• The Purpose of the Kansas State Improvement Plan is to assure that Kansas’ educational systems are aligned to support all students, including those with disabilities, to achieve high state standards and positive adult outcomes. The plan of operation features six major goals and intended outcomes to meet the identified needs.
• Kansas State Department of Education policies and procedures will assist schools to include children and youth with disabilities in Kansas’ educational accountability system.
• School-family-community partnerships will support Kansas’s children and youth to succeed in school through improved access to effective community resources, programs, and services, and improved family involvement in and support from schools.
• Kansas’s children will enter school ready to learn. Early Childhood overview, has intended outcomes to increase early student success, reduce frequency of referrals to special education services, and show improved conditions for young children and families.
• Kansas students will attain positive post-school results. Positive post-school outcomes, has outcomes to increase gainful employment lifelong learning, and other transition issues for adults with disabilities.
• Kansas will have the necessary personnel development capacity to ensure effective services for children and youth. Personnel supply/demand, have the outcome of an adequate supply of diverse, well-qualified, and effective education and related services personnel.
• Preservice and professional development systems will prepare all teachers to align their work with Kansas school improvement and accreditation systems. Quality issues for personnel development, has outcomes that personnel will use administrative, curricular, and instructional practices that convey high expectations and assist students with disabilities to meet challenging standards, as well as develop and implement individual education plans (IEPs) which reflect those standards.

Project Title:	Kansas State Improvement Grant for Special Education
Primary contact person:	Kerry Ottlinger
Address:	Student Support Services Kansas State Board of Education 5120 SE 10th Avenue Topeka, KS 66612-1182
Phone:	785-291-3098
Fax:	785-296-6715
Email:	kottlinger@ksbe.state.ks.us
Web site:	Not indicated
Date SIG application written/submitted:	November 1997 to September 30, 1998
Round funded:	First
Begin/end dates for funding:	February 1, 1999
Budget requested:	$1,685,000 per year = $9,110,000
Funded amount /year:	$900,000 per year =$4,500,000 over 5 years
Who wrote the application?	SEA staff, IHE & Contractor. SEA Agency Team and Outside Team combined effort in writing the application
Length of application:	Narrative: 146 pages Appendices: Also 146 pages, (Sections A through I)

 1. What specific products are planned for development?

Goal 1.

• Special education statutes and regulations support inclusion in improvement and accountability processes
• Audit processes, funding policies and resource utilization assists schools to be accountable for all students' improved outcomes
• LEAs implement policies and procedures which include students with disabilities in accountability processes and improved outcomes
• KSDE school accreditation and monitoring processes promote accountability and improved outcomes
• KSDE staff support LEAs in achieving positive results for all students
• Kansas schools increase local capacity to ensure accountability and high expectations

Goal 2.

• Kansas schools demonstrate increased family and community participation in and satisfaction with schools
• Kansas schools increase access to and use of necessary services
• Schools will have a decreased rate of complaints, due process actions, and disputes
• LEAs will increase use of education programs and funds to support coordinated services
• Common programmatic goals are identified or crafted, articulated, and disseminated among agencies

Goal 3.

• Increased communication and collaboration of educators and child service providers ensure access to services
• Kansas schools report increased student success in demonstrating early numerosity, literacy skills, and social competence
• Kansas schools report reduced frequency of referrals to special education and other specialized support systems
• Kansas Kids Count indicators show improved conditions for young children and families

Goal 4.

• Interagency collaboration decreases barriers to services that ensure self-determination and community participation
• Families and students report engagement in choices and satisfaction with post-school outcomes (gainful employment, satisfaction with leisure, homemaking)
• Adolescents and adults with disabilities use academic content to solve community and employment problems

Goal 5.

• Students with specialized and low incidence needs are supported by qualified personnel
• The proportion of underrepresented groups in the teaching force is increased
• Career ladder options decrease attrition of qualified personnel
• Kansans have an increased supply of qualified professionals to serve students with disabilities

Goal 6.

• Preservice and professional development providers report improved results for trainees
• Educators demonstrate application of effective teaching strategies for all students in daily practice
• Preservice and professional development providers identify and pursue common priorities for addressing needs in the SIP
• Preservice and professional development providers identify and use policy supports for preparing educators ability to assist students in achieving state and national standards

2. What interstate connections are planned?

• On-line curriculum academy from the University of Kansas.
• Professional development academy with NASDSE.
• MPRRC assistance with project product dissemination.
• Regional Exchange agreement with Iowa, Missouri Nebraska, Kansas, South Dakota, Arkansas and Oklahoma which allows a temporary exchange license for up to two years
• Consortium of states for low incidence Dual-Sensory Impairment Project
• National Commission on Teaching and America's Future (NCTAF)

3. What strategies are planned for service delivery?

Goal 1.

• Student Support Services will develop recommendations around issue concerning students with disabilities in revisions of state accreditation regulations
• KSDE and State Board work with legislature for new funding strategies
• KSDE assists LEAs to revise local policy to facilitate meeting state standards
• Student Support Services Team revise compliance procedures so they integrate into the school improvement and accreditation process
• KSDE will improve the skills and capacity of learning services division staff to facilitate curricular and instructional adaptations as necessary to ensure that all students learn
• Schools will ensure that students access and are supported in using necessary accommodations and assistive technology across school. Home and community Environments
• A cadre of trainers assigned to regions will provide statewide staff development on effective practices

Goal 2.

