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ACTIVITIES OF THE REGIONAL

RESOURCE CENTERS

The Regional Resource and Federal Center Program assists Stateeducational agencies (SEAs) in building their capacity to improveservices for infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities.The role of the six Regional Resource Centers (RRCs) is to provideadvice and technical assistance to administrators and educators inSEAs, local educational agencies, and other appropriate publicagencies. Information related to the activities conducted by the

RRCs is included in each Annual Report.

Archived Information


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ACTIVITIES OF THE REGIONAL RES OURCE CENTERS

1 9 TH ANNUAL REPORT TO CONGRESS: APPENDIX D D-1

FEDERAL RESOURCE CENTER CONGRESS IONAL UPDATE: 1 9 9 7

According to its cooperative agreement with the U.S. Office of Education, the

Federal Resource Center (FRC) is responsible for:

1) ident ifying emerging issu es an d t rends relevant to improving outcomes

for students with disabilities;

2 ) p rom ot in g s ys t em ic refor m ; a n d

3) coordina t ing the Regiona l Resource an d Federa l Cente r s (RRFC)

n etwork an d Office of Special Edu cation Program s (OSEP) Techn ical

Ass istan ce an d Demon str ation (TA&D) Projects.

To th is end, th e FRC has focus ed its efforts on a n u mb er of proa ctive stra tegies

to identify and disseminate information about emergent issues and trends in

sp ecial edu cation. Th e RRFC LINKS quarterly newsletter describes policies,

practices and activities related to issues and trends in the field of special

edu cation. Articles are contribu ted by the Regiona l Resou rce Cent ers (RRCs) an d

th e OSEP TA&D network of tech nical ass istan ce projects. One issu e--violen ce,

a growing problem in American schools--was addressed in an issue of the

newsletter. Th e article discus sed th e views of Sta te directors, fam ily an d sch ool

strategies to prevent or cope with violence, and effective service delivery to

students with emotional disturbance, and training of teachers for those students.

Add ition ally, violen ce preven tion in sch ools, a n d s pecifically violence p revent ion

rela ted t o teaching special needs stu dent s , was th e focus of one of ma ny topical

discus sion workgrou ps esta blish ed to respon d t o the need for information ab out

needs an d trend s in sp ecia l edu cation. In 1 997, th e RRFC network will publish

a data base on violence prevention resources on one of the Great Lakes Area

Region al Resour ce Center Web sites.

Systemic edu cation rest ru ctur ing ha s been a prima ry focus of th e FRC. The issu e

of edu cation reform an d systems ch an ge was a ddr ess ed in several art icles in th e

spr ing 199 6 RRFC LINKS . Reform s emina rs for State edu cationa l agency (SEA)

directors , ear ly intervention systems change for infants , toddlers , and young

children u sing int eragency collab oration a n d st ak eholder in volvemen t str ategies

an d s tra tegic cross-agency plann ing a nd techn ical assistan ce were descr ibed inth e ar t ic les . In th e wint er 1997 LINKS , th e emerging concern over edu cationa l

standards and accountabil i ty was discussed f rom a national , regional , Sta te ,

teacher , an d s tu dent IEP perspective . The issu es covered in th at edit ion mirror

ma ny of the views echoed at the 1996 Departm ent of Edu cation (ED)-spons ored

m eetings con cern ing th e Imp rovin g Am ericas Sch ools Act (IASA).


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APPENDIX D

D-2 1 9 TH ANNUAL REPORT TO CONGRESS: APPENDIX D

The poten tial of techn ology in sp ecial edu cation is a m ajor focus of informa tion

diss emin at ion efforts car ried ou t by the FRC an d RRFC network. Articles were

pu blish ed in LINKS about u sing the Web an d other tools to dissem ina te informa-tion an d provide techn ology su pport to edu cators an d stu den ts. Techn ology h as

been a t opic at th e FRCs OSEP TA&D conferen ces. Th e FRC expa n ded t h e 199 7

TA&D conference to inclu de d iscus sions of techn ologys key role in m eetin g

region al an d local edu cationa l goals. Ea ch RRFC h as a Web site tha t provides

inform ation, resources, an d techn ical su pport th at is available in t heir individu al

regions an d in th e RRC system a s a wh ole . The award -winn ing FRC Web si te

provides on e-stop s h opping for an yon e who wan ts t o learn ab out OS EPs TA&D

projects , specia l edu cation in the var iou s States, or th e RRFC network.

Sh ar ing techn ology and techn ological expertise ena bles th e RRFC to in tera ct with

regular education technical assistance providers to meet nat ional goals .

Technology continues to play a major role in professional skill development,inform ation retrieval, an d dissem inat ion . Th e Techn ical Ass istan ce In forma tion

System (TAIS) n etwork opera ted b y the FRC an d RRC is on e way to com m u n icate

inform ation. The TAIS offers a way for cu stom ers to a ccess tech n ical as sista n ce

agreemen ts, inform ation reques ts, and produ cts quickly. The TAIS has m atu red

with th e growth in a dvan ced techn ology. Th e TAIS will be h ous ed on r egiona lized

da ta b as es, an d RRC sta ff will be a ble to access it eas ily on beh alf of th eir regiona l

clien ts . In ad dition, th e FRC n ationa l TAIS data b as e will allow soph isticated

search es across n etwork RRC program s.

