K-12 Intensive Training for School-based Teams
Supporting Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders
NOTICE:
An invitation to HOST the START K-12 Intensive Training for the
2015-2016 School Year
DATE:
October 30, 2014
TO:
Intermediate School Districts, Local School Districts, and Public School
Academies
FROM:
Statewide Autism Resources and Training (START) at Grand Valley State
University
DUE:
Applications due December 15, 2014
The START K-12 Intensive Training focuses on evidence-based practices to increase
knowledge and skills that enhance the educational programming and outcomes for students
with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and related disabilities from kindergarten through
high school. Intensive training is provided to multidisciplinary teams including teachers,
administrators, ancillary staff, and parents. Each team is comprised of 6 individuals who
attend each training session and work collaboratively to develop implementation plans for a
target student and school building.
This training offered through START is part of a grant funded through the Michigan
Department of Education, Office of Special Education. Since 2001, the START Project has
provided professional development and resources to school-based teams to increase
capacity and create leadership teams to build and sustain the supports and interventions that
improve outcomes for students with ASD across the state of Michigan.
Eligibility:
Intermediate School Districts, Local Education Agencies, and Public School Academies
should be the primary applicant. Preference will be given to schools and districts:
 that demonstrate significant need as well as high numbers of students with ASD.
 in geographic areas that have not previously received START Intensive Training.
 that work in collaboration with other schools, local agencies, or other organizations.
 that have applied to START previously but could not be accommodated in the
schedule.
Role of Host Site:
Secure a venue with room for approximately 125-140 participants with tables that seat 6
participants, audio visual system with an LCD projector, and a sound system with dual
lapel microphones. Host site also arranges for lunches, applies for and coordinates State
Continuing Education Clock Hours (SCECH), and assists with other general logistics in
collaboration with the START office staff. The host site will work with the START staff to
set up a training schedule for the year with a final schedule set by early February.
The Host Site must be able to identify at least 9-10 teams for the training in order to host.
These teams may come from an ISD, district, or the region. The Host Training site will be
allocated at least 50% of the training slots. In February, an application will be made
available statewide for teams to apply to join the host site teams, based on availability.
Logistics:
Module presenters and training materials will be provided by START. The costs to your
ISD/district include: venue, meals, mileage, and sub costs, as necessary. Meals may be
covered through the RCN grant if agreed upon by the RCN members however RCN will
not be allocated additional funds to cover these costs.
Host Site/Training Location:
The training location will be determined through this application.
Training Duration: Two Years
Training period for Year one: September 1, 2015 through June 15, 2016 with up to 12 Days
of Intensive Training for district teams.
Year two: September 1, 2016 through June 15, 2017. A two day training module will be
scheduled in September 2016: Systems Change through Coaching. Supplemental modules
may also be scheduled during year two. Additionally, a small number of teams that
participate in the training will receive follow up technical assistance and coaching support.
Application:
The application is available on the START website at www.gvsu.edu/autismcenter under
“K-12 Intensive Training” and must be completed and submitted electronically. Applicants
will be notified by early January.
Questions:
If you have questions about the project’s purpose or questions regarding the training or
application process, contact:
Amy Matthews Ph.D., Project Director
P: 616-331-3513 or matthewa@gvsu.edu
GVSU reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals. Approval is dependent
upon continued funding by the Michigan Department of Education, Office of Special
Education.
What is START K-12 Intensive Training?
I. Description of K-12 Intensive Training
The START intensive, school-based training offers knowledge and skills to educators
serving students with ASD with a primary emphasis on building teaming and collaboration
skills within the school. The ultimate goal is to increase local capacity through an
increase in knowledge, skills, and teaming and collaboration for supporting students with
ASD.
School-based teams may be comprised of team members with varying levels of knowledge
about ASD. Training will be offered at no cost; however, the school system is responsible
for the costs of professional time away from the classroom or other responsibilities, and
schools must cover lunch costs for participants.
This training is available to school districts and ISDs that are able to:
Year one:
1. Assemble a team of professionals and parents who attend all training sessions
and demonstrate an active commitment to further developing evidence-based
practices to support students with ASD in their school building and community.
