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.
Our next meeting will be January 10, 2024 at 8:30 am.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://mt-gov.zoom.us/j/86981783228?pwd=NWZ3WHhyZWV4bzZPSUlTUkRpeDVDdz09
Meeting ID: 869 8178 3228
Password: 187804
Dial by Telephone
+1 646 558 8656
Meeting ID: 869 8178 3228
Password: 187804
Find your local number: https://mt-gov.zoom.us/u/kckrMHRjez
The U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (the Departments) recently released an updated joint-policy statement on supporting the inclusion of children with disabilities in early childhood programs. The HHS-ED Policy Statement on the Inclusion of Children with Disabilities in Early Childhood Programs builds upon a statement originally released in 2015 and includes a renewed commitment and urgency, as children with disabilities continue to face barriers to accessing and fully participating in inclusive early childhood programs.
To read the HHS-ED Policy Statement on the Inclusion of Children with Disabilities in Early Childhood Programs and to learn more, click here.
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The Supreme Court of the United States issued a unanimous opinion on the matter of Perez v. Sturgis County School System on March 21, 2023. The opinion, issued in favor of Miguel Luna Perez, supported his counsel's assertion that public schools can be sued under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for monetary relief regarding their demonstrated failure to furnish Mr. Perez with qualified interpreters, therefore failing to satisfy the District's legal mandate of providing free and appropriate public education. This ruling affirms that students with disabilities do not need to exhaust administrative procedures to obtain due relief under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which is a federal law regulating special education in public schools.
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Anchorage, Alaska
- Montana interpreters can sign up under the educational interpreter registration. The Conference fee will be waived although lodging and travel are not included.
ASL Flurry App
Here is an app that Dr. Melissa Smith created. All the "signers" in the app are Deaf and it has different levels available so it can also be used by people who already know ASL and want to practice and improve their skills. There is also a "paid" version for $14.99 that if you sign up for now (as she just launched the app) you can get all the future upgrades and new lifetime content for the one-time fee.
Special Education Community of Practice
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.
January 10th Topic: IEP Tips and Alternate Assessments
3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
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Upcoming CSPD Training
January 6, 2024; 8:30 AM – 3:30 PM, Billings
This workshop explores the conversation of what it means to be Native American through various lenses (political, cultural, traditional, historical, enrollment, blood quantum, etc.). By looking at the history of "white people" defining what makes a person a Native American, and the purpose behind these practices is to help participants gain a better understanding of a complex issue. Through a variety of activities including a presentation by photojournalist Tailyr Irvine, Salish Kootenai, sharing her story from National Geographic on blood quantum; primary resources; and, a panel of personal perspectives on what it means to be Native American.
January 25, 2024; 8:30 AM – 3:30 PM, Havre
Presenter: Hollee Goody
There are many things I have learned from teaching math at the middle and high school level for the last 24 years, but the most important is kids do not learn from a sit-and-get math classroom. In my sessions I will discuss strategies that are imperative in a modern math, thinking classroom environment no matter what math class you teach. My goal is when you walk out of the presentation you will have at least one strategy you can take back to your room to help build a Math THINKING classroom at your school. I look forward to sharing my passion for teaching math with all of you.
1/09/24: Pacing and Planning for the Rest of the Math Year
1/11/24: Using Math Children’s Literature (a Win-Win-Win)
1/25/24: Games, Games, and More Games!
Presenter: Dr. Eliza Sorte Thomas
MCEC Education Conference in Missoula April 3-5, 2024 CPI Training offered on April 2 as Pre-Conference with limited spots available.
The MT SSIP (State Systemic Improvement Plan)
The MT SSIP tailors specific TA/PD needs to your setting, staff and/or student needs.
The Montana SSIP welcomes all educators—SPED teachers, paraprofessionals, generalists, and administrators.
The core of the MT SSIP is: Opportunity elicits student brilliance!
There are no forced expectations of your staff. The MT SSIP takes what teachers are already successfully doing and enhances it based on individual teacher requests, or data indicators.
It is completely value-added with TA/PD geared toward SPED-identified Indigenous youth tracking to graduation/completion (which has direct cross-over to any SPED-identified students). For SSIP reporting purposes, your program would be able to count your 5th-year cohort as successful completers. (This count is not available for our state ESSA report cards so it wouldn’t reflect in that data.)
The MT SSIP is designed in a 3-tiered approach:
- Relationships
- All things Inclusion—what I call Inclusion done right!
- Invention Literacy—engaging youth in tech-related activities that strengthen/build their STEAM skills while meeting the Montana curriculum standards for Montana Computer Science standards, with computer coding falling under Algorithms and Programming. A side result may be that some youth find tech so interesting that they may choose to seek a career in a tech field (meeting those graduation transition goals for those young people).
Benefits of being a MT SSIP site:
- The MT SSIP allows you to count your 5th-year completers.
- We’re not here to ‘fix’ you—we’re here as collaborative partners in your equity model.
- Promising Practices—identify what your current Promising Practices are, not evidence-based practices.
- Provide insight into how the brain works (fragile brain).
- Exiting students who have matured out of needed IEP support.
This year’s SSIP is focusing on adjusting math instructional practices/student learning utilizing Dr. Jo Boaler’s research-based instructional shift in teaching Number Sense through Number Talks.
Another exciting feature of the MT SSIP is the debut of PD podcasts, Elevating Your Teacher Vibes. We will still engage in our virtual collaborative, the Critical Friends’ Network typically meeting 1 time per month, with the podcasts providing 5-10 minute listening opportunities to elevate teacher efficacy.
If you’d like to join the MT SSIP, please contact Annette Viciedo Young at ayoung3@mt.gov or 406-444-0299.
Special Education General Information:
Contact Kelley Brown, 406-444-5661 or check out our webpage.
Danni McCarthy, Montana's State Special Education Director, DMcCarthy@mt.gov
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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