For the past ten years, the Special Education Department of Ionia County Intermediate School District has operated from a five-year plan consisting of a set of department goals. These goals are revised and updated annually with the assistance of ISD staff, our local districts partners and parents. The following are the 2006-2011 Special education Department Goals.

1. Implement and maintain the Instructional Consultation Team Process in all elementary schools country-wide.
2. Review of services provided to students with Aspergers.
   
3. Coordinate and collaborate with general education regarding the achievement gap between general and special education and its impact on high school reform, student achievement, graduation rates, dropout rates, and AYP:
   1. Efforts will be made to reduce special education eligibility rates and increase the amount of the time special education students spend in general education;
   2. Collaborative meetings with the special education coordinators and the general education curriculum coordinators.
      
4. Examine the servicing of special education students in alternative education settings.
   
5. Implement process and procedures for birth to five special education programs in meeting the state and federal standards in the areas of :
   
   1. Assessment/curriculum;
      
   2. Federal outcomes;
      
   3. Natural environments;
      
   4. Supervision
6. Michigan Merit Exam (MME) & ACT Accommodations
   
7. Update Ionia County Special Education Procedures manual and provide training to appropriate staff..
8. Provide support for continued county-wide high school reform.
   
9. Adapt and implement an electronic IEP.
   
10. Develop a committee to investigate inservice options for educating staff on the understanding, utilization, and display of data.
    
11. Create a county-wide special education list-serve via ISD.
    
12. Follow-up study of special education high school graduates (completers in Ionia County Intermediate School District.)
    
13. Follow-up study of SHARE graduates to assess effectiveness of interventions.
    
14. Training for general education staff on the learning needs of exceptional learners (to include ADHD/OHI guidelines and procedures.)
    
15. Expand transition options for SEI/EI students. (In Progress)
    
16. Training for special education staff on assessment procedures to evaluate IEP goals.
    
17. Develop Ionia County Intermediate School District Resource room Curriculum Frameworks Guide. (In Progress)
    
18. Provide training on Section 504 requirements/policies.
    
19. Expand use of student-led IEP’s at the middle school and high school levels. (In Progress)
    
20. Study committee to review best practice in the Early Childhood Development Delay (ECDD) programs and make recommendations for changes to current local district programming.
    
21. Train ISD / local special education / general education staff on required IDEA 2004 changes.