Personal Curriculum & Students with Disabilities

1. Personal Curriculum & Students with Disabilities MDEMASSP Webinar Series 2/5/08

2. Webinar Instructions • Meeting Link:http://picture.mivu.org/picturetalk/meetingattend.jsp?ptkkey=drru203&a=1 • Meeting Key: drru203 • Meeting Password: massp BE SURE TO CALL IN AT 3:30 PM FOR THE AUDIO Conference Call: 1.888.272.7337 Conference Call ID: ID: 219002

3. Meeting Screens TYPE Here Display Console-- Click the Blue Diamond Raise Hand People Chat

4. Tips for a Successful Webinar • Be Sure to Place your Speakerphone on MUTE! • Use the CHAT Box to Ask Questions during the presentation • Use the Explorer (PC)/Safari (Mac) browsers only • Print a hard copy of the presentation if technology fails • Complete the SB-CEU forms and online evaluation.

5. Chat Practice • What do you want to learn today about the Personal Curriculum and Students with Disabilities?

6. Understanding the Personal Curriculum Why it is not a “Special Education Thing”

7. Reality Check • “Internationally, the United States does not have the highest educational standards. However, we have the deepest commitment to equity…essential to a school’s success is absolute commitment to a rigorous and relevant curriculum for all students.” Bill Daggett

8. Personal Curriculum • The personal curriculum is primarily for a student who wishes to: • Modify the mathematics requirement • Add more math, science, English language arts or world languages • Modify the credit requirements based on his or her disability • Modify credit requirements because he or she has transferred from out of state or from a non-public school

9. Integrated instruction Online learning College credit opportunities Work based learning Project based learning Flexible scheduling Spiraled Curriculum Peer coaching Adult mentoring Electives Strategies to Assist Student Success

10. What can schools do differently? • Know what you are trying to achieve. • Preparation for post-school outcomes • The requirements for achieving those outcomes • Michigan Merit Curriculum + Locally Required Credits + Community Connections + Career/Occupation Exploration + ???? International Center for Leadership in Education

11. What can schools do differently? • Have a way to measure whether or not you are getting there. • Achievement data by subgroups • Whose doing well? • Who needs more support? • Functional Performance Data International Center for Leadership in Education

12. What can schools do differently? • Change the focus of instruction • From : Knowledge acquisition • Express probabilities as fractions, percents, or decimals. • To: Knowledge Assimilation • Obtain historical data about local weather to predict the chance of snow, rain, or sun during year. International Center for Leadership in Education

13. Sample Instruction and Diploma Attainment Options for the MI Merit Curriculum

14. Guiding Principles • The PC is one of many options available to help students meet or exceed the MMC • The PC is the exception and should be agreed upon with thought and integrity • The PC is agreed upon and initiated by the parent/guardian or emancipated student • Students are entitled to a challenging curriculum that will prepare them for post secondary success • The PC is an individualized plan for rigor and relevance based on the HSCE • The PC holds constant the graduation requirements, curriculum and content • The PC is consistent with SBE policy on Universal Education

15. So, where do we start? • Begin with the end in mind. • Steven Covey

16. Educational Development Plans • The Board of a LEA or Board of Directors of a PSA Shall ensure each pupil in Grade 7 is provided with the opportunity to develop an EDP • The EDP shall be • developed before the student enters high school • developed by: • Pupil • Under the supervision of the School counselor • School Psychologist should be included if the student has an IEP • based on a career pathways program or similar career exploration program.

17. Essential Elements for EDPs 1.  Personal Information 2.  Career Goal(s) 3.  Educational/Training Goal(s) 4.  Assessment Results 5.  Plan of Action 6.  Parent Consultation/Endorsement (under age 18) Courtesy of: Christine Reiff, Office of Career and Technical Preparation

18. What Makes a Difference in Successful Transitions? • Transition Planning, K-12. • Career Preparation, especially Paid or Unpaid Work Experiences in the Community. • Safe, Supportive Educational Environment. • Integrated Learning Environments. • Attainment of a Standards Based Diploma. • Collaboration among Student, Parents, School and Community. Source: NYSED Longitudinal PSI Study Preliminary Data, Senior Class 2001- One Year Out Interviews (Catalog 10, DJ 9/15/06) New York State Education Department, Office of Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities, LPSI Study

19. What’s Practicable Mean? • The legislative intent of the PC is to increase the rigor and relevance of the educational experience. • In this context, “practicable” is an inclusive term meaning as much of the subject area content expectations as possible during high school instruction for the individual student. • Students with disabilities operate under this same context!

20. What is Meant by a Modification? • Well, the word is used frequently in IDEA. • What does IDEA say?

21. Modifications • The flexibility provided in statute regarding instructional delivery and competency assessment are intended to help schools individualize the learning environment. • The flexibility provided in the Personal Curriculum is intended to help students individualize the rigor of their academic course of study.

