This year marks 25 years of the START Project—and we can’t wait to celebrate with you!

We are celebrating every path, empowering every voice, and building inclusive futures where all students belong, are valued, and can shape their own journey.

Join us for the 25th Annual START Conference, featuring Shelley Moore, Elizabeth Biggs, and Mateo Moreno, presenters who champion inclusion, belonging, and meaningful change! 

🎉 Save the Date
May 4, 2026
Lansing Center, Lansing MI

Let’s celebrate 25 years of impact—and look ahead to the next 25!

The Fall RCN Leadership Day will be held on October 27, 2025 from 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center in East Lansing.

Registration closes on October 12, 2025! Please contact your RCN leadership for registration information.

Thank you for submitting your 2024-2025 Focus Student Data.

Focus Student Data Profiles and Snapshots are now available for each student whose Beginning of the Year and End of the Year data were entered into the online form. The PDFs for each student are located in your START RCN Google Drive Folder under "24-25 Data Visualization from START."

The PDFs are de-identified and labeled with the Focus Student Code provided when completing the Focus Student data form. 

Please contact Stephanie Pulido (pulidos@gvsu.edu) if you have any questions. 

→ We highly encourage the RCN to distribute information about START's 2025-2026 Trainings and Training Series to staff, community members, and families across your region. 

START has developed flyers, images, and slides for the RCN to use and disseminate. 

Using the CETA to Promote Evidence-Based Classroom Practices

📅Dates: October 22, 2025; November 12, 2025; December 10, 2025; January 14, 2026; February 4, 2026; and February 25, 2026
⌚Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Location: Zoom

This six-module training series is designed for school teams, including special education administrators, building leaders, general and special education teachers, ancillary staff, and paraeducators. Using the Classroom Environmental & Teaching Assessment (CETA), teams will engage in data-informed reflection to evaluate current practices and identify areas for growth. Through collaboration, school teams will develop a shared action plan to strengthen instruction and improve outcomes for students with autism and higher support needs.

Proactive Approaches to Behavior: Script and Strategies for De-escalation

📅Date: October 30, 2025
⌚Time: 9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Location: In-person

This team-based training walks a school-based team through the process of understanding the cycle of behavioral escalation and proactively planning for adult responses across the cycle. Teams are introduced to behavioral scripts and a template for developing individualized scripts to support a student. Through a combination of scenarios and real-world applications, teams will learn how to facilitate the development of and support the use of behavior scripts that embody a prevent, teach, respond/reinforce approach to supporting both students and adults.

Education-Based Evaluations

📅Date: November 11, 2025
⌚Time: 9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Location: Zoom

This module explains the key components and steps involved in special education eligibility evaluations for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), with a detailed review of the Michigan Administrative Rules for Special Education (MARSE). Participants will explore tools and examples for conducting interviews, observations, and report writing. The training also highlights important considerations for evaluations of young children and female students and evaluations that are culturally and linguistically responsive and neuroaffirming.

Creating a Neuro-Affirming Environment: Strategies for Educators

📅Date:  November 13, 2025, November 20, 2025 and December 4, 2025
⌚Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Location: Zoom

This three-part series explores how to better support autistic individuals using neurodiversity-affirming approaches. Each session will include lived experiences of autistic individuals and focus on key topics like respectful language, the Double Empathy Problem, and Spoon Theory. Participants will leave with practical strategies to create inclusive, trusting learning environments that honor neurodiversity.

The Statewide Autism Resources and Training (START) Project is funded by the Michigan Department of Education, Office of Special Education and is housed in the Grand Valley State University (GVSU) Autism Education Center (AEC). 

START Project | autismed@gvsu.edu | (616) 331-6480