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

Michigan Merit Curriculum and the Personalized Curriculum (PC)

adapted by K. Kosobud for LDA of Michigan, January 14, 2011

The Michigan Merit Curriculum (MMC) includes these requirements:

• 4 English Credits
• 3 Science Credits
• .5 Civics Credit
• 1 P.E./Health Credit
• 2 World Languages Credits (Class of 2016)
• 4 Mathematics Credits
• 3 social Studies Credits
• .5 Economics Credits
• 1 Visual, Performing or Applied Arts Credit
• An online learning experience [1]

A Personalized Curriculum (PC) can be written for students with IEPs, when there is:

• A documented need to make modifications because the student’s disability affects access to and/or demonstration of proficiency in the curriculum.
• Lack of progress on the MMC despite documented interventions, supports, and accommodations.

In addition to identifying content or credit modifications, the PC should:

• Align with the Education Development Plan, postsecondary goals, and the IEP.
• Establish measurable goals.
• Provide a method to evaluate whether the student meets the goals.
• Include quarterly communication of progress with parent(s).

Picture of mortarboard cap, books and rolled diploma, Source: k12alerts.com

High School Completion Without a Diploma—Students who require significant modifications may not be eligible for a diploma or a PC. Students who need these modifications are still able to progress to good careers, college educations, and more. The significance of completing high school without earning a diploma depends on career choice, future employment requirements, and plans for education beyond high school. According to the Michigan Department of Education, a student who completes high school without earning a diploma can enter a trade or vocational school, attend most community colleges, enter certain branches of the armed forces, and apply for scholarships and financial aid. [2]

Advocacy suggestion: As parents, you may have additional concerns. You may want to be sure that your children will have access to a diploma, while still having a full high school experience: extra-curricular activities such as sports, a balanced schedule of challenging academics offset by electives in students’ areas of interest, and participation in traditional grade-level events along with their age-mates: dances, field trips, and other rituals including graduation. Although schools may not see these accommodations as their obligation, parents may ask for these arrangements, as part of an equitable and inclusive educational experience.

From: A Parents Guide to Personal Curriculum: Focus on Students with an IEP http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/PC_IEP_Parent_Guide_5-18-09_281053_7.pdf.

See also: Personal Curriculum: Parent and Educator Guide http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/PC_Guide_Final_5_12_09_277958_7.pdf

Michigan Department of Education resources on Personal Curriculum are at: http://www.michigan.gov/mde/0,1607,7-140-6530_30334_49879---,00.html

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[1] A Parents Guide to Personal Curriculum: Focus on Students with an IEP, May 2009

[2] Michigan Dept. of Education, Personal Curriculum Guidelines, August 2009

SMALL VICTORY: SLD Determination Processes Must Be Public

This fall it will be easier for parents and advocates to know what their district process is for determining if a child should be identified with Specific Learning Disabilities under IDEA. All districts must post what they do.

In a memorandum to all Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) and Public School Academies (PSAs), Eleanor White, Assistant Director of the Office of Special Education and Early Intervention Services is requiring them to provide public notice of district processes for determining Learning Disabilities, with an attached publication, “Michigan Criteria for Determining the Existence of a Specific Learning Disability”.

For more information, see the memo and attachment.

Pay for performance?

I've been reading the postings of faculty in special education on a private discussion board, lately. The discussion has turned to "pay for performance", since it is part of Race to the Top plans. Funny what people will do to get their piece of the action. With Michigan's economy swirling around the drain, our State Superintendent is eager to draft a proposal that will get some of that RTTT money for our state. But that leaves a lot of teachers very unhappy about what kinds of soul-selling we might be in for if we are granted the money. Here's my comment to the discussion board on "pay for performance":

This conversation takes me back to discussions I remember from my time as a teacher-in-residence at the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Some professional perks are comparable and some just aren't.

We don't directly offer pay for performance to doctors, if you think about it. For instance, if a cardiac surgeon only takes on the most difficult and risky procedures, because she is one of the few who can do them, she may lose a large percentage of her patients relative to other doctors simply because these are patients who are all but dead unless they get this very risky surgery. If we pay for the number of patients she saves, she'd be out of business. But we pay her to compensate her for her rare knowledge, the costs of doing business (including malpractice liability insurances), all her years of training, and so on.

Attorneys (and I think of Geoffrey Feiger, Jack Kevorkian's attorney at one time, who is an incredible showman and may actually be a pretty smart and effective attorney in spite of his remarkably bad social skills) sometimes do actually get paid for performance in the same way that policy-makers are now discussing paying teachers for performance: achieve a favorable outcome and get a bigger piece of the pie. If an attorney like Feiger sues someone for damages on behalf of his client, and wins, he gets a cut of the "take"; if he loses, he gets a smaller fee, or if he was particularly confident of his success, he may get nothing for losing.