2. Identify team leaders to facilitate and coordinate the intensive training.
3. Evaluate program delivery and related supports for students with ASD using the
START program assessment tools.
Year two:
1. Implement the strategies from the year one START training sessions to expand
evidence-based practice programming for students with ASD and serve as
demonstration sites for other buildings in the district/county.
2. Commit to recruit and train Building Coaches as supports in each building for
students with ASD.
3. Evaluate program delivery and related supports for students with ASD using the
START program assessment tools.
Note: START has provided intensive training to numerous school-based teams from across
the state. If you are interested in learning more about our START training, we can provide
you with contact information for team leaders and administrators from other districts/ISDs
that have worked with START.
II. Description of Training Curriculum
The intensive training offered to schools is based on “evidence-based practices.” We
believe that evidence-based practice means using empirically supported practices informed
by professional judgment, parent involvement, and data. We are not endorsing a particular
program, but review the research literature to identify the practices and systems with the
most empirical evidence. Although we may specify strategies, we are not endorsing a
single approach, and presentations reflect an emphasis on the use of evidenced-based
strategies. We also emphasize teaming and collaborating, and parent-school and
community-school partnerships to better serve students with ASD.
For the training, we use a general curriculum framework that will build a foundation in the
understanding of ASD, the teaming process, effective teaching and behavior support, and
systems changes that support student outcomes in your school program. Presentations will
be delivered by experts in various areas of ASD such as behavior support, educational
strategies, peer to peer support, and systems level change.*See Attachment 2 descriptions.
Target Students and Building Teams
Training teams will be organized around target students and school buildings. Each sub
team (comprised of 6 multidisciplinary team members and a parent) will utilize the
information learned during the training to develop assessments and interventions for a
target student. Additionally, teams will expand the information learned to consider
changes in building level supports. More information about developing teams will be made
available upon acceptance.
Training Curriculum – Evidence-Based Practices for Working with Students with ASD
YEAR ONE
Training Content
Orientation and Foundations in ASD
Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports
Looking at ASD Differently and the Teaming Process
Educational Strategies and Supports
Peer to Peer Support
IEP Development & Implementation for Students with ASD
Transition /Planning for the Next Year
Administrator Module (invite District / ISD Administrators;
teams need not attend)
Centralized Evaluation Team (CET) / Eligibility Determination
optional for year one or two, open to a region
Asperger Module
optional for year one or two, open to a region
YEAR TWO
Training Content and Technical Assistance (TA)
Systems Change through Coaching
Technical Assistance
Schedule
1 day
2 days
2 days
2 days
2 days
2 days
1 day
½ day
1 day
2 days
Schedule
2 days
TBD
Note: The details of the schedule, such as order, may be modified but the overall number of
training days will not change.
Intensive training sites will have access to a START Autism Education Specialist who will
be assigned to the site to provide assistance during the training series. This individual will
assist the district in organizing the training dates, applying new learning, and integrating
the information across training sessions.
III. Training Impact
We anticipate observable changes in the following areas:
1. Target Student – progress in the core areas: behavior, social-communication,
academic, independence, and family involvement.
2. Team – ability to communicate, problem solve, make decisions, work
collaboratively, understand the various disciplines and their different roles in
supporting students with ASD.
3. Team Members – increase in content knowledge and ability to apply that
knowledge and serve as a more competent and successful team member within a
multidisciplinary team.
4. Program/System – positive changes in how students with ASD are supported
within classrooms and buildings, identification of barriers to effective teaching
and support and initial steps to address those barriers, and administrative
support.
5. Family –family members are active members of the team and participate in the
development of goals, supports, and strategies to enhance learning and school
engagement.
IV. Evaluation
Since this is a grant-funded project, the training and support provided will be evaluated for
effectiveness through pre-and post-questionnaires, surveys, student progress, building level
supports, and other measures. The evaluation will be arranged so that it is reasonable and
meaningful to participants and the site.
START K-12 Intensive Training
APPLICATION for ’15-16
Directions: Please submit this application electronically by e-mail to Melissa Kurek
kurekm@gvsu.edu by December 15, 2014.
Applicant School/District/County:
List Number of Teams Requested by Host Site:
Team Leaders
Provide names of team leaders that will have primary responsibility for coordinating the
training. The team leaders will be responsible for overall team leadership, program
development, and scheduling and logistics.