The annual OSEP Technical Assistance and Dissemination Conference has

provided a forum for s ignif icant issues and trends in specia l education and

n eeded su pport s ervices. Th e TA&D con ference ena bled the n etwork of OSEP

providers to discuss common needs, and offered OSEP staff and OSEP TA&D

pr oject sta ff a foru m in which t o meet a n d confer on significan t issu es a ffectin g

regular an d special educa tion. Topical t ra ining an d presenta t ions offer

information about new ways of solving difficult problems and enable TA&D

providers to enh an ce their skills. The 19 97 conference included p resenta tions on

th e la test in edu cation techn ology coordina tion an d collaborat ion, m eeting a nd

conferr ing with IASA regu lar edu cation par t ners , a nd work s essions on cu rrent

iss u es in th e special edu cation comm u nity.

Th e FRC took a lead r ole in con ven ing an RRFC editorial ad visor y boar d t o guide

th e FRC in p rodu cing docum ents to ass ist th e RRFC network work with St ates to

include stu den ts with d isabilities in cu rren t reform efforts. Th e ad visory board

consisted of professionals knowledgeable of and involved in school and State

edu cation reform activities. Th ey identified a nu m ber of key qu estions a n d iss u es

regarding educa t ion f inance re form, s tandards , and assessment and

accountability, as well as other issues. In spring 1997 the RRFC network will


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publish the first of these documents; they will cover the topic of educational

finan ce reform.

An imp ortan t componen t of an y system of techn ical assistan ce and dissemina tion

is i ts ability to commu nicate information in a quick an d comp rehen sive m an ner .

The RRFC network has set u p a nu mber of workgrou ps to expand its capacity to

com mu nicate on significan t issu es tha t affect States an d their clien ts. Em ergin g

issues, such as responding to the needs of large urban school distr ic ts , and

existing issu es, su ch a s a ccess to a Sta te policy dat aba se, services related t o State

monitoring, mental health service coordination, diversity, professional

developm ent , tra n sition , etc. , are discu ss ed in m ont h ly teleconferences . Th ese

topics are often also the subject of daily e-mails between workgroup members.

One of the m ore sophisticated commu nication networks is t he RRCs in form ation

retr ieval an d d issem ina tion workgroup, which posts ind ividu al Sta te an d m u lt i-

Sta t e informa tion requ ests on a daily bas is . One can observe this networkprocessing requests across regions as often a s th ree to five t imes in a 24 -hour

period. Th e FRC regu larly pa rticipa tes in a n u mb er of workgroup s an d is in volved

in a l l grou ps on a r ota t ing ba sis .

Northe ast Region al Reso urce Cen te r: Addres sing Em erging Iss ue s in

Spec ial Educat ion

Lar ge Cities Meetin g on Edu cation Reform a n d Sp ecial Edu cation

Throu gh a mu lt iregional techn ical ass ista nce a greement with th e Sout h Atlantican d Great Lakes Area Regional Resource Centers , a nd in collaborat ion with the

Urban Special Education Leadership Collaborative of the Education Development

Center (EDC), the Northeast Regional Resource Center (NERRC) convened a

meeting of representa tives from s everal large u rba n sch ool districts t o sh are a n d

discuss education reform initiatives and how special education affects or is

affected by th ese efforts. NERRC recomm ended th at city repres ent atives in clu de

leaders in special edu cation a nd general education. Cities pa rticipa ting in clu ded

New York, Chicago, Hous ton , Philad elph ia, an d Milwau kee. Ea ch d istrict provided

an overview of curr ent t hink ing, in itiatives, an d concerns as to how to ens u re th at

sp ecial edu cation is an integral comp onen t of a Sta te or dist ricts edu cation

reform agend a. In a ddition to district sta ff, represen ta tives from OSEP, in clu ding

Thomas Hehir, OSEP Director, participated.

Comm on th emes em erged regarding each d istricts work a nd challenges, as listed

below:


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APPENDIX D


decentralization of special education services, staffing, and budget,

which reinforces th e increas ed respon sibility an d accou n tab ility of th e

bu ilding principal;

use of data to guide improvements in education programming and

instruction;

revam ping of special education fu nd ing a t th e district an d S tat e levels

to ensure that there are no incentives to place students with

disabilities in more restrictive placements and that there is greater

balan ce amon g services an d programs in school bu ildings;

decategorization of special education programs and services,

restr u ctu r ing of s taff, an d u se of incent ives to p romote placement in

the least restrictive environment;

affect of high-st akes a ssess men t an d sta nd ards on special edu cation

programs an d stu den ts with disab ilities, sp ecifically regard ing testing

accomm odations an d relationsh ip to high expectations for all stu dents ;

increased a t tention to the provision of supports within general

edu cation a nd u se of prereferra l system s;

sh ift ing an d t ran s ient s tu dent popu la t ions ;

focus on special edu cation services, n ot programs ;

increas ed collaborat ion a mon g all edu cationa l program s in th e district,

su ch a s Bilingua l an d Title I;

affect of choice schools and char ter schools on students with

disabilities;

ens u r ing access to specia l edu cation p rogram s an d services throu gh

building accessibility;

increased focu s on prevention, including s trengthen ed effor ts t oward

im proving early childhood programm ing, literacy, an d redu cin g sch ool

dropouts ;

problems with balancing State and Federal compliance as well as

litigation with qu ality program s a n d services;


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blendin g of district leadersh ip roles a n d res pon sibilities, for exam ple,

two districts have eliminated the position of director of special

educa t ion; an d

professiona l developmen t for general edu cation a n d s pecial edu cation

staff that is systematic and addresses some of the issues identif ied

above.

This m eeting was th e firs t t ime t ha t th ese ma jor c it ies were brought together to

sh are comm on issu es and concerns. All par t ic ipan ts noted the value of th is

dia logue, p ar t icular ly with OSEP sta ff present , an d a ll expressed an int erest in

m eeting again. The proceedings docum ent produ ced as a resu lt of th e meeting

ha s informed th e RRC network about s ignificant u rban iss u es. In ad dit ion,

increased linkages among the RRCs, large cities, and OSEP were established.

