:: IN*SOURCE Reports - Fall 2007
Inside this Issue
:: From the Executive Director
Another school year is underway. Anna is beginning her last year in middle school. Sam is a sophomore, and Jake is a senior. Caitlin is going off to university. My kids are getting older and I am feeling old...and happy and sad, excited and worried, poor and rich, proud and humble...mostly proud and humble. Hardly a day passes without one of them saying or doing something and I think, “Wow, that’s my kid?!” Anyway, another school year is underway. Off they go, riding a bus, driving a car, walking to class. Be careful. Work hard. Have fun. We’re so proud of you. Love you...bye. We miss you, Cait...
The state Department of Education’s Division of Exceptional Learners and the State Advisory Council continue to work their way through the challenging process of revising our state special education rule to comply with new federal requirements and other changes that reflect more current and best practices. It is slow going but it is important to take the time to do the best job we can. Doing the best job we can is helped by regular reasoned input and feedback from the field...from teachers, administrators, and certainly parents.
In mid-September, the Division of Exceptional Learners sponsored a series of public forums primarily for parents offering them the opportunity to learn about the proposed changes and, through discussion, the opportunity to provide their thoughts and perspectives about those possible changes. All of that information is being compiled for submission to the State Advisory Council for review and consideration. I am pleased that 13 different forums were planned throughout the state. We worked with the Division, our colleagues at ASK and Dr. Loui Lord Nelson to handle the considerable logistics associated with setting up 13 sites with two sessions at each site.
We are very pleased to be a part of what we believe is an important and very unique opportunity for families. I don’t know what each different state is doing to include parents as all of them go through this change process. I would be very very surprised, however, if any other state is making such a sincere effort to include parents to this extent at this point in the revision process. There were staff from the Division at each site to facilitate the discussion. The Division prepared a survey type of document to help identify some of the more significant changes and help structure responses to changes. That document was available at the forums, and it can be found at the Division’s website. There is a copy of all of the draft work that has been done so far on the revision process also available at the Division’s website at http://ideanet.doe.state.in.us/exceptional/advisory/welcome.html. In my opinion, Dr. Marra and his staff are demonstrating a very genuine commitment to including the broad range of concerned constituencies in the revision process...especially parents.
Earlier this summer, Lynn Ham, one of our Administrative Assistants, tendered her resignation. She wanted to go back to school to earn her teaching degree. Lynn has been an important part of our Administrative Assistants’ group. I want to thank her for her many years of service to our organization. We will miss her and wish her nothing but the best.
As we say good bye to Lynn, we are pleased to welcome our newest Administrative Assistant, Bettie Redmon. We are very pleased that Bettie has agreed to join our organization. Welcome, Bettie.
I also want to thank June Davis for her service to this organization and students with disabilities, their families and schools in the metropolitan Indianapolis area. June has resigned her position as a Regional Program Specialist serving that area. We will, of course, miss her and wish her all the best.
 And, this summer Theda Nixon celebrated 30 years of service to our organization and Indiana’s children with disabilities and their families. In that 30 year span, it is difficult to even guess just how many families and children she has helped...how many lives she has touched. Theda truly has an advocate’s heart. She is caring and compassionate. She is the embodiment of our mission of service to children, their families, their schools and other service providers. On behalf of the organization and the many many children and families you have helped...thank you so very much, Theda.
And finally, our annual state conference this year will be in Muncie on November 9th and 10th. As usual, the conference committee has put together what promises to be a great event. I hope you can join us. I look forward to seeing you there.
Another school year is beginning. Let us make certain that all our kids know that they are loved, that their success is so very important to us and that we will do all we can to help, support and encourage them. Have a great year, kids!
As Always, Best Wishes
Rich Burden
:: DEL Report
 BACK TO SCHOOL
by Paul Ash, Assistant Director
Division of Exceptional Learners, Indiana Department of Education
Back to School is evident in so many ways. The kids are at the bus stop, stores are advertising back-to-school sales, Wal-Mart has mountains of lined notebooks, the volume of calls to our office greatly increases, and elementary-aged students are so excited they literally run out of their houses on the first day of school. This is the day to observe the “first-day-of-school” phenomenon of kids actually running from their homes to the bus stop. The novelty will eventually wear off and the daily ritual will become routine. This unbridled enthusiasm doesn't’t last forever, so enjoy it while you can.
