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June 21, 2013
Celebrating 25 Years of Excellence
Serving Missouri Families!
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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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| The Center on Online Learning and Students with Disabilities Survey |
Attention Parents! Does your child learn online? If so, complete this short survey so schools and online providers can learn what's working and not working. You will share information related to your child with a disability who is receiving at least a portion of his or her education in an online environment. Please CLICK HERE to take this survey.
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Summer Learning - Start With a Book
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To ward off the learning loss that many children experience over the summer, Start with a Book offers adults engaging, research-based ideas for getting kids into books all summer and beyond. The free resources from Start with a Book build on what young children already like - dinosaurs, building, animals, sports, superheroes and music - so that parents, camp counselors, and others can have fun and interact meaningfully with children while helping to strengthen their reading skills. To visit the Start With A Book website CLICK HERE
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| Learn more About Missouri School Improvement Program (MSIP) 5 |
The Missouri School Improvement Program (MSIP) 5 works to prepare every child for success in school and life. MSIP 5 is the state's school accountability system for reviewing and accrediting public school districts in Missouri. MSIP began in 1990 and is entering its 5th version this year. CLICK HERE for more information on how schools are reviewed and accredited.
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Special Education Advisory Panel Annual Report Letter
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The purpose of the Missouri Special Education Advisory Panel is to provide policy guidance on special education and related services and to carry out those specific and general functions set forth in the above referenced statutes. The panel shall:
- Advise the State Education Agency (SEA) of unmet needs within the State in the education of children with disabilities.
- Comment publicly on any rules or regulations proposed by the state regarding the education of children with disabilities.
- Advise the SEA in developing evaluations and reporting on data to the US Office of Education under Section 618 of the Act.
- Advise the SEA in developing corrective action plans to address findings identified in Federal monitoring reports under Part B of the Act; and
- Advise the SEA in developing and implementing policies relating to the coordination of services for children with disabilities.
- Advise on the education of eligible students with disabilities who have been convicted as adults and incarcerated in adult prisons.
For an overview of the responsibilities and activities of the Special Education Advisory Panel during the 2012-13 school year please view their Annual Report letter by CLICKING HERE.
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State Regulations: IDEA Part B State Plan
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At their November 27, 2012, and January 22, 2013, meetings, the State Board of Education acted on proposed changes for the Part B State Regulations implementing the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Prior to the State Board action, the Office of Special Education published the proposed regulation changes, solicited public comments, and held public hearings.
The final regulations, as approved by the State Board of Education, became effective May 30, 2013, and can be found HERE on the DESE website.
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| Final State Regulations Implementing Part C of IDEA | |
The Missouri State Board of Education approved proposed changes to the Missouri State Plan for Special Education - State Regulations Implementing Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act at the January 22, 2013, board meeting. These regulations govern the First Steps program.
The regulations, as approved by the State Board of Education, became final on May 30, 2013, when the rule-making process was completed. The regulations are described in the Missouri State Plan for Part C of IDEA which is available on the First Steps website or by CLICKING HERE
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| United 4 Children Inclusion Services | |
Special Needs Child Care Referral
All families have their own special circumstances, including parent work or school schedules, the family budget, and what works best for their children. United 4 Children's Resource and Referral service works in partnership with families to assist them in navigating the array of options and assessing the health, safety and quality indicators in programs that every parent wants in place for their child.
Specialized referral and support services are available for families whose children have special needs to locate inclusive child care...programs that are dedicated to giving the best early education to ALL children, including children with disabilities or special needs. United 4 Children's inclusion consultants work with all child care programs to improve the quality and availability of inclusive places for children, with a special focus on teaching strategies to build social-emotional competencies and reduce challenging behavior in the classroom.
United 4 Children's Resource and Referral helps families locate and select child care best meeting their unique needs. Families may contact Lisa Eberle-Mayse at 314-531-1412 ext. 17 or e-mail to eberlemaysel@united4children.org. Toll free 1-800-467-2322. Customized consumer education materials and referrals to child care programs are available online or walk-in. For more information about United 4 Children CLICK HERE
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| Does Your Child Receive First Steps Services? Visit MPACT's First Steps Page | |
For more information regarding First Steps services, how to qualify, First Steps online training, or MPACT First Steps resources follow this link:
http://ptimpact.org/PartC/PartC.aspx
To share your story regarding First Steps services that your child has received click this link: http://ptimpact.org/PartC/OurStory.aspx
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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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FREE Online Trainings offered through MPACT
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Our free online trainings will help parents to understand the special education process in the state of Missouri. You can access the MPACT online trainings listed below by going to the Training page on our website and clicking on Online Training.
- Extended School Year
- 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
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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 of the 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.
Updated - Special Education Law
Understanding the IEP Process
NEW - Student-Led IEPs
Journey to Adulthood
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Give the Gift of Knowledge - Donate to MPACT
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MPACT welcomes donations in any amount and will acknowledge all donors in our Annual Report and on our MPACT Facebook page. Agency, organization and business donors making a contribution of $200.00 or more will be recognized by placing their name and logo in our monthly e-news letter and on our website's donation page. Individual donations of $50.00 or more will be added to our Friends of MPACT list which will appear in an edition of our monthly e-news letter and on our website. Donations may be made by credit card through PayPal on our website - http://ptimpact.org/Store/Donations/Donations.aspx; or by sending a check to the state office: MPACT, 8301 State Line Rd., Ste. 204, Kansas City MO, 64114. Every donation will receive a receipt for tax purposes.
Please help us to continue to provide the support that families of Missouri's children with disabilities are requesting by making a donation to MPACT. MPACT is a 501(c)3 organization. All donations are tax deductible.
2012 MPACT Donation Letter
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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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