Region 16 Tiered Services

🍀 On Wednesday, educators from 10 local districts gathered in Shamrock for Impact on the Move, a full-day professional development experience focused on expanding opportunities for students with disabilities.

Whether serving as administrators, teachers, paraprofessionals, or support staff, every participant brought incredible energy to learning how we can design classrooms and school environments that support all learners.

A huge thank you to everyone who attended, shared insights, and invested time into making a lasting difference for our students!

🚀 What an incredible day of learning and fun at the PreK Summit: Launchpad for Learning!

Thank you to our keynote speaker, Dr. Layne Pethick, our breakout presenters, and our incredible vendors for making this event such a success. Most of all, thank you to the dedicated early childhood educators who joined us to launch our youngest learners toward success!

The 2026 Region 16 Autism Conference has come to a close, but it was one to remember! From keynote speaker, Morgan Van Diepen, to all of our incredible breakout speakers, attendees had the opportunity to learn best practices for teaching & supporting autistic students from across the Panhandle.

A special thank you to our vendors, community partners, and our area 18+ programs for making this event such a success. It’s always a great day when the community comes together to network & learn alongside one another. 💙🧡💙

Our team has been hard at work preparing for our Spectrum of Supports Autism Conference tomorrow!!

We can’t wait for all of you to join us for a wonderful day of learning and networking. Didn’t get registered? No problem! We still have spots available. The fun starts at 9:00am. We’ll see you then!

✨ Meet Danielle Holbrook Compton, Autism Consultant with Region 16!

Drawing on her 14 years of experience working directly with students with developmental disabilities, Danielle partners with teachers, paraprofessionals, speech-language pathologists, and families to support evidence-based practices for autistic students. Whether she's helping educators strengthen instructional practices, implement augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), or recognize and build upon their students' strengths and potential, Danielle is passionate about empowering school teams to help every learner thrive.

When asked what she celebrates most, Danielle's answer is clear: the educators she serves every day.

"Their dedication to creating safe learning environments, where every student has meaningful access to learning & communication, while feeling a sense of genuine belonging, inspires me to continue learning and growing so I can give them my very best."

Outside of work, you'll almost always find Danielle with a good book in hand. An avid reader, she loves stories that spark meaningful conversations and is a proud member of her book club, The Bettys. She also enjoys spending time with her family, which includes her husband, sons, daughter-in-law & her two blue heelers.

Thank you, Danielle, for your passion, expertise, and unwavering commitment to supporting educators, families, and students across the Texas Panhandle. We're grateful to have you on the Region 16 Tiered Services team!

Last week, our PreK, ECSE, and Head Start teachers dove headfirst into the world of dramatic play and sensory learning!

Our educators explored the different stages of play and learned how to design intentional dramatic play scenarios and sensory bins. These setups do so much more than keep little hands busy—they engage the senses, boost social-emotional learning, and naturally weave in early literacy and math skills! 📚🔢

Take a look at how our teachers are bringing these playful learning spaces to life!

Last week, we welcomed Laurie Shaw of The Center for AAC & Autism and Camber Moulton of PRC-Saltilllo for two days of training on the LAMP approach to communication and on LAMP-WFL.

Thank you to the wonderful group of SLPs, teachers, paraprofessionals & parents who joined us for this engaging and interactive professional development!

The new intensity of services funding model is intentionally designed to shift the focus from centering determinations based on where services are delivered and instead emphasize the individualized supports and services students receiving special education services need.

To support implementation, Texas SPED Support has compiled Intensity of Services in the Special Education Funding Model Resources that help educators and administrators better understand service intensity levels, funding considerations, and related guidance.

These TEA-approved resources can support planning, decision-making, and meaningful conversations about how services are provided to meet student needs.

Learn more and access these resources: sped.support/intensity-of-services-funding-model

We had a fantastic time hosting ECSE, PreK, and Head Start teachers for sessions focused all on early math and STEM. These amazing educators dove into new strategies and walked away with fresh ideas and hands-on materials ready to spark curiosity in their classrooms this coming school year!

Take a look at some of the highlights from learning from last week!