 Statewide SPED Directors Meetings
A Reoccurring and Monthly Statewide SPED Directors meeting will be scheduled on the 2nd Wednesday of each month from 8:30-9:30 via Zoom. These interactive meetings are geared toward disseminating information from the State Education Agency (SEA) to Local Education Agency (LEA’s) in addition to providing networking opportunities for those in the field with potential service providers.
Due to the upcoming MASS/MCASE conference in September, the actual “kick off” for the Statewide meetings will be held on October 11th at 8:30. Looking forward to seeing each of you.
Please attach the reoccurring link to your calendar:
Join Zoom Meeting https://mt-gov.zoom.us/j/81095558755?pwd=Mk1SdnJwVUI3cGFZWEZIL1ZuQ3VuUT09
Meeting ID: 810 9555 8755 Password: 727045
Dial by Telephone +1 646 558 8656 Meeting ID: 810 9555 8755 Password: 727045 Find your local number: https://mt-gov.zoom.us/u/kIaKIwge4
These meetings are one-hour sessions held the second Wednesday of the Month from 3:30-4:30. There will be a short 10-20 minute presentation on a topic followed by a discussion around that topic. The purpose of these meetings is to provide technical assistance and support for Special Education teachers as well as help build a network for teachers throughout Montana.
Each month, the Community of Practice will include:
- 20 minutes Presentation on topic of interest
- 20 minutes Engagement activity (Community - Building Relations with Other members)
- Guests from different schools to share their experience
- Engagement activities include reviewing actual scenarios, pair and share, small break out group for discussion, etc.
- 10 minutes Practice activity - relating information to current situations, development of tools, ideas
- 10 minutes Questions and answers
October 2023 – May 2024
2nd Wednesday of the Month
3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
October 11, 2023 Infinite Campus
November 8, 2023 Extended School Year (ESY)
December 13, 2023 IEP Tips and Alternative Assessment Guidance
January – May, 2024 More Topics to come!
REGISTER in advance to join this meeting.
Limited Funding for Students with Significant Needs
The Office of Public Instruction is making available limited funding for the costs of students with significant needs served by the public schools. The approval of the funding on each application is specific to the quest and justification for that request.
If you would like an application or have questions, please contact Danni McCarthy, Division of Special Education, 406-444-0452, or e-mail at dmccarthy@mt.gov .
September 2023 – May 2024
3rd Tuesday of the Month
3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
The Learning Community for Early Care and Education is a monthly meeting dedicated to information sharing and collaborative relationship building. The purpose of this learning community is to focus on community-based solutions to meeting the needs of young children and their families.
For further information contact:
Lucy Beltz, OPI Early Learning and Special Education Specialist
lucy.beltz2@mt.gov
OR
CLICK TO REGISTER
https://sites.google.com/opiconnect.org/circletime/home
Click here for the online hotel reservation for the IDEA Legal Update Training.
In-Person: MSUB College of Education, Room 122
Date: September 6, 2023; 5:30 to 7:30PM
Presenter: Elizabeth Kuehn
Stop guessing and start collecting data to drive your decisions about students' reading accommodations. In this workshop, you will learn how to use the Protocol for Accommodations in Reading (PAR) by Don Johnston. The PAR is designed to help teachers make informed decisions on reading accommodations to support instruction and is not a diagnostic reading assessment tool. The PAR is suited to students grades 1 through 10 with high incidence disabilities; it is not suited for decision making for students who are blind or have low vision. This workshop includes a paper copy of the PAR for you to keep.
REGISTER HERE
California Deafblind Services provides university-based training to paraeducators currently serving as interveners or those interested in this role through a partnership with the College of Professional and Global Education (CPaGE) at San Francisco State University. Intervener candidates who complete two-semesters of asynchronous online coursework in intervention in deaf-blindness will earn a California State University Intervener Certificate that verifies their professional training, knowledge, and skills.
The online courses use content from Open Hands, Open Access deafblind intervener training modules and CDBS staff members serve as the online instructors of the course. The cost for two courses over two semesters (Fall 2023 and Spring 2024) will be $480 ($240 per course). Registration for the new cohort and Fall 2023 course opens on July 17, 2023 and we suggest interested participants visit the CPaGE website and sign for updates (yellow button in top right corner of the main page) to be notified when registration opens. If registration passes 20 students, priority registration will be given to California residents. The course must be completed sequentially and Course #1 is offered in the Fall semester and Course# 2 is offered in the Spring semester. Below are links to learn more about the program, the SFSU CPaGE Enrollment page, and the program brochure.
CDBS website-Intervener Training Program: https://cadeafblind.org/interveners/
SFSU College of Professional and Global Education webpage: https://cpage.sfsu.edu/intervener
Program Brochure: https://cpage.sfsu.edu/intervener/brochure
With the passing of House Bill 619, the Department of Public Health and Human Services and the Office of Public Instruction are seeking qualified members to be appointed to the Language Development Advisory Committee. The committee will be composed of appointed volunteers representing deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals and/or families of deaf and hard-of-hearing children.
As part of the Language Development Advisory Committee, individuals will advise the Department and the Office of Public Instruction on the selection of language developmental milestones for children who are deaf or hard of hearing that are equivalent to milestones for children who are not deaf or hard of hearing, make recommendations on the selection and administration of provider or educator tools or assessments, and advise on content and administration of the existing instruments used to assess the language development of deaf and hard-of-hearing children. In addition, the committee will be asked to make recommendations on parent resources and future research to improve the measurement of the progress of deaf and hard-of-hearing children in language development.
All meetings will be held via video conference at least 4 times per year.
If you are interested in applying for the Language Development Advisory Committee, please complete the application and email to partchelp@mt.gov. Applications are due by August 25, 2023. Once applications are reviewed, the committee will be appointed per HB 619.
In 2023, districts were asked to submit an LEA Assurance Form SY 2022-23 form explaining their process for determining eligibility for students taking the MSAA. The OPI will once again be asking all districts for assurance for meeting the federal requirement for Montana to meet the 1% eligibility for students taking the Multi-State Alternate Assessment. Assurance forms will be sent to all districts in the days so please watch your inbox for the forms.
Virtual
Date: Keynote September 12, 2023; 4 - 5:30 PM
Proposed Dates: 9/26, 10/10, 10/24, 11/7, and 11/21
Presenter: Jani Kozlowski
A book study for early childhood educators. Limited space and books available.
Register HERE
Questions regarding Special Education in Montana:
Check out our OPI Special Education webpage or reach out to:
The OPI is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to people with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation, require an alternate format, or have questions concerning accessibility, contact the OPI ADA Coordinator, 406-444-3161, opiada@mt.gov, Relay Service: 711.
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