Supporting Inclusion Through TA and Training

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Supporting Inclusion Through TA and Training A
Statewide Initiative

• Inclusion For Young Children with Disabilities in
  Florida
• Susan Donovan and Kim Galant

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Technical Assistance and Training System -
TATS(for programs serving prekindergarten
children with disabilities)

• A Florida DOE Bureau of Exceptional Education and
  Student Services project
• in collaboration with
• the University of Central Florida

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Project Objectives

• Support programs serving prekindergarten children
  with disabilities their families in Florida.
• Maintain a coordinated state-wide technical
  assistance training system
• Respond to district technical support needs,
  including early childhood partners working with
  districts (Head Start, Voluntary Pre-K, community
  child care, etc.)

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Project Objectives

• Build networks and facilitate communication and
  collaboration among 67 school districts and early
  childhood partners
• Facilitate Technical Assistance plans and develop
  interagency agreements
• Assist districts in addressing issues related to
  the State Performance Plan

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TATS Priority Areas

• Inclusion
• Curriculum Instruction
• Evaluation Assessment

• Program Effectiveness/Program Quality
• Transition
• Family Involvement

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TATS Regions

• Principal Investigator
• 3 Central Office Staff
• 7 Regional Facilitators
• Transition Coordinator

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Activities

• Regional Steering Committees
• Provide information and support for PreK issues
  to district administrators
• Facilitate collaboration with community partners
• Communities of Practice for 6 target areas

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Activities

• Workshops, trainings, video and/or audio
  conferences
• Assessment of needs resources
• Information sharing and resources on best
  practices
• Interactive web site
• www.tats.ucf.edu

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www.tats.ucf.edu

• Priority Area Resources
• Links

• Announcements
• Spotlights

• Statewide Calendar of Events
• Links

• Project Overview
• TATS Staff
• Regions
• Advisory Board
• Early Childhood Pathways

• Directories
• Publications
• Resources
• TAPs
• Meeting Summaries

• Link To Floridas Transition Project

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TATS and Inclusion

• What is driving Floridas Inclusion initiatives?
• The law - IDEA
• State Performance Plan Indicator 6
• Statewide Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) program
• District and early childhood partners initiatives

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What does IDEA say?

• 300.116 In determining the educational
  placement of a child with a disability, including
  a preschool child,
• placement decisions are made in conformity with
  LRE
• a child is not removed from education in
  age-appropriate regular classrooms solely because
  of needed modifications in the general education
  curriculum.

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What does IDEA say?

• Page 46589 Analysis of Comments
• Public agencies that do not operate programs
  for preschool children without disabilities are
  not required to initiate those programs solely to
  satisfy the LRE requirements of the Act. Public
  agencies that do not have an inclusive public
  preschool must explore alternative methods to
  ensure that LRE requirements are met.

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SPP Indicator 6 targeted activities

• Indicator 6 Percent of preschool children with
  IEPs who received special education and related
  services in settings with typically developing
  peers
• 17 district targeted to address this indicator in
  2006.
• 7 additional districts targeted in 2007.

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Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten (VPK) Program

• 108,236 children participated in 2005-06 VPK
  programs. This number includes
• 96,209 children served in a 540-hour school-year
  program
• 12,027 children served in a 300-hour summer
  program
• 59 school districts were eligible to offer the
  2005-06 school-year VPK program by meeting PK-3
  class size calculation.

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District Early Childhood Partner Initiatives

• Initiatives by school districts and early
  childhood partners that have been happening
  around the state for several years
• Family requests for inclusive options for their
  children

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Inclusion Initiatives What are we doing to
respond? And be pro-active?

• SSP Indicator 6
• TAPS Assignment of personnel Contracting
• District plans to address Indicator 6 in the SPP
• Technical assistance meetings and phone
  conferences with targeted districts
• TA and training with individual districts
• Partnering with other State Discretionary
  Projects (Florida Inclusion Network, VPK)

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Inclusion Initiatives

• State Interagency Team on Inclusion
• Work of Expanding Opportunities team in Florida
• Working on systems changes in personnel
  development (career ladder, articulation,
  disability content, etc.)

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Inclusion Initiatives

• VPK Connections
• Training on VPK Standards
• Training with VPK facilitators Challenging
  Behavior
• Work with VPK providers who did not reach
  readiness rates
• Co-sponsor training events consistent message

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Inclusion Initiatives

• Focus on Program Quality
• ECERS
• Building Blocks
• Routines-Based Intervention
• Progress Monitoring
• Teaming and Collaboration

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Inclusion Initiatives

• Working with the Institute for Evidence-Based
  Practice Challenging Behaviors
• Training and TA to districts and early childhood
  partners on CSEFEL Training Modules and Teaching
  Tools for Young Children.

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Inclusion Initiatives

• Product development
• Expanding Opportunities Handbook
• Key Elements for Blending Head Start and PreK ESE
• Administrators Tool Kit
• Program Effectiveness/Quality Checklist
• eUpdates

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Inclusion Work in One Region

• FSU Region Taylor County
• Small rural district with 20,000 residents
• Serve 300 children (6 mos-5 years) at the Child
  Development Center. (Classes 1 infant/toddler, 2
  class for 2-3s, 7 VPK (four year olds), 3 PreK
  ESE, and 6 Head Start).
• CDAs serve typically developing children, ESE
  children taught by certified teachers.

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District-Identified Needs

• Initial meeting with VPK, ESE, and Head Start in
  Sept. 2004 identified inclusion as their biggest
  need training, support, and help with children
  with challenging behavior.

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Individualized TA

• Over next 2 1/2 years, developed a technical
  assistance plan to create opportunities for
  inclusion of children with disabilities.
• Assessment of program quality - ECERS
• Needs assessment and training PBS, TTYC,
  Routines-based Intervention, Building Blocks,
  Progress Monitoring, Teaming and Collaboration
• Technical support Inclusion Team, classroom
  visits, biweekly team planning meetings
• Assistance with identification and utilization
• of available resources FIN, BMC, CARD,
• PBS

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Progress

• 2005-06 - placed 4-5 children with disabilities
  in VPK classes
• 2006-07- began with 3 inclusive classrooms Each
  class had 12-13 VPK children with 3 children with
  disabilities
• 2007-08 - offering inclusive services to all 2-5
  year olds blended with VPK
• Most children in Head Start who are eligible for
  ESE services are served through a consultation
  model.

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Taylor County Team

• Picture of Taylor

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What have we learned?

• Use a variety of initiatives Not one size fits
  all
• The art of TA balancing the provision of best
  practice with meeting districts/early childhood
  partners where they are and moving them toward
  excellence.

• Help districts see themselves in the larger
  picture this can be done, has been done
  there are many ways to get where you want
  to go.

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What have we learned?

• Good communication and understanding is essential
• A systematic, ongoing, planned process success
• Keep your eye on the goal positive outcomes for
  children and families

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??? Questions ???

• Sue Donovan
• sdonovan_at_mail.ucf.edu
• Kim Galant
• kgalant_at_mail.ucf.edu
• TATS Website
• www.tats.ucf.edu

Thank you!