Contact Person/Team Leader #1:
Name:
Title:
Address:
Phone number:
Summer Phone number/contact info if different:
E-mail:
Contact Person/Team Leader #2:
Name:
Title:
Address:
Phone number:
Summer Phone number/contact info if different:
E-mail:
Application Narrative –
1. Describe the principal reasons for requesting START training (e.g., desired outcomes for
students with ASD, system change).
2. Describe the level of need for your program or region (e.g., lack of ASD expertise, high
number of students with ASD).
3. Identify the districts/buildings/agencies who will be involved in the training and the
rationale for choosing them. Describe how team members from these
districts/buildings/agencies will use their training to build capacity within your system
(e.g., create and modify programs for students with ASD, share knowledge with other staff,
coordination across initiatives).
4. Describe your ability to develop and support a two-year plan for change in the
programming and support students with ASD in your buildings. Include how you will
support staff to make changes.
5. Answer demographic questions below. If applicant is an ISD/RESA, complete for the
entire county. If the applicant is a district, provide local district information.
Check one:
ISD/RESA
# of Students:
# of Special Education Students:
# of Students with ASD:
# of ASD Teacher Consultants:
District
6. State your commitment to provide the resources that your school and community would
be able to contribute to host the training.
Host site responsibilities/requirements
 secure a venue with room for approximately 125-140 participants with
tables that seat 6 participants,
 audio visual system with an LCD projector, and a sound system with
dual lapel microphones.
 arranges for lunches and will coordinate with participating ISD/districts
outside the region with regards to invoicing for meal reimbursement
 applies for and coordinates State Continuing Education Clock Hours
(SCECH),
 assists with other general logistics in collaboration with the START
office staff.
The host site will work with the START staff to set up a training schedule for
the year with a final schedule set by early February.
Meal reimbursement for team members – required.*
Establish a Sub team leader for each training team attending
Release / Sub time for team members as needed
Support for parent participants
Other Contributions
Describe
*Note: Funding for meals may be requested through the RCN but it is up to the entire RCN
to agree to this use of funds. RCN funds may not be used for venue, travel, or sub costs for
the IT.
7. Name of administrator supporting this application including contact information.
Name:
Position:
Email:
Phone:
Attachment 1
Sub Team Member Form
Sub Team Member Form
DO NOT COMPLETE AT THIS TIME
You will complete the Sub Team Form ONLY
if your application is selected for K-12
Intensive Training
This sub team form will help you organize 6 member sub teams for participation in the
START Intensive Training for ’15-16. All sub teams must be organized around a target
student that is supported by the team. Parents of the target student are an important part of
the sub team and should be invited to attend as a member of the 6 person team.
Typically, sub teams are comprised of the following team members. Composition of the
team will vary depending on the student and building.









Parents
General education teachers
Special education teachers
Teacher consultants
Administrators
Speech and language therapists
School psychologists
Social workers
Occupational therapists
 Paraprofessionals
START K-12 Intensive Training ’15-16
(Duplicate and Submit for each District and Sub Team)
COUNTY:
Contact Person:
School Address:
Work Phone:
Email:
DISTRICT:
Cell Phone:
Sub Team Member List – Team #1
Building Name:
Classroom Teacher:
1
2
3
4
5
6
Name
Sub team leader:
Parent:
Email
Phone
Job Title
Sub Team Member List – Team #2
Building Name:
Classroom Teacher:
1
2
3
4
5
6
Name
Sub team leader:
Parent:
Email
Phone
Job Title
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Attachment 2
START K-12 Training Curriculum
Orientation & Foundations in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)
This module provides participants with an orientation to the START Project and an overview of Autism
Spectrum Disorders (ASD) including current characteristics and definitions; learning characteristics
associated with ASD, etiologies and research in the area of ASD. The module also includes information
on evidence-based practices for students with ASD, including the importance of family involvement in
educational planning.