Race, Lan guage, an d Sp ecial Edu cation Symposium

Based on NERRCs work with the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and two

Desegregation Assistance Centers, it was evident that a need existed to identify

and share best pract ices and program models with SEAs and selected local

educational agencies (LEAs) regarding the provision of services to culturally and

linguistically diverse student populations.

NERRC, OCR, Project FORUM of the National Association of State Directors of

Special Education (NASDSE), and the National Urban Special Education

Leadership Collaborative co-sponsored a 2.5-day symposium on race, language,

an d special edu cation. Participan ts inclu ded SEA representa tives from s ix of th e

States served by NERRC and local district team s from 18 school districts in th ose

Sta tes . Na t iona l exper ts addressed issu es su ch as p re re fe r ra l an d ass essment ,

l i teracy, teaching and instructional s tra tegies, and parent and community

involvemen t. In a ddition , meth ods of condu cting self-evalu ations regard ing th e

placement of culturally and linguistically diverse students in special education

were reviewed. SEA part icipan ts becam e better in formed as to h ow to target an d

provide local sch ool district su pport an d tech n ical as sista n ce. Local sch ool

distr ic t teams enhanced their knowledge of s tra tegies to better address the

learn ing n eeds of cu ltura lly an d linguistically diverse stu den t popu lat ion s. Th e

Sta te an d local sch ool district n eeds t h at were ident ified will gu ide fu tu re NERRCwork with Sta tes in its region. On going region al an d Sta te-specific follow-up

activities are envisioned .


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APPENDIX D


Mid-South Regional Resource Cen ter (MSRRC)

The MSRRC serves Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, SouthCar olin a, Tenn ess ee, Virginia, West Virgin ia, an d th e Dist rict of Colu m bia. An

increasing concern of State and local personnel has been providing effective

ser vices for ch ildren a n d you th with em otion al or beha vioral disa bilities. Th e

MSRRC is workin g at local, State, regiona l, an d n at ion al levels to h elp edu cat ors ,

par ents an d oth er service providers find ways to coordina te a n d improve services

for such stu dents . One example of su ch an effor t can be foun d in Kentu cky.

For the past several years , the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) has

worked with oth er agencies to improve in tera gency efforts to develop a n d p rovide

effective in-State services for children and youth with emotional or behavioral

disa bilities. Th ese efforts h ave resu lted in fostering in teragen cy collaborat ion ,

especial ly a t the State level , which has decreased the number of out-of-Stateplacem en ts . Add ition ally, KDE is workin g to im pr ove pr act ices for iden tifyin g

children and youth with emotional or behavior disabilities (EBD) who are in need

of services, for examp le, specialized in st ru ction . In ad dition to th is in creas ed level

of effor t , more resources ar e needed to su pport s chools s erving th ese stu dents .

There is a widespread perception th at sch ools are u ns afe and u nd isciplined . Th e

popu lar respon se ha s su pported removal of stu dents with beha vioral problems or

disab ilities rat h er th an finding ap propriat e intervention. Pre-service teach er

tra ining has focused on academic content ra ther than behavioral intervention.

School s taff often h ave not h ad an u nd erstan ding abou t beh avior , nor h ave they

developed effective skills in b eha vioral in tervention s tra tegies. While inter agen cy

cooperat ion h ad occurred a t s ome levels , th ere was need for outs ide as sistan ce

to help staff from various divisions across KDE come together to coordinate their

multiple efforts.

The KDE ask ed the MSRRC to ass ist with identifyin g stra tegies a n d a ction s th at

wou ld b u ild on existing improvemen t efforts a nd move them forward in add ressing

th e needs of th e EBD popu lat ion. KDE provided th e fu nd ing an d th e MSRRC

provided facilitation, in form ation, an d produ ct developm ent . Th e goal was to

increas e capa city at th e district, comm u n ity, an d St ate levels t o effectively meet

th e needs of Kentu cky stu dents with EBD. By real iz ing this result , s tud ents

wou ld exper ience greater su ccess , an d th ere would be a decrease in the n u mb er

of dropouts, suspensions, expulsions, and unnecessary placements in alternativesch ools . Imm ediate outcomes of th e assistan ce wou ld includ e:

1 . a s ha red vis ion (mode l) of e ffect ive school-based approaches to

discipline an d beh avior in tervention to provide guida n ce to sch ools a n d

lead to more consistent Sta te approach es an d decisions ;


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2 . a t e chn ica l a s s is t a nc e sys t e m in p l a ce a nd a c c es s ib le to s c hoo ls fo r

support (e.g., training, consultation, crisis intervention, information)

in meeting the challenges they face with students who exhibitemotional an d b ehavioral challenges; an d

3 . loca l school s ta ff working collabora t ive ly with in schools an d ac ross

agencies to develop preventive and interventive strategies and supports

for s tu dents an d fam ilies .

To ens u re buy-in across th e State , a s ta keholder team was formed an d inclu ded

representat ives f rom other agencies, teachers (both special and general

edu cation), principals, su perint enden ts, pa rents , higher edu cation, th e Governors

office, the sch ool board s as sociation , an d KDE sta ff. Th is team wa s brou ght

together to generate th e ideas a n d concepts th at would ma ke up a plan of action.

Additionally, a smaller team, consisting of KDE staff from two divisions and ahigher education representat ive , was used to synthesize stakeholder ideas and

genera te th e final version of a plan . Th e final plan includ ed a vision, a set of

beliefs, strategies for moving forward, and a position paper describing what is

needed to create schools t h at effectively addres s b eha vioral and emotional n eeds.

