Group items tagged

Montana’s Annual Application for Funding Under the IDEA is available for public comment until May 8, 2011.  A copy of the application is available through the Special Education Division Web page at http://www.opi.mt.gov/pdf/SpecED/11MTPartB_App.pdf.   Please submit comments in writing to:  Tim Harris Division Administrator Special Education Division Office of Public Instruction PO Box 202501 Helena, MT 59620-2501

In 2009, the Developmental Disabilities Program (DDP) within Montana’s Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) began the Children’s Autism Waiver (CAW) as way to provided intensive (20 hours a week), applied behavior analysis to young children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and their families. The Medicaid waiver program is state-wide and provides services for 50 children at a time. The first cohort of children who have completed the services have just exited. As part of the exit procedure, a comprehensive evaluation was completed.

The Office of Public Instruction is taking on the challenge of bullying prevention to ensure Montana students experience a positive school climate so they can reach their full potential in the classroom.

Working in the Arts with Children on the Autism Spectrum When: 8:30 a.m.- 4 p.m. Saturday, April 28 Where: Paris Gibson Education Center-Cafeteria, 2400 Central Avenue, Great Falls Renewal Credits: 6 OPI Cost: Free Target Audience: Teaching artists, classroom teachers and paraprofessionals, arts education staff from cultural organizations, and support staff for people with disabilities

What:Topics to be Addressed: Tools and strategies to address Montana Common Core Math Standards Montana Common Core Mathematical practices Montana Common Core Mathematical learning progressions Building support among teachers This workshop is appropriate for math and science teachers, curriculum directors, administrators, and those interested in learning mre about Common Core Math standards. Registrations fee$40: Participants are responsible for their own travel and meal costs. Substitute costs will be reimbursed (process will be discussed at the workshop).OPI Renewal Units AvailableWhen:January 2, 20128:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.Where:MSU Billings Downtown Broadway IIIContact:John Keener Phone: (406) 657-1743Email: john.keener@msubillings.edu

You can download the My Learning Plan Directions here! Download the agenda here! What:OPI Tobacco Prevention InitiativeDana Geary will present the state initiative on tobacco prevention policy and incentives for school districts to become involved.  Dana will also indicate the policies that will change in the MSSA Rural Policy Handbook for adoption.  New tobacco products aimed at our youth will be presented during the course if this half-day workshop. Media Literacy 101 Kids spend an average of more than 7 hours a day with some form of media. As a result, they sometimes grow up having more interaction with TV, the Internet, and other media messages than people. Media Literacy refers to the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and create media messages of all kinds. This interactive training will explore basic concepts of media literacy by examining TV commercials, messages and print ads, and tobacco and alcohol marketing. We will work in small and large groups to discuss the language of persuasion, deconstruct ads, and create counter messages. After this training, participants will have a greater understanding of media literacy and walk away with tools they can use with their learners. Objective 1: Participants will define media literacy and understand some techniques of persuasion. Objective 2: Participants will understand how media literacy education helps prevent tobacco and alcohol initiation among youth. Objective 3: Participants will learn new media literacy activities and exercises they can do with their learners.When and Where: Thursday, February 23rd, 2012 at the Lewistown Yogo Inn Mountain RoomsMonday, February 27th, 2012 at the Butte Quality Inn Big Sky Room (formerly War Bonnet)Tuesday, February 28th, 2012 at the Bozeman Comfort Inn Big Sky Room8:30 am - 4:00 pm All daysContact:Sharon M. RedfernExecutive Director, RESA4UPhone: (406) 422-5049 (Home)  (406) 672-1549 (Cell)Email: sredfern@resa4u.org or smredfern@optimum.net

Register online right here!You can also download the flyer right here!What:Susan A. Gendron served as Commissioner of Education for the state of Maine from March 13, 2003 until May 1, 2010 when she stepped down to assume the role of Policy Coordinator for the SMARTER Balance Assessment Consortium. In this role she assisted 31 states in preparing an innovative integrated proposal that is built upon an integrated balanced system for curriculum, assessment, instruction and educator development.Topics To Be Addressed Tools and strategies to address Montana Common CoreStandards for Math practices specifically for grades 6-8 First glimpse of Common Core Standards for Science First glimpse of Common Core Standards for Science. This workshop is appropriate for math and science teachers, curriculum directors, administrators, and those interested in learning more about Common Core Math standards. OPI Renewal Units AvailableRegistration Fee$25.00: Participants are responsible for their own travel and meal costs. Substitute costs will be reimbursed (process will be discussed at the workshop). When:March 21, 20128:00 AM -11:00 AMWhere:Lincoln Center Board Room415 N 30th StreetBillings, MontanaContact:John KeenerPhone: (406) 657-1743Email: john.keener@msubillings.edu

Download the Save the Date here!What:About MASPA key aspect of the mission of the Montana Association of School Psychologists (MASP) is to promote the educational and mental health needs of all children and youth. The MASP Summer Institute serves educators and other professionals who work with children and youth by offering professional development opportunities that bridge the latest research findings with real-world practice. Early Bird and student discounts will be offered! (Details will appear on the website in late March or early April.) The registration fee includes all conference materials and handouts, delicious lunches on Monday and Tuesday, and delightful snacks each day. To qualify for the student discount, you must be a student actively enrolled in an accredited degree program. Electronic registration coming in late March or early April. Intended Audiences:School Psychologists, Counselors, Social Workers, Teachers (Regular and Special Education), and Administrators Credit available:OPI Renewal credits (12); Continuing Professional Development credits (12); Billings Public School Step-Up credit (1) When:June 4-5, 2012Where:Mansfield Health Education CenterBillings, MontanaContact:Rick BartschPhone: (406) 855-4277Website: http://www.masponline.us/summer-conference

