State Performance Plan 2005-2012 - Part B - Arkansas Department Of Education (Page 50 of 277) in pdf

State Performance Plan 2005-2012 - Part B - Arkansas Department Of Education Page 50

Arkansas Department of Education Special Education Unit

Part B State Performance Plan

Through the ADE-SEU partnership with the ADE K-12 Literacy Unit, the SIG will continue to expand its

focus on adolescent literacy in 2007-2008 by providing high quality professional development, including

coaching and technical assistance, to secondary educators (general and special education) in the research

based strategies of the Strategic Instruction Model (SIM) with the ultimate goal of all students reaching

proficiency.

Staff funded by the State Improvement Grant will continue to provide on-site consultation in Arkansas

elementary schools, their feeder middle schools and high schools to ensure special educators have the

training and expertise to provide consultation to general education teachers in implementing scientifically

based literacy interventions to students with disabilities.

SIG activities will continue to focus on improving student achievement, building parent involvement

through home-based literacy and positive behavioral support. Training modules developed through the SIG

for parents of children with IEPs will be implemented by SIG parent mentors during the 2007-08 school

year.

The ADE-SEU will launch the Arkansas Local Education Agency Resource Network (AR-LEARN) to

assist in meeting the challenges of providing quality special education services to meet the needs of students

in 21

century schools. Based out of the Dawson Education Services Cooperative, the mission of AR-

LEARN is to promote sound research-based building and classroom educational practices to achieve the

educational results required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), assisting the

Arkansas Department of Education in responding to statewide needs as well as those of individual school

districts. In the near future, customized technical assistance will be delivered on-site by independent special

education consultants who can assist in helping any school district meet required IDEA State Performance

Plan targets. The state wide professional development program is designed to build the capacity of local

special education personnel and, to the extent appropriate, that of general educational professionals as well.

Professional development credit will be awarded by the Dawson ESC for any training attended.

Training will be provided by the staff of the ADE-SEU to selected Educational Cooperatives and local

school districts in the interpretation of assessment results and the application of these results toward

improving scores for AYP accountability.

The Special Education Unit will develop a checklist for use in monitoring on-site testing for the benchmark

exams on test day. This checklist will include examination of the students IEP in relation to the form of test

the student is given, the accommodations recommended in the IEP, the actual use of the accommodations,

and the requisite training provided for those persons responsible for the administration of the tests and the

provision of accommodations.

The SEU staff continues to participate as members of the ADE Closing the Achievement Gap Initiative in

an effort to ensure all Arkansas students reach proficiency.

At the invitation of the Arkansas Association of Special Education Administrators, staff of the ADE-SEU

will present an intensive two day seminar in June 2008 in Eureka Springs, AR for more than 200 LEAs and

other related professionals on the new state regulations for special education programs. While the emphasis

of the meeting will be on the new State regulations, considerable time will be devoted to the issues of

assessment including specific related topics of IEP Team responsibilities, data reporting, accommodation

use and evaluation.

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State Performance Plan 2005-2012 - Part B - Arkansas Department Of Education Page 50

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