Wh ile th e plan was being developed, two oth er efforts were initiat ed. Firs t, a cad re

of specia l is ts was pulled together to form a technical assistance network to

provide cons u lta t ion an d su pport to local schools . Second , a third team began

meeting to begin developing the capacity to provide schools with best practice

informa tion u sing tech n ology--sp ecifically the Intern et an d th e KDE Web site.

Th e resu lts of th ese efforts a re begin n ing to be felt. Ten s chools ha ve receivedfunds (combined special education and Title IV) to help them become model

school sites for demon stra ting effective ways to a ddr ess beh avior an d create s afe

sch ools. Th e effort is generat ing ent h u siasm a n d in terest. Th e Web pa ge went

on-lin e in March 199 7. Th e KDE lead s taff pers on is cur ren tly lead ing an effort

to u se th e States experience with th e developm ent of th eir b eha vior Web pa ge to

create a Web page and link for the Collaborative Training and Technical

Assistan ce Group . This is a group m ade u p of mu lt iple agencies, a l l add ressing

th e needs of children with E BD. This grou p h as d esigna ted an d is su pporting two

model sites engaged in developing model strategies for serving these students,

su ch as s chool-based wrap-aroun d services.


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APPENDIX D


This group also is working to coordinate tra ining an d techn ical assistan ce throu gh

th e Web site.

KDE repor ts th at feedb ack from th e local level is very positive. Sch ool dist rict

personnel are more confident in developing appropriate programs to address the

needs of s tu dents with emotional an d beh avioral disab ilit ies an d a ll s tu dents in

general. Th ere have been reports th at volat ile situ ations h ave been s ta bilized with

th e help of the cons u ltan t pool.

KDE was as ked ab out th e role of th e MSRRC and respond ed tha t probab ly th e

State wou ld n ot ha ve pu lled it off with ou t th e help of th e Center. Th e reported

key to bein g effective was t h at t h e MSRRC provided a n indepen den t facilitator a n d

resour ce person who was ab le to mediate am ong a variety of repres ent atives a n d

who provided access to extens ive inform at ion . Th e MSRRC as sista n ce h elped th e

sta te focus an d ens u re continu ous s u pport throughout the effor t un til the desiredoutcomes were achieved and the State had increased capacity to maintain the

sys tem.

So ut h Atlan tic Reg ion al Res ou rc e Cen te r (SARRC): Arkans as--A St ate wide

Initiative for Training Paraprofessionals

I t was in 1991 that the State of Arkansas identif ied the need to tra in

paraprofessionals to help meet the needs of s tudents in general and special

edu cation clas ses. A tas k force consisting of personn el from early childh ood an d

Part H programs , th e University Affiliated Program , Arka n sa s S pecial Edu cation

Resou rce Cent er (ASERC), an d th e State Depar tm ent of Edu cation was form ed t o

identify comp etencies for par ap rofess ion als working with all stu den ts .

In 199 3, th e Arkan sas Departm ent of Edu cation solicited th e as sistan ce of SARRC

to provide assistance in reviewing the list of competencies, identifying best

practices in oth er States, an d develop a tra ining packet. The ta sk force convened

on several occasions to outline th e cont ent to be inclu ded in a training packet an d

design a tra ining str at egy. SARRC developed th e training packet cons isting of

four sect ions or modules: Legal As pects of Edu cating Children an d Youth w ith

Dis abilities , Roles an d Res pons ibilities of Paraprofess ionals, Ins tructing S tud ents

w ith Disa bilities , a nd Diversity .

In spr ing 1994, two sections of the tra ining packet were pi lot tested in three

regions of th e Sta te. Th e tra iners were local sp ecial edu cation su pervisors . Th e

tra ining on Roles and Responsibilities of Paraprofessionals included teams of

paraprofessionals and teachers. The session on Legal Aspects of Educating

Children a nd Youth w ith Dis ab ilities includ ed only par aprofessionals. Th e resu lts


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of th e pilot tests provided feedb ack t o th e tas k force regarding th e completion of

the other two sections of the t ra ining packet .

Th e four comp onents of th e tra ining packet were comp leted in J u ly 1995, a fter

which st atewide training for para profess ion als was offered. A total of 125

ind ividu als atten ded th e training sessions , with 50 a ttend ing th e training on Roles

and Responsibilities , 35 on Legal Requirements, 20 on Diversity , and 20 on

Ins tructing S tud ents w ith Dis ab ilities . In December 199 6, follow-up qu estionn aires

were ma iled to th ose participan ts t o determine th e imp act of th e training sessions.

A partial summary of the results is reported below:

Paraprofessionals reported the effectiveness of their communication

with their teachers imp roved as a resu lt of the tra ining.

Paraprofessionals are shar ing c lassroom responsibil i t ies with theteachers t o a greater extent s ince the tra ining.

Paraprofessionals became more aware of issues surrounding

confidentiality.

Atti tudes about including students with disabil i t ies in the general

edu cation program cha nged to become m ore posit ive .

Para profess iona ls recognized t h e import an ce of individua l differences

am ong stu dents an d learn ed to ind ividu alize ins tru ction.

Paraprofessiona ls are u sing m ore positive techn iqu es wh en disciplining

s tude n t s .

Addit iona l t ra ining was cond u cted in J an u ary 1997 u sing a sa te l lite hookup in

35 sites throu ghout Arkan sa s an d two in oth er areas (Oklah oma an d U.S. Virgin

Island s). Approxima tely 800 para professionals were trained u sing this app roach.

