writing. But I was today years old when I found out that there is sooooooo much more to assistive technology than I thought.
When I heard this quote, “At least one person on the IEP team must have some knowledge about assistive technology because you cannot consider something about which you know nothing," it really hit home.

And I think there might just be a lot of truth to that statement for many special educators.

As a part of IDEA, the IEP team is required to “consider” the Assistive Technology needs of every student receiving special education services regardless of the type or severity of their disability.

On today's episode, Rachel Kuberry, an Assistive Technology Specialist for a public school system in Massachusetts, shares with us so much good information. She digs into what that "consideration" should look like, who it's for and why it's important.

She answers questions about:

What Assistive Technology actually is
The different types of assistive technology
What an AT assessment/evaluation looks like
And the barriers to providing assistive technology like we should

Throughout the show, Rachel drops little value bombs on us and shares so many great resources.
Check them out below!
AT Consideration ChecklistAssessing Students’ Needs for Assistive Technology manual by WATISETT Framework as developed by Joy Zabala - an example worksheetYou can connect with Rachel on Instagram
Exceptional Special Ed Email her at [email protected]

And listen to her podcast Exceptional Special Ed on your favorite podcast streaming tool

Follow me on Instagram
Sped Prep Academy

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Next Episode

Episode 66: The Importance of Giving Back: Why You Should Mentor Other Special Educators

Episode 66: The Importance of Giving Back: Why You Should Mentor Other Special Educators
In the spirit of the holidays, today's episode is all about giving back.
If you are listening to this episode at the time of its release, then you know Christmas is just a few short days away and so I wanted to focus on something that I feel can bring the spirit of Christmas to our departments and our programs when we return to the classroom in January.
Unless you've been living under a rock for the past 10 years (or in the case that your district doesn't struggle with this issue), it is most likely well known that the field of special education has always seen more than its fair share of struggles to find certified teachers to fill empty positions.
Because of this, many of those empty positions are being filled with non-certified individuals. These individuals are beautiful souls who are ready to take on this profession with gusto and who are ready to put in the hard work of being a special educator...and then this happens.

They have no freaking idea what they’re doing.
They have no background in disabilities...they have no training in how to work with children who have special needs, they don’t have a clue what the paperwork means and why it’s important that it is done correctly.

In fact...they don’t even know what they don’t know.
Given these many challenges, these new special education teachers need support and guidance from an experienced special education mentor to learn the ropes.

Now...when I say mentor, I am not speaking in any formal capacity. I’m talking about being a guiding light to another educator who is struggling. I’m talking about going above and beyond, and out of your way to help someone who needs help. I feel it is MY job, no I feel it is OUR job to provide them with all the support they need.
In today's episode, you'll learn why providing mentorship to new teachers who haven't been properly trained is SOOO important and I'll explain in detail the 3 steps to take when mentoring another teacher:

Provide emotional support
Provide ideas (when asked)
Help to reduce frustration

But before you get all sassy with me and say, "I don't have time to help anyone else, I'm barely surviving myself." Just know that I get it.
And it’s not my intention to add even more work to your already full plate. I just want you to remember what it was like being that first year teacher and how much you would have appreciated having someone who volunteered their time to help you learn and grow and when we can give back to others in that same boat...it feels remarkable.

So in the spirit of giving, it is my hope that when we all go back to school in January that we can, at the very least, give a little of our time to help someone else out.
Follow me on Instagram
Sped Prep Academy
and check out the What's Your Special Educator Superpower Quiz mentioned in the show

Follow Jennifer
InstagramTPT