Special Education Division
Director: Robyn Widley
March Special Education Directors' Forum
The first Special Education Directors' Forum of the year will be held Friday, March 6, 2019, 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 March Forum will feature news and updates from the divisions of Special Education, Compliance and Assistance, Early Childhood, School Finance and External Relations; information about alternate assessment, the Every Student Succeeds Act and model discipline policies; and presentations from our partners in Minnesota Administrators for Special Education and the Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB). Afternoon breakout sessions will cover Coordinated Early Intervening Services and autism spectrum disorders. 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 Carolyn Cherry (651-582-8509).
Minnesota State Performance Plan/Annual Performance Report (SPP/APR) Update
The Divisions of Special Education, Compliance and Assistance, and Early Learning Services were quite busy preparing our SPP/APR for February 3 submission. A review of the data was shared at the January Special Education Advisory Panel (SEAP) meeting with final touches made for the February 3 submission deadline.
As in years past, Minnesota has reasons to celebrate—an increase in graduation rates, dropout rates did not dramatically increase this year as they have in years past, state assessment participation rates held steady, there was a significant improvement in the documentation of transition Individualized Education Program (IEP) requirements and more students are being educated in the most integrated setting.
Minnesota also continues to experience areas of concern—gains in student proficiency in math and reading are slow and fewer students are enrolling in post-secondary school options or obtaining some type of employment one year after leaving high school. MDE will review this and other data as we refine our strategic plan for how we will partner with districts and various stakeholders to develop targeted plans for improving outcomes for students with disabilities, especially in our division focus areas of equity/equitable outcomes, most integrated setting and graduation/postsecondary transition. The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) is now in the process of reviewing state plans and will provide an opportunity in March for states to provide clarification of plans submitted. It is expected that the window for clarification will coincide with the timing of submission for the State Systemic Improvement Plan (SSIP) so that all plans are submitted and complete by April 1, 2020.
Once reports are finalized you will be able to access your District Data Profile on MDE’s Data Analytics Page for Part B and Part C. Scroll to the Special Education section and click on the links labeled Special Education District Profiles – Part B or Part C.
SPP/APR OSEP Update
OSEP is proposing revisions to the current Part C and Part B SPP/APRs, with more significant changes proposed to the Part B SPP/APR package. This information collection package would also establish a new Part B SPP consistent with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) section 616(b)(1)(C), which requires each state to review its SPP at least once every six years. The SPP would cover the reporting years from federal fiscal year (FFY) 2020 through FFY 2025. The announcement of the proposed revisions was published in the Federal Register on February 19 and documents associated with the package are available for review and comment online. Links to both the proposed Part B and Part C SPP/APR packages are below. Public comment is open until April 20, 2020. We will provide a high level overview of some of the most important changes at the March Directors’ Forum and encourage you to review the documents in the links below.
View the IDEA Part B State Performance Plan (SPP) and Annual Performance Report (APR) on regulations.gov.
View the IDEA Part C State Performance Plan (SPP) and Annual Performance Report (APR) on regulations.gov.
For more information about the Part B SSP/APR submission or OSEP’s proposed Part B SPP/APR package, please contact Carolyn Cherry (651-582-8509).
Apply by March 20 for Minnesota Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Recognition System
Minnesota schools and districts are invited to apply for the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Recognition System. The purpose of Minnesota PBIS Recognition is to identify and recognize exemplar schools and districts that have completed PBIS implementation and are continuing to achieve positive student outcomes. These schools and districts are able to demonstrate exemplary status by sustaining school-wide PBIS with fidelity in the current 2018-2019 school year. Criteria are based on effective implementation of the essential components outlined by our national Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support. Applications for PBIS Recognition are due March 20, 2020. Links to application overviews and applications are available below.
Exemplar Sustaining PBIS Schools
Exemplar PBIS Districts
In addition to individual school recognition, districts that are coordinating and supporting their PBIS schools, whether cohort-trained or not, are invited to apply for district recognition. View the application overview for districts on the PBIS Minnesota website. View the Application for PBIS District Recognition.
For more information, contact the PBIS Management Team.
New Deaf/Hard of Hearing Educational Service Guidelines Website
MDE wants to share with you a new resource to support your work implementing the National Association of State Directors of Special Eduction's (NASDSE) 2018 "Optimizing Outcomes for Students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing: Educational Service Guidelines."
NASDSE has created a website that serves as a "home" for the guidelines as well as a hub for states to share information about their activities at www.deafedguidelines.org. In addition, a moderated discussion group is available so that you can connect with others doing this important work.
Visit the site soon to keep the momentum on implementing the Guidelines going. Contact Mary Cashman-Bakken if you have any questions.
