Personal Curriculum & Students with Disabilities

MDEMASSP Webinar Series2/5/08

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• What do you want to learn today about the Personal Curriculum and Students with Disabilities?

Understanding the Personal

CurriculumWhy it is not a

“Special Education Thing”

Reality Check• “Internationally, the United

States does not have the highest educational standards. However, we have the deepest commitment to equity…essential to a school’s success is absolute commitment to a rigorous and relevant curriculum for all students.”

Bill Daggett

Personal Curriculum • The personal curriculum is primarily for

a student who wishes to: – Modify the mathematics requirement– Add more math, science, English

language arts or world languages – Modify the credit requirements based

on his or her disability – Modify credit requirements because

he or she has transferred from out of state or from a non-public school

Strategies to Assist Student Success

• Integrated instruction

• Online learning • College credit

opportunities • Work based

learning• Project based

learning

• Flexible scheduling

• Spiraled Curriculum

• Peer coaching• Adult mentoring• Electives

What can schools do differently?

• Know what you are trying to achieve.– Preparation for post-school outcomes– The requirements for achieving those

outcomes•Michigan Merit Curriculum + Locally

Required Credits + Community Connections + Career/Occupation Exploration + ????

International Center for Leadership in Education

• Have a way to measure whether or not you are getting there.– Achievement data by subgroups

•Whose doing well?•Who needs more support?

– Functional Performance Data

What can schools do differently?

International Center for Leadership in Education

• Change the focus of instruction– From : Knowledge acquisition

•Express probabilities as fractions, percents, or decimals.

– To: Knowledge Assimilation•Obtain historical data about local

weather to predict the chance of snow, rain, or sun during year.

What can schools do differently?

International Center for Leadership in Education

Sample Instruction and Diploma Attainment Options for the MI Merit Curriculum

Traditional Options

Intrinsic Motivation

Complete in 4 Years

Traditional Content Sequence

Regular Course Sequence

Follows RegularDay/School Schedule

“Typical” Classroom Design for Instruction

HSCE/Goals Attainment in a Course/Program setting

HSCE/Goals Attainment in “Typical” HS Settings

Seat Time

“Typical” ClassroomInstruction Delivery

Flexible Options

Extrinsic Motivation

Extend/Shorten HS Completion Time/

Personal Curriculum

Flexible Sequence

Flexible Day/Week Schedule

Adapted Instruction (Differentiated Instruction,

Universal Design)

HSCE/Goals Attainment in Community Settings

HSCE/Goals Attainment in Alternative School Settings

(CTE, College, Online)

Demonstrated proficiency of HSCE

Mediated/Direct Instruction

Guiding Principles

• The PC is one of many options available to help students meet or exceed the MMC

• The PC is the exception and should be agreed upon with thought and integrity

• The PC is agreed upon and initiated by the parent/guardian or emancipated student

• Students are entitled to a challenging curriculum that will prepare them for post secondary success

• The PC is an individualized plan for rigor and relevance based on the HSCE

• The PC holds constant the graduation requirements, curriculum and content

• The PC is consistent with SBE policy on Universal Education

So, where do we start?• Begin with the end in mind.

–Steven Covey

Educational Development Plans• The Board of a LEA or Board of Directors of a

PSA Shall ensure each pupil in Grade 7 is provided with the opportunity to develop an EDP – The EDP shall be

• developed before the student enters high school• developed by:

– Pupil– Under the supervision of the School counselor– School Psychologist should be included if the

student has an IEP

• based on a career pathways program or similar career exploration program.

Essential Elements for EDPs

• 1.  Personal Information• 2.  Career Goal(s)• 3.  Educational/Training Goal(s)• 4.  Assessment Results• 5.  Plan of Action• 6.  Parent Consultation/Endorsement

– (under age 18)

Courtesy of: Christine Reiff, Office of Career and Technical Preparation

• Transition Planning, K-12.

• Career Preparation, especially Paid or Unpaid Work Experiences in the Community.

• Safe, Supportive Educational Environment.

• Integrated Learning Environments.

• Attainment of a Standards Based Diploma.

• Collaboration among Student, Parents, School and Community.

New York State Education Department, Office of Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities, LPSI Study

Source: NYSED Longitudinal PSI Study Preliminary Data, Senior Class 2001- One Year Out Interviews (Catalog 10, DJ 9/15/06)

What Makes a Difference in Successful Transitions?

What’s Practicable Mean?

• The legislative intent of the PC is to increase the rigor and relevance of the educational experience.

• In this context, “practicable” is an inclusive term meaning as much of the subject area content expectations as possible during high school instruction for the individual student.

• Students with disabilities operate under this same context!

What is Meant by a Modification?

• Well, the word is used frequently in IDEA.• What does IDEA say?

Modifications

• The flexibility provided in statute regarding instructional delivery and competency assessment are intended to help schools individualize the learning environment.

• The flexibility provided in the Personal Curriculum is intended to help students individualize the rigor of their academic course of study.

