State Improvement Grant Applications Funded in 2001
Abstract | Basic Information | Improvement Strategies
The Bureau of
Instructional Support and Community Services (BISCS), Division of Public
Instruction and Community Education, Florida Department of Education is
applying for a State Improvement Grant (SIG). Part D of the Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA1977) provides an opportunity for all
states to submit an application for a SIG to improve results for students
with disabilities. The purpose of Florida’s proposed SIG is to improve
results for students with disabilities by increasing the state’s capacity
to recruit, prepare, and retain sufficient numbers of qualified personnel
to provide effective instructional and related services. The proposed project
consists of three major Goals to accomplish this purpose:
Goal 1: Ensure sufficient numbers of qualified personnel are available in all regions of the state to provide effective instructional and related services.
Goal 2: Enhance the capacity of colleges of educational and departments of special education to increase the quality of personnel preparation programs through the development and implementation of Faculty Innovation Institutes (FIIs).
Goal 3: Support the participation of the state’s Parent Training and Information Center (Family Network on Disabilities – FND) in collaborative opportunities designed to increase the quality and availability of special education and related services personnel.
The SIG proposes to accomplish Goal 1 through working with the existing system of the nine Regional Comprehensive System of Personnel Development (CSPD) Professional Development Partnerships. Each partnership will design and implement activities designed to increase special education personnel (including administrators, teachers, paraprofessionals and related service providers) retention and recruitment of personnel into the profession.
The SIG proposes to accomplish Goal 2 through the design and implementation
of annual Faculty Innovation Institutes that will provide teams of general
and special education faculty from the state’s universities and colleges
with information and skills to increase the capacity of preservice preparation
programs to provide effective, needs-based, research-validated personnel
preparation.
The SIG proposes to accomplish Goal 3 through supporting the participation of a FND representative on each of the nine Regional Partnerships, as well as in the design and implementation of the FIIs. Additionally, FND will work with the BISCS in the design and implementation of a data collection, analysis and dissemination system focused on parent training and information needs.
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Project
Title
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A Proposal for Systemic Improvement in Personnel Development |
|
Primary
Contact Person
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Shan Goff |
|
Address
|
325
West Gaines Street Tallahassee, Florida 32399 – 0400 |
|
Phone
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850-488-1570 |
|
Fax
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850-921-8246 |
|
Email
|
goff@mail.doe.state.fl.us |
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Web
site
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http://www.myfloridaeducation.com/commhome/servhome.htm |
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Date
SIG Application was Written or Submitted
|
2/13/01 |
|
Begin
and End Dates for Funding
|
10/01/01 – 9/30/06 |
|
Funded
Amount:
|
$1,975,282 |
|
Who
Wrote the Application:
|
Dr. Christy Riffle, and members of the Florida Bureau for Exceptional Students State Improvement Plan management team. |
Florida Improvement Strategies
1. What products are planned for development?
The Florida
State Improvement Grant proposes three major goals to improve the results
for students with disabilities by increasing the state’s capacity to
recruit, prepare, and retain sufficient numbers of qualified personnel to
provide effective instructional and related services.
Goal 1: Ensure sufficient numbers of qualified personnel are available in all regions of the state to provide effective instructional and related services. The State Improvement Grant proposes to accomplish this goal through working with the existing system of the nine Regional Comprehensive System of Personnel Development (CSPD) Professional Development Partnerships. Each partnership will design and implement activities to increase special education personnel, and recruitment and retention of special education personnel into the profession.
Goal 2: Enhance the capacity of colleges of education and departments of special education to increase the quality of personnel preparation programs through the development and implementation of Faculty Innovation Institutes (FII). The State Improvement Grant proposes to accomplish Goal 2 through the design and implementation of annual FIIs that will provide teams of general and special education faculty from the state’s universities and colleges with information and skills to increase the capacity of preservice preparation programs to provide effective, needs-based, research-validated personnel preparation.
Goal 3: Support the participation of the state’s Parent Training and Information Center (Family Network on Disabilities – FND) in collaborative opportunities designed to increase the quality and availability of special education and related services personnel. The State Improvement Grant proposes to accomplish Goal 3 through support and participation of a FND representative on each of the nine Regional Partnerships, as well as in the design and implementation of the FIIs. FND will work with the Bureau of Instruction Support and Community Services in the design and implementation of a data collection, analysis, and dissemination system focused on parent training and information needs.