The Butte school district has violated federal law and a special education student’s rights, according to a June 8 report in response to a complaint filed April 13 with the state Office of Public Instruction. The district failed to provide an administrator at the student’s Individual Education Plan meetings, which resulted in the student receiving inadequate services, the complaint states. Mary Boyle, of Butte, mother of the 6-year-old kindergarten student who has disabilities, said that the district failed to assign a one-on-one full-time paraprofessional for her daughter, which was required by her daughter’s Individual Education Plan, because no administrators capable of assigning the paraprofessional attended the IEP meetings.

Autism Spectrum Disorders and Public Schools How many Montana public school students are there with autism? There are approximately 141,000 public school students in Montana’s K-12 schools and on January 31, 2012, there were 823 students with an educational label of autism. There are 16,000 students with educational disabilities under the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA), which is the federal legislation which determines special education eligibility. Five percent of the students with disabilities are autistic. This percentage has increased from 1 percent to 5 percent in the last seven years, as the number of students with autism has increased and the number of enrolled students (and students with disabilities) has decreased.

University of Montana RiteCare Speech, Language, & Hearing Clinic 634 Eddy Street University of Montana graduate students will run these groups under the guidance of CSD faculty. We hope to expand your efficiency in using devices, learn to how to join social media, and support you in communicating in social settings using your devices, voice, and vocalizations & gestures. We are here to help problem solve technology issues and provide a fun place to share resources and build friendships. Contact Chris Merriman for more information 406 243.2377 christine.merriman@umontana.edu

Click here to register The Division of Special Education has scheduled an All Teacher Training on the dates and locations below. The training will review the special education process and forms. All trainings will be from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Glendive, September 14 - Dawson Community College Billings, September 16 - Billings Hotel & Convention Center Great Falls, September 22 - Best Western Heritage Inn Polson, October 13 - Polson High School Auditorium Butte, October 21 - Copper King Hotel

Hello! I am a speech-language pathologist and am excited to have a place to share ideas, resources, and questions related to using iPod/iPad technology with students with special needs.

The head of Montana’s Office of Public Instruction traveled to Washington, D.C., this week to stand up for rural schools, especially schools on reservations. Rural districts face challenges in complying with the methods set for improving results in their lowest-performing schools – action required as a condition for receiving billions of dollars in federal aid, Education Week’s Lesli Maxwell writes here.

But rural means something very different on the East Coast than it does in the far-flung reaches of the West, Juneau told the annual legislative conference of the Council of Chief State School Officers. “The frontier is really where we are,” she says. “We are more rural than rural.”

Click here to download the brochure with registration information (PDF) What: This one-day workshop will provide paraprofessionals with training and information that will focus on how paraprofessionals can assist teachers in bringing instruction within the reach of all learners.  Participants will experience a differentiated classroom and learn strategies for identifying student learner characteristics. They will apply this information to a lesson design framework that addresses rich strategies, flexible grouping, differentiated assessment and additional decisions for some learners.  Paraprofessionals will also learn how to assist teachers to create the classroom environment that will support the differentiation process. When: February 21, 2011 9:00am - 3:30pm Mountain Where: First Presbyterian Church 535 North Ewing Street Helena, MT  59601 Additional Notes: The Paraeducator Mid-Winter Conference is provided in the region at no cost to the participants. The conference is intended to increase the skill level of adults supporting children in a variety of educational settings. Certificates will be given to participants to add to their portfolios. Five (5) OPI Renewal Units are available. As in past years, the school district will be reimbursed $25.00 per paraeducator attending the conference. This stipend is an attempt to offset some of the costs incurred by the district.

What: Are you wondering how to implement curriculum with fidelity? Are you unsure what fidelity means and what your responsibilities are? Implementing your curriculum with fidelity can be the difference for your students. Join Gwen Poole to learn more about curriculum fidelity and how implementing curriculum with fidelity can squeeze the most from programs that your school is using. During this presentation participants will : Learn what fidelity is and what it is not Be introduced to fidelity checklists Understand the roles and responsibilities regarding curriculum fidelity Where: College of Education Building, Room 122 MSU-Billings Campus, Billings MT When: March 25, 2011  from  9:00 am to 4:00 pm Registration 8:30-9:00 About Presenter: Gwen Poole is a passionate Montana educator. She has fourteen years of teaching experience which includes Kindergarten, First grade, and Title 1 (K-5). During that time she has also been a Response to Intervention Facilitator and worked with several schools in their implementation of RtI. Most recently, Gwen joined the Instructional Innovations Unit at OPI where she works with schools toward improvement as well as building professional development opportunities for schools through the Instructional Innovation Website. More information: Workshop Brochure and online registration available soon on the Region III CSPD website, www.msubillings.edu/cspd/events.htm. For more information about CSPD contact Debra Miller, Region III CSPD Coordinator, at 657-2072, or e-mail at dmiller@msubillings.edu.