MAY 2010 (Volume #8, Issue #3) - Packet #18, Article 1
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) regulations (300.167) require that each state establish and maintain an advisory panel for the purpose of providing policy guidance with respect to special education and related services for students with disabilities in the state.
The Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) is Michigan’s State Advisory Panel to the State Board of Education (SBE) and the Michigan Department of Education (MDE).
The mission of the Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) is to support opportunities for all students in Michigan, especially those with disabilities, by gathering, sharing, and disseminating information to the public; advising the State Board of Education; and working with the Office of Special Education and Early Intervention Services (OSE-EIS).
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FEBRUARY 2010 (Volume #8, Issue #2) - Packet #17, Article 1
This guidance and technical assistance article describes the Michigan Department of Education (MDE), Office of Special Education and Early Intervention Services (OSE-EIS) dispute resolution processes, including informal and formal resolution. Several procedure details changed when the new Michigan Administrative Rules for Special Education (MARSE) took effect on April 3, 2009. The OSE-EIS continues to encourage informal resolution of disputes.
This document is adapted from the document Resolving Special Education Disputes which can be found on the MDE, OSE-EIS Web site at www.michigan.gov/ose-eis.
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FEBRUARY 2010 (Volume #8, Issue #2) - Packet #17, Article 2
This guidance and technical assistance article reviews Michigan’s Medicaid School-Based Services (SBS) program. Medicaid partially reimburses intermediate school districts (ISDs) for some health care services provided by schools. Recent changes have occurred in the program since July 2008. The impact of those changes on school district staff, and the anticipated outcomes for children enrolled in special education programs and services in Michigan, including infants and toddlers and their families in Early On® programs, are described in this FOCUS on Results article.
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AUGUST 2009 (Voume #7, Issue #3) - Packet #15, Article 2
Disproportionate representation is identified when students from a particular racial/ethnic background receiving special education programs and services are over or under represented as compared to the overall student population. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) regards disproportionate representation as a great concern.
This article reviews two sets of federal requirements known as “disproportionate representation as a monitoring priority area” and “significant disproportionality.” This article also explains the actions that are federally required of the state and local districts in response to existing disproportionate representation.
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AUGUST 2009 (Voume #7, Issue #3) - Packet #15, Article 1
The Continuous Improvement and Monitoring System (CIMS-2) is the revised monitoring system used by the Michigan Department of Education (MDE), Office of Special Education and Early Intervention Services (OSE-EIS) and the Office of Early Childhood Education and Family Services (ECE&FS) to help locals (a comprehensive term used in CIMS-2 to describe local educational agencies, public school academies, service areas, and state agencies) and the state monitor, analyze, and interpret local district data. Using the CIMS-2 helps locals ensure compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 2004 and the Michigan Administrative Rules for Special Education (MARSE).
This guidance and technical assistance article explains Michigan’s monitoring system and how the CIMS-2 process and tools work to help locals make improvements that lead to positive outcomes for all students. CIMS-2 is part of a coordinated, integrated, system—known as Michigan’s Integrated Improvement Initiatives (MI3)—that promotes increased system efficiencies and effectiveness as well as improved student performance.
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JUNE 2009 (Voume #7, Issue #2) - Packet #14, Article 2
This FOCUS on Results article presents the components of Michigan’s general supervision system, including a brief narrative describing each component. The information will help education stakeholders to understand the Michigan Department of Education’s (MDE) responsibility under federal law to monitor the implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Guidelines established by the National Center for Special Education Accountability Monitoring (NCSEAM) are designed to create a system of general supervision to enforce the requirements and to ensure continuous improvement for all states.
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FEBRUARY 2009 (Volume #7, Issue #1) - Packet #13, Article 2
In 1990, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EAHCA) of 1975 was renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Since that time, the IDEA has been reauthorized twice, bringing with it periods of sweeping change that have required states to align rising standards and increase accountability and public reporting.
This Focus On Results article looks at changes to Michigan’s Administrative Rules for Special Education (MARSE), shares the rule making process, and explains how Michigan’s rules are influenced by a combination of federal regulations, state initiatives, research and practice, and public input.
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SEPTEMBER 2008 (2007/08, Volume #6, Issue #3) - Packet #12, Article #1
This FOCUS on Results document defines Michigan’s State Performance Plan (SPP) and Michigan’s Annual Performance Report (APR). It also looks at how public reporting provides the opportunity for Michigan communities to see what’s working well in their special education and early intervention programs and to identify what aspects of these programs are in need of improvement.
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JUNE 2008 (2007/08, Volume #6, Issue #2) -Packet #11, Article #1
On December 12, 2006, the State Board of Education (SBE) adopted a policy entitled Supporting Student Behavior: Standards for the Emergency Use of Seclusion and Restraint. This policy replaced the March 1993 Standards for Policy and Procedure Development in the Use of Behavioral Interventions.
This FOCUS on Results document addresses frequently asked questions about the December 12, 2006 standards document.
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NOVEMBER 2006 (GATA 06-07) - Issue #8, Volume #3
This FOCUS on Results document provides information about professional development recommendations for the implementation of Response to Intervention (RtI). Part two of a two-part series on RtI, this document provides guidance and technical assistance to Michigan school districts as they prepare staff to implement RtI. Part one, printed in August 2006, shared the National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE) policy perspective on RtI.
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AUGUST 2006 (GATA 06-04) - Issue # 7, Voume# 2
This FOCUS on Results document provides the reader with a basic understanding of Response to Intervention (RtI). Part one of a two-part series on RtI, this document provides RtI guidance and technical assistance to Michigan school districts. This document shares the national perspective on RtI, as provided by the National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE) in its book, Response to Intervention: Policy Considerations and Implementation, published in 2005. The Center for Educational Networking has been granted permission by the publisher to summarize the material, but NASDSE has not reviewed nor previewed the article below.
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AUGUST 2006 (GATA 06-06) - Issue #7, Volume #2
This FOCUS on Results document provides the reader with a basic understanding of Michigan’s Universal Education initiative. Universal Education removes barriers, provides flexible and responsive supports, and facilitates life-long learning for all. Every individual’s success is important to our society. Each person deserves and needs a concerned, accepting educational community that values diversity and provides a comprehensive system of individual supports from birth to adulthood.
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MAY 2005 (GATA 05-01)
This FOCUS on Results document will describe the Medicaid School Based Services (SBS) program, through which Medicaid partially reimburses for some health care services provided in schools.
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