Special Education Division
- September Special Education Directors' Forum
- Federal Determination: Minnesota “Meets” Requirement and Improving Graduation Rates
- Meeting Dates for 2018-19
- Sign Language Proficiency Assessment Dates
- Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Team Training September 25-26
- White Cane Awareness Day October 11
- Person-Centered Thinking Training
- Microgrants for Transitioning Students
- Orientation and Mobility Resource
- Reading for Life
- Foundations for Literacy
- Minnesota Compensatory Skills Checklist Revised
- 2018-19 Minnesota Special Education Parent Survey
- Medicaid: Supporting and Saving Lives of Minnesotans with Developmental Disabilities
Compliance and Assistance Division
- 2018 Part B and C State Determinations
Special Education Division News
Director: Robyn Widley
September Special Education Directors' Forum
The first Special Education Directors' Forum of the school year will be held Friday, September 7, beginning at 9 a.m. in Conference Center B, Rooms 15 and 16, Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), 1500 Highway 36 W., Roseville, Minnesota 55113. The September Forum will feature large-group updates from the special education division and Minnesota Administrators for Special Education as well as detailed information on the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), legislation, school finance, compliance and assistance, and the Minnesota's annual performance report. Afternoon breakout sessions will highlight graduation rates, functional behavior assessments, licensing and third-party billing. The forum will be available for remote viewing courtesy of MediaSite. Watch the Special Education Directors' listserv for more information. We look forward to seeing you.
For more information, contact Tom Delaney (651-582-8324).
Federal Determination: Minnesota “Meets” Requirement and Improving
Graduation Rates
The U.S. Department of Education’s (ED)
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) released state
determinations on implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act (IDEA) for Part B and Part C for fiscal year 2016. IDEA requires each state
to report annually to US DOE on its
performance under its State Performance Plan (SPP). Specifically, each state
must report in its Annual Performance Report (APR) the progress it has made in
meeting the targets established in its SPP. IDEA details four categories for
determination: meets the requirements and purposes of IDEA, needs assistance,
needs intervention, or needs substantial intervention. For those of you who
have been around the last few years, this information will not be new but with
director and staff turnover from year to year we thought it would be helpful to
continue to include background information for those who may not be familiar
with the OSERS determinations process.
Starting in 2014 and continuing the past four
years, ED weighted compliance and results data equally in making each
state’s Part B determination. Beginning in 2015, the ED used both
compliance and results data for Part B and
Part C state determinations. The ED used multiple outcome measures that
include students with disabilities’ participation in state assessments,
performance in reading and math on the National Assessment of Educational
Progress (NAEP), and graduation and dropout rates. The use of student testing
and other outcome measures was a major shift in 2014 from years past and
affected many states’ standings related to their overall determination. This
Results Driven Accountability (RDA) framework includes both educational results
and functional outcomes for students with disabilities and results for the
compliance requirements of IDEA.
This year, Minnesota was one of 22 states and territories that met the
“Meets Requirements” determination for Part
B. Minnesota also met the “Meets Requirements” determination for Part C, making
us one of only 13 states to meet in both areas, an increase from 12 states last
year. Minnesota continues to have much to celebrate about the quality work
teachers and administrators are doing across the state for students with
disabilities. We acknowledge and thank you for all the work you and your staff
put in each day to serve all students and appreciate your continuing efforts.
As we announced in 2014, OSEP’s new SPP/APR
cycle also incorporated a new indicator requiring states to develop a State
Systemic Improvement Plan (SSIP). The SSIP focuses on improving results for
students with disabilities in three phases over the six-year period. Phase I was
completed in April 2015 where MDE identified in our report to OSEP that six-year
graduation rates for American Indian and Black students with disabilities was
the focus area for improvement. In addition, MDE reported our overall goal for the SSIP was to increase the capacity of district programs to implement, scale
up and sustain evidence-based practices that will result in improved graduation
rates and outcomes for students with disabilities. The Duluth, Minneapolis,
Osseo and St. Paul school districts became partners in the work to identify
and implement evidence-based practices to improve graduation outcomes for these
two student groups. During the 2015-16 school year teams from MDE and each of
the districts met together to go through a process of identifying and selecting
an evidence-based practice that, when implemented with fidelity, would support
improved outcomes for students with disabilities. By the end of the school
year, all district teams selected Check & Connect as the
evidence-based practice to be implemented at selected schools during the
2016-17 school year and beyond. MDE also designed the current State Personnel
Development Grant (SPDG) to support SSIP implementation work with the
University of Minnesota’s Institute on Community Integration supporting Check
& Connect training and coaching and PACER as a partner supporting family
engagement.
