FOCUS on Results » FOCUS on Results
By Michigan's Integrated Improvement Initiatives / Center for Educational Networking
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Podcast Description
Guidance and Technical Assistance from the Michigan Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Early Intervention Services
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1 |
Make Use of Assistive Technology at an Early Age | The goal of using assistive technology (AT) is to assist a child with a disability to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities. This FOCUS on Results document discusses the importance of considering assistive technology for children with a disability at an early age. | 5/21/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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State-Funded Initiatives Available for Schools | The Michigan Department of Education (MDE), Office of Special Education (OSE) funds and supports many initiatives for students with individualized education programs (IEPs). The following websites provide details on available initiatives that support school districts and teachers through evidence-based practices. | 5/3/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Michigan Makes a Strong Commitment to Correct Significant Disproportionality for Discipline | In the state of Michigan during the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 school years, there was a 76 percent increase in the number of new local educational agencies (LEAs) identified for significant disproportionality for discipline. Significant disproportionality occurs when students with individualized education programs (IEPs) of a particular racial/ethnic group are suspended or expelled at a disproportionate rate compared to the overall student population. | 4/9/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Completion of Parent Survey Helps to Improve Special Education Services for Students and Families | Each year, parents of children ages 3 through 5 receiving special education services and parents of students ages 6 through 26 with individualized education programs (IEPs) are surveyed about their experiences with Michigan’s special education services. Wayne State University (WSU) conducts the parent survey (Facilitated Parent Involvement, State Performance Plan Indicator 8) for the Michigan Department of Education (MDE), Office of Special Education Services (OSE). | 3/26/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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5 |
State Superintendent’s Challenge Aims to Reduce Dropout Rates in Michigan | One out of every four Michigan students will fail to graduate with his or her freshman class this year. This startling statistic led State Superintendent Mike Flanagan to create the Dropout Challenge. The dropout issue is also the focus of a project called American Graduate, under the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). A recent video report highlights dropout prevention and the efforts of Romeo High School in Detroit. | 2/1/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Family Involvement Can Improve Student Success | Improving Family Involvement is an online resource centered around family involvement and is intended to assist in improved communication between schools and families. The resource is based on Joyce Epstein’s framework of the six types of family involvement—parenting, communication, volunteering, learning at home, decision making, and collaborating with communities. Epstein is the founder and director of the National Network of Partnership Schools at Johns Hopkins University. | 1/10/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Michigan Department of Education, Low Incidence Outreach (MDE-LIO) Returns to Lansing | After 15 years in Flint, on the Michigan School for the Deaf (MSD) campus, the Michigan Department of Education, Low Incidence Outreach (MDE-LIO) has moved back to Lansing to a location within the Library of Michigan. The MDE-LIO is one of Michigan’s mandated activities projects (MAPs) funded under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) through the Michigan Department of Education (MDE), Office of Special Education (OSE). The project provides technical assistance and resources to serve and improve the quality of education for students with visual impairments and those who are deaf and hard of hearing, including those with multiple impairments. The MDE-LIO previously operated as the Michigan School for the Blind (MSB) on a campus in Lansing. Low student enrollment eventually ended the need for a physical school for the MSB; however, students with visual impairments in the state still needed services. In 1997, the MSB moved to Flint to share the MSD campus. At its new location, the MSB continued as a services outreach project with the new name MDE-LIO | 12/21/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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8 |
Assisting Youth From High School to Postsecondary Goals: Transition Coordinators Bring Diverse Skills and Creative Solutions to | The transition of youth with disabilities first became a national priority in the early 1980s under the leadership of Madeleine Will—former assistant secretary for the U.S. Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) and an advocate who has led efforts to establish services for individuals with disabilities for more than three decades. | 10/11/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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9 |
STatewide Autism Resources and Training (START) Celebrates Ten Years of Service [Quick FOCUS] | The STatewide Autism Resources and Training (START) project is a state-funded project designed to provide training and technical assistance to educators in Michigan who serve students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The START project has been in place for ten years through the support of the Michigan Department of Education, Office of Special Education and has connections with all of Michigan’s intermediate school districts. Over the past several years, the project has evolved, and currently includes four key components: In the accompanying START anniversary video, Project Director Amy Matthews and Jacquelyn Thompson, former Director of the Office of Special Education at the Michigan Department of Education, discuss the project’s history and progress. Regional Collaborative Networks (RCN) provide the infrastructure for collaboration and coordination across school districts and intermediate school districts, allowing shared training and resources and systemic planning on a broad scale. The activities of the START project are governed by effective practices in the delivery of professional development, implementation of evidence-based practices with students, and statewide collaboration. START has created a building level assessment tool, the Universal Supports Assessment and Planning Tool (USAPT), built on ensuring the implementation of effective practices for supporting students with ASD. The START model provides year-long intensive training and technical assistance to school districts using a team-based approach at both the K-12 and preschool levels. Additionally, professionals may participate in the Effective Practices Leadership Initiative (EPLI), a program designed to build local capacity by increasing the training and coaching skills of local professionals. The final aspect of this model is increased access to resources and information through the project website and annual conference. Key Project Goals: Establish sustainable collaborative networks in all counties in Michigan. Establish a training model based on effective practice that includes intensive instruction with application and follow up. Establish effective practice guidelines for school and community settings using regular evaluation and methods for improvement. Serve as a coordinating entity in the state of Michigan for educators and parents to offer training, support, networking, and effective practices. Future Goals: Expand coaching model in all local school buildings serving students with ASD. Create better methods to evaluate student outcomes. Create a clearinghouse of information on ASD for Michigan. Establish model sites of evidence-based practice throughout the state. | 9/13/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Parent Involvement in Schools Impacts Student Success: Federally Mandated Survey Provides an Opportunity for Parent Feedback | Parent involvement in schools can take many forms and is universally seen as an important factor in a child’s success in school. The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) requires schools to develop ways to get parents more involved in their child’s education and in improving the school. To measure the extent to which school districts are actually facilitating parent involvement, a set of questions developed by the National Center for Special Education Accountability Monitoring (NCSEAM) is sent out each spring to families whose children use special education support and services. The results are part of Michigan’s federal reporting. This FOCUS on Results document includes a detailed examination of the importance of parent involvement and how it is measured and sample practices of the six types of parent involvement. | 8/3/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
| Total: 10 Episodes |
