|
December 7, 2023
During the 2023 legislative session, the standards for restrictive procedures used in schools were amended. As part of the amendments, the Legislature tasked the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), in cooperation with stakeholders, to make recommendations for urgently ending seclusion in Minnesota schools. MDE is seeking your input on these recommendations including specific dates for ending seclusion by grade or facility and identifying existing and new resources necessary for staff capacity, staff training, child’s supports, child mental health services and schoolwide collaborative efforts.
Please complete the survey on Urgently Ending Seclusion (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/UrgentlyEndSeclusionSurvey) by December 15, 2023, if you would like to provide input on these recommendations. Thank you for taking the time to provide your valuable feedback. Please refer any questions to MDE.dispute-resolution@state.mn.us.
Inclusive Schools Week is December 4-10, 2023
During Inclusive Schools Week, it is important to commemorate the progress that schools have made in providing a quality education to an increasingly diverse student population including students who are marginalized due to disability, gender, socio-economic status, cultural heritage, language preference and other factors. Inclusive Schools Week also provides an important opportunity for educators, students and parents/guardians to discuss what else could be done to ensure that their schools continue to improve their ability to successfully educate all children.
This year, the Inclusive Schools Week’s theme is “Draw Me In!” Participating in art provides a pathway to self-discovery, and sharing art opens doors to understanding and respecting different ways of thinking. Do we see the faces of all children and youth drawn into the canvas of our schools and society today?
The need to belong is a basic need of all students and an integral component of effective inclusive schools. To be inclusive implies a fundamental commitment to building relationships among students, families, educators and the community to support safe and positive learning environments. As we celebrate Inclusive Schools Week 2023, let us respond—Draw Me In!
The proclamation will be published on the Governor’s proclamations webpage: View Governor Walz’s Inclusive Schools Week proclamation on the Minnesota Department of Education website.
Strengthening Community by Lifting the Voices of Indigenous Special Education Staff Webinar Series
The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) and the Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College encourage Native special education staff, special education staff, administrators, special education directors, special education coordinators and all others interested to attend a webinar series intended to strengthen community by lifting the voices of Indigenous special education staff.
These focused webinar topics and dialogues emerged through listening sessions with Native special education staff around the state of Minnesota. MDE's Special Education Division and the Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College are partnering and using State Personnel Development Grant (SPDG) funding to provide these webinars. While intended to serve the needs of and retain Native special education staff, the sessions are expansive enough to be a learning experience for all special education staff, administrators and institutes of higher education. We are hopeful the partnership and the webinars contribute to developing allyship.
The second webinar in the series will be held December 13, 2023:
Facilitators: Govinda Budrow and Dr. Donna Patterson
Time: 3:30-5 p.m.
Location: Zoom
Topic: Difference, Disability and Disadvantage
Continuing Education Units (CEUs) will be available for both teachers and administrators.
Register for this free webinar: State Personnel Development Grant (SPDG) - Fond du Lac Tribal & Community College (fdltcc.edu).
For more information on these webinars or the Native special education network, please contact Govinda Budrow, govinda.budrow@fdltcc.edu.
For more information on the State Personnel Development Grant (SPDG), please contact Dr. Becky Gerdes.
Minnesota Test of Academic Skills (MTAS) Participation Documentation
Districts and charter schools should have received an email on November 20, 2023, regarding the Assurance, Rationale and Context (ARC) process. The ARC response must be completed and submitted to MDE by December 22 via an online survey. To complete this task, districts and schools should use the Alternate Assessment (MTAS) Participation District Report, which is available in Secure Reports on the MDE website under Assessment Secure Reports, and the Alternate Assessment Participation and Assurance, Rationale and Context (ARC) User Guide, which is available on the MTAS Participation page of the MDE website.