In
Spring 2016, partner districts completed their first District
Capacity Assessment (DCA) (Ward, et al., 2015), which is an
action assessment designed to guide school district teams to align efforts and
resources around practices intended to impact student outcomes. The DCA
organizes implementation data into the areas of organizational, competency and
leadership drivers in order to leverage the impact of evidence-based/informed
practices on student outcomes. The 2016 administration determined each district’s current
level of functioning to facilitate building-level implementation of Check &
Connect, identified by systems, activities, and resources needed by schools to
successfully adopt and sustain Check & Connect as a district practice over
time. The DCA results then guided districts in developing individualized action
plans to address areas of need while building on existing strengths. Partner
districts, along with their MDE teams, completed two more DCA administrations in 2017 and 2018 which continue to provide feedback to districts and teams
regarding areas of growth and change to then inform the next cycle of action
planning. All four districts have shown an increase in their capacity to
implement Check & Connect.
In April 2016, MDE submitted our Phase II
report describing MDE’s plans for division infrastructure changes supporting
district implementation of evidence-based practices, reporting progress and
results and evaluating the plan. The first Phase III report submitted in
April 2017 provided a summary of the key activities completed by
partner districts and MDE teams as we began to develop the
infrastructure necessary to put organizational supports into place and create
and install the supports needed to improve outcomes for American Indian and
Black students with disabilities. In 2017 and into 2018 Phase III reports also
described how partner districts and MDE teams made significant progress
in infrastructure improvements as districts installed and implemented Check
& Connect, including ensuring administrative support for implementation; solidifying
mentor selection processes; and delivery of training and coaching in, measuring
fidelity of implementation and scaling-up Check & Connect.
MDE staff participated in a recent call with
OSEP where they provided feedback regarding the 2018 SSIP Phase III submission.
OSEP staff shared that they continue to be pleased with Minnesota’s progress and
were especially impressed with MDE’s collection and use of implementation,
fidelity and scaling data, asking what advice we might have for other states
struggling with the collection of these types of data. They also found the work
in which districts were engaging regarding the development of decision support
data systems very promising. In the end, OSEP said it was clear that "…Minnesota
sets a high standard for all your work and there is a great deal other states
should know about what you are doing." Being able to continue reporting these
outcomes is due to the hard work of our district partners, MDE teams and
external partners and we look forward to continuing our efforts in the coming
year.
With the spotlight on graduation outcomes at
the national, state, and local levels, there is focus and energy regarding graduation
expectations for all students. While we are aware of the challenges across our
state to increase graduation rates, our work will continue to identify
opportunities to build district capacity to improve outcomes for students with
disabilities and you will see the collective and committed efforts to make
graduation a reality for all Minnesota students.
To read Minnesota’s SPP/APR and SSIP, please
visit OSEP’s GRADS360° Website. If you have questions or need more information about
the SPP/APR or SSIP, please contact Carolyn Cherry.
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Meeting Dates for 2018-19
The following are the dates for the Special Education Directors' Forums and Special Education Advisory Panel (SEAP) meetings through May 2019.
Special Education Directors' Forums to be held in Conference Center B, Rooms 15-16, beginning at 8:30 a.m.:
- Friday, September 7, 2018
- Friday, December 7, 2018
- Friday, March 22, 2019
- Friday, May 3, 2019
SEAP meetings to be held in Conference Center A, Room 13, beginning at 8:30 a.m.:
- Friday, November 30, 2018
- Friday, January 25, 2019
- Friday, April 26, 2019
For more information, contact Diana Miller (651-582-8616).
Sign Language Proficiency Interview Assessment Dates
The Sign Language Proficiency Interview (SLPI) assessment for testing the signing skills of Teachers of the Deaf and Hard of
Hearing will occur on Saturdays so as
not to interfere with teaching schedules. SLPI assessments are held at the
Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf (MSAD), 615 Olof Hansen Drive, Faribault, MN 55021.
Fall: November 3, 2018
Winter: February 2, 2019
Spring: May 4, 2019
For an updated SLPI
registration form or if you have questions, please contact Amy Amundsen (507-384-6665), or (507-412-5082, VP).
Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Team Training September 25-26
Members of Minnesota’s 16 educational Early
Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) Teams will have their annual training meeting on September 25 and 26, 2018 in Cross Lake, Minnesota. Each region of the state has an EHDI team and some have more than one. The teams learn about
promising practices for serving children birth to 3 years who are DHH and their
families. Each team consists of one or more audiologists, teachers for children
who are DHH, early childhood special education
teachers and speech language pathologists. The teams create individual yearly action plans for supporting EHDI initiatives in
their own regions, providing information and resources to fellow service providers and implementing evidence-based
practices in their work with young children and their families. Please ask your regional representatives what the plan is for
your area.
For more information about plans, teams or the training for this year, contact Kathy Anderson.
White Cane Awareness Day October 11
This year's White Cane Awareness Proclamation and White Cane Walk will take place Thursday, October 11, 2018, from 10 a.m. to 12 noon at the Minnesota State Capitol Rotunda, 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in St. Paul. Register for White Cane Awareness Day to join Minnesotans who are blind and visually impaired as they travel with white canes and guide dogs.
Contact Holly Nordmeyer if you have questions.
Person‐Centered Thinking Training
Please join MDE and the Minnesota Department of Human Services for a free two‐day person‐centered thinking (PCT) training October 18‐19, 2018, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at MDE. During the two days of interactive training, participants will learn how to discover and balance what is "important to" and what is "important for" a person. Participants also will learn how to use the information to write person‐centered descriptions and one‐page summaries so new staff doesn't need to relearn everything already known about that person for the person to be successful.
Person-centered
practices provide a way to assure that people with disabilities have the same
rights and responsibilities as other people, including having control over
their lives, making their own choices and contributing to the community in a
way that makes sense to the person. MDE’s Person-Centered Practice Leadership
Team is providing no-cost training and resources to educators to implement
person-centered practices that have the following core features:
- Strengths-based.
- Person
and family-led.
- Involves
people from across home, school and community.
- Awareness
and sensitivity to issues of culture, race, age, sexual orientation and gender
identity.
- Information
about student and family preferences to ensure each team member’s preparedness.
- Informed
choice that balances information that is both important to and for the person.
For more information or to register for the training, contact Amber Maki or Garrett Petrie. Contact MDE's Person‐Centered Training team or visit the MDE Person‐Centered Practices webpage for more information on PCT.
Microgrants for Transitioning Students Available through June 2019
Are you working with eligible students who have goals around employment, independent housing, or community inclusion? The Minnesota Microgrant
Partnership offers grants up to $2000 to students who are 16 and older with
IEPS in federal setting 3 or 4 and to Minnesotans who are 18 and older who
receive waiver services.
Watch a recorded
webinar on YouTube for an 11-minute overview. It will prepare you to
share the information with students and families, or assist a student in applying.
Find more details about the Minnesota Microgrant Partnership on The Arc Minnesota website.
Contact Susan Sochacki (651-604-8056) with your questions or to discuss presentation opportunities.
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Orientation and Mobility Resource
It is imperative that we support the early and appropriate
identification of orientation and mobility (O&M) needs of students who qualify under
the special education category of blind/visually impaired (BVI) throughout the state. MDE, the
Minnesota Low Incidence Project and Minnesota Orientation and Mobility
Specialists (MOMS) have created an O&M Resource. View the O&M Resource on the MDE website. The O&M Resource:
- Increases awareness about O&M services to schools and Individualized
Education Program (IEP) teams.
- Provides background knowledge regarding the provision of O&M
services.
- Supports Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialists (COMS) and
Teachers of the Blind/Visually Impaired (TBVI) in developing appropriate
services and supports for students who require services.
Thank you for your continued support of
students who are BVI. Contact Kristin Oien with any questions or
concerns.
Reading for Life
On July 11-12, 2018, a reading training called “Reading for Life” was held at MDE for teachers who work with students who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH). This training focused on high school students with a Lexile level of 550 or higher. The goal of the training was to equip students for the demands of reading textbooks and written materials
at their Lexile level and beyond. Participants learned how to teach essential
reading skills that help students
create a reading framework for non-fiction texts. This framework helps engage
students in thinking about their
text and improves comprehension for academic reading. During the training,
teachers were given the tools and
curriculum to create an intensive reading program that not only improved
non-fiction reading skills but also created a
classroom environment where metacognition skills, student skills, high
expectations and systematic change
could take place. The teachers and districts involved in the training committed
to doing an hour of reading each day.