There are real changes ahead this year for students, parents and educators. One change taking place this year is that students entering high school this month will find that Core 40 is the default curriculum. That is to say, students entering high school this year are expected to consider and attempt the Core 40 curriculum. Successful completion of the Core 40 curriculum will result in receiving a Core 40 diploma. While the Core 40 will be the default curriculum for students on a diploma track, parents who determine their child could benefit more from the general diploma can choose to have their child “opt-out” of the Core 40 curriculum. To do so, the student, the student’s parent or guardian and the student’s counselor (or another staff member who assists the student in course selection) must meet to discuss the student’s progress and review the student’s career and post-school goals. Additional information is available at : www.doe.state.in.us/core40.
Indiana’s special education rule, Article 7, is also undergoing a complete review and Indiana’s State Advisory Council on the Education of Students with Disabilities (NOTE: Rich is a member of the Advisory Council) is discussing and considering changes to Article 7. Some changes must be made to align Article 7 with IDEIA 04. These are the easy ones. Others, the optional state-specific changes, are more difficult because there are often two or more competing positions. Also, each state must submit a list of all rules that exceed federal requirements to the federal Office of Special Education Programs. Indiana’s teacher-of-record (TOR), general education intervention (GEI), and complaint reconsideration (appeal) process have exceeded previous IDEA requirements, but were included in current Article 7 because stakeholders and policymakers agreed they would benefit students with disabilities.
The Division of Exceptional Learners has a long tradition of going beyond minimum requirements to share information with the many constituencies and stakeholders who work to serve students with disabilities. IN*SOURCE has been an important partner and contributor in these efforts. In keeping with this tradition, the Division of Exceptional Learners is partnering with IN*SOURCE, About Special Kids (ASK), and Reliable Alliance in Special Education, Inc, (RAISE), to provide opportunities for interested parties to share their thoughts and suggestions for possible changes to Article 7. These Forums are scheduled to begin September 15 through September 20, at 13 regional sites throughout the state, with afternoon and evening sessions planned to allow convenient participation. Particulars are available on the IN*SOURCE website at: http://www.insource.org If you receive this newsletter before the Forums, we hope you will be able to attend and participate. If the newsletter is received after the Forums, check the IN*SOURCE and Division websites for reports and updates.
"Our children are only children once. If we fail to educate them today, they will fail to succeed tomorrow." -
Judy Heumann, Former Assistant Secretary OSERS
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:: IN-SIG Update
by Julie Havill-Weems, Family Coordinator, IN-SIG
Response-to-Intervention (RtI), School-wide Positive Behavior Supports (SWPBS), Universal Design for Learning (UDL), and Differentiated Instruction (DI)…Have you heard these phrases and acronyms? Do you want to know more about them? Dixie Patterson, Family Coordinator for the Center on Education and Lifelong Learning, and Julie Havill-Weems, Family Coordinator for the Indiana State Improvement Grant, have developed conducted a workshop designed to provide parents with the opportunity to learn more about these educational practices. The workshop covers the concepts behind each of these practices as well as what each looks like in action. Parents can also learn how schools effectively implement these practices, what each practice means for students, and how parents can be involved. If you, your group, organization, school, or district is interested in having this workshop in your area, please contact Julie or Dixie at (812) 855-6508 or by e-mail at jhavill@indiana.edu or dpatters@indiana.edu.
:: Myinsource.org
IN*SOURCE has launched a new free online community to enable parents, families and service providers to communicate directly not only with IN*SOURCE staff, but with one another as well. Myinsource.org features a forum that allows users to ask and respond to questions, to post topics, browse for answers that have already been posted by others, send private messages to other users of myinsource.org and receive e-mails notifying them of new posts in selected topics. Go to www.myinsource.org to join and participate in our new online community. For additional information visit www.insource.org.
:: New Regional Parent Resources
It is with pleasure that we welcome the fifty-five (55) individuals who completed three days of training and became IN*SOURCE’s newest Regional Parent Resources (RPRs). These individuals are now a part of a dedicated network of over 400 parent volunteers – RPRs – who devote time and expertise to support the many other parents of infants, toddlers, children and young adults as they work with schools and other service providers to plan and implement appropriate programs and services for their children. The following individuals completed the RPR training between July 1, 2006 and June 30, 2007:
Allen County -
Tammy Seibel
Benton County -
Lori M. Reynolds,
Timothy Reynolds
Carroll County -
Tameka Maxson
Clark County -
Brenda Ooley,
Kelly Benjamin
Daviess County -
Mindy Lindy
Dearborn County -
Jennifer Getz,
Jeannie Brinkmann,
Karen Snyder
Elkhart County -
Stephanie Robinson
Fulton County -
Dru Johnson
Howard County -
Kathi Smith
Jasper County -
Tearsa Biernat
Knox County -
Marjorie Beamon,
Laura Holscher,
Suzette Steffey
Lagrange County -
Jessica Ramp,
Karen Unternahrer,
Lucinda Weimer,
Anne Patka.