So, for a special educator, if he is the "teacher of record" and his students, using the "value added" growth model (William L. Sanders) achieve at a higher than predicted rate, he gets the bonus. If lower than the growth model would predict, he gets nothing, and may, in fact, get fired if he repeats this pattern for several years. Or, not using the "value added" model, his students achieve at less than a year's average growth, he never gets a bonus, and, after a certain number of years of this "failure to perform", he gets remediated right out of the profession.

So, where does that leave my friend, the beloved music teacher, whose students often were chronic "failures" in academics, but were able to shine in her marching bands and choirs? How is her pay for performance determined? Does she get the bonus for building self-esteem? Does she get drummed out of the profession (pun intended) for not building their math skills?

I like to think of teachers as members of a school community and hope that the children that they see are the responsibility of the whole school, from the custodians and cafeteria workers through the administrators and curriculum leaders. But the playing field is still so uneven that I have a hard time envisioning a pay for performance "system" that adequately smoothes out all the wrinkles. We thought that a good start was to incentivize National Board Certification, and then strategically cluster NBCTs in schools where the needs were high, to improve outcomes for kids. Emerging research is equivocal about the success of such ventures. We also have looked at differentiated career ladders, creating tiered licensure systems, and a number of other methods to recognize the commitment of teachers to continuing their educations, and to committing themselves to remaining in education. But we're still not getting the "one right solution" if ever a solution were to be found.

Sometimes I think that we just give up too easily, like exasperated parents who have exhausted their resources of patience with their children and spank them out of sheer frustration. The system of carrots and sticks, part of which is "pay for performance" seems to be going down that path.

Back to writing in the scholarly mode...

LDA of Michigan Conference November 16-17, 2009

Learning in the 21^st Century Featured at Learning Disabilities Conference

Lansing, MI September 19, 2009 – Lynell Burmark, Ph.D. and Christopher M. Lee, Ph.D. are the featured keynotes at this year’s Learning Disabilities Association (LDA) of Michigan Conference scheduled for November 16 and 17 at at Kellogg Center on the campus of Michigan State University in East Lansing. The tools of technology (universal design in learning) will take center stage. Lynell Burmark, Ph.D., author and educational consultant, will keynote on Monday with “Visual Literacy: Learn to See, See to Learn”. Also on Monday, there will be a full-day symposium “Educating ALL Students: Utilizing Instructional Technology for a Diverse Population”, in addition to regular conference sessions. Tuesday’s keynote, Christopher M. Lee, Ph.D., is an advocate, author and consultant in adaptive technology, speaking on “Life with Learning Disabilities”. Tuesday also features an orientation and mini-sessions for teens, teachers and parents before attending conference sessions. Governor Jennifer Granholm has officially proclaimed November as Learning Disabilities Awareness Month in recognition of the needs and potential of people with Learning Disabilities.

Scheduled for Monday, Lynell Burmark’s keynote emphasizes the benefits of learning in an image-rich environment. Her book, Visual Literacy: Learn to See, See to Learn, a widely adopted textbook for teacher education and instructional technology programs, won the book of the year award for publisher ASCD in 2002 and is now expanded, updated (2006) and available as an eBook. Lynell is featured in a 30-minute segment on Canter & Associates video for the Masters in Instructional Technology with Walden University. She also has produced a 10-minute video on visual literacy, which is distributed free to educators through 100% Educational Videos.

Also slated for Monday is an all day symposium on Educating ALL Students: Utilizing Instructional Technology for a Diverse Population “Learning in the 21st Century” classroom requires instruction technology supports in order to meet the learning needs of a diverse group of students. Teaching ALL students requires a plethora of research based strategies in order to meet the learning needs of all students. Learning problems are often a result of an inflexible curriculum with teaching methods and materials that are not responsive to the diversity of students represented in the classroom. This full day session will provide participants knowledge on how to design classrooms with universal access to the curriculum for ALL students to be successful. Speakers include Jeff Diedrich (Michigan Integrated Technology Supports), Kenneth Graham (Premier Literacy), the RTI Team from Cesar Chavez Academy, Detroit (The Leona Group, LLC), and Mari Cris McFarland (Livonia Public Schools).

