Implementation Plan Updates are due on October 23, 2026. Please review and update all line items in your Implementation Plan to ensure the information is current.

Resources are available to guide you through the process, including a new video focused on how to update Priority Activities and a Quick Start Guide. You may also reach out at any time for support.

Prevent Teach Reinforce Respond (PTRR) organizes behavior support around four areas: preventing barriers to successful engagement, teaching skills, reinforcing skills and behaviors that support success, and responding in ways that maintain safety, support regulation, and promote participation and engagement.

The PTRR table helps teams think proactively and develop a coordinated approach across these four areas. Rather than focusing primarily on what to do after behavior occurs, PTRR encourages teams to consider the environment, what students need to learn, how those skills will be strengthened, and how adults will respond when students need additional support.

→ We encourage RCNs to share information about START's 2026-2027 Trainings and Training Series with staff, community members, and families across their regions. 

Harm Prevention and Neurodiverse Students

📅Date: October 13, 2026
⌚Time: 9:00 - 11:00 a.m.
Location: Virtual via Zoom

The presentation will consider the unique behavioral characteristics of autistic students, the assessment of harm to self and others, as well as intervention and support considerations to prevent harm. The presentation will introduce the BTAM (Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management) & ASD tool as a resource to help school-based teams assess behavioral risk and inform prevention plans that support safe school environments. 

Using the CETA to Promote Evidence-Based Classroom Practices

📅Dates (6 Modules): October 21, 2026; November 18, 2026; December 9, 2026; January 13, 2027; February 3, 2027; and February 24, 2027
⌚Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. 
Location: Virtual via 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 and 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.

Behavior Escalation and Scripts

📅Date: October 22, 2026
⌚Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. 
Location: Virtual via Zoom
Note: Behavior Series attendees should not sign up for this training separately. This training is integrated into the Behavior Series.

Educators understand that a consistent, predictable, and positive environment sets students up for success and prevents many behavioral challenges. But what happens when it doesn’t? This training will cover the cycle of behavioral escalation, including the course it takes, the behaviors that students engage in during that course, and what appropriate adult responses are needed.

This event is co-sponsored by START and the MiMTSS Technical Assistance Center.

FAPE in the LRE

📅Date: October 27, 2026
⌚Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. 
Location: Virtual via Zoom

Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) is the foundation of special education. What do these terms really mean? How do we ensure that we are providing FAPE in the LRE? It is critical that all educational staff, including administrators, general and special education teachers, itinerant and ancillary staff, and support staff, understand these terms and the related obligation of each in order to appropriately support students with disabilities. This session will include activities and tools to enhance learning.

Inclusive Academic Engagement
Topic: For Every Learner: Making Universal Supports Everyday Practice

📅Date: October 28, 2026
⌚Time: 8:00 - 8:45 a.m. OR 4:00 - 4:45 p.m.
Location: Virtual via Zoom

Universal supports work best when they're not an afterthought, but a built-in part of daily instruction. This session shows general and special educators how to make supports that benefit every learner into everyday practice. Participants will see real classroom examples and leave with easy-to-use ideas they can try right away. The session includes interactive discussion and practical tools to ensure support is relevant to the lesson, not extra. 

Meeting Mechanics and Implementation: Team-Based Problem-Solving

📅Date: November 10, 2026
⌚Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Location: Virtual via Zoom

When faced with an issue or problem to solve, teams need to identify key factors and develop solutions that lead to clear action. This process can become challenging when issues are complex or emotionally charged, often slowing progress or bringing it to a halt. This session will focus on the efficient and effective six-step problem-solving process of Meeting Mechanics. Through real-world scenarios, participants will practice the Meeting Mechanics process and leave with practical, ready-to-use tools.

Inclusive Academic Engagement
Clarity by Design: Visual Strategies for Accessible Curriculum

📅Date: December 1, 2026
⌚Time: 8:00 - 8:45 a.m. OR 4:00 - 4:45 p.m.
Location: Virtual via Zoom

What if a few visual adjustments could make your curriculum click for every learner? This session explores visual strategies to enhance clarity and accessibility in everyday materials, supporting general and special educators in reaching diverse learners in inclusive settings. Drawing on real classroom examples, participants will leave with practical, ready-to-use ideas. Expect examples and sample tools you can apply directly to your own lessons. 

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