22. IDEA says .. • 614(d)(1)(i) in general, the term “individualized education program” or “IEP” means a written statement for each child with a disability that is developed, reviewed, and revised in accordance with the section and that includes – • (iv) a statement of the special educating and related services and supplementary aids and services, based on peer-reviewed research to the extent practicable, to be provided to the child, or on behalf of the child, and a statement of the program modifications or supports for school personnel that will be provided for the child –

23. IDEA Regs say … • 34 CFR Parts 300 and 301 Assistance to States for the Education of Children With Disabilities and Preschool Grants for Children With Disabilities; Final Rule • Comment:A few commenters provided definitions of ‘‘accommodations’’ and ‘‘modifications’’ and recommended including them in new § 300.39(b) (proposed § 300.38(b)). • Discussion:The terms ‘‘accommodations’’ and ‘‘modifications’’ are terms of art referring to adaptations of the educational environment, the presentation of educational material, the method of response, or the educational content. They are not, however, examples of different types of ‘‘education’’ and therefore we do not believe it is appropriate to define these terms of art or to include them in new § 300.39(b) • Changes:None.

24. IDEA Regs Say … • § 300.320(a)(2)(i) requires annual IEP goals to be designed to enable the child to be involved in and make progress in the general education curriculum; and • § 300.320(a)(4) requires the IEP to include a statement of the special education and related services the child will receive, as well as the program modifications or supports for school personnel that will be provided, to enable the child to be involved in and make progress in the general education curriculum.

25. IDEA Regs Say… • § 300.39(b)(3) defines specially designed instructionas adapting the content, methodology, or delivery of instruction to address the unique needs of the child and to ensure access to the general curriculum so that the child can meet the educational standards within the jurisdiction of the public agency that apply to all children.

26. IDEA Says … Well, you get the idea. IDEA doesn’t offer a definition of modification.

27. OK, so now what? • State statute doesn’t offer a definition of modification either. • But it does give us some examples to follow.

28. Modifications • Allowable modifications in the following areas: • Mathematics • Social Studies (except Civics) • Health and Physical Education • Visual, Performing and Applied Arts

29. Modifications • No modifications in the following areas: • English Language Arts • Science • World Languages • Civics • Online Learning Experience • Exception – Students with a disability

30. Modifications • If we follow the examples in statute we see modifications meaning changes to the graduation requirements as laid out on 1278(a) and 1278(b) • What we don’t see are changes to the credit requirements.

31. Who owns this process? • Up to this point, the development of the EDP and the PC are entirely owned by the student, family, counselor and appropriate administrator. • There is no mention of separate processes or considerations for students who have an IEP.

32. Subsection (k) • Permits consideration of modifications “not otherwise allowed” • PC allows some credit “swapping” and some content modification • Modification is subject to “demonstration that the modification is necessary because the pupil is a child with a disability” • Permits the modification “to be made to the extent necessary”

33. Subsection (k) cont. • The modification must be consistent with the Educational Development Plan and the Individualized Education Program • This determination is made by at least • student • parent/guardian • counselor/designee • school psychologist should be included for students with disabilities

34. Link to IDEA • If a pupil receives special education services, the pupil's IEP shall identify • the appropriate course or courses of study and • the supports, accommodations, and modifications necessary to allow the pupil to progress in the curricular requirements of the MMC or PC and meet the requirements for a diploma.

35. Accountability • NCLB and IDEA 04 hold State and Public Agencies accountable for the performance of students with disabilities within a structure of state standards. • While it is allowable to account for growth and performance for some of these students on alternative achievement standards it is not appropriate to create a different path to graduation.

36. Accountability • IDEA defines what is not a diploma and therefore defines what is a diploma. • Section 300.102(a)(3), regarding exceptions to FAPE, has been changed to clarify that a regular high school diploma does not include an alternative degree that is not fully aligned with the State’s academic standards, such as a certificate or a general educational development credential (GED). • In this context, nothing from the MDE can counter the accountability framework that NCLB and IDEA create.

37. Some Things Seems to Be Very Clear • We cannot substitute alternative curriculum and count achievement within that curriculum towards the 18 credit requirements. • We cannot reduce the number of credits. • The IEP supports but does not trump the graduation requirements. • There are no plans for a Special Education curriculum that will lead to a separate diploma. • No such thing as a modified diploma. • Kids who don’t get a diploma are not doomed to fail in life. • Districts can issue alternative certificates but they do not end FAPE.

38. So where do we get answers? • There are two sets of guidance documents posted to the Office of School Improvement website. • Follow this link: http://www.michigan.gov/mde/0,1607,7-140-6530_30334-178576--,00.html

39. Or…. • Start with the MDE website MDE - Michigan Department of Education http://www.michigan.gov/mde Go to the “OFFICES” tab on the left side of the page Follow the School Improvement link Follow the Personal Curriculum Guidelines link

40. Contact Information Personal Curriculum Deborah Clemmons Clemmonsd@michgian.gov Supervisor for Curriculum and Literacy 517-241-2479 – MDE OSI Special Education Matt Korolden koroldenm@michigan.gov Co-director, Secondary Redesign and Transition 517-241-3509 – MDE OSE/EI

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