Maine Abstract or Conceptual Framework for State Systemic Change

The Project is intended to:
1. Improve results for students with disabilities
2. Increase parent satisfaction and involvement in their children’s education
3. Improve recruitment, retention and certification of Special Ed personnel
4. Expand partnerships within the state to build an infrastructure for systemic reform
5. Improve the collection, analyses and use of data at school, district and state levels
6. Improve pre-service preparation and professional development for parent and educators

The goals of this project are:
Goal 1: Improve the participation and performance of students with disabilities in Maine’s Learning Results as measured by Maine’s Comprehensive System of Assessment so that students graduate enter post-secondary education and/or become employed.
Goal 2: Increase parent satisfaction, support and involvement in Maine’s initiative at local, district and state levels.
Goal 3: Improve Maine system of recruitment, retention and certification of Special Education personnel.
Goal 4: To build the capacity of Maine’s educational accountability system to address state performance goal and indicators.
Goal 5: Improve the ongoing professional development of parent and families, community members and educators.

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Maine Basic Information

Project Title	Maine Department of Education Special Education State Improvement Grant
Primary Contact Person	Pam Rosen
Address	Maine Department of Education Special Services Team SHS #23 Augusta, ME
Phone	207-624-6648
Fax	207-624-6651
Email	pam.rosen@state.me.us
Web site	None at this time
Date SIG Application was Written or Submitted	2000
Begin and End Dates for Funding	7/1/2001 – 6/30/2006
Funded Amount:	$600,000 a year
Who Wrote the Application:	Pam Rosen

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Maine Improvement Strategies

1. What products are planned for development?

• Annual Progress Report on the Implementation of the State Improvement Grant
• A study of the state wide consistency of decision making for students with learning disabilities and speech impairments taking the alternate assessment.
• The Parent Education Consortium will develop and disseminate "disability information" to all stakeholders
• Analysis of the common reasons / issues for due process requests and citations from state monitoring
• Products to be determined by Maine Department of Education

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2. What interstate connections are planned?

Graduate Program to prepare teachers of students with visual impairments or blindness through the Graduate College of Education at the University of Massachusetts in collaboration with the CSPD Coordinators from six states in the Northeast.

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3. What strategies are planned for service delivery?

• Surveys schools and parent to prioritize needs
• Survey students to determine school exit status and post-secondary outcomes
• Recruitment of minorities
• Preservice preparation of special education teachers and teachers of students with visually impairments/blindness
• Certification of 0-5 service providers
• Technical assistance to identified schools and LEAs
• Dissemination of products and resources
• In-service and continuing education – parent involvement, IEPs, transition, access to several curriculum, behavior supports Alternate Assessment, assistive technology and universal design, improving reading, writing and math
• Memoranda of understanding between partners
• Development of assistance plan and receipt/technical assistance from the Regional Partnership
• Improve and enhance current data collection system

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4. What partnerships are intended?

• Parent Education Consortium
• Maine Association of Directors of Services to Exceptional Children
• Institutes of Higher Education - University of Maine system/ Technical College system
• Regional Partnerships known as the Partnership of Partnerships, including
• Western Maine Partnership,
• Central Aroostock Council of Education
• Washington County Consortium
• Penobscot River Education Partnership,
• Southern Maine Partnership
• Department of Labor, Bureau of Voc Rehabilitation;
• Department of Human Services
• Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse
• Maine Advisory Council of the Education of Children with Disabilities
• Comprehensive System of Personnel Development Advisory Council
• The Muskie Institute at the University of Southern Maine
• Committee on Transition

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

• Contract with Partnership Coordinator to enhance linkage between IHP’s pre-service programs, provides for inservice/continuing ed and LEA’s
• Contracts with Regional Partnerships
• National Center for Student Aspirations – to provide access to facilities and training to prevent dropouts.
• Committee on Transition – Longitudinal study to determine outcomes for students after graduation.
• Maine Medical Center, Department of Vocational Rehabilitation – transition training to LEAs
• Maine Educational Center for Assistive Technology and Software / University of Southern Maine – training to LEAs on Universal Design and the use and acquisition of Assistive technology devices
• RMC Research Corporation – evaluation services

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6. How will resources be pooled with other resources?

• Maine Department of Labor, Bureau of Rehabilitation will provide a data manager as in kind support under Goal 1 – (Improving student graduation and employment of post-secondary education).
• Maine Department of Education, Improving America’s School Act office will provide a data analyst and data institutes staff under goals 1 and 5 - (Improving student graduation and employment of post-secondary education and Improving ongoing professional development of parents, families, community members and educators).

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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?

• Ensure that 300 providers of specialized instruction are trained and eligible for certification or authorization as 0-5 providers.

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