Florida’s
State Improvement Grant will provide a number of activities in order to
facilitate each of these goals.
2. What interstate connections are planned?
Question 2 was not addressed.
3. What strategies are planned for service delivery?
Florida’s
State Improvement Grant will execute a number of activities to accomplish
each of the three major goals of the State Improvement Grant. These activities
are summarized as follows:
1. Develop and negotiate contracts with each of the nine Regional Professional Development Partnerships to address specific personnel, recruitment, and retention needs, as well as monitor the progress and accomplishments of the Regional Professional Development Partnerships as they implement plans.
2. Coordinate the preparation and dissemination of information resulting from Regional Professional Development Partnerships’ recruitment and retention activities.
3. Regional Partnerships will develop annual proposals to conduct outreach activities aimed toward recruitment into alternative and/or continuing education programs of one or more of the populations targeted in the annual contract. Regional partnerships will implement and monitor plans.
4. Partnerships will develop annual proposals in response to the annual contracts to conduct outreach and increase awareness of special education as a career option. Regional partnerships will implement and monitor plans.
5. Partnerships will develop annual proposals in response to the annual contracts to design and implement activities to increase the retention of personnel. Regional partnerships will implement and monitor plans.
6. Design application procedures for Faculty Teams to participate in annual FIIs.
7. Design curriculum and delivery process for FIIs to address content of preservice training.
8. Conduct FIIs on an annual basis and provide follow-up technical assistance to faculty teams.
9. Design curriculum for FIIs to provide Faculty Teams with current, relevant, information and data pertaining to students with disabilities and their families, current state education initiatives, reforms and resources.
10. Design curriculum for FIIs pertaining to curriculum, instruction, classroom organization and management.
11. Work with Family Network on Disabilities in the design and implementation of a data collection system on parent/family information and training needs.
12. In collaboration with the Family Network on Disabilities, identify individuals to represent parent/family interests as members on each of the nine Partnerships.
4. What partnerships are intended?
5. What type of contracts or subgrants are intended to partners, LEAs, IHE, PTIs, and others (including lead agency under Part C)?
Funds from the
State Improvement Grant will be targeted to the Regional Partnerships, primarily
composed of representatives from local school districts, faculty representatives,
and parents from each region’s university and college preservice personnel
preparation programs. The Regional Partnership will design and implement
activities that are designed to meet each region’s local districts’
needs. Funds from the grant will be leveraged, to some degree, with funding
provided by the state to produce changes in local district and regional
capacities in the ability to recruit and retain sufficient numbers of qualified
personnel.
Funds from the
State Improvement Grant will also be provided to increase the capacity of
preservice personnel preparation programs across the state. Resources will
be used to support the participation of faculty teams at annual faculty
Innovation Institutes. Faculty teams will develop action plans for implementation
at their respective institutions that will increase each institution’s
capacity to provide high quality, needs-based, research-validated preservice
training programs.
Funds from the State Improvement Grant will also target participation, representation, and voice of parents and families in collaborative activities to improve the availability and quality of personnel providing administrative, instructional and related services to students with disabilities.
6. How will resources be pooled with other resources?
Florida’s State Improvement Grant is linked closely to education reforms in Florida, resulting in systems change. The emphasis on improving student progress and performance is reflected in the grant’s purpose. The grant’s Faculty Innovation Institutes targets improvements in the preservice preparation of personnel, which are linked to and reflect components of the educate 2000 Act. The grant is also aligned with the Florida Department of Education initiatives and plans by way of its integration with the State Improvement Plan. The Bureau of Instructional Support and Community Services has existing discretionary projects that are integrated with statewide priorities for improving results for students with disabilities and also integrates with the Bureau’s plans to address preliminary findings through continuous improvement monitoring activities.
7. How specific SIG products, activities, initiatives and strategies are pertinent to Part C (birth to 3, infants, toddlers and their families)services and activities in your state?
Part C stakeholders were involved in the process of the State Improvement Grant