1. Montana
State Spotlight
2014 Cohort

2. Why We Applied New standards in ELA and Math
Revised policy for accreditation and educator preparation
Need to align systems to better serve SWD
MT welcomes the opportunity presented by CEEDAR to assess current educator preparation programs and align systems to best meet the needs of students receiving special education services in Montana classrooms.

3. Who Is Involved Office of Public Instruction IHEs
Special Education Division
Content Standards & Instruction Division
Accreditation & Educator Preparation
Educator Licensure & Certification
IHEs
University of Montana
University of Montana Western
Montana State University Billings
Montana State University Bozeman

4. What We Hope To Accomplish
Align educator preparation programs and state policies & procedures with a unifying theme
*Responsive teaching and leading is both a term and a construct that we have chosen to encompass the work that we are doing to embed special education theory, pedagogy, and practices into all of our courses. Thus, special education is a key domain of responsive teaching and leading. Additional responsive teaching domains that our department has identified as part of the responsive teaching and leading construct are: inclusion; differentiation of instruction; Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS); gifted and talented education; Indian Education for All (IEFA); culturally responsive teaching; preparation for integration of educational technologies; and Universal Design for Learning (UDL).

5. Where We are Now Completing State and IHE Blueprints
Finalizing objectives, tasks, and activities
Refining the overarching framework

6. Our Next Steps Sharing and implementing Blueprints
Planning fall SLT meeting with focus on unifying framework
Identifying supports for each IHE, including professional development
Selecting and completing relevant ICs

7. Contact
Laura Straus, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Education The University of Montana Western