Access in Action 
Featured State: Missouri
MISSOURI TACKLES ACCESS TO EDUCATION THROUGH EXTENSIVE TRAINING
The State of Missouri developed, through its first State Improvement Grant (SIG), specialized training for districts on accessing the general education curriculum. The initial training focused on decision-making regarding the least restrictive environment for Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) and school-age students. As its understanding of access to the general education curriculum and its LEAs understanding of the same grew, the training morphed into additional training modules on co-teaching and collaboration; curriculum-based measurement; quality eligibility determination; and problem- solving in the general education classrooms. Additional training has been developed on positive behavioral supports and student-directed IEPs as well.
Having all these training materials, Missouri acquired special education consultants, who work regionally to collaborate with schools and their Regional Professional Development Centers (RPDCs) to assist districts in their school improvement efforts related to the achievement of students with disabilities. These consultants work hand-in-hand with districts through Reading First grants and expanding Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) training to special educators in non-Reading First schools.
Further, in FY '06, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) will support regional technical assistance coaches at each of the nine RPDCs and five Positive Behavior Support (PBS) coaches. One of the difficulties the state has found in supporting the access of students with disabilities to the general education curriculum is the number of personnel to train on a deeply complex issue even as the understanding at the SEA continues to develop there is a need to transmit that information to the field while making the training easily accessible and relevant to school staff at varying levels of professional need and growth.
Over the past years, the SEA of Missouri feels it has done a better job in participating in decisions about the general education curriculum and taking part in development of grade- level expectations and model curriculum for K-12 reading and math. Additionally, the SEA has improved its support to LEAs through the RPDC consultants and as planned in FY '06 and described above. Regarding standards-based IEPs, DESE intends to develop training on how to link or embed grade level expectations in students’ IEP goals and objectives.
