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Greetings!
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Did you miss an issue of the MPACT ENews? Delete it by mistake? Wish you could find a past article? Well you can! To view current and past issues of the MPACT ENews visit our website at http://ptimpact.org/News.aspx |
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Online Trainings offered through MPACT
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MPACT has just added another online training to our resources, Extended School Year is now available along with:
- Special Education: What I Need to Know
- IDEA Transition Requirements
- Transition to Post Secondary Experiences (Part 1 & 2)
- Connecting Goals to Coordinated Activities and Services for Transition
- Transition Resources - Disability Disclosure
- Soft Skills
You can access them by going to our Training page and clicking on Online Training, or CLICK HERE .
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MPACT Parent Mentor Program
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MPACT Parent Mentors are available to offer support and guidance to parents of children with disabilities throughout the IEP process. Parent Mentors are volunteers who receive 24 hours of initial training, ongoing monthly training, and technical assistance from MPACT staff with regard to special education law, the IEP process, conflict resolution, and effective communication. Their goal is to help parents build a collaborative partnership with the school district so their child may receive an appropriate education. To view the list of current MPACT Parent Mentors, go to http://ptimpact.org/Volunteer/MentorList.aspx.
If your school district has had a MPACT Parent Mentor in attendance at an IEP meeting, please take a moment to complete a brief online survey located at http://ptimpact.org/Surveys.aspx if you have not already done so. A separate survey should be completed for each mentor who has provided services to parents in your district. These surveys assist MPACT and DESE with identifying and addressing areas of success and improvement with the Parent Mentor Program.
For more information about MPACT or if you have questions regarding the status of a Parent Mentor, please contact MPACT by telephone at (800) 743-7634 or by e-mail at info@ptimpact.org. You can also view the MPACT website at http://www.ptimpact.org.
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We Need Your Feedback!!
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Have you received phone or other assistance from MPACT for your child or a child you're supporting who is 14 or older, or attended a Transition related Workshop (either in person or online) presented by MPACT between April 1st, 2011 and March 31, 2012? We'd like to hear from you.
As with any program, evaluation is an important tool so that areas of success, as well as areas needing improvement can be identified and addressed. If you have accessed any of our services, please take a moment to fill out one of our surveys.
If you have received phone or other assistance from MPACT between April 1st, 2011 and March 31, 2012 for your child or a child you're supporting who is 14 or older, please take a moment to complete the attached survey -
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/TransitionAssistanceSurvey
If you have attended a Transition related workshop (either in person or online) provided by MPACT between April 1st, 2011 and March 31, 2012, please take a moment to complete the attached survey -
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/TransitionWorkshopSurvey
If both survey's are applicable to you, please complete both. Everyone who completes a workshop or phone assistance survey will receive a free gift. Each person who fills out a survey will also be entered into a drawing for a free $25 gift certificate of their choice from Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Target, Staples, or Office Depot.
Don't wait, the deadline to complete a survey is June 1, 2012.
The winner of each survey will be notified by phone or email depending upon contact information provided in survey.
Thank you for your support!
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Updated Progress Monitoring Tools Chart and Instructional Interventions Tools Chart
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The National Center on Response to Intervention is pleased to announce the release of the updated Progress Monitoring Tools Chart and the Instructional Interventions Tools Chart. These charts represent the results of the final annual reviews of progress monitoring tools and studies of instructional intervention programs by the Center's Technical Review Committees (TRC).
The charts provide ratings on the technical adequacy of progress monitoring tools and research studies on instructional interventions that can be used within an RTI context. Additional information on how to implement the tools and interventions can be found on the chart as well.
The National Center on RTI publishes these tools chart to assist educators and families in becoming informed consumers who can select progress monitoring tools and instructional interventions that best meet their individual needs. Please note that the Center does not endorse or recommend the tools or intervention programs included in the chart.
View the Progress Monitoring Tools Chart.
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Overcoming Barriers to Providing Infant-Early Childhood Mental Health
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An estimated 9.5-14.2% of children age birth to 5 experience emotional or behavioral disturbance, including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health issues; yet states and communities don't have adequate Infant-Early Childhood Mental Health (I-ECMH) services, people to provide I-ECMH services, or a system to pay for them. The ZERO TO THREE Policy Center has released a new paper, Making It Happen: Overcoming Barriers to Providing Infant-Early Childhood Mental Health(2012), which highlights the scientific evidence for I-ECMH policy; examines the barriers states face in providing I-ECMH services; and proposes recommendations for policy improvements at the federal level. The paper was made possible by a grant from the A.L. Mailman Family Foundation.
On a related note, on May 9th the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) will be sponsoring National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day. Information is available on SAMHSA's Caring for Every Child's Mental Health Web site.
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Social and Emotional Tips for Families and Providers Caring for Infants
| The Center for Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (CECMHC) has published two new resources:Social and Emotional Tips for Families of Infants (2012) and Social and Emotional Tips for Providers Caring for Infants (2012), which provide one-page posters with tips that families and providers can refer to during specific daily routines to help nurture the social and emotional health of infants. Each poster offers a rationale for using the tips which are based on research. They are meant to help families and providers:
- practice using behavior and language that supports healthy, positive connections with children;
- learn more about social and emotional health; and
- understand the importance of social and emotional health to school readiness.
