Transforming Transition Together (T3) Training Series

We are excited to announce dates and topics for our virtual Transforming Transition Together (T3) Training Series! Each standalone training will be held from 4:00 - 5:15 p.m.

Registration is open! Mark your calendar for the dates below. Let's start the transformation!

October 12, 2022 - Empowering Students: Sexual Health
November 16, 2022 - Planning for Competitive Integrated Employment: V3 Discovery Checklist
December 14, 2022 - Education, IEP, and Transition Planning: Personal Curriculum
January 11, 2023 - Preparing for Competitive Integrated Employment: Leveraging Pre-ETS

Visit the START website to view the dates and topics for the remainder of the year.

Reminder: Register for the Fall RCN Leadership Day

Fall RCN Leadership Day
Reminder: Contact your RCN leadership for registration information

October 24, 2022; 9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center, 219 S Harrison Rd, East Lansing, MI 48824
Format: in-person
Agenda

2022-2023 RCN Application and Contract Forms: Reminders

The RCN Application and Contract Forms page will be updated regularly as forms and links become available. Please review the following upcoming deadlines:

2022-2023 RCN Contract Activities Worksheet is due October 28, 2022.
Baseline Data is due November 11, 2022.

RCN Contacts and Email Updates

Reminder! Enter your Fiscal Agent Information, Report Contact Information, RCN Leadership, and District Representatives on the 22-23 RCN Contacts spreadsheet located in your Google Drive Folder. START will send RCN update emails to the District Representatives and RCN leadership.

Update your spreadsheet throughout the year to ensure your RCN Leadership and RCN District Representatives receive RCN Updates from START.

START Trainings and Events

Please visit the START website for the events and trainings for 2022-2023. We plan to offer the following trainings in different formats throughout the upcoming school year:

Peer to Peer
FAPE in the LRE
Education-Based Evaluations
Self-Management
Peer to Peer 2.0
Transforming Transition Together (T3)

Save the Date!

22nd Annual START Conference
May 1, 2023; 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center

Spring RCN Leadership Day
May 2, 2023; 9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center

2022-2023 EPLI Updates

The 2022-2023 EPLI Application is now available. We have expanded the EPLI Focus Course and now offer multiple date options for each Zoom session and the EPLI Trainer Focus Day. Please review the dates for this year as the application deadline now corresponds with the first Zoom Sessions.

Please note: The requirement to attend Intensive Training in the past 3 years (along with the PBIS and ESS modules) has not changed. Since START is not offering Intensive Training this year, we are only able to accept applicants who have already attended the trainings at either K-12 Wayne, K-12 Kent, or K-12 Monroe.

As a project, we understand that this will postpone the process for new trainers, but this is an important planning year for START as we need to dedicate significant staff time and energy over the next year to resource development. We are prioritizing our work around updated resources that are easily available, broken into smaller chunks of content, and accessible for the RCN. This also includes prioritizing the development of on-demand resources and training materials for trainers.

We intend to have opportunities for more people to apply to be a EPLI trainer in 2023-2024. If you have any questions, please reach out to your RCN leadership or START RCN representative.

Communities of Practice (CoP)

Please visit the START website for information and meeting dates for the Communities of Practice:

Educational Supports and Strategies CoP
Peer to Peer (P2P) CoP
- Note: The P2P CoP has an in-person meeting date scheduled for October 25, 2022
Practical Functional Assessment and Skill-based Treatment (PFA-SBT) CoP
Secondary Transition CoP
Sexual Health CoP

If you have any questions about a CoP, please contact your RCN Leadership Representatives or your START RCN representative.

Order Form Coming Soon

Again this year, START is pleased to make the following available for ordering at no cost to the RCN:

Elementary and Secondary Peer to Peer Playbooks
Effective Teaming and Meeting Mechanics Resource Manuals
START-er Kits (a mixture of 45-50 START-ism branded items)

Please stay tuned for more information on how to order!

RCN Trainings for the START Website

Each RCN should submit at least one RCN-provided stand-alone training per semester using START content delivered by START EPLI trainers. The training will be included in the events listed on the START website, and should be open to the RCN and the broader region, including families and community partners. Trainings should be submitted here.

The trainings will be posted here on the START website as they are received. Please share this with your local contacts.

Featured in September's START Connecting

Preschool Life Skills (PLS): Teaching Foundational Behaviors for School Success:

Many children need explicit instruction and multiple practice opportunities to learn these skills, especially as they prepare for kindergarten. To teach these skills and set up a successful classroom environment, it is useful to have a systematic program for teaching, modeling, practicing, and reinforcing these foundational skills. Read more about PLS here!

Critical Questions - Equity and Inclusion: What to Expect

In October 2021 START introduced readers to Critical Questions, which are thought-provoking questions addressing equity for individuals on the autism spectrum. The critical questions are intended to guide and expand our thinking when making decisions about the practices we use.

These questions are a continuous work in progress and we will spend more time on each of these questions in the future. START is also committed to the ongoing provision of resources and dialogue to support our audience toward authentic inclusivity.

We hope that you will join us by engaging with Critical Question updates in future START Connecting emails! Read more about the Critical Questions here.

Statewide Autism Resources and Training (START) Project is funded by the Michigan Department of Education, Office of Special
Education to provide training and technical assistance to educators in Michigan that serve students with ASD.
START Project | autismed@gvsu.edu | (616) 331-6480

401 W. Fulton St.
388C DEV
Grand Rapids, MI 49504