Alth ough t he m embers of th e task force have cha n ged since th e in ception of th is

project , i t continues to meet to tackle new issues re la ted to paraprofessional

tra ining. Two ad dition al tra ining mod u les are cur ren tly being developed: Early

Childhood Education a n d Seconda ry Education . In a ddition, the tas k force is in

the process of developing standards for paraprofessionals which will lead to a

certification or licens e. Th e hope is to h ave a tier system in place ran gin g from

ent ry level to an as sociates or ba chelors degree for pa rap rofess ion als.


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APPENDIX D


This techn ical assistan ce project ha d s ome far-reaching effects a t t h e Sta te, local

sch ool district, an d clas sroom levels. It gave agencies th e opportu nity to

collaborate and take responsibility for preparing effective paraprofessionals towork with a ll st u den ts . It also serves as a ba sis for add itiona l policy developm ent

in term s of esta blish ing a certificat ion or licens e for para profess ion als. Th e

SARRC was a lso able to bu ild th e capa city of th e SEA to continu e to take th e lead

on th e task force to accomplish add itiona l goals an d objectives of th e group. Th e

work which was accomplish ed over the pa st few years wa s des cribed at th e 15th

National Conference on the Training and Employment of Paraprofessionals in

Education and Rehabilitative Services.

Great Lake s Are a Regio nal Reso urce Cen te r (GLARRC): Med iatio n

Workgroup and Be havior Manage m en t Training

Mediat ion Workgroup

One of th e ou tst an ding techn ical ass istan ce activities in wh ich th e GLARRC ha s

been working on a region-wide bas is is in t he a rea of med iation. Mediation is an

alternative to the costly and sometimes ineffective litigation options which at

t imes are invoked by th e representa t ives of s tu dents with disabilit ies a nd th eir

fam ilies a gainst sch ool districts.

GLARRC is Region 4 of the RRC network and provides technical assistance

services to the States of Indiana, I llinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio,

Penn sylvan ia, an d Wisconsin . In Novemb er 1988 , GLARRC and t h e NASDSEcondu cted a na tional su rvey to determine which States h ad a mediat ion s ystem

tha t was u sed e ither before or after a pa r ty had requ ested a du e process hear ing.

Ou t of th e seven GLARRC Sta tes, th ree ha d n ot yet developed a m ediation system .

In an effor t to better support the Great Lakes States, a regional mediat ion

workgrou p was esta blish ed to: (1) improve Stat es m ediation tra ining, (2) as sist

mediators a nd adm inistra tors to clarify mediation issu es, (3) as sist Sta tes in t heir

effor ts to increase th e awareness of other m ediat ion system s a nd practices, (4)

provide the State mediators the opportunity to network with other specia l

edu cation m ediators, an d (5) su pport Stat es in th eir mediation d evelopmen t. The

mediation activity, called the Region 4 Mediation Workgroup, studies and

promotes mediation as a more effective and less costly negotiation and conflictresolu tion option to th e litigation between s chool districts an d st u dent s. Thr ough

facilitation, GLARRC provides th e lead ersh ip to inst igat e collaborat ion am ong t h e

States and to support a nat ional networking capacity among the States in


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implemen ting or impr oving an d expan ding their mediation system s. Th e followin g

exam ples h igh light th e resu lts of th e efforts of th e med iation workgrou p:

Through the mediat ion workgroup act ivi ty, Indiana consulted with

several of the GLARRC States that had already implemented a

m ediat ion system. In 19 89, Ind ian a estab lish ed a formal mediat ion

system . Their qu est for continu ous improvemen t in th eir mediat ion

system has resulted in a recent request for GLARRC to facilitate

regularly scheduled teleconference calls and meetings with their 16

mediators around th e State . Mediators h ave reported that th is forum

has assisted in troubleshooting problems encountered dur ing

m ediat ions , ass isted in keeping them abreas t on cu rrent m ediat ion

event s, an d ad ded to ones br eadt h of kn owledge and tra ining.

In 199 2, GLARRC provided techn ical ass ista nce a nd cons u lta t ion tothe Minnesota Department of Education for i ts development of a

Special Edu cation Mediation Services. In 19 96, Minn esota reported

cumulative mediation data which was collected over a 4-year period.

They foun d th at 91 percent of th e cases mediated ended in agreemen t.

Moreover, 95 percen t of th e people u sing th e mediation services sta ted

th at th ey would u se it again . Mediation is now a well-kn own option for

paren ts a nd school s ta ff in Minn esota .

Wisconsin is designing a mediat ion system that i t plans to have in

operat ion for th e 1997-98 sch ool year . Its plann ing comm ittee has

used the GLARRC mediation resources extensively in the committee

development an d design sta ge.

Region 4 mediat ion workgroup members ( representat ives of the seven States

served by GLARRC) agreed to pa rticipa te in a 5-year lon gitu dina l stu dy th at h as

been bas ed on th e calend ar year an d December 1 child cou nt da ta . The su rvey

collected five common data points and has provided participating SEAs

inform ation on tren ds a cross th e 4 years in wh ich d ata were collected. This is th e

last year of th e stu dy (1996 -97). It ha s been reported th at th is information ha s

been a valua ble resou rce for decision m ak ing for several SEAs.

Behavior Management Training, Evaluation, and Revision

Reduced behavior problems, a change in a t t i tude toward discipl ine , and the

building of a collaborative model were some of the goals of a restructuring

initiative piloted by the Ohio State Edu cation Departm ent to better serve stu dents

in th eir sch ools. Th e Sta te request ed ass istan ce from GLARRC to evalu at e th e


13/21

APPENDIX D


initiative, to suggest revisions based on the evaluation, and to work with it to

expand the initiative.

