February 2016

MAASE News / February 2016

Retirements:  June 2016

• Marcia Young – Clawson
• Jeff Montgomery – Berkley
• Julie Conn – Huron Valley
• Ray Locke – Ferndale
• Marcia O’Brien – Ingham

New Positions

• Mitch Wheatcraft, Supervisor & Transition Coordinator – Saginaw ISD/Merrill Schools (December 2015)
• Karen Olex, Executive Director – Oakland Schools (January 2016)
• Candy Marek, Special Education Coordinator – Hart Public Schools
• Cheryl Williams, Special Education Coordinator – Detroit Public Schools
• Keisa Lewis, Student Intern – Detroit Public Schools
• Derrick Padgett, Section 504 Support – Ann Arbor Public Schools
• Christine Pilon, Student Administrative Intern – Macomb ISD
• Rebecca Anders, Supervisor – Birmingham (September 2015)

Student Visitors

• Angela Doekler – GVSU
• April Beckman – GVSU

Membership Services Committee / February 2016

Focus Areas: Skilled Staff

The Membership Services Committee met on Tuesday, 02-16-2016, with the following present: Greg Bodrie, John Bretschneider, Lynn Delpy, Katie Flynn, Tammy Hazley, Carolyn Smith-Gerdes, Brenda Tarsa.

Discussion included new members, the mentoring program and the June retiree celebration. Carolyn will share the new member Google spreadsheet with an added Personal Contacts column; Katie has developed forms–the committee gave input to the process and plans to have the mentoring program be in place by April; a small sub-committee is working on the retiree celebration scheduled for June 7, immediately following the professional development session.

Legislative Action Committee / February 2016

Focus Areas: Skilled Staff

Type: Board Appointed

The Legislative Action Committee (LAC) has continued to hone the MAASE position and input on draft legislation on seclusion and restraint.  With help from MAASE’s input and concerns we raised, the drafters removed the term ‘separation’ that appeared in early versions, and reinstated ‘seclusion,’ a term with which the field is familiar.  With the most recent draft, we continue to be most concerned about the proposed language and definition around ‘usual teaching environment.’

The most recent MAASE memo and redlined versions of draft legislation can be found on our wiki here:

http://maase.pbworks.com/w/page/70597734/MAASE%20Position%20and%20Input%20Statements

Some Seclusion & Restraint Talking Points:

• We commend the Lieutenant Governor for taking time to gather input and recommendations from parents, students, and stakeholders statewide focused on ensuring all students with disabilities receive quality services that recognize and respect their unique potential, and we look forward to working together in the future.
• We agree that seclusion and restraint should only be utilized in emergencies when all other avenues are exhausted, but proposed definitions of “emergency situation” and “usual teaching environment” must be developed with care.
• The proposed creation of local “Human Rights Commissions” is unnecessary. Additionally, the concept raises concerns with respect to student privacy and the role of local Parent Advisory Committees (PACs).

Finance and Legislation / February 2016

Focus Areas: High Quality Student Evaluations, Program Evaluation, Skilled Staff, Specially Designed Instruction (SDI)

Type: Open Committee

March 3rd (Grand Rapids): MCEC & MAASE co-present session re: grassroots advocacy for educators

April 19 – 20 (Lansing): MAASE Legislative Action Seminar – registration open!

July 1-13 (DC): CASE Legislative Summit

OSE Updates:

• State aid update – DPS, Flint, Gov’s proposed budget, GSRP, count calculation
• 14-15 MOE testing starting now
• FT application to be released in May
• MI must start requiring submission of non-federal budget for school entities receiving FT funds.
• Teri Chapman will be annoucing changes to EOSD & Transition grants. Allocations for ISDs to remain stable.

Karoub/LAC Updates:

• Seclusion & Restraint Legislation update
• Gov’s proposed budget includes increase for MiBLSi
• Gov’s budget includes funding to support SE task force recommendations.

Ad Hoc Workgroups

• IDEA – finalizing recommendations. Will have for April mtg
• ESSA – N/A
• Platform & Priorities – F&L please watch for survey
• MICC/EO Funding – looking for F&L rep

Tuesday Professional Learning / February 2016

Focus Areas: Program Evaluation

Type: Open Committee

March 9th will be a planning day for the Tuesday PL committee.

Survey will go out requesting input on membership needs.

Joanne Cashman will continue the series, Leading by Convening in April. MAASE members have been working with Joanne creating Grounding Assumptions. More to come at April PL.

Dr. Jim Henry will be presenting to MAASE, Childhood Trauma as a Workshop B in April. This is a great opportunity for MAASE members, School Social Workers and Early Childhood professionals.

