February 2017

February 2017

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

Type: Open Committee

Next Committee meeting 3/22/17 via Adobe Connect

General Status

The Committee continues to make progress.  Virtual meeting via Adobe Connect are proving effective in moving committee work forward.

Identifying Relevant Partnership Opportunities

Since December, the committee has reviewed the MAASE committee/updates as submitted by all MAASE committees adn sorted the current work as described in those reports int the foru focus ares.

Committee members have volunteered to take lead in reaching out to each of the MAASE Committees and CoPs to accomplish the following:

• Specifically identify current MAASE work
• Identify the MAASE member leading that work
• Identify associations external to MAASE this work may be relevant to

Committee members in lead on each area are:

Ben Hicks – Skilled Staff

Jennifer Scott-Burton – High Quality Student Evaluation

Laurie Jefsen – Specially Designed Instruction

Any Claes/Matt Korolden – Program Evaluation

Our current goal is to identify, by March 22nd, a number of potential connections for the BOD to consider and advise the committee regarding “next steps.”

Committee Liaisons & Representatives: DAS Advisory Committee / February 2017

Focus Areas: High Quality Student Evaluations

Type: Open Committee

Next meeting will be held on May 4, 2017.

Urban Special Education Administrators (CoP) / February 2017

Focus Areas: Skilled Staff

Type: Open Committee

Our community of practice would like to schedule another speaker on social justice.

How do we hire and retain highly skilled staff?  Most districts indicate difficulty finding qualified ASD staff.  We are losing good staff for higher wages in other districts. However, once staff is in place, the district has to find ways to improve their skills.  Some districts are doing the following:

• peer presentations
• webinars
• curriculum team presents to service providers

African American males are still being suspended disproportionately. it was suggested that staff needs to:

• learn how to talk to AA males
• build relationships with students
• implement interventions with fidelity
• have training on social justice

Districts tend to act as though all students are treated equally, but that is not the case.  Students know when staff don’t care about them.

Secondary Transition Administrators (CoP) / February 2017

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

Michigan Transition Service Association Annual Conference – March 15-17, 2017 http://www.michigantsa.com/conference

The Secondary Transition CoP has been working to develop professional learning content around the topic of transition assessment. The group has developed a PL session titled “Transition Assessment: one size does not fit all” that will be presented at the Upper Peninsula Special Education Conference, Michigan CEC, and MTSA.

April 2017 MAASE Transition CoP will focus on overcoming barriers to the implementation of Project Search.

ISD Collaborative (CoP) / February 2017

Focus Areas: Program Evaluation, Skilled Staff

Type: Open Committee

MICHIGAN ISD REPRESENTATIVES FOR COMPLIANCE AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE CONFERENCE

May 10-12, 2017

Courtyard by Marriott Detroit Downtown

Join colleagues from across Michigan in networking to share ideas and resources, mentor new staff, learn and develop guidance documents, provide technical assistance, and much more! 

Target Audience: ISD Special Education Representatives/Technical Assistance Providers
Learning Objectives: Participants will develop an understanding related to Program Evaluation and Skilled Staff, including the impact of recent education policy efforts and key topics related to special education law and policy.

B12 Data Issues: Kent ISD and Macomb ISD have been collaborating with MDE regarding the validity of data pushed into CIMS workbooks as findings of non-compliance.

1. SRMs that were entered during the approved appeals window (July 15 – Sept 15, 2016) were not accounted for in the B12 data pushed to workbooks.
2. Any child who fell into the following category was considered noncompliant:
   • EO and MMSE eligible,
   • not yet 3 years old,
   • transition conference held, and
   • exited on an IFSP with a code of 34 “Completion of IFSP”

Category #2 above is a large issue, because Part C allowable processes are resulting in Part B noncompliance.  MDE-OSE states that even if the child is not yet 3 years old, if they are MMSE eligible, then they need to be exited on an IEP or at the very least an Initial IEP component must be submitted to MSDS.  The EOTTA does not support that statement.  What we know so far, is that MDE-OSE has reached out to OSEP for guidance on this issue and that in the meantime, the districts who were issue CAPS have been asked to submit their CAPS with statements that “the district does not believe the finding to be accurate and will not address the student(s) until further guidance has been issued from MDE-OSE”.

Former “MAT” members and a few ISD Directors met to discuss the future of this CoP.  The group came up with 5 areas our group should focus on, on a go forward basis:

1. Data
2. Collaboration with others
3. Strengthening Family Coordination
4. Technical Assistance
5. Professional Development

ASD Program Special Education Administrators (CoP) / February 2017

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

Type: Open Committee

The MAASE ASD COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE WILL MEET AGAIN 4/12/17 FROM 12 – 2:30

The Autism Community of Practice met on February 8, 2017 to review the edits to the revised Guidance Document “MAASE Autism Insurance Benefit 2013.” The workgroup discussed collaborative opportunities across our state, service delivery changes across the state and opportunities to enhance collaboration across our members.