This initiative is ongoing and growing, according to information gathered by

evalua tions to date. In addition to esta blish ing pa rtn ersh ips with organ izations ,

includ ing Th e Ohio Edu cation Association, th e Oh io Paren t Teacher Ass ociation,

the Child Advocacy Center, and the Elementary School Administrators, initial

evaluation d ata ind icate th at t eams in th e project for 1 year h ad posi t ive resu lts

in a nu m ber of area s. Th e followin g da ta s h ow th e average percent of cha n ge

across bu ild ings ba sed on nu mbers repor ted:

41.3 percent increase in u se of new stra tegies;

16.5 percent inc rease in s tu dent awards ;

16.9 percent redu ction in the nu mb er of discipl ina ry referra ls;

5.7 percent decrease in th e nu mb er of out-of-school su spen sions ;

3.4 percent reduction in drug, alcohol, or tobacco infractions;

22.7 percent decrease in weapon infract ions;

5.1 percent reduc t ion in verba l threa ts m ade by s tu dents ;

45.6 percent reduc t ion in s tud ent ass au lt s ;

50.9 percent d ecrease in expu lsions ;

15.4 percent redu ction in d rop-ou ts;

22.9 p ercent increas e in t he n u mb er of sch ool volu nt eers; and

17.2 percent increas e in pa rent a t ten dan ce a t meetings.

In a ddition, th e follow-up su rvey of th ose sch ools t h at dropp ed ou t of th e forma l

training of the project indicates that 75 percent of the schools still focus on

discipline in a positive, proactive, instructional, and systematic manner.

With GLARRCs a ssista nce, Ohio plan s to expa n d th e collaborat ive relationsh ips

esta blish ed to da te , to int egrate th e tra ining u sed for th is ini t ia t ive with other

ma jor ini t ia t ives, an d t o provide focu sed ass ista nce for th e stu dents with severe

beha vior p roblems.


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Moun tain Plains Region al Reso urce Cen te r (MPRRC)

Th e MPRRC serves 11 Sta tes a n d th e Bur eau of In dian Affairs (BIA), which h assch ools spread a cross 23 States. Du ring 1996-97, the MPRRC provided these

States with over 10 0 t echnical ass istan ce act ivit ies in specia l edu cation.

During the past 5 years , Sta t es h ave reques ted a tota l of 25 technical ass ista nce

activities in th e area of s pecial popu lations . For techn ical as sistan ce thr ough the

MPRRC, the category can be defined as issues relating to the education of

students who have disabilities that are medically related or disabilities of low

incidence, su ch as stu dents who are deaf, blind , or both. Other disabilities in th is

area cou ld include:

a u t i sm ;

att ent ion deficit/ h yperactivity disorder;

fetal alcohol syn drom e/ effects; an d

stu dents with special health care needs.

The service options for these groups of s tudents could include one or a

combination of the following:

special edu cation;

section 504 ; an d

General edu cation.

Many students served by special education programs fa l l under the general

cat egory of oth er health imp aired. Th ese stu den ts genera lly h ave lim ited

stren gth, vita l ity, or a ler tness d u e to chronic or acu te health problems, su ch as

a h ear t condit ion, tu berculosis , rheu m atic fever , neph rit is , asth ma , s ickle cell

an emia, hem ophilia, epilepsy, lead poisoning, leu kemia or diabetes th at adversely

affects th eir edu cationa l performa n ce. With improved m edical care an d

techn ology, stu dent s with s pecial health care n eeds a re atten ding pu blic sch ools

at a h igh er ra te , requir ing sch ools to p rovide h ealth services to ma int ain th esestu dent s in a safe edu cationa l environm ent. Th e issu e is fu rth er comp licated by

each Stat es Nu rse Practice Act, which outlines which hea lth care procedu res ca n

be delegated (th rough t raining an d s u pervision) to a non hea lth care provider, su ch

as a teacher or pa raedu ca tor .


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APPENDIX D


Becau se of th e issu es relevan t to th is popu lation, all States in th e MPRRC region

ha ve requ ested som e type of techn ical as sistan ce with various a spects of servin g

stu den ts with special health care needs. Recently, Wyoming, Monta na , NorthDakota , Utah, Colorado, and the BIA have requested technical assistance to

develop guidelines for educat ors an d a dm inistra tors serving st u dent s with s pecial

h ealth care needs . Th e guidelin es us u ally ad dres s th e followin g topics:

legal issu es,

service options ,

Nurs e Pra ctice Act,

hea lth care procedures th at can be delegated,

developing an individua lized h ealth ca re plan ,

developing an em ergency plan ,

effective as sist ive tech n ology, an d

parent responsibilities.

In all cases, the guidelines have been developed by a group of stakeholders,

includ ing pa rents , edu cators, h ealth care p roviders, SEA sta ff, a n d MPRRC s taff.

After th e gu idelines a re comp leted, tr ainin g ma terials ar e developed t o provide in-

service training to school team s. Recen tly, in North Dak ota, tea ms from a ll over

th e State gath ered to be tra ined as tra iners . Their job was to re turn to their

sch ools and tra in other edu cators an d administra tors . Their t ra ining packet

included:

State guidelines,

a presen tat ion outl ine ,

overhead t rans parenc ies , an d

paren t information.

This was a wond erfu l resour ce for each s chool to utilize to keep sta ff cu rren t on

providing appropria te services. It a lso esta blish ed a consistent m essa ge an d

meth od of serving this popu lat ion throu ghout th e State .

In m an y cases , the techn ical ass ista nce ha s led to chan ges in th e States Nu rse

Practice Act, allowing delegation of certain health care procedures to trained

sch ool sta ff. Exam ples of som e procedu res in clu de cath eterization, su ction ing,

adm inistra t ion of medications, an d trach eal tu be adjus tmen ts. Thes e act ivit ies

ha ve also increas ed the commu nication a n d collaborat ion between edu cators an d

health care providers .