Summer Institute / February 2016

Focus Areas: High Quality Student Evaluations, Program Evaluation, Skilled Staff, Specially Designed Instruction (SDI)

Type: Open Committee

Request for MAASE Summer Institute presentation proposals will go out in March. Please start putting together your presentation proposal!

Summer Institute Registration will open in April. More information to come.

Please reserve your room at the Grand Traverse Resort by using the booking code MAASE16. Room blocks sell out quickly so don’t delay.

• Confirmation of keynote speakers: Kevin Kruse – Employee Engagement and Todd Gravois – MAASE Priority Areas
• Brainstormed breakout suggestions
• Updated sponsorship format
• Discussion of tchotchke ideas
• Subcommittee work updates
• Design and build of Cvent platform

Developing Leaders / February 2016

Focus Areas: High Quality Student Evaluations, Program Evaluation, Skilled Staff, Specially Designed Instruction (SDI)

The last Developing Leaders was held on February 17th. This is the first time the event was held on a Wednesday. There were over 100 people in attendance and eight break out sessions.

The next session will be April 13th at 8:30 am.

The eight February topics generated by the attendees were:

Compliance to Outcomes, Measuring Program Effectiveness

Seclusion and Restraint, Changes and Implementation

FAPE in a non-traditional setting (GED, Adult Ed, Alt Ed, etc.)

Funding, How to make budget cuts, creatively fund RTI etc.

Inclusion, GSRP, Headstart, ECSE and blending

Specially Designed Instruction

Mental Health

Para training and decreasing student dependence

Search #MAASElearns for notes from the sessions.

Lobbyist / February 2016

Type: Open Committee

KAROUB REPORT:  February 2016

Committee Liaisons & Representatives: DAS Advisory Committee / February 2016

Focus Areas: High Quality Student Evaluations

Type: Open Committee

March 1, 2016
MDE Updates: Vanessa Keesler, Andy Middlestead, Pat King

MSTEP 2016

Made a lot of changes for this testing year

Cut testing time in all grades
Computer adaptive in ELA and math grades 3-8
won’t greatly impact testing time
blueprint is the same; same number of items, just changes the content
based on content standards of the current grade level, not above or below grade level
deviated from SBA and PARCC by eliminating the performance task; concept is the same; algorithm is the same
Went against “expertise” in this reduction of time (state is not pretending to be the experts)
Admin. footprint should be less
Timely reporting
Data files and reports back to districts prior to start of next school year
Hearing that the field doesn’t know how to analyze the data; interpret the data
Investing efforts into parent outreach and communicating what the data mean; messaging around the data is an area of improvement
Teacher evaluations will have to use state measure in 2018-2019 (not new info?)

Reporting (Andy)

Changes in reports for upcoming year
Claim score reporting: know that this is not great, looking for ways to improve this and make it more clear (fewer items; “giant” error range)
Psychometrics and Standard deviations are being reviewed
Want to put out more data in the data files
Preliminary looks at where students may score; not publishing reports on this data though
48 hour data (hand scored will obviously take longer to analyze)
Having difficulty in labeling parts of the reports: red X, checkmarks, etc.
Claims: possibly 3 “buckets” potentially; preliminary scaled scores difficult to label (use for short cycle instructional decisions per Vanessa)
More detail potentially in the “yellow” as to where the students actually score; near benchmark, middle, etc.
Discussion around who the reports are tailored to, Wendy talked about other assessments that report “on grade level”, “near grade level”

SGP’s

Not a normal distribution, no bell curve, flat distribution across the board
Median SGP? What is the appropriate range?
Don’t have to have the same test (this years data goes back to the last MEAP)
Vanessa wants to shift SPG’s to ed. evaluation timelines; more effort into the communication about these starting next year

SAT Reporting

Set their benchmark scores nationwide; MDE does not want to set Michigan scores, want to use national benchmarks; not using unique cut scores to MI
Rationale: simplicity, statistical methods
Norms will be re-calculated after period of time given MI data
Not looking at proficiency, rather college readiness
Accountability: don’t have to use proficiency, looking at alternative reporting options (quadrant method: growth and status scaled score vs. proficient); not clear right now, no decision
has been made at this point
this year is a “wait and see” year due to the test being new
doing away with top to bottom ranking eventually
When discussing sanctions, the measurement quality begins to become a larger conversation
Discussion surrounds different ways to report data to parents vs. the districts to promote better understanding and “buy-in” from a community perspective
Stick with what was decided for ESEA for accountability for now???
No teeth around ESSA until 17-18 school year
Implement something transitional for next year?
Not sure what will happen with the lowest 5% at this point