The ARC survey is broken into five sections in which the district will provide information about their data, assurances and, where appropriate, narratives regarding alternate assessment participation rates. The questions in the survey can be found in the Assurance, Rationale and Context (ARC) Response Survey Questions section of the ARC User Guide to guide district staff conversations in the ARC process. Special education directors, District Assessment Coordinators, special education case managers and other key district staff should be included in conversations about alternate assessment participation, as reflected by the district’s report, in order to complete the ARC response. Once the district has prepared to answer the questions, complete the online ARC survey on the Alchemer website by December 22.
For more information about the federal requirements and the work Minnesota has done pertaining to alternate assessment participation, refer to the MTAS Participation page.
Webinar Series: Local Implementation Alignment
The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) is continuing the webinar series into the 2023-24 school year. The series is provided to help support educators in the implementation of proactive and positive evidence-based strategies and resources, to highlight local examples of work that is being done to align systems of support across needs of diverse learners, to provide information on specific disabilities and to include voices of individuals and families within the community alongside educators and community organizations. We are excited to announce our next webinars in the series.
Local Implementation Alignment: Managing and Adapting Practice (MAP) as used by Stellher Human Services in Lake Park Audubon Schools. The Continued Story of Integrating School Linked Behavioral Health in Exemplar Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (PBIS) Schools
Date: December 13, 2023
Time: 3:30-4:30 p.m.
Presenters: Lisa McLeod, LSW, Lake Park Audubon Schools and Chris Godding, MSW, LICSW, Stellher Human Services
The school social worker from an exemplar PBIS school will share Behavior Intervention Team (BIT) and PBIS team functions, the importance of providing evidence-based practices, mitigating factors in successful implementation and observed positive outcomes for students. A MAP overview, including a toolkit for building interventions, using common language across settings and how MAP strategies can be used across multiple tiers of intervention in a school setting will be shared. Examples of how PBIS and MAP work align will be highlighted.
Register for Local Implementation Alignment: Managing and Adapting Practice (MAP) on ZoomGov.
Check & Connect: Monitoring Fidelity to Ensure Successful Implementation
Date: December 19, 2023
Time: 3-4 p.m.
Presenters: Jana Ferguson, M. Ed., University of Minnesota; and Sarah Laulunen, MSW, LICSW, Duluth Public Schools
This webinar will focus on how Check & Connect has been successfully implemented across Minnesota by strategically monitoring fidelity on implementation with students, mentors, coordinators, schools and families. By examining all areas of our practice with multiple fidelity tools on a regular basis, we are able to adhere to the fidelity of this evidence-based practice and continually improve our support to students, families and school staff. Program experts and local school staff will share their experiences and lessons learned.
Register for Check & Connect: Monitoring Fidelity to Ensure Successful Implementation on ZoomGov.
Minnesota Health Care Programs Update
The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) has updated the MHCP Provider Manual – Individualized Education Program (IEP) Services – MHCP Eligible Children:
- Under Eligible Children, we changed maximum age to be under 22 years old or have not graduated from the 12th grade.
- We updated language for clarity.
For more information, view the MHCP Provider webpage on the DHS website.
Special Education Trainings
In addition to the current webinar offerings, MDE has posted previous webinars that would be helpful for teams to review any school year. The insights and resources here are valuable for general educators and those serving students receiving special education services. All recordings are closed captioned and include links to accessible slide shows and other materials.
Access webinar recordings from MDE Special Education webpage (https://education.mn.gov/MDE/dse/sped/spedtrain/).
Other topics included in the webinar series that are fully accessible are:
- Alternative Delivery of Special Education Services (ADSIS) 101
- Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) 101
- Integrating PBIS and School Linked Behavioral Health Services
- Evidence Based Practices used by School Linked Behavioral Health (SLBH) Providers and Exemplar Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Schools
- Statewide Assessment General Supports and Accommodations
- Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS)
- Five Practically Good Ideas for Any Reality
- Returning to School During and After Crisis
- Check-in/Check-Out as a Tier 2 Support
- The Interconnected Systems Framework
- Systematic Screening in the COVID-19 Era
- Behavior Specific Praise: Implementing, Coaching, and Measuring the Impact of this Simple yet Specific Strategy
Back to Top
|