IDEA says ..• 614(d)(1)(i) in general, the term

“individualized education program” or “IEP” means a written statement for each child with a disability that is developed, reviewed, and revised in accordance with the section and that includes –– (iv) a statement of the special educating and related

services and supplementary aids and services, based on peer-reviewed research to the extent practicable, to be provided to the child, or on behalf of the child, and a statement of the program modifications or supports for school personnel that will be provided for the child –

IDEA Regs say …

• 34 CFR Parts 300 and 301 Assistance to States for the Education of Children With Disabilities and Preschool Grants for Children With Disabilities; Final Rule– Comment: A few commenters provided definitions of

‘‘accommodations’’ and ‘‘modifications’’ and recommended including them in new § 300.39(b) (proposed § 300.38(b)).

– Discussion: The terms ‘‘accommodations’’ and ‘‘modifications’’ are terms of art referring to adaptations of the educational environment, the presentation of educational material, the method of response, or the educational content. They are not, however, examples of different types of ‘‘education’’ and therefore we do not believe it is appropriate to define these terms of art or to include them in new § 300.39(b)

– Changes: None.

IDEA Regs Say …

• § 300.320(a)(2)(i) requires annual IEP goals to be designed to enable the child to be involved in and make progress in the general education curriculum; and

• § 300.320(a)(4) requires the IEP to include a statement of the special education and related services the child will receive, as well as the program modifications or supports for school personnel that will be provided, to enable the child to be involved in and make progress in the general education curriculum.

IDEA Regs Say…

• § 300.39(b)(3) defines specially designed instruction as adapting the content, methodology, or delivery of instruction to address the unique needs of the child and to ensure access to the general curriculum so that the child can meet the educational standards within the jurisdiction of the public agency that apply to all children.

IDEA Says …

Well, you get the idea.

IDEA doesn’t offer a definition of modification.

OK, so now what?

• State statute doesn’t offer a definition of modification either.

• But it does give us some examples to follow.

• Allowable modifications in the following areas:

– Mathematics – Social Studies (except Civics)– Health and Physical Education – Visual, Performing and Applied

Arts

Modifications

• No modifications in the following areas:

– English Language Arts – Science – World Languages– Civics– Online Learning Experience

• Exception – Students with a disability

Modifications

Modifications

• If we follow the examples in statute we see modifications meaning changes to the graduation requirements as laid out on 1278(a) and 1278(b)

• What we don’t see are changes to the credit requirements.

Who owns this process?

• Up to this point, the development of the EDP and the PC are entirely owned by the student, family, counselor and appropriate administrator.

• There is no mention of separate processes or considerations for students who have an IEP.

Subsection (k)

• Permits consideration of modifications “not otherwise allowed”– PC allows some credit “swapping” and

some content modification

• Modification is subject to “demonstration that the modification is necessary because the pupil is a child with a disability”

• Permits the modification “to be made to the extent necessary”

Subsection (k) cont.• The modification must be consistent with

the Educational Development Plan and the Individualized Education Program

• This determination is made by at least•student •parent/guardian •counselor/designee •school psychologist should be included for students with disabilities

Link to IDEA

• If a pupil receives special education services, the pupil's IEP shall identify – the appropriate course or courses

of study and – the supports, accommodations, and

modifications necessary to allow the pupil to progress in the curricular requirements of the MMC or PC and meet the requirements for a diploma.

Accountability• NCLB and IDEA 04 hold State and

Public Agencies accountable for the performance of students with disabilities within a structure of state standards.

• While it is allowable to account for growth and performance for some of these students on alternative achievement standards it is not appropriate to create a different path to graduation.

• IDEA defines what is not a diploma and therefore defines what is a diploma.

• Section 300.102(a)(3), regarding exceptions to FAPE, has been changed to clarify that a regular high school diploma does not include an alternative degree that is not fully aligned with the State’s academic standards, such as a certificate or a general educational development credential (GED).

• In this context, nothing from the MDE can counter the accountability framework that NCLB and IDEA create.

Accountability

Some Things Seems to Be Very Clear

• We cannot substitute alternative curriculum and count achievement within that curriculum towards the 18 credit requirements.

• We cannot reduce the number of credits.

• The IEP supports but does not trump the graduation requirements.

• There are no plans for a Special Education curriculum that will lead to a separate diploma.

• No such thing as a modified diploma.

• Kids who don’t get a diploma are not doomed to fail in life.

• Districts can issue alternative certificates but they do not end FAPE.

So where do we get answers?

• There are two sets of guidance documents posted to the Office of School Improvement website.

• Follow this link:http://www.michigan.gov/mde/0,1607,7-140-

6530_30334-178576--,00.html

Or….• Start with the MDE websiteMDE - Michigan Department of Educationhttp://www.michigan.gov/mde

Go to the “OFFICES” tab on the left side of the page

Follow the School Improvement linkFollow the Personal Curriculum Guidelines

link

Contact InformationPersonal Curriculum Deborah Clemmons Clemmonsd@michgian.govSupervisor for Curriculum and Literacy517-241-2479 – MDE OSI

Special Education Matt Korolden koroldenm@michigan.govCo-director, Secondary Redesign and Transition517-241-3509 – MDE OSE/EI

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