KEA/K-2 Benchmarks

TS Gold 3-year pilot; can we request that much testing time with that tool; not advisable at this point
Talk about an entry status from preschool; stakeholder group will be devised; shift funding to some
Nobody is required to use TS Gold measure
K-2 benchmarks: need statewide comparable data sooner than 3rd grade
MDE wants feedback on whether or not to require evaluation or make it optional at this point?
do we need comparable data on every student? State is examining this question currently
Leave the tool open and let people choose to use the tool and only report on those who have been assessed?
State is ready to go if the direction is to implement the assessment; standing rec. is to make it optional and let districts choose
Reimbursements for k-3: some have purchased tools and some have used the state tool; no answer at this point?
Sample items have been installed on DRC and schools can choose to have students practice if they choose

MI–Access Update

Moving towards taking the Essential Elements, continuing the use of those and building a state test that is aligned with the EE’s and the range of complexities
This is somewhat of a “field test” and will be less of a high stakes year as people become comfortable with it
Comments: Range of complexity does not align with learning progressions of students with CI’s; overly simplistic
Consider public comments for next years assessment
Asking for the possibility to test across levels or between levels: assess students where they are
Guidance on test selection

ESSA

Bring in coalitions/interest groups to discuss assessment/accountability
Feds guidance was that they are aiming for November, but could be a 6 month hold after the elections
MDE will look at law and then make decisions from there; potentially moving forward without guidance from the feds

Secondary Transition Administrators (CoP) / February 2016

Focus Areas: Program Evaluation, Skilled Staff, Specially Designed Instruction (SDI)

Type: Open Committee

2016 MTSA Conference

• Specially Designed Instruction: A subgroup of the CoP is researching tiered diploma systems in other states.
• Skilled Staff: There may be a need to provide support for Transition Coordinators as they develop the new competencies required by MDE.
• Program Evaluation: A subgroup of the CoP is researching existing program evaluation tools for Age 18-26 Transition Programs.

Monitors (CoP) / February 2016

Focus Areas: Skilled Staff

Upcoming State Monitors Conference May 4-6 registration information will be released soon.

• New Monitors CoP meeting dates and times due to the restructuring of MAASE and conflicts with other committees that the Monitors participate in. Monitors CoP is moving to Monday’s from approx. 2:00pm – 4:00pm after Monday Monitor Trainings.  Although MAT has been dismantled, that group will continue to meet after Monday Monitors CoP, so that there continues to be a voice that can relay messages to the department.
• Catamaran continues to be on hold and LEAs and PSAs will continue to complete activities in CIMS for the remainder of the school year.  B13 and GSM activities are now part of the April workbooks.  Monitors will be required to complete a verification activity for each district with a B13 CAP from September.  Even though districts were told they did not have to complete the CAPS, Monitors will still need to conduct verification activities to close them out.  There is uncertainty about what that means for districts that cannot be closed out, as they will then be completing past and current B13 activities.
• State Complaint Task Force: 7 monitors were invited to be part of the focus group conducted by Pingora Consulting.  The group in attendance seemed to be well balanced and bring a variety of perspectives.  There was an obvious end goal for the conversation and so the facilitators did a good job of moving us into that direction and keeping the conversation focused.  Weakness areas that were identified by the group: Timelines and communication
• The group has discussed the need for developing some parent-friendly procedural safeguards.  Where this is not an action item at this time, if you have parent-friendly procedural safeguards to share the group would appreciate if you could share.

Early Childhood Program Administrators (CoP) / February 2016

Focus Areas: Program Evaluation

Community of Practice members plan to visit St. Joseph’s on March 4 to learn more about their work in the area of trauma and to visit their trauma center.

• Continued discussion about inclusion opportunities for ECSE classrooms (discussing the boundary lines for special education versus GSRP and Head Start).
• Service delivery model for infants and toddlers in Michigan
• Entrance and exit criterion for ECSE classroom programs.

Deaf/Hard of Hearing Program Administrators / February 2016

Focus Areas: Skilled Staff

Type: Open Committee

Administrators of Deaf/Hard of Hearing Programs meets twice a year – October & April. Meetings occur on Wednesday afternoons after the General Membership Meeting (1:00-3:00).

Upcoming Dates:

• April 13th, 2016
• October 12th, 2016
• April 12th, 2017

April 13th Meeting

Dan Levy (Michigan Department of Civil Rights) and Annie Urasky (Division on Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard of Hearing) will be meeting with us to discuss the interpreter rules being implemented on September 1st, 2016. If the new rules impact you, please make sure to be in attendance.

Resources

• Interpreter Rules
• Interpreter ‘Policy and Procedures’ Document
• Interpreter ‘Standard Levels’ Chart