Directions to CSUS: http://www.csus.edu/scripts/asp/map/map.asp

On Saturday, January 18^th, California special education stakeholders will convene the first of its kind summit on the reauthorization of I.D.E.A. This one-day forum will provide all attendees with an opportunity to craft recommendations for the reauthorization of IDEA. The Summit will be based on those issues we all can agree are important to California.

To develop a white paper for federal policymakers that succinctly outlines the priorities and recommendations of all stakeholders. A delegation of Summit participants will travel to Washington, D.C. to present the final recommendations in March 2003.

The facilitation framework that we will use acknowledges that people need to explore IDEA as a large group to get the benefit of the diversity of the group and the complexity of the issue. It is with the understanding that some large context conversation will be done first and then move quickly to prepare delegates for a discussion that will be quick and efficient as possible.

As a Summit Delegate representing your organization, please use this guide to assist you in making the best use of your time at the Summit. All dialogue will be informal - the Summit framework does not support formal presentations. Ideally, you will arrive well informed on IDEA & NCLB (No Child Left Behind) issues and prepared to represent your organization, by quickly responding to Summit dialogue. Background information on IDEA & NCLB is readily available via the CASP website (www.casponline.org) and many other organization sites on the Internet.

Our opening and closing sessions will be facilitated by Carol Houseman, our lead facilitator. (See Carol’s bio below.)

Work done in the General Sessions will form the foundation of your breakout session work, provide closure, and hopefully consensus as we wrap-up the collective Summit outcomes.

Registration will open at 8:30AM (All badges will identify participants based on their role at the Summit – delegates, volunteers, facilitators, and guests.) Only delegates with blue badges will be allowed to participate in the breakout discussions.

General Session will begin at 10:00AM sharp. Box lunches will be distributed during this session. Valuable insights will be gained about your fellow delegates during this time. Breakouts will take place between 1:30PM and 3:30PM after the morning session.

At about 1:15PM delegates will be asked to move to their breakout rooms. The facilitation framework is highly structured and was designed by Carol to assist you and your fellow delegates in getting the outcomes we need to develop our white paper.

It is important that each breakout group honor the ground rules and framework so those Summit outcomes are similarly structured. After the Summit, a team of writers will be asked to use your group’s outcomes to develop our final white paper for Congress.

Each breakout group will be addressing a different issue as it relates to IDEA. These issues were generated by the statewide IDEA Survey that was conducted during the month of November. Survey results are available at www.casponline.org.

The following are ground rules for Summit dialogue:

• Only one person speaks at a time.

• Discussions are about positions, not personalities.
• No one may criticize another person or their organization’s position.
• Do not debate or attempt to influence others.
• Feelings/opinions may be expressed as "my organization believes . . . " statements.
• Be clear on your organization's "firm" and/or "open" positions.
• Take responsibility for yourself; make sure your input is included.
• Respect other points of view and agree to disagree

Here's a rough outline of our day:

8:30AM - Registration Begins

10:00AM - General Session:

• Briefing on IDEA and NCLB

• Mary Jane Pearson, Representative – U.S. Secretary of Education
• Alice Parker, Director of Special Education – California Department of Education
• David Gordon, Superintendent - Elk Grove Unified School District

• Special Education Issues and Concerns – General Discussion
• Advice and Perspective for Four Key Planning Areas
• Working Lunch

1:30PM - Breakouts Begin

• Relationship of Key Elements within each Planning Area
• Collect Specific Recommendations
• Divide Recommendations into Areas of Agreement, and Areas for Exploration

3:30PM - Breakouts End - Coffee Break

3:45PM - General Session reconvenes - Reporting out from each Breakout

• Review of Breakout Recommendations
• Identification of General Themes and Messages for Policymakers
• Next Steps
• Closing

5:00PM - Adjourn

Carol has worked as a consultant to several school districts and schools specializing in collaborative planning, assessment/evaluation, conflict resolution and team building. She has an understanding of the pressures and challenges facing educators today."

Carol Houseman established Houseman Consulting in 1982 in Sacramento, California. She has a BS in Business Administration and an MBA in Organizational Behavior as well as fifteen years of management experience. This business background lends a very practical and outcome-based purpose to her work.

She served as Internal OD Consultant and Work Transformation Coordinator for Sutter Health. Her understanding of change within an integrated system was enhanced in this setting.

Carol serves as Adjunct Faculty for California State University, Sacramento and has taught for the University of California, Davis. This continuing academic involvement provides a solid theoretical foundation for her consulting.

Additional professional training, such as Harvard University's "Teaching Negotiation in the Corporation," Peter Senge's "Systems Thinking Conferences," and Margaret Wheatley's "Self Organizing Systems: A Simpler Way," contributes advanced techniques and methods to her clients.

Carol's sense of humor, compassion and energy makes her a worthy partner during the emotionally wrenching process of organizational change.

Statewide & Stakeholder Data Available at www.casponline.org

#1.    Full Funding of IDEA

Key elements to be considered:

• Adequate funding for special education programs
• Adequate funding for general education programs
• Training for general education teachers in screening and early intervention
• The cost of litigation and reduction of legal proceedings and court cases
• Containment of the costs related to a free and appropriate public education
• The high costs of special education services
• Other:  _____________________________

#2.    Paperwork Reduction

Key elements to be considered:

• Excessive paperwork keeps qualified teachers from staying in special education
• Steamlining of IEP and other paperwork requirements for educators and administrators
• Reduction of administrative and legal requirements associated with compliance and monitoring
• Avoid extra costs associated with frequent policy/IEP revisions with less complicated forms
• Reduce administrative/legal requirements to IDEA, including unanticipated ones
• Reduce lengthy, complicated forms for IEP meetings
• Redefining of the meaning of a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)
• Other:  _____________________________

 #3.    Prevention and Early Intervention

Key elements to be considered:

• Early identification of academic and behavioral problems with federal funds
• Support training of general education teachers to screen and make early referrals for students demonstrating academic and/or behavior problems
• More specific and consistent eligibility criteria for specific learning disabilities to help IEP team decision-makers reduce misidentification of students
• Use of Student Study Teams to monitor and coordinate early intervention provisions
• Scientific research to support new IDEA mandates regarding eligibility criteria and/or assessments
• Redefining of specific learning disability to reduce disproportionate representation of minority groups in special education
• Other:  _____________________________

#4.    Student Success and Outcomes

Key elements to be considered:

• Focus on research validated programs and services to increase student results/outcomes
• Effective, research-validated curriculum and instructional programs with adequate training, materials, and support staff to encourage and retain qualified teachers in the field of special education
• Reduce legal proceedings and court cases, helping redirect focus to classroom support and student outcomes
• A comprehensive and cohesive definition specifying a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) associated with program and service delivery and placement
• Eligibility criteria and/or assessments based on scientific research
• A definition of specific learning disabilities to reduce disproportionate representation of minority groups in special education
• Other:  _____________________________