Endorsements
Here is the TL;DR synopsis:
Project ACCESS responded to federal and state mandates, guidelines, and recommendations by assembling specific training to help school districts meet these requirements and best practices. We offer enamel pins that participants can earn and pin to badges that we award to document skill acquisition. You can learn more about the badges on our Pathways Program page (you do not need to be part of the Pathways to get a badge and earn endorsements). We call these skill trainings "endorsements" because we coach educators to fidelity of performance of skills that help districts comply with laws and best practices. Educators can earn endorsements in the following skill areas:
- Local Autism Program Coach
- Local Autism Eligibility Determination Team Leader
- Local Functional Behavior Assessment Team Leader
- Local Verbal Behavior Coach
Here is what the endorsements are all about:
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a federal law ensuring that children with disabilities receive a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment. IDEA covers children from birth through high school graduation or age 21. It was originally passed in 1975 as the Education for All Handicapped Children Act and was last updated in 2004. IDEA aims to provide children with disabilities the same educational opportunities as their non-disabled peers.
Children who qualify for services under IDEA have Individualized Education Programs or IEPs. IDEA mandates the development of IEPs for eligible students, outlining their specific educational needs and goals. IDEA also specifies disciplinary procedures that are different than the normal scope and sequence of non-IEP students. Part of the process sometimes includes conducting a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) which is a research validated process for determining why a student presents with a specific behavior. Manifestation Determinations are specials processes and team meetings to determine if interfering behaviors are the result of a disability.
The IDEA mandates FBA be performed when certain conditions exist, but generally speaking FBA is foundational to behavior support and management even without the mandate. IDEA doesn't specify who in the district is qualified to perform an FBA, it just states that anyone with specialized knowledge and training in Applied Behavior Analysis can lead the team conducting the FBA.
Project ACCESS offers this training to district staff. Whe you complete our training, you will be able to peform FBAs in your district or building.
The state of Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education works with school districts to ensure that they comply with federal regulations specified in the IDEA. Part of this process includes the creating and implementation of the Missouri State Plan for Education.