START Project

The MiMTSS TA Center supports educators in building their knowledge and skills to serve all students equitably using a Multi-Tiered System of Supports framework by helping educators use data, systems, and practices that honor individual identities and provide opportunities for all to achieve their dreams.

Professional association for special education administrators and affiliates that provides opportunities for leadership development, collaboration, and advocacy, in partnership with their members, to shape policies and practices to improve outcomes for students with disabilities. 

The Michigan state governmental agency that oversees public school districts in the state.

Michigan statewide transition committee comprised of cross-statewide agencies including vocational rehabilitation, Michigan Department of Education, Office of Special Education (OSE), START, and others; designing statewide transition model based on strategic plan that was developed by the committee.

MTSS is a comprehensive framework to improve academic, behavior, and social-emotional outcomes for all students, including students with disabilities. MTSS is an effective framework to differentiate research-informed supports matched to student needs. MTSS is also an efficient way to allocate and leverage limited resources to address student needs. This efficiency is increased through an integrated MTSS approach.

The National Clearinghouse on Autism Evidence and Practice (NCAEP) conducted a systematic review of the intervention literature targeting individuals on the autism spectrum and created a report defining the established evidence-based practices as of 2020.

The office within the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) that is responsible for the general supervision, administration, and funding of special education programs and services for children and youth with disabilities ages 3 through 26.

A guide for START training or meeting participants intended to communicate an overview and provide access to  information and resources for the training. Participant Guide is capitalized. 

The participation model shifts from a helping approach - where one student is the helper and the other is the recipient of help - to a focus on equal participation where all students actively engage in school-based and extracurricular activities together while developing natural friendships. They learn together, they grow together, and they gain new skills together. 

A tool to connect families and school teams related to increasing independence both in the home and school settings; the passport is shared and reviewed at scheduled times, including at the IEP, but is not formally part of the IEP.

Peer to Peer is rooted in evidence-based practices, initiated by school staff and embedded within a school community, and intentionally connects students with and without disabilities across the school day to promote belonging for all students. There are no prerequisites for participating in Peer to Peer. Simply put, Peer to Peer is for everyone. 

The Peer to Peer Coordinator is usually the lead educator responsible for guiding and supporting the team in implementing a Peer to Peer program.

A "go-to" resource that offers Peer to Peer teams clear guidance on how to develop, strengthen, and sustain a high-quality, high-fidelity Peer to Peer program.

Peer to Peer Roundtables provide an opportunity for professionals to participate in a collaborative, problem-solving, and supportive meeting to develop, enhance, and maintain local Peer to Peer programs. Typically the participants are educators from within their RCN or county working together to strengthen the fidelity of implementation.

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is an evidence-based three-tiered framework to improve and integrate all of the data, systems, and practices affecting student outcomes every day. PBIS emphasizes the prevention of challenging behavior through creating safe and predictable environments, teaching expected behavior, and responding to behavior through acknowledgment and instruction/correction, and providing a continuum of behavioral intervention and supports to set all students up for success.

The Practical Functional Assessment and Skill-based Treatment (PFA/SBT) process is a highly effective approach to severe problem behavior. The process involves preventing an escalation of problem behavior while teaching replacement behaviors that allow the individual to meet their needs. Teaching occurs in contexts that are highly reinforcing and gradually introduce challenges that often trigger severe problem behavior. Key values of this process are safety, acceptability, and valuing the relationship.

A state-supported public school, operating under a charter contract issued by an authorizing body; a PSA may include any grade up to 12 or any configuration of grades, including Kindergarten and early childhood education; it may not charge tuition and must serve anyone who applies up to its enrollment capacity (aka charter schools).

Regional Collaborative Networks (RCN) are groups of school professionals, parent representatives, and community partners supporting students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in a particular region in Michigan; RCN receive financial and programmatic support from START to address START-established priorities within their local school districts.