Special Education Programs
Lakes Country Service Cooperative supports school districts with a variety of programs and resources to continue to enhance and develop their Special Education staff.
The Region IV Low Incidence Project facilitates the use of diverse and scarce resources to meet the needs of students with challenging needs. The special programs group provides numerous professional development activities on a variety of topics. The program provides service to nine special education cooperatives/districts. The Region IV Low Incidence projects are funded by two federal grants: Low Incidence and Regional Comprehensive System of Personnel Development (R-CSPD).
- Lakes Country Academy
- Community of Practice (CoP)
- Pathways to Licensure
- Specialized Training
- Early Childhood Center of Excellence
- Special Education Pipeline Grant
- Region IV Tuition Reimbursement Application
Lakes Country Academy
Lakes Country Academy (LCA), a Setting IV program, was created to serve students with Autism Spectrum Disorders/Emotional Behavior Disorders. LCA exists to serve students with educational and behavioral challenges by providing transformational support and skills (through evidence-based practices) in a highly individualized environment. LCA's vision is to ensure that every student has the opportunity to achieve their fullest potential as individuals in order to contribute to all aspects of their community.
LCA was established in 2017 and currently serves over 25 member districts in Region IV with LCA locations in both Alexandria and Fergus Falls Minnesota.
Learn more: Access LCA website here
Community of Practice (CoP)
Join other Region IV Teachers in working together in a Community of Practice (CoP) to support equitable and accessible educational services. We have created these groups to provide you with topics and presentations that will address concerns and challenges you face in your classrooms on a daily basis.
Autism Spectrum Disabilities (ASD) & STAR
To scale up evidenced based practices for students who are on the autism spectrum and/or challenging behaviors. STAR practices will be focused on within the CoP.
Behavior
Foundations to prevent challenging behaviors, assessments, identifying skill and motivational barriers, replacement behaviors, responding to challenging behaviors, data, problem solving specific situations.
Blind/Visually Impaired (BVI)
Transition/SSB/VR, evaluations, G&O and data collection.
Deaf/Hard of Hearing (DHH)
Mental health, audiology updates and evals, transition, evidenced based practices and resources.
Developmental Adaptive Physical Education (DAPE)
The focus of the CoP meeting will be for DAPE teachers to build new skills in the area of assessment, evaluation reports, goals/objectives and accommodations in physical education. There will be discussion and strategies for implementation of evidenced based practices in PE and DAPE.
Developmental Cognitive Disabilities (DCD)
Assessment tools and procedures, programming considerations, working with paraprofessionals, G&O and data collection.
Early Childhood Center of Excellence (EC Coe)
Foundational ECSE skills / knowledge, resources and evidence based practices for EC, each month MDE leadership call/topics and relevant topics as identified by EC Leaders.
Early Hearing & Detection Intervention (EHDI)
Literacy/Science of Reading
Science of Reading (SoR) / LETRS 1 SoR / LETRS 2
Occupational & Physcial Therapy (OT/PT)
Assessments, Tools, Data, Write Ups, Objectives, End of Year Tools, Problem Solving.
Physical Impairments (PI), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), & Other Health Disabilities (OHD)
Checklists for evals, role in ECSE, collaborative relationships.
Speech Language Pathology (SLP)
Language, strategies for language processing, augmentative communication.
Transition
Vocational services and resources, evaluations, programming / materials.
Third Party Billing
To access Medicaid funds to support Minnesota schools in building a school capacity to provide health related services to ensure all students benefit from their education.
The intended participants would be billers, third party billing coordinators.
Pathways to Licensure
Through a partnership with Lakes Country Service Cooperative, Minnesota State University Moorhead, along with the following Public Schools: Moorhead area, Fargo, and West Fargo; we can offer continuing studies coursework. The courses can be taken for continuing education (CEUs) or graduate credit, which can be applied toward your master’s degree in special education.
The courses are designed to meet Minnesota and North Dakota teacher licensure standards. They are offered at a reduced rate and are approved for reimbursement via the Special Education Pipeline Grant.
Course Offerings (subject to change based on registration numbers)
Fall 24/25 Courses (Sept-Dec)
- Collaboration/Communication
- Behavior Foundations (Part 1)
Winter 24/25 Courses (Jan-Mar)
- IEP Developement
- Behavior Assessment & Interventions (Part 2) - Cancelled
- Specially Designed Instructions - Cancelled
Spring/Summer 24/25 Courses (Mar-Jun) Register Here
- Specially Designed Instructions (need to take Law/Due Process/IEP before taking class)
- Evaluation
- Applied Behavior Analysis (Part 2)
- Applied Behavior Analysis (Part 3)
Unlocking the Mysteries of Special Education Due Process
2 Part Series
Part 1
IEP Development
In this course, participants will learn about the legal basis for due process requirements as they pertain to the components of an IEP. Each section of the IEP will be considered regarding compliance requirements, family friendly language, internal consistency and clarity. Participants will have the opportunity to evaluate and practice writing compliant IEP content.