These tech n ical ass istan ce activities h ave bu ilt th e Stat es cap acity to serve

students with special health care needs, result ing in improved programs and

services.


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Wes te rn Regio nal Res ou rce Ce nt e r (WRRC): Trans itio n and Bey on d

Transition was targeted in 1984 by OSEP as one of its f ive priority areas (theothers being m onitoring, LRE, pa ren t in volvemen t, a n d early childh ood) for RRC

as sista nce to SEAs. SEAs in th e Western region ha ve continu ally sou ght to

imp rove policies an d to su pport programs to increas e the s u ccess of stu dents with

disab ilities as th ey m ove from s chool to work. Th e WRRC h as provided leaders h ip

in the region and, nationally, has been actively involved in SEA-led efforts at the

Sta te and local levels. Th ese stra tegies illu st rat e th e benefits an d longer term

impact which can come from deliberate, collaborative interventions at several

different levels across time.

NATIONAL GUIDES: In th e early 199 0s , th e RRCs received n u m erous requ ests

from States for specific guidance in meeting the intent of the transition

am end m ent s in IDEA. Th e WRRC took th e lead in collabora ting with th e MP RRCand the National Transition Network (NTN) to draft a preliminary checklist for

distr icts to follow in im plemen ting the tran sition requ iremen ts. A dra ft of th e

checklist was first p resented at a WRRC regional tran sition forum . This b egan th e

development of an accessible, adaptable, and functional document on transition

for teachers, families, administrators, and providers. IDEA Transition

Requ irem en ts: A Guide for Sta tes , Dis tricts, Schools an d Families has been

distribu ted n at ion wide (initial print in g of 3,50 0 copies), is a vailable throu gh th e

National Clearinghouse of Rehabilitation Training Materials in paper and

electron ic form , an d is electron ically availab le from th e WRRC Web site. Several

hundred copies a lso have been requested through the National Clear inghouse.

The guide was d istribu ted at th e 1996 OSEP mon itoring meeting. The m onitoring

checklist section was ad ap ted an d reprin ted in Californias Special Edge

n ewsletter a n d in LRPs The Special Educator.

In response to State needs to improve transi t ion outcomes, OSEP funded the

Statewide Tran sition Systems Chan ge (STSC) grants in 1991 an d a sked th e WRRC

to coordina te th e efforts of 12 S tat es th at initially received gran ts . Th e WRRC

sponsored a series of conference calls and facilitated a national meeting in

Wash ington, D.C., to encourage th ose States t o exchan ge inform ation an d h elp

esta blish a s tron g na tiona l network of t ran si t ion stakeh olders. When OSEP

awarded the NTN the responsibility for national coordination and technical

assistance for the STSC grants to the NTN, WRRC helped effect a seamless

tra n sfer of th ese fu n ction s to NTN. Contin u ed collaboration with NTN an d n owwith th e Nat ion al Tran sition Alliance (NTA) m aint ains n ationa l conn ection s a m ong

techn ical assistan ce projects an d Stat es for cont inu ed program improvement .


17/21

APPENDIX D


REGIONAL SUPPORTS: The WRRC h olds regu lar teleconferences for tra n sition

sp ecialist s in each of its region al SEAs. Th ese teleconferences prom ote

networking and peer resources among the States and provide information andgu idan ce in critical areas . Additionally, the calls provide ongoin g access t o

inform ation from OSEP-fu nd ed Stat e system ch an ge grantees a nd school to work

efforts . Teleconferences focus on policy issu es an d program con sidera tions . Call

topics h ave in clu ded: h igh lightin g effects or p rogress of specific Sta tes program s,

reviewing IDEA compliance requirements, featuring speakers on areas of interest

such as accessing college.

An imp ortan t fu nction of RRCs is conn ecting pr actition ers with expert s wh o can

ad dres s specific n eeds. Th e WRRC provided th at conn ection in its tr an sition work

by contra cting with th e Arizona SEAs tr an sition sp ecialist t o produ ce a Fair Lab or

Stan dar ds Act Training Man u al. This man u al h as been diss eminat ed widely an d

u sed for t ra ining in other Sta tes.

An area of significant concern for States in the Western region, with special

ramifications for transition, has been the provision of educational services to

youth with disab ilities in correction al facilities. Of pa rticular con cern a re services

to th e popu lation of inca rcerated individua ls with disab ilities (genera lly ages 1 8-

21, bu t sometimes youn ger) in a du lt correct ion facilit ies an d programs . OSEP

monitoring reports cite States out of compliance for providing services to this

population (25 of 50 OSEP site visits over the past 4 years have resulted in

cita t ions ). Acting on increas ing requests f rom Sta tes an d respond ing to the

Federal fin dings, th e WRRC recently re-introdu ced regiona l techn ical as sista n ce

on corrections edu cation. Ea rlier work, the origin al Corrections Conn ection

(199 2), resulted in a resou rce docu men t dissemina ted an d cited n ationa lly, an da regiona l meeting focu sed on th e older incarcera ted youth . Th e curr ent a ctivity

su pp orts a regiona l n etwork of Sta te-level edu cation an d correction sta ff. Th is

network is engaged in an informa l needs ass essm ent process designed to collect

common informa tion abou t policies an d pr ogram s for all th e States in th e Western

region . On ce completed, the in forma tion will be us ed du ring teleconference

conversat ions on shared issues and wil l help the WRRC appropria te ly target

assistance to individual SEAs.

