Sec. 641.
(1) An intermediate school district may develop and make available to districts and public school academies an early intervening model program for grades K to 3. The early intervening model program shall be designed to instruct classroom teachers and support staff on how to monitor individual pupil learning and how to provide specific support or learning strategies to pupils as early as possible in order to avoid inappropriate referrals to special education. The model program shall be based on a program with documented positive results and outcomes and shall include all of the following:
(a) Literacy and numeracy supports, sensory motor skill development, behavior supports, instructional consultation for teachers, and the development of a parent/school learning plan. Specific support or learning strategies may include support in or out of the general classroom in areas including reading, writing, math, visual memory, motor skill development, behavior, or language development. These would be provided based on an understanding of the individual child's learning needs.
(b) A schoolwide system of academic and behavioral support based on a support team available to the classroom teachers. The members of this team could include the principal, special education staff, reading teachers, school psychologists, speech and language services providers, school social workers, and other appropriate personnel who would be available to systemically study the needs of the individual child and work with the classroom teacher to match instruction to the needs of the individual child.
(2) An intermediate school district may use funds received under section 81 of the state school aid act of 1979, MCL 388.1681, for the purposes of subsection (1).
(3) If an intermediate school district develops an early intervening model program under this section, the intermediate school district shall notify its constituent districts and the public school academies located within the intermediate school district that the model program is available and that the intermediate school district has funds available for developing the model program.
History: Add. 2008, Act 582, Imd. Eff. Jan. 16, 2009
Popular Name: Act 451