Abstract or Conceptual Framework for State Systemic Change
The Massachusetts Education Reform Act of 1993 is aimed at a common goal: an educational system that fully addresses the abilities and needs of students and improves outcomes for everyone, including students with disabilities. The state Department of Education, in partnership with child-serving agencies, local school districts, parents, individuals with disabilities and their families, teachers, Institutes of Higher Education, and service organizations, developed Project FOCUS to guide statewide efforts toward systems improvement for the benefit of all students.
Project FOCUS is designed to provide pre-service and professional development activities for educators, parents, students, and other stakeholders. The major themes of parent collaboration, research to practice, interagency coordination, innovation, capacity building, and linkages to existing activities to maximize community, state, and federal resources are addressed across activities in six focus areas:
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Project Title: |
Project FOCUS |
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Primary contact person: |
Marcia M. Mittnacht |
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Address: |
Massachusetts Department of
Education |
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Phone: |
781- 388-3300 ext. 439 |
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Fax: |
781-388-3396 |
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Email: |
mmittnacht@doe.mass.edu |
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Web site: |
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Date SIG application written/submitted: |
October 1, 1998 |
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Round funded: |
Not indicated |
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Begin/end dates for funding: |
1999-2003 |
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Funded amount /year: |
$1,009,000 |
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Who wrote the application? |
SEA lead team including MADOE, UAP, IHEs, the Department of Public Health, and the state parent organization. |
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Length of application: |
Narrative: 80 pages Appendices: 7 How long are they? 79 pages |
1. What specific products are planned for development?
2. What interstate connections are planned?
Massachusetts, along with the five other New
England states, plus New Jersey and New York, have agreed to common
certificate criteria which promote interstate reciprocity for
certified educational personnel and will continue efforts as part of
their respective improvement plans.
3. What strategies are planned for service
delivery?
In the area of early intervention and preschool, FOCUS will enhance existing training and technical assistance, provide planning and technical assistance to create a system of coordinated and collaborative training across agencies, disciplines, and resources.
In the area of kindergarten and elementary school, FOCUS will integrate training areas within existing initiatives to maximize project resources and to insure ongoing integration of training materials and content areas so that teachers can stay abreast of current issues.
In the middle and high school area, FOCUS will review and adjust traditional middle school curricula to reflect an integrated approach and to teach teachers how to apply promising practices when implementing all curricula. Additionally, the project will train teacher support teams on promising practices with which to implement curricula, such as integrating technology into curriculum and instruction, collaborative teaming, differentiated instruction, problem-based learning, and cooperative learning strategies.
In the Transition to Post-Secondary Education and Employment Options, the project will develop outreach strategies to recruit youth with significant disabilities from secondary education settings into employment or colleges, develop innovative supports and services to ensure access to employment, courses and improved performance, retention and completions rates, and strengthen or establish greater collaboration with business, vocational rehabilitation services, community-based organizations, STW initiatives and other relevant agencies and service-delivery systems.
In the Higher Education Personnel Preparation focus area, the project will work with IHEs to create a unified model for pre-service teacher preparation in general education, special education and instructional aide preparation that is consistent with the principal of Least Restrictive Environment. Project FOCUS also will emphasize the recruitment and training of personnel from linguistically and culturally diverse populations.
In the Accountability Systems focus area, the project will work with school districts to develop strategies to ensure the inclusion of students with disabilities and those with Limited English Proficiency in class, district, and state assessments.
4. What partnership strategies are intended?
Each of the six focus areas of this project will be integrated with parent collaboration, research to practice, interagency collaboration, innovation, capacity building and linkages with existing activities to maximize community, state, and federal resources. The Comprehensive System of Personnel Development (CSPD) advisory committee, composed of representative stakeholders, including parents and students, will guide all project activities and ensure that specific needs of target populations are integrated within existing education reform efforts. There will be a unified, coordinated approach to professional development. Technical assistance and information will be coordinated and accessible to parents, educators, administrators, and early intervention personnel.
5. Who are the partners?
The four major organizational partners are The Massachusetts Department of Education; the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, The Federation for Children with Special Needs (Massachusetts Parent Training Center), and the Institute for Community Inclusion (University Affiliated Program).
In addition, Project Focus has many other partners. They are:
LEAs, the Governor, Executive Office of Health and Human Services, Office of Child Care Services, Early Intervention Coordinating Council, Department of Youth Services, Department of Social Services, Massachusetts Federation of Teachers, Administrators of Special Education, Massachusetts PTA, Massachusetts Teachers Association, Federation for Children with Special Needs, University of Massachusetts/College of Education, Massachusetts Community Colleges Executive Offices, Department of Mental Health, Statewide Advisory Committee, Massachusetts Association of Bilingual Education, Student Advisory Council, Massachusetts Commission for the Blind, New England Center for Deaf/Blind Services, and Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.
6. What types of contracts or subgrants are intended to partners, LEAs, IHE, PTIs, and others (including lead agency under Part C)?
The University of Massachusetts at Boston, Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) is the largest contractual partner in Project Focus. The budget reflects additional funds for accessible materials production and supports the activities of 2.15 FTE, of which .25 FTE is provided as an in-kind contribution of ICI to this project. The budget primarily supports staff positions and research and development activities related to developing a Professional School Development Model of teacher and paraprofessional personnel training. The Federation for Children with Special Needs will receive a contract for $80,000 to pay for a staff member who will devote full time to FOCUS and the activities that are specifically germane to parents. The Department of Public Health, as another state agency, will receive directly $80,000 from DOE to staff and coordinate activities in Focus Area 1 (Early Intervention) and an additional $50,000 for research, training and curriculum in Focus Area 1.
7. How will resources be pooled with other resources?
As mentioned throughout the proposal, a major part of Project Focus is to coordinate with similar community, state and federal resources. All project activities across each of the six focus areas do so. The entire project is based on a Participatory Action Research design that fosters collaboration and ensures participation of key stakeholders. All major project goals, objectives and activities are linked to existing education reform initiatives, such as Elementary and Secondary Education Act, Goals 2000, and Comprehensive School Reform Demonstration Program (CSRDP), which provides funding to schools to stimulate school-wide change. For example, the majority of project training activities are linked to CSRDP sites to maximize efficiency and collaboration.