IN THE FIELD: Two recent exam ples of sp ecific Sta te or local ass ista n ce are in

Am erican Sa m oa an d Oregon. Th e WRRC began working with t h e Am erican

Sam oa SEA in 19 90 on its initial policy and guidelin e docu m ent for a collab orative

sp ecial edu cation an d vocational reha bilita t ion work-stu dy program. During

1995-96, WRRC staff helped both the special education and vocational

rehabilitation staff revise the document, incorporate IDEA transition

requirements , an d evalua te th e is lan ds sch ool- to-work program.


18/21



The Oregon SEA requested WRRC assistance to respond to legislative concerns

ab out local program su ccesses in s erving an d aiding th e tran si t ion of s tu dents

with developm ent al disa bilities from s chool to work. Th e ass istan ce in volvedfacilitating an interagency team (special education, mental health, vocational

reha bilitation) review of program s a n d pr epar ing a report to th e legislatu re. Th e

report offered a series of recommendations to the SEA on State system

imp rovemen ts. The WRRC h as a lso as sisted Oregon in gath ering local da ta an d

facilitating an interagency task group focus ed on how to sus tain th e su ccess es th e

Sta te facilita ted th rough its Sta te tran si t ion ch an ge gran t , which expires fa ll of

1997 .


19/21

APPENDIX D


Table D-1

Regional Resource Centers (RRC) and Federal Resource Center (FRC) Programs

States Served

Region 1: H028 A300 02

Edward Wilke ns

Northeast RRC (NERRC)

In st itu te for Progra m Developm en t Rh od e Is la nd , Verm on t

Trinity College of Vermont

Bu rlington , VT 054 01

Teleph one: (802 ) 658 -5036

FAX: (80 2) 65 8-7 43 5

TTY: (80 2) 86 0-1 42 8WEB: ht tp : / / www.intera ct .uoregon.edu /

wrr c / ne r r c/ index.h t m

Connect icut , Maine, Mass ach us et ts ,

New Ham ps hire, New J ersey, New York,

Region 2: H028 A300 08

Kenn eth Olsen, Direct or

Midsouth RRC (MSRRC)

Un ivers ity of Ken tu cky Ca rolin a , Ten n es s ee, Virgin ia ,

126 Min era l In du str ies Bu ild in g Wes t Virgin ia

Lexin gton, KY 4 050 6-00 51

Teleph one: (606 ) 257 -4921

FAX: (60 6) 25 8-1 90 1

TTY: (60 6) 25 7-2 90 3

WEB: h t tp : / / www.ihdi .uky.edu/ pro ject s /

msr rc / index .h tm

Delawa re, District of Colu m bia, Kentu cky,

Marylan d, North Carolina , Sou th

Region 3: H028 A300 05

Timothy Kelly, Director

So ut h Atlan tic RRC (SARRC)

Flor ida Atla n t ic Un ivers ity Okla h om a , Texa s , Pu erto Rico,

1236 North Un ivers ity Drive Virgin Is la n ds

Plan tat ion, FL 33 322

Teleph one: (954 ) 473 -6106

FAX: (95 4) 42 4-4 30 9

No TTY Line

WEB: h t tp :/ / www.fau .edu/ d ivdept /

sa r rc /

Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia,

Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico,


20/21



Tab le D-1 (con td)

States Served

Region 4: H028 A300 04

Larry Magliocca, Director

Great Lakes Area RRC (GLARRC)

Th e Ohio Stat e University

700 Ackerman Road, Su ite 440

Colum bu s , OH 43202

Teleph one: (614 ) 447 -084 4

FAX: (614 ) 44 7-9 04 3

TTY: (61 4) 44 7-8 77 6

WEB: ht tp : / / www.csnp.oh io-state .edu /

glarrc.html

Illinois, Ind iana , Michigan, Min nes ota,

Oh io, Penn sylvan ia, Wisconsin

Region 5: H028 A300 09

John Copenhaven, Director

Mountain Plains RRC (MPRRC)

Ut a h S ta t e U n ive rs it y/ D ra k e Un ive rs it y S ou t h D a k ot a , Ut a h , Wyom in g, Bu r e a u of

1780 North Res ea rch Pa rkwa y In d ian Affa irs

Su ite 112

Logan , UT 843 21

Teleph one: (801 ) 752 -023 8

FAX: (801 ) 75 3-9 75 0

TTY: (80 1) 75 3-9 75 0WEB: h t t p :/ / www.us u .edu / ~m pr rc /

Colorado, Iowa, Kan sa s, Miss our i,

Monta na , Nebrask a, North Dakota,

Region 6: H028 A300 03

Richard Zeller, Director

Western RRC (WRRC)

Un ivers ity of Oregon Sam oa , Gu a m , th e Com m on wea lth of th e

College of Edu ca t ion North ern Mar ia n a Is lan ds , th e Federa ted

Eu gen e, OR 97403 Sta tes of Micron es ia , th e Repu blic of th e

Teleph on e: (503) 346-5641 Mars h a ll Is lan ds an d th e Repu b lic of

FAX: (503) 346-5639 Pa lau

TTY: (54 1) 34 6-0 36 7

WEB: h t tp : / / in te rac t .uoregon.edu/ wrrc/ wr rc .h tml

Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho,

Nevad a, Oregon, Wash ington, Amer ican


21/21

APPENDIX D

D 20

Table D-1 (contd)

States Served

Federal Resou rce Center : HS93033 001

Carol Valdivieso, Direc tor

Federal Resource Cente r

Academ y for Edu cationa l Developmen t

1975 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 800

Wash ington, D.C. 2000 9-1202

Teleph one: (202 ) 884 -8204

FAX: (20 2) 88 4-8 44 3

TTY: (20 2) 88 4-8 20 0

WEB: h t tp : / / www.dssc .org / frc /

Documents

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