Person-Centered Interagency Individualized Education Program (IEP) Pilot Relates to Olmstead Plan
In January, teachers from St. Paul Public Schools, St. Paul City School, and Southern Minnesota Education Consortium took part in a training as part of the Person-Centered Interagency IEP Pilot. The pilot project is designed to improve student outcomes by using the IEP process to improve interagency coordination, and uses core concepts of person-centered practices.
Person-centered practices are a continuum of strategies and activities that support the informed choice of students and families to make or have input into both major transitions and everyday life decisions. Person-centered practices focus on the interests and needs of the student receiving instruction or support. They emphasize each student’s strengths and dreams rather than weaknesses or deficits.
This pilot is an example of the work school districts are doing to ensure students with disabilities are learning in the most integrated setting, as related to Minnesota's Olmstead Plan. Learn more about the Minnesota Olmstead Plan on the MDE website.
Attendees from the training reported that planning will be easier when using these supports and the family input elicited from the person-centered planning approach will help get families and providers on the same team. Learn more about the impact of this pilot program and how you can integrate person-centered practices into your work on the MDE website.
New Certificate Programs at Hamline
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Other Health Disabilities (OHD) are special education categorical areas without teaching licensure requirements. While there are no licensure requirements, it is recognized that these two categorical areas are surrounded by technical aspects that require a high level of understanding in order to advance proper special education support to children and youth. In recognition of this, Hamline University’s Graduate Continuing Studies has developed a certificate program in the areas of Traumatic Brain Injury and Other Health Disabilities to advance the understanding of these two categorical areas.
For advising and assistance, please contact gcs@hamline.edu; Kelly Bredeken, Statewide Specialist for Physical/Health Disabilities and Traumatic Brain Injury, 612-638-1506; or Tami Childs, Statewide OHD Specialist at 612-638-1537.
Upcoming Meeting Dates
Upcoming Special Education Directors' Forums will be held on the following dates in 2020-21:
- May 6, 2020
- September 11, 2020
- December 11, 2020
- March 5, 2021
- May 7, 2021
The Special Education Advisory Panel will meet on the following dates in 2020-21:
- April 17, 2020
- September 25, 2020
- November 20, 2020
- January 22, 2021
- April 16, 2021
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Director: Jennifer Dugan
Guidelines for Administration of Accommodations and Linguistic Supports
The updated Guidelines for Administration of Accommodations and Linguistic Supports have been posted to the Policies and Procedures page of PearsonAccess Next. These guidelines provide information for the administration of the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCA) with a scribe, mathematics or science script, and signed interpretation. New for 2019-20: Additional guidance on American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation has been added and provides information about the linguistic rules and conventions of ASL, as well as more detailed guidelines on how to interpret specific academic terms on the math and science tests.
Applicable guidelines should be provided to test monitors administering these accommodations/linguistic supports for review prior to testing. You may choose to provide only the information on the relevant accommodation/linguistic support instead of the entire document.
Timelines for Providing Materials to Testing Staff
For staff administering a braille test or a sign language interpreter administering a Mathematics or Science MCA script, district or school assessment coordinators should provide applicable test materials up to five business days prior to the scheduled administration. This includes the Math or Science MCA script as well as the braille test book. Staff must keep materials secure as they prepare for testing.
For more information, contact Dawn Cameron, supervisor, Science, Alternate and English Learner Assessments, 651-582-8551.
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Director: Doug Paulson
Meeting the Needs of the 2e Learner: A Strength-Based Perspective Workshop
The potential for giftedness in students with specific learning disabilities often goes unrecognized by well-meaning educators who focus on their challenges without recognizing the strengths that these students may possess. In this session, intended for gifted education coordinators and specialists, administrators, classroom teachers, special educators and school counselors, we will discuss the research around twice exceptionality and the importance of shifting the paradigm from a deficit perspective to one that is focused on nurturing the intellectual abilities of these gifted students. Participants will have the chance to "live a day in the life" of the twice-exceptional student, and discuss ways in which their strengths may be used to mitigate the challenges that they face.
Dr. C. Matthew Fugate is Assistant Chair of Urban Education at the University of Houston – Downtown. His research interests include twice-exceptional students and students from underserved populations. Matthew has presented to audiences nationally and internationally on topics including twice exceptionality, Total School Cluster Grouping, affective development and creativity.
The workshop will be held March 9, from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., at MDE. Pre-register on the Minnesota Council for the Gifted and Talented website. There is a $100 registration fee. For more information, contact Wendy Behrens.
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Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB)
Executive Director: Alex Liuzzi
PELSB Coming to March 6 Directors’ Forum – Request for Questions
Alex Liuzzi, PELSB executive director, will be at the March Forum to provide various updates. In preparation for the Forum, he’s interested in knowing what questions you may have or information you would like him to address that day. If you have questions or content you’d like him to address, please contact Alex Liuzzi or call 651-539-4180.
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