MORE ABOUT THE PERSONAL CURRICULUM

by K. Kosobud, for LDA of Michigan, 1/16/2011

Some of the curriculum requirements of the Michigan Merit Curriculum (MMC) can be very challenging for students with disabilities. We knew that from the start. The MMC raises the threshold for achievement across the board; along with raising the anxiety of many parents whose children have struggled with various aspects of the curriculum all through school. The MMC, enacted in 2006, is the standard for the graduating class of 2o11. Districts have had several years to prepare for the first class to graduate under the new requirements, and to learn how to make adjustments for students who are struggling through credit recovery options like the Michigan Virtual High School, and through limited Personal Curriculum options. This video (approximately 1 hour long) captures a discussion of the Personal Curriculum, from a State Board of Education meeting held November 2008, two years after the MMC was approved.

IDEA (the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004) makes it clear that students with disabilities should have access to the general curriculum as much as possible. There is no "special education" curriculum in Michigan, only the general education curriculum: the MMC. This is the curriculum that must be followed in order to receive a diploma.

For four years, I've been LDA of Michigan's representative to the Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC), an IDEA-mandated state advisory panel to the State Board of Education and the Michigan Department of Education. We were briefed about the Personal Curriculum, and made public comment on it (including some of the possible unforeseen consequences of not starting early to provide access to a rigorous curriculum; see pages 19 to 24 of the aforementioned link). Even so, for the general public, it seems that information is still hard to come by. The information that we find at the MDE website tells a very limited version of the ins and outs of planning for students with disabilities.

Line of telephone booths toppling like dominoes; Source: soundplusdesign.com

I'm not sure what bothers me the most: that a great deal of information about the Personal Curriculum is available on the web but not at the MDE website; or that there are so many professional players in the system who know limited amounts of information about the Personal Curriculum planning process for students with disabilities. The reality for parents (and occasional advocates, like me) trying to navigate this process is that it is a lot like playing the Telephone Game, only not nearly so fun.

Here, in a nutshell, are some of the things parents need to know and understand as they negotiate the Personal Curriculum:

• Special education is not a place; it is a plan for services and supports;
• There is no "special education" curriculum; instruction of students with disabilities is guided by the general curriculum (in Michigan, these are the Grade-level Content Expectations, and the High School Content Expectations--the GLCEs or "glicks", and the HSCEs or "huskies");
• In middle school, it is a general education requirement that all students complete an Educational Development Plan (EDP) in seventh grade, which school counselors use for high school course selection. The EDP comes partly from inventories of student career interests. The EDP is also useful and important for IEP transition planning.
• When students with disabilities transition from middle school to high school, it is the school counselor who develops the 4-year high school course plan, with advice from parents and special educators, and based on student career goals in the EDP;
• Because the MMC is a general education plan, modification of the requirements through the Personal Curriculum starts with the school counselor. For students with disabilities, any part of the MMC is open for modification based on a student's disability;
• The special education Individualized Education Program (IEP) describes a student's levels of attainment, needs for supports and services based on the student's disabilities, and sets goals and objectives for key areas of growth--academic, social, and/or psycho-motor. It does not develop a Personal Curriculum plan;
• Each local school board in the state sets the standard for students to receive a diploma, with, and without, a Personal Curriculum. The standard is under local control, not a state or federal standard. Many districts use the ActPoint decision-tree for developing a plan that meets the local district standard for course credit.
• Each intermediate school district (ISD) or regional educational service area (RESA) in Michigan has a staff member (search at this link) who is the "Personal Curriculum liaison". This person is usually a curriculum leader, and coordinates the flow of information from the legislature, the MDE, and other districts in the state on this topic linked with other liaisons through an invitation-only "ning"; there is open access to information at the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) website; and there is also open access at a wiki developed by the Michigan Association of Administrators of Special Education (MAASE).
• Once a Personal Curriculum meeting is held, the local superintendent or designee either approves or denies the request. If the plan is approved, then a diploma is granted as long as the student meets the requirements outlined in the Personal Curriculum;
• The EDP, IEP, and Personal Curriculum can all be modified, if there is justification: changes in career goals, identified needs for added support, or additional modifications to course requirements;

Extended time for course completion is one variable that seems to be up for grabs. Right now, budgetary constraints and Adequate Yearly Progress requirements under No Child Left Behind seem to be the factors limiting school districts' eagerness to support five-year plans for high school completion. Ironically, time is often the adjustment most needed for students with "high incidence" disabilities (specific learning disabilities, cognitive impairments, emotional impairments, other health impairments (AD/HD), and speech and language impairments).

Parents should be aware that even with special education supports and services, special education, as it is currently written, is expected to provide access to the general curriculum, as much as possible. This is not just rhetoric. In Michigan, it is becoming practice to include a high percentage of students with high incidence disabilities in the general education classroom, where the new, improved High School Curriculum is being taught. That's where the "highly qualified teachers" of academic content are teaching, and that's where students who are anticipating graduation with a diploma are expected to participate, with supports and services from special education.

LDA of Michigan receives calls from parents whose children are in high school, or about to enter high school from all over the state. It is my hope that this blog entry helps to "de-mystify" the process of developing a workable plan that allows students with disabilities to be successful in the core academics of the MMC and, if possible, to leave high school with a diploma. I have provided links to online resources that may be helpful for understanding the process of planning, requesting a Personal Curriculum, aligning their high school course plan with their EDPs and supported through their IEPs and Individualized Transition Plans, and ensuring that these students leave high school having completed the education that will allow them to take the next step toward further training, education, or entry into a meaningful area of work.

Group of graduates throwing caps in the air,

Picture source: adamblueproductions.com