Kansas Inservice Training System Summer Institute

Kansas Inservice Training System

training and calendar

Kansas Inservice Training System Summer Institute

Each June, KITS, through support from Kansas State Department of Education and Kansas Department of Health and Environment, sponsors a four-day Summer Institute. The goals of the Summer Institute include:

providing the opportunity for professional development,
providing two college credit hours (all participants must enroll and take for credit), and
providing in-depth training on the focused topic for the upcoming year.

KITS 2012 Summer Institute

Title: Linking Assessment, Instruction and Individualized Interventions

June 5 to 8, 2012

Location: Wichita State University Hughes Metropolitan Complex
Oliver and 29th St. North
Wichita, Kansas

Registration is now open!

Register here. (This link opens in a new window.)

Mark your calendars to attend the 2012 KITS Summer Institute! Spend four days with other early childhood professionals and learn about developing an intentional link between ongoing assessment and instruction.

When applied to the field of early childhood, the word "assessment" too often drums up negative images. Differing beliefs, expectations, and at times misconceptions regarding the assessment of young children may keep professionals from appropriately collecting, analyzing, and utilizing meaningful data to make important instructional/intervention decisions. As the pressure for "accountability" mounts, early childhood professionals may find themselves in discussions regarding formal assessments and high stakes testing. In these situations, the misinformed may end up using assessment tools or methods that are not used in the way intended, and therefore are neither useful nor beneficial, and potentially become harmful to the young children being assessed. Professionals who devalue the collection and use of assessment information to make instructional changes may be providing inadequate or inappropriate services to the children they serve. For these reasons, it is critical that early childhood professionals understand the appropriate uses and potential misuse of assessment as it applies to young children. Professionals must be cognizant of the rational for collecting and using assessment data, understand the principles for selection and administration of specific tools, identify methods for collecting information in an ongoing manner, and be able to analyze and apply that information to make appropriate instructional decisions.

This year the KITS Summer Institute will focus on the topic of assessment in early childhood, specifically as it is applied to making decisions related to instruction or intervention. Information provided at this four day event will reflect recommended practices, professional standards, and position statements established by major national organizations, including the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC); the Division for Early Childhood (DEC); the Head Start Program Performance Standards; the American Educational Research Association (AERA); and the National Association for School Psychologists (NASP). Day long sessions will be lead by nationally recognized experts including the following:

Understanding and Selecting Appropriate Assessment Methods/Tools
Using Assessments for the Purpose of Program Planning
Selecting and Using Assessments to Monitor Individual Progress
Methods for Collecting and Using Information to Promote Friendships and Social Skills.

So hurry and make plans to attend this year's KITS Summer Institute. And remember, the Summer Institute must be taken for two hours of college credit.

Who Should Attend?

The Summer Institute is open to all people working with children in Kansas; but priority is given to those professionals working with children, birth to eight, who have disabilities.

Summer Institute Requirements

The Summer Institute MUST be taken for two hours of college credit. Participants must attend all four days and complete an assignment. Attendees must make arrangements to enroll and pay associated fees through one of the partnering universities (see universities and contacts below). Payment for college credit and associated fees is made directly to the partnering university and is the responsibility of the participant. Fees vary by university. Questions regarding fees and enrollment procedures should be directed to the university contact listed below. No other fees are required. For participants who wish to stay in a hotel, a block of rooms have been secured at the Hampton Inn for the University of Kansas/Kansas Inservice Training System. Call 785-841-4994 to make reservations. No changes may be made to housing choices after June 1, 2011.

Partner Universities/Contact Information

Emporia State University (Students must Pre-enroll through Lifelong Learning, 877-332-4249 Code CD744XA. Contact: Heather Caswell or 785-341-0044)
Fort Hays State University (contact Dorothy Fulton, 785-628-5848, for enrollment questions)
Kansas State University (contact Bronwyn Fees, 785-532-1476, for enrollment questions)
Pittsburg State University (contact Marti York, 620-235-4965, for enrollment questions)
University of Kansas: Enrollment for those seeking graduate credit will be done on site at the Summer Institute the first day. For those participants who do not have a university degree and therefore require undergraduate credit, contact Sherrie Saathof, 785-864-0556, for instructions.
Wichita State University (contact Linda Mitchell, 316-978-6367, for enrollment questions)

Lodging

KITS provides lodging in a residence hall, meals, materials, and a flat subsidy of $50 to cover travel for participants who live more than 50 miles from Lawrence. If the participant wishes to stay in a hotel instead of the residence hall, $200 will be paid toward hotel expenses. However, those who choose the hotel option are not eligible for the $50 in travel as travel expense is allotted within the $200 allowance.