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In accordance with the requirements under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA),  the state must report annually to the public on the performance of each local educational agency located in the state on the targets in the State's performance Plan. Because baseline data and/or performance targets have not been established for all of the performance indicators, the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), has informed states that they are only required to report district performance for students with disabilities on indicators 1-5 and 8-12 this year. These performance indicators address the following: Graduation, Dropout, Assessment, Suspension/Expulsion, Least Restrictive Environment (ages 6-21), Parent Involvement, Disproportionality As A Result Of Inappropriate Identification, Child Find Timelines, and Early Childhood Transition (transition from Part C to Part B). The district's performance data is 2008-2009 data that was submitted by the district to the OPI as a part of its child count, exiting, student discipline collections and/or collected during a compliance monitoring record review. performance data for performance indicator #8, Parent Involvement, is based on parent survey data. The Parent Involvement Survey was distributed to districts that were compliance monitored in school year 2008-2009. Districts were asked to provide a copy of the survey to all parents of IDEA-eligible students receiving special education and related services through an Individualized Education Program (IEP). The District Public Reports can be found on the OPI Web site at:  http://data.opi.mt.gov/SPEDReporting/ .

Monica Paoli and her 17-year-old daughter Bella watch the performance of “Miracle on 34th Street: The Musical” adapted for people on the autism spectrum and with sensory integration issues last week at the MCT Center for the Performing Arts. Bella, a sophomore at Sentinel High School, said she liked the performance “because it’s quiet and there’re no surprises.”

The concerns I hear from parents are mostly about placement, goals, and least restrictive environment (LRE). Yet, when I review a child's most recent Individualized Education Plan (IEP), there is little helpful information under the Present Levels of Academic Performance and Functional Performance section. The few lines that are written in the Present Levels are not helpful to the IEP Team. Often, I can find no relationship at all between the "present levels" and the "needs" and the "goals." Mark Kamleiter, Florida parent attorney (St. Petersburg) says that parents and advocates often focus only on the "last pages" of the IEP. That is what I see, too. Most of the IEPs I review have, at most, three to four lines of Present Levels. (Rarely, do they have Functional Performance levels). Remember, schools still tell parents, "We do not have to do that because it is not related to academics." Parents have to learn now to design accurate and up-to-date present levels. Advocates have to learn how to do this to and teach parents how to do this. It is one of the easiest things for parents to do because they know their child best. Until the Present Levels are accurate, parents will never be able to get the program, placement, or education their child needs.

Click here for more information! What:MCT in Missoula is putting on two special performances of Once Upon A Mattress, designed specifically for people with Autism and Aspergers.  This means they will be moderating noise levels, using increased visual aids, eliminating any lights shining into the audience and making other adaptations to make the play accessible and enjoyable for people with different sensory processing. Quiet areas will be provided for children who want to withdraw for a break.  A company in New York originally did an adaptive play for school children on the autism spectrum to great success and heartfelt appreciation by the children and their families. MCT is adopting some of the lessons learned by the NY company and doing some adapting of their own. MCT plans to put on at least two performances and may extend if that seems desirable. To help apprehensive theatre-goers who might not know what to expect, a website is being created so that families can travel step-by-step through the evening and be fully prepared for the fun to follow. When:Tuesday, January 24, 2012Show begins at 6:30 pmWhere:Missoula, MTMissoula Childrens TheatreContact and Reservations:Alexandra Volkerts - (406)449-2344 or email her at Alexis@disabilityrightsmt.orgTickets are available at the MCT Box Office or to make your reservations call (406) 728-7529. All seats are $10.

Kentucky's public teachers and principals would see their yearly evaluations tied partly to their students' performance, under a proposal that state education officials hope will boost the state's chances of receiving up to $175million in federal education funding, according to a draft obtained by The Courier-Journal.

The annual administration of the Educational Interpreter Performance Assessment (EIPA) will be conducted in Montana on Saturday, October 16, on the MSDB Campus in Great Falls.  To register for the assessment please go to: http://www.usu.edu/taese/task12/EIPARegistration.cfm. The OPI will pay the registration fee for interpreters working in Montana schools every other year until the interpreter attains a score of 3.5 or higher.  Interpreters wishing to have the OPI pay the registration fee should contact Frank Podobnik at fpodobnik@mt.gov for more information. Beginning July 1, 2011, all educational interpreters employed in Montana schools must have an EIPA score of 3.5 or higher.  Those interpreters scoring between 2.5 and 3.4 can remain employed, but must have an educational plan in place to achieve the 3.5 standard within three years.

Click here to download the FFY 09 APR (PDF) Click here to download the Part C Determination Letter from OSEP (PDF) Each of the regional Part C agencies FFY 09 Annual Performance Reports are posted at http://www.dphhs.mt.gov/fssac/ (under Part C Reports), along with Montana's Part C Determination Letter from the Office of Special Education Program (OSEP). Contact Erica Peterson at EPeterson2@mt.gov for questions.

Another survey, released about the same time, has not gotten the attention it deserves. This one conducted by Scholastic and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is called Primary Sources: 2012. It contains valuable information about what teachers think. Among other things, the survey asked teachers what they believe will have the greatest impact on improving academic achievement. This is what teachers said were the most important factors: 1. Family involvement and support (84 percent said it would have a "very strong impact"); 2. High expectations for all students (71 percent said it would have a "very strong impact"); 3. Fewer students in each class (62 percent said it would have a "very strong impact"); 4. Effective and engaged principals and building-level leaders (57 percent said it would have a "very strong impact"). These were the factors that teachers said were least important in improving academic achievement: 1. A longer school day (6 percent); 2. Monetary rewards for teachers based on the performance of the entire school (8 percent); 3. Monetary rewards for teachers based on their individual performance (9 percent); 4. A longer school year (10 percent).