Tuesday’s keynote speaker, Christopher M. Lee, Ph.D., published Faking It: A Look into the Mind of a Creative Learner in 1992, and in 2001, What About Me? Strategies for Teaching Misunderstood Learners, both of which draw on his challenges attending the University of Georgia (UGA). Before joining Tools for Life, he served as Training Director of the Learning Disabilities Research and Training Center (LDR&T center), a collaborative effort of the University of Georgia and the Roosevelt Institute for Rehabilitation at Warm Springs, Georgia. In that role, he directed training activities and supervised national project dissemination efforts. He is experienced in coordinating distance-training activities. Currently, he serves as Director of the Alternative Media,Access Center, a joint project with the University of Georgia Department of Psychology.

Also on Tuesday LDA of Michigan invites teens, teachers and chaperones to join Dr. Pam Bellamy, of Michigan State University for orientation, session selection, and mini-sessions offered on a variety of topics of interest to teens. Join the full conference for sessions following the orientation. Teens are invited to stay for lunch and talk to LDA Conference organizers about their experiences.

Scholarships are available for family members and teens to attend the conference on a first come, first served basis.

Download the conference flyer at http://www.ldaofmichigan.org/LDAconf2009.pdf. A schedule is posted at http://www.ldaofmichigan.org/calendar.htm#sessions. To advertise in the conference program download the form at http://www.ldaofmichigan.org/advertise.pdf. SB-CEUs will be offered.

For further information about the LDA of Michigan’s Annual Conference or scholarships, contact Flo Curtis by telephone at (517) 485-8160 or (888) 597-7809, or by e-mail at ldamich@sbcglobal.net. For more information on the LDA of Michigan, go to http://www.ldaofmichigan.org.

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©2009 Learning Disabilities Association of Michigan. The Learning Disabilities Association is a 501(c)3
 non-profit volunteer organization with offices located at 200 Museum Drive, Ste. 101, Lansing, Michigan 48933. Telephone: (517) 485-8160; fax (517) 485-8462; toll-free: (888) 597-7809; email: ldamich@sbcglobal.net; website: www.ldaofmichigan.org

2009 Conference Keynote Speaker is 21st Century Learner

This year's theme for our conference is Learning in the 21st Century. In order to meet the needs of diverse learners, a broad range of strategies need to be engaged to enable access to the curriculum. Among these are the tools afforded by instructional technologies.

If you are looking for a real treat, Tuesday's keynote speaker at the Learning Disabilities Association of Michigan 2009 conference and membership meeting will be Christopher Lee. Christopher is the author of two books, Faking It: A Look into the Mind of a Creative Learner, and What About Me? Strategies for Teaching Misunderstood Learners. These books are written with Dr. Lee's experience as a person with learning disabilities, and as a provider of accessibility tools to assist in overcoming barriers.

Picture source: http://www.christophermlee.com/

Computers and Assistive Technology Remove Barriers for State of Georgia Employee with Learning Disability

source: Microsoft Accessibility, case studies

If words were big sturdy objects that Christopher Lee could touch, heft, and climb over, he might have a lot easier time reading. But as flat symbols on a page, they confound him. A severe learning disability, called a cognitive processing deficit, affects his ability to read, write, and sound out words.

Through the growth of understanding about learning disabilities, the introduction of numerous assistive technologies, and the foresight of the state of Georgia, Christopher Lee has successfully surmounted the barriers created by learning disabilities and gained responsible and fulfilling employment.

A Long Road to Understanding

As a child growing up in Florida in the 1960s and 1970s, the experts were just starting to understand dyslexia. And Lee was in college before he was tested and pronounced to have a learning disability. "That was a turning point for me," Lee recalls. "I had heard the term 'learning disability' before, but I didn't want to admit that's what I had."

After his learning disability was identified in college, Lee received help through the Learning Disabilities Center at the University of Georgia. The folks at the Center taught him how his brain worked and what learning situations and tools could help him learn.

Computer Becomes Tool for Learning and Employment Opportunity

In his junior year in college Lee discovered computers. "I loved the keyboard; it took away that dreaded piece of dead wood—the pencil," he says. "The keyboard was tactile; I could feel it, I could connect letters with physical action." When letters appear on the monitor, they're far clearer to Lee than when he writes them down on a piece of paper. Spelling checkers cleaned up his frequent misspellings, and grammar checkers flagged muddled word distinctions. "The computer made a huge difference in my ability to learn," he says.

In 1994, Lee landed a job at the Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation as training director for a learning disability, research, and training grant. "That's when I really began learning how the state of Georgia helped accommodate people with disabilities."

State of Georgia is Trailblazer in Providing Assistive Technology Access for Citizens

Following the lead of the federal government, all U.S. states have created vocational rehabilitation and assistive technology programs. One state that has led the way is Georgia. Georgia is a trailblazer in ensuring that its citizens have access to the assistive technology needed to lead full and productive lives. The state's Assistive Technology unit has evolved over time. Currently, it has two branches—one focuses on equipping individuals with technology that will help them to work, and the other, called "Tools for Life", provides technology services to all Georgians with disabilities regardless of age or work status. Lee was introduced to Tools for Life while working at the Roosevelt Warm Springs Center for Rehabilitation, and it was here that he really learned about assistive technology.