• PTI establishes consortium of parent organizations to discuss and develop accountability materials for dissemination
• KSDE and PTI conduct training regarding accountability
• PTIC will be involved in design and development of preservice and professional development activities
• Personnel development providers and LEAs will offer activities to enhance school-family-community partnerships
• KSDE will provide incentives to schools for links to family services
• KSDE will provide incentives to IHEs for training across disciplines

Goal 3.

• Continuation of Kansas Inservice Training System (KITS), dual sensory impairment project, Transition Teams and other early technical assistance training
• KSDE facilitates linkages between Coordinating Council on Early Childhood Developmental Services and the CSPD
• KSDE expands linkages to SRS and other agencies
• Licensure redesign combines EC and ECSE
• Incentives for IHEs to revise and expand current training programs
• Early interventionist /educators will be provided training and technical assistance to meet children's developmental levels
• Schools, community services and ICCs will collaborate to identify and provide needed services for health, safety and school readiness

Goal 4.

• KSDE will sponsor quarterly policy roundtable discussions on transition to develop any necessary agreement for comprehensive transition services
• STC will plan and administer continuous improvement subgrants
• STC will facilitate linkages to ensure coordinated system of education and preparation
• KSDE and adult service agencies will develop common accountability systems of success
• IHEs will develop interprofessional training, technical assistance, and curriculum modules related to enhancing the quality of adult services personnel preparation
• Schools will initiate linkages with business and community-based organizations to provide a range of options for lifelong learning
• PTI will co-train staff and families regarding support of child's self determination
• KSDE will support schools in developing coordinated School to Career and transition supports for all students and collecting related data

Goal 5.

• KSDE will facilitate collaboration and coordination among groups responsible for personnel preparation, supply and retention
• KSDE will eliminate disincentives to entering special education, create incentives and utilize flexibility in licensure
• KSDE will provide incentives and opportunities for recruitment partnerships
• KSDE will support and expand training and technical assistance for mentoring of new teachers
• LEAs will support master teachers who seek certification through the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards and projects such as the "Field-Based Consultant Network"

Goal 6.

• KSDE convenes a research group to identify mechanisms for preparing teachers and related services personnel to engage in effective instructional practices
• Preservice and professional development providers will incorporate identified target skills and incorporate modules and use continuous improvement grants to address identified area of training
• KSDE will continue to implement Student Improvement Team staff development statewide
• KSDE will expand the FBCN to address technical assistance of preservice faculty, staff development providers, administrators and all school personnel

4. What partnership strategies are intended?

KSDE partnerships will be:

• Continued with Vocational Rehabilitation to support the Kansas Transition Network
• Maintained and expanded with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to address health and social needs
• Developed with the Commission of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities through the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services to ensure availability of community services
• Expanded with IHEs, PTIs, LEAS, Special Education Advisory Council (SEAC)
• Continued as developed by OSEP funded Kansas Project Partnership
• Continued with Kansas Assistive Technology project

5. Who are the partners?

• Parent Training Information Center&endash;Families Together Inc.
• Department of Social Welfare
• University of Kansas Online Academy for Translating Research into Practice for Personnel Development
• Department of Health and Environmental Services Centers
• Kansas Local Education Agencies
• Kansas Institutes of Higher Education
• Kansas Council of Education Deans
• Kansas State Transition Council
• Kansas Transition Network
• Southeast Kansas Education Service Center
• Office of the Governor
• Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation
• Kansas Commission of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities
• State Special Education Advisory Board
• Kansas Recruitment/Retention Project
• University of Kansas School of Social Welfare
• Quality Performance Accreditation Advisory Council

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

• Non-competitive continuous improvement grants to LEAs for coordinating staff development, technical assistance, links with family resources and IHEs
• Contract with PTI for awareness, technical assistance, professional development for families and schools, sponsorship of a consortium of family organizations
• Contract with University of Kansas for Online Academy training modules
• Interagency Agreement with Kansas Rehabilitation Services, Kansas Head Start Association, KUMC/Disability Services Quality Improvement Center, Kansas Department of Health and Environment
• RFP contract for external evaluator
• Subgrants to the State Transition Council
• Subgrants to regional consortia of LEAs for recruitment and retention
• Incentive subgrants to IHEs for preservice continuous improvement and regional personnel needs, summer conference
• Incentive subgrants to LEAs for establishment and expansion on Field-Based Consultant Network

7. How will resources be pooled with other sources?

• IDEA Title VI-B set-aside funds initiated SIG planning activities that originally centered on the Kansas standards based reform system
• Part D and University of Kansas's Transition curriculum activity stemming from the tuition grant
• Post-school data collection activity in connection with school-to-work and Carl Perkins Programs
• NASDE Grant for Professional Development Leadership Academy
• Local staff development resources will be sought to support the staff development on coordinated services
• Existing Field-Based Consultant Network will be used to carry out activities related to each goal