For any questions, please feel free to contact Mary Cashman-Bakken.
Foundations for Literacy
Minnesota’s interagency EHDI programs and educational systems have a goal that:
All young children who have
hearing loss will maximize their communication and learning potential,
regardless of the degree of their hearing loss, and
will be able to begin kindergarten with communication, social, and early
literacy skills at a developmental level similar to that
of their typically developing hearing peers, or to the maximum extent appropriate for the individual child. All families will
receive the supports they need to help their children develop and learn.
Currently, young Minnesota
children who are deaf or hard of hearing often
demonstrate significant delays in their development of language and
early literacy skills compared to their typically-hearing peers. Minnesota
educators are working together to improve the
language and early literacy skills of young children who are deaf or hard of
hearing.
On July 25 and 26, 2018, 32
educational professionals learned about the Foundations for Literacy
curriculum, the only evidence-based early literacy
intervention specifically developed for preschool or kindergarten-aged
children who are DHH. While
designed to meet the needs of young children who are deaf or hard of hearing,
Foundations for Literacy is also applicable
to young children who are typically-hearing. Learning objectives
include phonological awareness, auditory
code-based skills, alphabet knowledge, beginning word reading, vocabulary
knowledge and narrative understanding. The
curriculum materials are quite extensive. View more information about Foundations for Literacy on the Center on Literacy and Deafness website.
Developed and researched over a
10-year period through Georgia State University, the Foundations for Literacy
pilot results are impressive. This program
typically requires a minimum of 60 minutes a day of specialized instruction and
practice activities. All participants and
their directors of special education signed a form committing to implement the Foundations for Literacy for selected
students during the 2018-2019 school year.
The initial Foundations for
Literacy implementation group will meet in person or virtually four more times and
will submit progress monitoring reports.
Coaching may also be available.
If you have any questions, please
feel free to contact Kathy Anderson or Mary Cashman-Bakken.
Minnesota Compensatory Skills Checklist Revised
The Minnesota Compensatory
Skills Checklist has been revised and digitized to allow teachers to track data
over time more easily. The updated checklist has six sections: understanding hearing loss, amplification management, intrapersonal/interpersonal skills, self-advocacy/self-determination, resources and technology and interpreter/transliterator/
captioning/use. The new sections are broken up into basic, intermediate and advanced skills.
These categories replace grade levels and ages to reflect the various levels of
knowledge that students who are deaf/hard of hearing have. Access the
checklist on the MDE website. Contact Mary Cashman-Bakken for more information.
2018-2019 Special Education Parent Survey
Each spring MDE’s Special
Education Division invites parents of students with IEPs to complete a parent
survey. Through the survey parents have an opportunity to share feedback on
their student’s IEP and the IEP process, teachers, and administrators. MDE
shares a summary of parent responses with the U.S. Department of Education
(ED) as part of the State Performance Plan/Annual Performance Report and with
the general public through the data district profiles. In addition, parents
have shared that they look forward to their invitation to the parent survey as
it is their chance to share the celebrations and challenges they have
experienced over the school year.
Because many parents look forward to receiving the survey
and because the results are used as part of Minnesota’s annual report, the
parent survey is an important feature of MDE’s reporting to both the ED and
our stakeholders. But the survey cannot be successful without your assistance. MDE relies upon special
education directors to provide contact information for the sampled families
(i.e., mailing address and email and phone numbers, when available).
At this point, you do not need to do anything. If your
district is selected as part of the sample for the 2018-2019 survey we will
contact you in February 2019 with further information, including a timeline for the
survey process. If you do not hear from us by March 1, 2019, your district was not
part of the sample for 2018-19.
For
more information, contact Kirsten Rewey (651-582-8638).
Medicaid: Supporting and Saving Lives of Minnesotans with Developmental Disabilities
The Minnesota Council on Developmental Disabilities conducted video interviews with 18 Partners in Policymaking® graduates to learn about the importance of Medicaid and how Medicaid-funded programs and services have contributed to their quality of life.
For self advocates and parents with children with developmental disabilities, Medicaid not only
provides health care coverage but serves
as the lifeline for long term services and supports – from early intervention and therapies for children to
funding employment, and home and community services for adults to achieve their personal life goals. These
interviews and personal stories talk about Medicaid as critical and essential in terms of access to medical care;
and life enhancing and life changing in terms of access to long term services and supports.
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