Positive Behavioral Interventions & Support for Students with ASD
This module is a team-based training on the principles of positive behavioral interventions and supports
(PBIS) for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Participants will gain an understanding of
the 3-tiered model of PBIS as well as the problem solving process of functional behavioral assessment
(FBA) and positive behavior support plan development. Participants will learn to collect relevant data
and use that information to guide the development of behavioral strategies. Specific behavioral strategies
effective for students with ASD are addressed.
Looking at ASD Differently & the Teaming Process
Looking at ASD Differently is about respecting the characteristics of ASD manifested by people on the
spectrum and using their intense interests and needs to their advantage. It is not uncommon for people to
observe autistic behaviors in a student with ASD and decide they will develop a plan to "extinguish"
those behaviors. However this approach often leads to further challenging behavior. This presentation will
focus on a new way of thinking about behaviors associated with ASD, which is foundational for staff at
all levels who are working with individuals with ASD.
Educational Strategies and Supports for Students with ASD
This module provides participants with a foundation of educational strategies that build upon the
strengths of students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and lead to successful learning. Participants
are provided an opportunity to experience ASD through sensitivity awareness activities which lead to a
better understanding of the learning challenges for these students. Participants learn to provide curricular
accommodations and modifications so students with ASD have access to appropriate grade-level
curriculum. A framework for developing an individualized academic modification and grading plan for a
student with ASD as well as practice in creating such a plan is provided.
Peer to Peer Support for Students with ASD
This module provides participants with the specific steps necessary to develop a peer to peer support
program for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
Information covered includes the process for recruiting general education students, the necessary training
they require as well as strategies for maintaining the students and program as a whole. The module
includes information on the concept of “medium of exchange” which addresses strategies for connecting
general education students with students with ASD and all forms necessary for developing, implementing
and maintaining the program are provided.
IEP Development and Implementation for Students with ASD
This module focuses on the process of developing an Individualized Educational Program (IEP) for
students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) that incorporates the legal requirements of LRE (Least
Restrictive Environment) and embeds established evidence-based practices for students with ASD.
Participants complete an Educational Benefit Review that addresses the effectiveness of previous IEPs in
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order to target discussion points to enhance the future IEP process. Participants learn how to write an
effective Present Level of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance (PLAAFP) statement as
well as develop observable and measureable goals and objectives related to the student’s progress in the
general education curriculum and setting. Strategies for implementing the IEP with fidelity and data
collection procedures for monitoring progress toward goals and objectives are also covered.
Transition Planning for Students with ASD
This module provides a framework of activities that leads to a successful yearly Individualized
Educational Program (IEP) transition for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Participants
are given an opportunity to reflect on the student’s progress of the previous school year as well as conduct
the activities necessary to prepare for the upcoming grade or building transition.
Systems Change through Coaching
This module addresses issues related to educational systems change that increase implementation of
effective practices for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Participants are provided a
structure for developing a coaching model as well as skills for serving in a variety of coaching roles and
responsibilities. Tools to assist in implementing the coaching model, including the Universal Supports
Assessment and Planning Tool (USAPT) developed by START, are provided. Participants are provided a
variety of strategies for working and interacting with colleagues during the process of systems level
change.
Supplemental Modules
Asperger’s Syndrome
This module is intended for participants educating students with Asperger’s Syndrome (AS). The module
explores characteristics of students with AS and effective practices identified in the literature to support
students in their school environment. Relevant theories are covered, including social attribution theory
and theory of mind, which are critical to supporting the social, emotional and behavioral development of
students with AS. The Path A / Path B strategy is used to teach participants how attributions impact
decision-making and responses to the behaviors of students with AS.
Centralized Evaluation Team (CET) – Eligibility Determination
This module is an overview of the Centralized Educational Evaluation Team (CET) process for
determining educational eligibility for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The presentation
highlights essential identifying characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and how they relate to
the Michigan Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Early Intervention Services
(OSE-EIS) eligibility criteria. The evaluation steps that align with the OSE-EIS process for determining
educational eligibility and distinguish ASD evaluations from those of other disabilities is clarified.
Additionally, the importance of the multi-disciplinary team process in the educational evaluation for
students with ASD is addressed. Related evaluation materials, the function of meeting mechanics in
eligibility determination, effective report writing, and the relationship between medically-based
assessments and school-based responsibilities for eligibility determination are addressed.
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