Special Education law has required
states to have Comprehensive Systems of Personnel Development
(CSPD) since 1975.
Each state must develop a system to
ensure that all education personnel are adequately
prepared and receive continuing education. This
helps teachers by ensuring that they are trained to
do their work and guards against serious personnel shortages.
The CSPD uses a process which includes
preservice, inservice and technical assistance for parents,
general education staff, administrators and other service
providers with the end result being better programs
and services for all children and youth.
This
is accomplished by collaborating with all stakeholders,
disseminating best practices, and the evaluation of
CSPD activities.
Montana
CSPD is organized through a statewide council and five
regional councils.
Paraprofessional
Resources
Mission
Statement:
The mission
for the CSPD will be to value and promote
services which:
- are
proactive and flexible in meeting the
needs of children and youth;
- ensure
success for all by providing a safe and
healthy environment that builds a sense
of belonging and value for self and others;
- evaluate
and disseminate best practices and achievements
through ongoing high-quality professional
development;
- encourage
sensitivity to individual differences
with recognition of cultural and ethnic
diversity;
- are
unified and integrated through a partnership
of families, schools, agencies and communities;
- support
recruitment and retention of high-quality
educational personnel;
- are
seen as a series of interdependent stages
of continuous growth for personnel; and
- are
designed to meet individual needs delivered
through personalized, accessible and practical
formats.
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| Critical
Components |
| Preservice |
|
Preservice is the
preparation of certified and non-certified staff
for employment as administrators and service providers
for students with disabilities. Institutions of
higher education are given the responsibility to
prepare individuals with adequate skills that lead
to quality services. CSPD will collaborate with
higher education in strengthening educational training
programs to help ensure quality staff. CSPD should
be involved with certification issues and assuring
collaboration between the various institutions of
higher learning. |
| Needs Assessment |
|
The state CSPD Council conducts
an annual inservice needs assessment using a representative
sample of certified staff, non-certified staff,
and parents. The goal is to identify training needs,
develop a system to evaluate CSPD components, activities,
and projects, and ensure that each CSPD component
includes collaboration. The results of the needs
assessment is the catalyst for determining inservice
training and technical assistance. The CSPD council
develops the needs assessment and disseminates the
results to school districts and regional CSPD councils. |
| Inservice |
|
The state and regional CSPD Council
and school districts provide relevant training for
school staff and parents that improves skills in
serving students with disabilities. Inservice is
usually based upon data received from annual needs
assessment and requirements that arise from the
IEP process. The CSPD Council helps support and
organize relevant inservice training. |
| Technical
Assistance |
|
The state CSPD Council has developed
trainers and technical assistance providers for
a wide variety of critical special education issues
including transition, IEP development, working with
students with behavioral difficulties, and inclusion.
The end result will be quality education and services
for students with disabilities. The CSPD Council
is sensitive to the changing technical assistance
needs of school districts and regional areas. |
| Collaboration |
|
Collaboration involves sharing
resources and information, setting common goals,
and working together. Collaboration is the glue
that holds the other CSPD Components together.
A main objective of CSPD is to offer opportunities
for members of the educational community and parents
to work together for a common cause, namely improving
services to students with disabilities. The CSPD
Council is made up of a broad representative of
stakeholders, including parents. Council meetings
and activities offer the opportunity for CSPD
stakeholders to communicate and collaborate with
each other. |
| Dissemination |
|
CSPD involves the dissemination
of research validated educational and behavioral
practices for service providers of students with
disabilities. Promising practices are shared with
educators and parents throughout the state.
The CSPD Council offers opportunities for individuals
and organizations to discuss and disseminate materials
at quarterly council meetings. |
| Evaluation |
|
All CSPD activities should be
evaluated regarding their outcome and impact to
programs for students with disabilities. Evaluation
helps determine if CSPD activities are making a
real difference. Each section of the CSPD strategic
plan should have an evaluation component. Evaluation
results should be used as part of the decision making
process. |
| Recruitment/Retention |
|
There are frequent shortages of
qualified special education personnel, especially
in rural areas. Planning and collaboration should
occur at the state, regional and school district
level to ensure adequate staff to serve the needs
of students with disabilities. Strategies need to
be implemented that promote retaining qualified
staff members. |
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Regional
Councils |
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The
state CSPD Council has expanded to include
the development of regional CSPD Councils.
For information on regional training opportunities
or CSPD activities, contact the following: |
| CSPD
Coordinator/SPDG Director |
| |
Susan Bailey-Anderson
Office of Public Instruction
Box 202501
Helena, MT 59620-2501
(406) 444-2046
sbanderson@mt.gov |
| State
Personnel Development Grant (SPDG) |
| |
Nikki Sandve
Office of Public Instruction
(406)444-0299
nsandve@mt.gov |
| Instructional Strategies/RtI Coordinator |
|
Tara Ferriter-Smith
Office of Public Instruction
(406)444-0932
tferriter@mt.gov |
| State
Council |
| |
State Council Chair
Paula Schultz
10040 Cottonwood Rd.
Bozeman, MT 59718
(406) 582-5854
pschultz@andersonmt.org |
State
Council Chair - Elect
Martha Sampson
MT Center on Disabilities
MSU - Billings
1500 University Street
Billings, MT 59101
(406) 657-2085
msampson@msubillings.edu |
Past State Council
Chair
Linda Roundy
Early Childhood CDC
3562 Eastside Highway
Stevensville, MT 59870
(406) 777-4157
lroundy@wmcdc.org |
State Council
Secretary
Angela Walker
89 Woodland Estates Rd.
Great Falls, MT 59404
(406) 761-8591
alw530@msn.com |
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| State
CSPD Strategic Plan |
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State
CSPD Action Plan
This File describes Montana's State CSPD Strategic
Plan. The plan includes strategic directions
(goals) and active steps (objectives) that set the
directive for State CSPD. The plan is reviewed and
edited annually. |
Comprehensive Service of Personnel
Development
CSPD Priorities
1) Enhancing CSPD/State Policies/Systems
- Broaden stakeholder
representation to move toward professional development
councils
- Market CSPD
through brochure and website to general educators
and administrators
- Obtain data from
OPI on number of and types of corrective actions
and types of technical assistance requested
by region
- Update and disseminate
data-base of technical assistance/inservice
providers
2) Evaluation and Dissemination
of Findings
- Assess, review
and summarize existing data
3) Addressing Personnel Shortages
- Develop and implement
a Mentoring Task Force
- Develop and implement
a Task force for Recruitment and Retention of
qualified staff
4) Building Preservice System Capacity
- Resurrect the
Higher Education Consortium
5) Enhancing Existing Educational
Systems
- Develop Programs
for Excellence Incentive Grants
- Provide professional
development options with a focus on Strategies
for general educators to respond to the needs
of all students
- Instructional
strategies
- Assessment and
grading
- Aligning with
state standards
- Strategies to
address post secondary transition with an emphasis
on culturally sensitive transition plans that
address Native American populations
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