Felicia Plutowski,
Vickie Williams
Lake County -
Zadie Rosenthal-Gray,
Marie Simmons,
Michele Piskol,
Melissa A. Grah,
Bobette Hoover,
Susan Montalbano Pramuk,
Lynette Tucker
Marion County -
Teresa Baker
Martin County -
Kimberly Howell,
Karmen Wagler,
Aaron Hembree,
Nanette Hembree,
Michelle Bellew
Miami County -
Traci Cotton
Newton County -
Maureen S. Inman
Noble County -
Stephanie Leonhardt
Ohio County -
Charles White
Porter County -
Karla Love
Ripley County -
Bonnie Volz
Saint Joseph County -
Elizabeth Armstrong,
Debbie Majerek,
Dawn Brewer,
Karen Horvath
Steuben County -
Audrey Bellanceau,
Deb Davis
Switzerland County -
Debby Furnish
Tippecanoe County -
Tracy Elaine Platt,
Tracy Sondgerath,
Peggy Cooper-Smith
Vanderburgh County -
Christine Bolin
Washington County -
Melanie Hasenstab
White County -
Beth Miller
IN*SOURCE staff will begin training additional RPRs this fall. If you are a parent interested in joining the network of volunteers providing support and assistance to other parents, please contact IN*SOURCE for additional information about the RPR program and/or an application. This ever increasing network continues to assist IN*SOURCE to fulfill our mission to provide parents, families and service providers in Indiana the information and training necessary to assure effective educational programs and appropriate services for children and young adults with disabilities. We are grateful to all of our RPRs for their efforts and for their commitment.
:: Regional Staff Wins Jefferson Award
Congratulations to Paula Guzzo, IN*SOURCE’s Regional Program Specialist from Evansville, on winning the prestigious Jefferson Award earlier this year. The Jefferson Awards Program is a national one, brought to the Evansville area by the Evansville Courier and Press. It recognizes individuals who perform outstanding community and public service. Paula was nominated by Ann Nagy whose family she has assisted for many years.
Paula’s son, Scott, now in his 20's, was one of the first students with special needs in the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation to be moved from a segregated setting into a general education setting. So that he could attend the same school as his brother, Aaron, when Scott was in the third grade, he was moved to the school where Aaron, now a college freshman, began kindergarten.
Paula indicated that she shares the award with her husband, Bob, who, says Paula, “has been right there with me along the way, supportive and part of my efforts.”
Jonathan Weinzapfel, Mayor of Evansville, stated in a letter to Paula congratulating her on winning the award, “Inspired by personal circumstance, your work with IN*SOURCE, the Indiana Resource Center for Families with Special Needs, has helped scores of parents help their children achieve educational success.” Well done, Paula.
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:: REGIONAL TRAININGS ABOUT
TRANSITION SERVICES |
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Families and school personnel are invited to attend one of the following sessions to learn about the new rules and regulations for transition services for young adults based on IDEA and the proposed Article 7. Registration is free for participants who will learn about the expectations of the Transition IEP. The sessions are being sponsored by the Indiana Department of Education/Division of Exceptional Learners and the Center on Community Living and Careers/Indiana Institute on Disability and Community.
Thursday, October 11
Holiday Inn Airport
4101 Hwy. 41 North
Evansville, IN 47711
Tuesday, October 23
Pike Township Training Center
6321 LaPas Trail
Indianapolis, IN 46268
Wednesday, October 24
Holiday Inn Select - City Center
515 South Street
Lafayette, IN 47901
Thursday, October 25
Strongbow Inn
2405 E. US 30
Valparaiso, IN 46383
Tuesday, October 30
Holiday Inn Lakeview
505 Marriott Drive
Clarksville, IN 47129
Wednesday, October 31
Holiday Inn
5501 National Road East
Richmond, IN 47374
Thursday, November 1
Landmark Conference Center
6222 Ellison Road
Fort Wayne, IN 46804
Friday, November 2
Valle Vista Golf Club
755 East Main Street
Greenwood, IN 46143
Thursday, November 8
The Mayfields Ballroom
2100 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
Due to limited space, registration is required. To register for one of these sessions, contact Susan Harris at (812) 855-5987 or skharris@indiana.edu.
Registration: 8:30 a.m.
Training: 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. (ALL TIMES are local for the site)
If you would like to receive an electronic version of IN*SOURCE REPORTS rather than a hard copy, please email us at insource@insource.org and we will be happy to add you to that list. |
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