Part 2
Evaluation
In this course, participants will learn about the legal basis for due process requirements as they pertain to evaluations, data driven, decisions and reporting results. This course includes consideration and practice of evaluation procedures from team planning/assessment selection, administration of tools/procedures, scoring terminology and practices, interpretation, determination of eligibility and report writing.
Applied Behavior Analysis in Education
3 Part Series -
Part 1 must be taken prior to Part 2 and Part 3,
but you are able to take Part 2 and Part 3 at the same time.
Part 1
Foundations and Methods in Applied Behavior Analysis
This course is the first in a three-part series designed to increase your overall knowledge of applied behavior analysis and behavior change procedures for the classroom. Teachers who include behavior analysis in their instruction are able to manage challenging behavior, increase learning, and support paraprofessionals to utilize these techniques as well! This course provides the foundation of applied behavior analysis.
Part 2
Behavioral Assessment and Intervention
This course is the second in a three-part series designed to increase your overall knowledge of applied behavior analysis and behavior change procedures. This module focuses specifically on writing functional behavioral assessments and developing behavior intervention plans.
Part 3
Classroom Management Processes & Procedures
This course is the last in a three-part series designed to increase your overall knowledge of applied behavior analysis and behavior change procedures for the classroom. This course provides ways to incorporate behavior analysis in classroom systems.
Stand Alone Courses
Specially Designed Instruction
The course is designed for practicing educators to learn and grow through the job-embedded practice of appropriately adapting content, methodology, or delivery of instruction, and ensuring access to the general curriculum through specially designed instruction.
Promoting Effective Communication and Collaboration
In this course, participants will learn and apply skills that enhance relationships and promote effective collaboration with colleagues and parents. These skills will be practiced using real-world job related tasks that are demanded of IEP managers and special education teachers, and are based upon high leverage practices in special education.
Specialized Training
Early Childhood Center of Excellence
The Minnesota Centers of Excellence for Young Children with Disabilities is the statewide professional development system for early childhood special education (ECSE). Professional Development Facilitators (PDF) in each of the state's eight economic development regions work to connect, support and empower local leaders to build capacity. Through these joint efforts, young children and their families are accessing and benefiting from high-quality programs and services throughout the state.
In some instances, the boundaries of educational districts do not align with the eight economic development regions' boundaries. In instances when a cooperative or district's boundaries are found in more than one region, the district's PDF and service region are assigned based upon the county in which a program's leader is housed.
Special Education Pipeline Grant
LCSC was awarded the Special Education Teacher Pipeline Grant with Minnesota Department of Education spring of 2024. With this opportunity, LCSC is able to provide financial assistance to Region IV school district employees who are working towards their Tier 4 license in a Special Education area. Priority for funding is given to teachers holding a Tier 1 or 2 license in Special Education in Minnesota as they work towards a full Tier 4 licensure but any Region IV school district employee (including paraprofessional) who is pursuing full licensure in a Special Education area are encouraged to apply. Applicants must be employed by a school district in Region IV of Minnesota for eligibility and must submit recommendations from their Principal (or equivalent) and Special Education Director.
Please contact Angela Doll, Special Education Director, LCSC at for inquiries on grant program specifics.
For the 24-25 school year, applicants are restricted to programs leading to Special Education licensure through Moorhead State University Moorhead, University of St. Thomas, or University of Minnesota, Minneapolis campus. LCSC hopes to widen partnership with more universities that offer PELSB-approved licensure programs in Special Education.
Spring 2025 Application
Now closed
Summer 2025 Application
Opening in March
Region IV Tuition Reimbursement Application
2024-2025 Region IV Application Form
Welcome to the online application for the Region IV Tuition Reimbursement. Applications will be reviewed monthly by the Region IV Tuition Reimbursement Committee on a rolling deadline until funding is no longer available.
The Regional IV tuition support is for teachers who have a special education license and are adding an additional licensure pertinent to the area of special education in which they are teaching or for which they are preparing. Please see the link and requirements below.
- Applicants must be currently employed by a Region IV area school district as a teacher, or plan on teaching for a school district or public education agency in the Region IV area at the point of coursework completion.
- Applicants must hold a Tier 3 or Tier 4 special education license.
- Applicants must be enrolled in an approved, accredited university program that provides graduate-level coursework in one of the eligible low incidence licensure areas.
- Applicants must plan to remain employed in the Region IV area in the low incidence disability area in which they received tuition support for 5 years.