Transcript Mississippi Special Education Advisory Panel

Mississippi Special Education
Advisory Panel
Annual Report to the
State Board of Education
July 2009
Special Education Advisory Panel
Federal Regulations/State Code

Sections 300.167, 300.168, and 300.169

Mississippi Code 37-23-145

The State must establish and maintain an
advisory panel for the purpose of providing
policy guidance with respect to special
education and related services for children
with disabilities in the State.
2
Special Rule -Membership


The majority of the members of the panel
must be individuals with disabilities or
parents of children with disabilities.
The Special Education Advisory Panel met
in regular session seven (7) times during
the 2008-2009 year, with one work session
and one orientation meeting for new
members.
3
Advisory Panel Recommendations
For 2009-2010
This self-governed Special Education
Advisory Panel has established six standing
committees to carry out the responsibilities
of the Panel and to accomplish its purpose
as stated in the federal law. The six
committees are: (a) Continuous
Improvement Monitoring Process, (b)
Parental Involvement, (c) Professional
Development, (d) Legislative, (e) Proposed
Policy Implementation, and (f) Transition.
4
I. Continuous Monitoring



The focused monitoring team’s goal is to
utilize information to assist the school
districts with improving results for children
with disabilities.
The following are recommendations for the
2009-2010 school year:
Recommendation #1: Ensure monitoring
efforts around IDEA 2004 compliance
include a variety of methods, including onsite visits.
5
I. Continuous Monitoring

Recommendation # 2: The MDE Office of
Special Education should evaluate
procedures relating to how parent focus
group meetings are conducted and consider
improvements such as:
• ensuring consistency in how focus group
meetings are held, and
• provide opportunities for parents to
comment on the topic of the focused
monitoring as well as other local
concerns relating to Special Education.
6
II. Parental Involvement


The Parental Involvement Committee is
comprised of parents and others on the
Special Education Advisory Panel who have
a sincere interest in the children of this
state.
Recommendation: Continue to support
new and innovative parental outreach
strategies.
7
III. Professional Development

The Professional Development Committee
goal is to ensure that MDE improves preservice and in-service professional
development of all educators in order to
identify and address early learning
difficulties and to support learners with
ongoing exceptional learning needs in both
general and special education settings.
8
III. Professional Development


Recommendation #1: Prioritize existing
scholarship funds (including William Winter
Teacher Scholar Loans and Critical Needs
Scholarship) for Special Educators pursuing
traditional routes to licensure.
Recommendation#2: Develop standards
for alternate route certification programs
that parallel content requirements of
traditional programs.
9
III. Professional Development

Recommendation#3: Update Standard 6 of
the Process and Performance Review for K3, K-6, and Secondary Education to include
specific, measurable evidence of content
and field experience relating to students
with disabilities including providing
accommodations and modifications in
teaching methodology to meet the unique
learning and behavioral needs of this
population beyond the 3 hours in Special
Education currently required.
10
III. Professional Development

Recommendation#4: Add specific
academic content standards for Special
Education to Standard 6 of the Process and
Performance Review to include specific,
measurable evidence of content relating to
subject area preparation (reading,
mathematics, science and social studies),
behavior management, classroom
management, assessment and progress
monitoring, as well as disability-specific
information.
11
III. Professional Development

Recommendation#5: The Mississippi
Department of Education should ensure
that disability experts and advocates are
included on all groups working toward
setting standards and requirements for
teacher licensure, both general and special
education; alternate route and traditional
routes.
12
IV. Legislative Committee


Recommendation #1: Reintroduce
proposed legislation allowing students with
disabilities to be educated through the age
of 21.
Recommendation #2 : The State Special
Education Advisory Panel will continue to
ask the State Board of Education to support
full funding for all special education teacher
units at 100 percent.
13
V. Policy Implementation


The purpose of this committee is to
review and make recommendations
regarding the proposed policies.
The Special Education Advisory Panel
submitted written comments during
the public comment period.
14
V. Policy Implementation



Recommendation #1: Replace the term “mental
retardation” throughout the draft policies with the
more acceptable term “intellectual disability.”
Change Approved By SBE: Mental Retardation (MR)
(also referred to as Intellectual Disability by some
entities) means significantly subaverage general
intellectual functioning, existing concurrently with
deficits in adaptive behavior and manifested during
the developmental period that adversely affects a
child’s educational performance.
Recommendation #2: Training should continue with
regard to implementation of procedures aligned with
State Board Policy 4300 (TST).
15
VI. Transition

The purpose of the Transition
Committee is to research and
recommend strategies that will
improve transition for students
receiving special education services
in the state.
16
VI. Transition


Recommendation #1: MDE should continue
to sponsor interagency transition
conferences throughout the state.
Recommendation #2: When possible,
transition conferences should be regional to
assist school district personnel and parents
with travel costs.
17
VI. Transition


Recommendation #3: MDE should provide
technical assistance in collaboration with
other appropriate agencies to ensure that
school districts and agencies have
formulated agreements and are
implementing agreements relevant to
transition.
Recommendation #4: MDE should continue
to provide funding for training and technical
assistance efforts on transition.
18
VI. Transition


Recommendation #5: MDE should fully
fund a transition coordinator for each
district.
Recommendation #6: MDE/OSE should
continue to review effective practice models
and provide current relevant information
when providing technical assistance and
training to school district personnel, early
intervention staff, and staff of programs
providing employment opportunities and
life skills training.
19
VI. Transition


Recommendation #7: The MDE’s Office of
Special Education should provide
information on effective practices for
transition models via a variety of methods
and formats (including on the MDE website)
and, upon request, provide technical
assistance at the local level.
Recommendation #8: Continue to monitor
disaggregated drop out rates for students
with disabilities.
20
VI. Transition


Recommendation #9: The MDE should
meet with the State Board for Community
and Junior Colleges to begin the process of
developing an Articulation Agreement for
admission of students with the MS
Occupational Diploma throughout the state.
Recommendation #10: MDE’s IEP
procedures should require that parents and
students are notified of post-secondary
education entrance requirements during the
transition process.
21