Systemic change will occur as a result of:

• The increase of fully certified teachers in special education positions.
• Diversification of the special education teacher workforce.
• Increased focus and implementation of system-wide personnel preparation and development of general education teachers and building administrators in the development of Individualized Education Programs (IEP).
• Teacher and administrators’ full, proficient involvement in the IEP process.

The system-building model will include field-testing training modules with early childhood care providers, refining modules based on results, conducting follow-up training, training of trainers, and follow up supervision and support. A second focus will include IHE, AEA, and LEA personnel as trainers in action research and research-based reading instruction practices. In order to implement a college and university-based literacy league for field research and technical assistance, an IHE will be selected and coordination and implementation will be monitored. Participants will be identified who will conduct a literacy symposium including a diverse target audience. Proceedings will be published upon its conclusion. Subsequent symposia will be scheduled annually through 2003. Another result of the plan will be to develop and disseminate information and training about IDEA and best practices to general and special education teachers and related service personnel so that the information will be integrated into their curriculum. A final project will be to conduct state-wide training for parents and educators of students with special needs.

Project Title:	System Building for Special Education Personnel Development and Support. A proposal designed to address issues with initiatives designed to raise academic standards and achievement levels of special education students, to increase both the number of appropriately certified special education teachers and the diversity of that segment of Iowa’s instructional workforce, and coordination and evaluation of professional development and improved student outcomes within special education.
Primary contact person:	Brenda Oas, Chief
Address:	Iowa State Department of Education Bureau of Children Family and Community Service Grimes State Office Building Des Moines, Iowa 50319-0146
Phone:	515-281-5735
Fax:	515-242-6019
Email:	Brenda.oas@ed.state.ia.us
Web site:	http://www.state.ia.us/educate/programs
Date SIG application written/submitted:	September 30, 1998
Round funded:	First
Begin/end dates for funding:	1999-2003
Funded amount /year:	$875,526
Who wrote the application?	SEA Staff
Length of application:	Narrative: 90 pages  Appendices: 8  How long are they? 150

 1. What specific products are planned for development? 

• Development of multi-media training modules.
• Training sessions using action research and research-based reading instruction practices.
• Pre-service education of new teachers.
• Joint training of parents and special educators.
• Literacy Symposia proceedings publications.
• IEP materials and descriptions for college and university faculty.
• Question and answer fact sheet description of high quality IEPs that meet federal requirements.
• Professional development protocols for general education teachers.
• Five year plans by each AEA to implement IEP training and development of general education teachers.
• 2nd Annual Parent-Educator Connection Conference.
• Promotional materials for conference.
• Parent-Educator Joint Training Conference.
• Certification information time line packets.
• Multi-categorical Resource sites:
  • Toll-free hot line.
  • Email address.
• Multi-categorical-related interactive distance learning courses.
• Student assistance grants for conditionally certified MCR teachers.
• Customized technical assistance plans.
• Local Career Ladder Plans.

 2. What interstate connections are planned?

Iowa is an active partner in a multi-state consortium. The Kansas Project Partnership Midwest Consortium of States (a federally funded program administered by the Kansas State Board of Education) provides the impetus for collaborative arrangements among IHEs and SEAs as well as across disciplines to support teacher education reform (special emphasis on special education preparation and pre-service). Included in the KPP are Kansas, Minnesota, Arkansas, Colorado, Nebraska, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Michigan. The group meets twice a year to share experiences and gain information about reform efforts. Some of the results include redesign of early childhood education teacher preparation curriculum, design and publication of a directory of college and university faculty who prepare educators. A benefit for Iowa is that an alliance between state and university preparation programs has strengthened and new partnerships have been formed with participating states.

There is also a contractual agreement between Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School and the University of Alabama at Birmingham which provides graduate teacher education in blind and deaf-blind education to all qualified faculty and staff of the IBSSS.

Iowa has a Regional Exchange agreement with Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, South Dakota, Arkansas and Oklahoma. It allows a temporary exchange license so that teachers may have up to two years to complete any deficiencies pending in order to receive licensure in Iowa. Minnesota and Illinois have expressed interest in establishing similar agreements.

 3. What strategies are planned for service delivery?

Several initiatives reflect strategies aimed at leveraging activities already underway into a comprehensive approach to a systemic problem. Some of the proposed strategies that will support service delivery include the following:

• Developing teacher training modules focused on early literacy development.
• Train-the-trainer sessions to ensure quality training in the field.
• Expanding the use of action research and research-based reading instruction practice.
• Creating and coordinating a college and university-based Literacy League for field research and technical assistance.
• Planning and conduct of Literacy Symposiums.
• Developing and distributing materials and training to college and university faculty who prepare general and special education teachers and related personnel so that they can integrate IDEA requirements and best practices related to IEPs into their curriculum.
• Providing in-service training to general education teachers on the legal requirements of IEPs and the appropriate use for goal-setting and performance monitoring of special education achievement.
• Providing statewide training for parents and educators of students with special education needs.
• Track progress, providing support, and coordinating course work, field work, and the endorsement process for conditionally certified Multi-categorical Resource teachers.
• Ensuring access to appropriate course work for all conditionally certified MCR teachers seeking MCR endorsement.
• Providing technical assistance that will increase certification and optimize use of certified special education personnel in districts in which conditional certifications tend to concentrate.
• Ensuring alignment of SIG Endorsement Initiative with special education licensure reorganization and IHE courses of study.
• Certifying 30 special education teachers who are persons of color and are currently employed as paraeducators in 8 target LEA districts.
• Certifying 15 special education teachers who are persons with disabilities and are currently pre-service students at Iowa community colleges.

4. What partnership strategies are intended?

The cooperative venture combines resources and expertise that will provide the necessary tools to be used to increase knowledge and skill of teachers and other personnel, thus producing best practice instruction in classrooms and effective use of IEPs. Parents of students with special education needs would also be included in training. In participating institutions, expansion of research, consultation and in-service activities will bring together necessary resources and information needed by early childhood educators, LEAs, and AEAs. IHE faculty would be the focus of cooperative efforts to ensure that they are fully knowledgeable about, and actively include in their instruction of teachers, the role of IEPs in effective educational practice.

Additional partnership arrangements with IHE support efforts to increase the number of fully certified teachers (through an Alignment Workgroup plan using a variety of resources) which includes a campaign to help current conditionally certified employees become certified and to identify new ones who can participate in the initiative. The Career Ladder Initiative will be monitored and evaluated closely to ensure that the intent of the initiative will produce a significant increase in special education teachers in two categories who are: a) persons of color; and b) persons with disabilities.

5. Who are the partners?

Several education-related partners will be involved in the Iowa SIG including:

• State Board of Education (multiple divisions and service areas).
• Area Education Agencies.
• Institutions of Higher Education.
• School Districts.

  Others include:

• Iowa Special Education Advisory Panel.
• The ARC of Iowa.
• Workforce Development Center
  Programming for Alternative Careers/Employment.

6. What types of contracts or subgrants are intended to partners, LEAs, IHE, PTIs, and others (including lead agency under Part C)?

Through RFP process, a lead IHE will be identified and others will have contractual arrangement to provide services. External evaluators will be under contract to perform specific services and IEPI training consultants will be engaged to carry out specific training-related activities. LEAs have agreed to be involved in the Career Ladder Project and will receive funding to meet the requirements of the effort. AEAs will receive funding to support training and IEP-related activities. 

7. How will resources be pooled with other resources?

Matching funds are from Iowa's IDEA Part B, IDEA Part C, Parent Education Connection and IDEA Part D.