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July 15, 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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Children and Cars: Heat Safety
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Every year, children are injured or die when they gain access to or are left behind unintentionally in a car when a caregiver forgets the sleeping or quiet child in the backseat when they arrive at their destination. Many times, the caregiver drives right past the child care center and proceeds to work or run an errand forgetting to make that important stop.
Register today for a free webinar hosted by Child Care AwareŽ Parent Network on July 24, 2013 and learn how you can protect the children and families you serve.
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Department Issues Guidance on Student Transfers
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The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is issuing guidance to Missouri school districts following the Breitenfeld v. School District of Clayton ruling from the Missouri Supreme Court last week. The guidance document will assist districts in managing requests from parents for student transfers from unaccredited to accredited districts.
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Supporting the Academic Success of Pregnant and Parenting Students
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The Office for Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Education has issued information on Supporting the Academic Success of Pregnant and Parenting Students Under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. The pamphlet clarifies the requirements applicable to pregnant and parenting students, including that it is illegal for schools to exclude pregnant students from participating in any part of an educational program and extracurricular activities. The pamphlet also provides information on strategies that educators may use and programs schools can develop to address the educational needs of students who become pregnant or have children.
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Public Comment on Comprehensive Guide to MSIP
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The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education will receive public comment on the Comprehensive Guide to the Missouri School Improvement Program on July 26, 2013, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. in the Governor Office Building, Room 450, 200 Madison Street, Jefferson City, Missouri. Obtain a copy of the Comprehensive Guide to the Missouri School Improvement Program or contact:
Office of Quality Schools
Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
P.O. Box 480
Jefferson City, MO 65102-0480
Phone: 573-751-4234
Email: qualityschools@dese.mo.gov
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| PARCC Adopts Special Education Testing Policy For Common Core |
The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for Colleges and Careers (PARCC) has published a final draft and other materials outlining its policies on accommodations for Common Core State Standards assessments. The guidelines will permit students with disabilities to have read-aloud accommodations during the English/language arts section of the test and have access to American Sign Language interpreters as needed.
Read the complete story for more details.
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| Board Recommends Early Childhood Readiness Tool | |
At its June meeting, the State Board of Education adopted an instrument for early childhood readiness in Missouri after reviewing the results of a year-long pilot. In May, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education wrapped up a pilot of three readiness tools, which were tested in a variety of programs across the state serving children ages 3 through their kindergarten year.
The recommended voluntary early childhood readiness tool is the Desired Results Developmental Profile (DRDP) instrument developed by the California Department of Education. The tool will provide useful information to parents, child care providers, teachers and administrators about the learning and development of each student.
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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.
Cancelled - Journey to Adulthood
Updated - Special Education Law
Understanding the IEP Process
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How Are We Doing?
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Have you ever received phone support by MPACT? Attended any of our trainings? We'd LOVE to hear from you!! Please complete one (or both!) surveys to help us do continuous improvement and recognize those staff that have made a difference!
Satisfaction Survey
Workshop Follow Up Survey
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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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