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College and Career Readiness Resource - NEW
| The Center for Workforce Development/Youth (NCWD/Youth) has released a how-to guide for implementing individualized learning plans. NCWD/Youth has released a vetted draft of "Promoting Quality Individualized Learning Plans: A 'How to Guide' Focused on the High School Years", an online guide for schools, educators, and other professionals who assist youth with college and career readiness and transition planning. A key goal of the guide is to help schools develop a bridge between college and career readiness efforts through the use of Individualized Learning Plans and help youth achieve prosperous and productive lives. The career development activities and resources in this guide are also useful for youth service professionals in the workforce development system.
The guide is available at http://www.ncwd-youth.info/ilp/how-to-guide. |
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Missouri Statewide Parent Involvement Network (MoSPIN) Parent Advisors
| Missouri School for the Blind provides a statewide home-based parent training program to assist Missouri families of children who are visually impaired. The program is known as the Missouri Statewide Parent Involvement Network (MoSPIN). MoSPIN provides direct, in-home services to families throughout the state through specially trained "Parent Advisors." The program is designed for parents of children who are visually impaired and who may also have other disabilities (developmental delay, hearing impairment, motor impairment, etc.). The Missouri School for the Blind (MSB) has a bid opportunity for Parent Advisors on an as needed basis. To obtain bid specifications, call Maureen at 314-776-4320 or email request to maureen.dunn@msb.dese.mo.gov. Bids are to be received May 25, 2012, by 3:00 p.m.
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Individualized Learning Plans How-to Guide
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This guide is designed for schools, educators, and other professionals who assist youth with college and career readiness and transition planning. This guide was developed in response to feedback from schools indicating a need for curriculum and implementation guidelines to support whole-school buy-in for implementing individualized learning plans (ILPs). A key goal of the guide is to help schools develop a bridge between college and career readiness efforts through the use of ILPs and help youth achieve prosperous and productive lives. The career development activities and resources in this guide are also useful for youth service professionals in the workforce development system.
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Transition Institute 2012 - Registration
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Registration is now open for the DESE Transition Institute to be held June 25-27, 2012, at the Capitol Plaza Hotel, Jefferson City, Missouri. The theme for this year's Institute is "live, learn, practice, become." There will be a variety of presentations dealing with transition during the institute. A draft agenda will be posted soon on the Special Education Effective Practices webpage http://dese.mo.gov/se/ep/.To register, follow this link to My Learning Plan, http://dese.mo.gov/se/ep/training.html.The registration fee for attending this event is $35 per person. The fee may be paid in advance or at the time of on-site registration on June 25, 2012, in the form of a check or money order made payable to: Treasurer, State of Missouri. Purchase orders will not be accepted. The registration fee is nonrefundable, substitutions would be accepted. If mailing your registration fee in advance, mail to: Lina Browner, Office of Special Education, DESE, P. O. Box 480, Jefferson City, MO 65102 (please indicate the names of the registrant(s) the check is paying for).Registrants will be responsible for their lodging costs and all other expenses except for meals provided at the conference. Breakfast and lunch will be provided on June 26 and breakfast on June 27. Participants must make their own lodging reservations. Reservations can be made by calling 800-338-8088 or online at http://www.capitolplazajeffersoncity.com/. Rooms are blocked as The Transition Summer Institute.
If you have questions or concerns, please contact Barb Gilpin at Barb.Gilpin@dese.mo.gov or at 573-751-7661.
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How to Help a Child with Weak Working Memory
| Does your child have a weakness with verbal (auditory) or visual-spatial working memory? If so, you may find that it is greatly interfering with academic achievement. Fortunately, there are many ways to help -- from teaching ways to compensate to lifestyle changes to brain-training techniques.
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Department of Education Issues New Resource Document on Restraint & Seclusion
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The U.S. Department of Education has issued Restraint and Seclusion: Resource Document, a publication that outlines 15 principles for educators, parents, school districts and others to consider when developing policies and procedures to support positive behavioral interventions and avoid the use of restraint and seclusion. The goal is to make sure that schools are safe and healthy environments where all students can learn, develop and participate in programs that promote high levels of academic achievement.
Visit Disability.gov for more resources for parents, teachers and students, including information about scholarships, financial aid, classroom accommodations and other education topics.
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Free MPACT Trainings
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MPACT trainings are provided free of charge to parents of children with disabilities. To sign up for an upcoming training, follow the links below, then click on the 'SIGNUP' button located next to the training name. Fill in your name, email address, phone number, the name ofthe training you wish to attend and the date it is being offered.
While registering for a training is not mandatory it does ensure that the trainer has an adequate amount of handouts. This also allows MPACT to contact you should a training need to be cancelled or rescheduled. To view a comprehensive list of all trainings provided by MPACT go to http://ptimpact.org/Training/Training.aspx.
Please be sure to double check the website training pages for any updates or changes to trainings offered.
Disagreement Resolution
The Art of Effective Advocacy
Positive Behavior Interventions
Journey to Adulthood
Parents Facilitate, Youth Take Action
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Question? Comments? Suggestions? Send them to info@ptimpact.org or
contact the MPACT State Office at 1-800-743-7634. |
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