Assistive Technology: A "Huge Help"

"Assistive technology products were a huge help to me, especially after the Internet came along," Lee says. In his current job as project director for Tools for Life, Lee uses a standard Windows-based PC outfitted with Texthelp Read&Write, which combines a screen reader, phonetic spelling checker, homonym color coder, word prediction program, word abbreviation program, and thesaurus. He also uses Dragon NaturallySpeaking for speech input, the ZoomText screen enlarger, and Inspiration Software's Inspiration visual thinking and learning software, a program that lets him draw his way to clear expression.

When he needs to read a lot of scanned documents, Lee uses the Kurzweil 3000 screen reading program, a high-end optical character recognition program that reads typed text and will even read definitions using a built-in dictionary. He uses the Soothsayer on-screen keyboard, which aids him in navigating his way to correct word choices and spelling. Lee also uses the accessibility options in Microsoft Windows 2000 and the Microsoft Office 2000 suite, taking advantage of the enlarged icons and color features.

"Assistive technology vendors are starting to see that there is a huge market for individuals with learning disabilities in addition to sensory disabilities. Because cognitive disabilities are invisible, it's easier for individuals to fake it or deny the existence of the disability. They end up falling into the welfare system because they don't understand their challenge, or what technology exists to help them," Lee says.

But the state of Georgia is making great strides in preventing this loss of human and economic potential. Tools for Life and other state of Georgia-sponsored programs are increasing access to assistive technology for Georgia's 1,700,000 citizens with disabilities.

Here's a video of Christopher Lee, talking about Microsoft Accessibility.

Picture source: Microsoft Enable website

The Learning Disabilities Association of Michigan 2009 Conference will be held on November 16 and 17 at Kellogg Conference Center on the campus of Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. To download the brochure for the conference, or to get more information click on the links provided. SB-CEUs will be available. Teen and family conference scholarships are available by contacting ldamich@sbcglobal.net or by calling 1-888-597-7809. Register before November 1st for a discount on the registration fee.

Michigan Legislators Support Alternatives to Algebra II for High School Curriculum

From the Red Tape Blog: Items of potential interest to government documents librarians or government information managers in Michigan. For more information contact Jon Harrison

image from: ed.gov

Michigan Legislators Support Alternatives to Algebra II for High School Curriculum

Michigan legislators made it clear today that math-related career and technical education courses could fulfill the Algebra II graduation requirement for high school students.

The bill was passed unanimously today by the state Senate; the House Education Committee also soon will take up a vote on similar legislation.

While Algebra II is still a graduation requirement, students can earn credit toward the requirement by taking CTE courses with math components like electronics, machining, construction, welding, engineering or renewable energy.

The legislation is supported by the Michigan Department of Education, Spokeswoman Jan Ellis said.

"MDE supports this legislation because it clarifies to CTE instructors, educators, parents and students that CTE courses can fulfill the Algebra II, and even other graduation requirements," Ellis said. "Students don't all learn the same way, and many would greatly benefit from learning these key subjects in CTE courses where there's hands-on examples and real work applications."

Ellis said it always has been possible to gain credit for graduation by taking CTE courses. However, it was unclear, and Ellis said this legislation explains the credit.

"We support legislation that clarifies what the department's intent has always been," she said. "Our goal is to make sure students can learn in many venues, including online courses, for example, and get credit for the graduation requirements."

Sen. Wayne Kuipers, R-Holland, agreed the legislation will help clear up any misconceptions.

"We recognize that some students learn best behind a desk and other students learn best using their hands," said Kuipers, chairman of the senate education committee, who introduced the legislation. "We wanted to make clear that was an acceptable method of instruction, provided that they still hit on the same benchmarks and standards that are laid out in the high school curriculum.

"It's the right thing to do."

For the full article, see Christina Stolarz, "Legislators: Career, technical courses may fulfill Algebra II requirement", Detroit News, August 19, 2009.

For another article, see Lori Higgins, "Program gets panel's nod to fulfill math requirements", Detroit Free Press, August 19, 2009.

For another, see David Eggert, "High schoolers closer to skipping algebra II class; House panel votes in favor of financial literacy", Lansing State Journal, August 20, 2009.

This clarification of the requirement does not require a Personal Curriculum. For students with disabilities, a Personal Curriculum is a way to alter the requirements for a diploma.

More clarification to be added to this post...