students on a nature hike

Strategic Plan

December 11, 2001

Mission Statement

The mission of the SEEM Collaborative is to provide student with severe disabilities with high quality, cost-efficient educational programs and services, in the least restrictive environment, that compliment and strengthen the school programs of the member districts.

Vission Statement

  • SEEM’s programs and services enable member districts to extend their capacity to educate students in the least restrictive environment.
  • SEEM’s programs and services provide access to the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks, and support students to learn the skills that allow them to be productive and successful adults.
  • All students enrolled recognize their strengths and experience success.
  • All students enrolled are educated with typically developing peers in the least restrictive environment.
  • Integrated, specialized services are provided to special needs students who cannot be educated as appropriately in their own school district..
  • Member districts, parents, students and other stakeholders involved in students’ lives support respect, value and appreciate the consistent high quality of our programs and services.

Beliefs

We believe in:

  • the ability of all children to learn;
  • the importance of strong mutually supportive relationships among all members of the SEEM community, including students, parents, staff and district personnel, respecting individual differences and the value of collaboration and trust;
  • the development of the skills necessary for success in the least restrictive environment while ensuring access to the full range of the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks;
  • the value of high quality, cost effective programming for students which provides the best opportunity for them to achieve equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency.

GOAL 1: Budget and Finance

Maintain the Collaborative’s financial viability.

OBJECTIVE 1: Establish and maintain a financial system and budgeting process that provide the necessary financial support for high quality and cost efficient programs and services.

STRATEGIES:

1) Business Manager will work with site leaders and other members of Administrative Council to establish a budgeting process that will anticipate the following year’s needs early in the new year.
2) Business Manager will work with site leaders to ensure that all
SEEM programs remain within budget.
3) Executive Director and Business Manager will work with the Planning and Assessment Committee to review the budget and recommend approval to the Board.

OBJECTIVE 2: Maintain the fiscal autonomy of the organization while at the same time offering cost effective programs and services for its member districts.

STRATEGY:

1) Business Manager will work with Administrative Council, the
Planning and Assessment Committee, and the Board to ensure cost effective programs while ensuring the fiscal autonomy of the organization.

OBJECTIVE 3: In order to maintain cost effective programs continue to work with state officials and our political representatives to obtain SBAB support for the provision of classroom and other space in public schools so that students in collaborative programs might benefit from the same access to general education curriculum experiences as their non-disabled peers.

STRATEGY:

1) The Board will work with the Planning and Assessment Committee and the Administrative Council to accomplish this goal.

GOAL 2: Program Development and Assesment

Institute management practices that enable SEEM to respond to demands for new programs for member districts while ensuring high quality for all new programs and continuing quality of existing programs.

OBJECTIVE 1: Define the role of the Planning and Assessment Committee relative to program planning, development, and assessment as well as decisions about collaborative practices, parent involvement, staffing, and rate setting.

STRATEGIES:

3) Survey other educational service agencies around the nation to
determine how they function and what we can learn from them.
4) Develop a proposal for the role of the Planning and Assessment
Committee for Board consideration, including how the P. & A. Committee interfaces with the Board.

OBJECTIVE 2: Develop and implement consistent practices for researching, designing, and implementing new programs.

STRATEGIES:

1) Develop a procedure for the development and implementation of new programs specifying the role of Administrative Council, the role of the Planning and Assessment Committee, and the role of the Board in the process.
2) Develop a process by which the most current research regarding the most effective programs is made available to SEEM staff and the Planning and Assessment Committee.
3) Develop a plan that addresses unanticipated program needs and
agree on a procedure for addressing these more urgent needs while keeping all stakeholders in the loop.
4) Reconcile all procedures related to program development, and
implementation with SEEM’s financial obligations to the Board.

OBJECTIVE 3: Provide for on-going assessment of all SEEM programs to ensure that program goals are being achieved and that the expectations of the LEA’s are being met.

STRATEGIES:

1) Develop a procedure for periodic internal and external evaluations of all SEEM programs.
2) Develop a procedure for documenting that the student entrance and exit criteria, recommended by the Planning and Assessment Committee, approved by the Board and accepted by DOE, are being followed and that they continue to work to the student’s advantage.

OBJECTIVE 4: Ensure that the quality of SEEM programs is not compromised by
pressures for program growth.

STRATEGIES:

1) Develop a procedure for using evaluation data that are gathered
through the internal and external evaluation process to determine if program expansion is in order.
2) Develop a procedure for routinely reviewing current research to determine whether new programs should be considered.

OBJECTIVE 5: Develop intake procedures that include professional presentation of programs to parents and district administrators

STRATEGIES:

1.) Develop program brochures and media
2.) Define staff roles for intake process
3.) Establish staff development
4.) Develop protocols for program visits and intake interviews
5.) Develop process for district feed back following site visits

GOAL 3: Recruit, Train and Retain Staff

Recruit, train and retain high quality, experienced, certified staff who are committed to working with students with moderate to severe special needs.

OBJECTIVE 1: Develop and implement procedures designed for the on-going recruitment of new staff.

STRATEGIES:

1) Write and adopt job descriptions.
2) Develop and adopt procedure for posting of open positions.
3) Develop and adopt procedure for advertising open positions.
4) Recruit student interns and new graduates from institutes of higher learning.
5) Develop and implement interviewing procedures.
6) Recruit staff that meet DOE certification requirements.

OBJECTIVE 2: Develop comprehensive professional development training program based on identified program needs and in accordance with DOE mandates.

STRATEGIES:

1) Develop intensive orientation and in-service training program.
2) Develop a mentoring program to support new staff.
3) Develop professional development options that reflect best practices and learning needs of staff.

OBJECTIVE 3: Develop and implement a comprehensive supervision and performance evaluation procedure for all employees of the SEEM Collaborative.

STRATEGIES:

1) Design a process for each employee category to have input into performance standards that will be the basis for their evalua-tion.
2) Design and implement performance via committee evaluation criteria, forms and timelines.
3) Identify responsible administrative personnel in each category to be evaluated and those administrative staff giving input.
4) Field test by 2/1/02.
5) Refine as needed.

OBJECTIVE 4: Continue and develop processes and programs that support staff retention.

STRATEGIES:

1) Establish college partnership(s).
2) Offer course reimbursements.
3) Offer health, dental and other insurance options.
4) Offer personal investment options.
5) Offer competitive salaries.
6) Investigate the possibility of offering bonuses.
7) Develop process for exit interviews.

GOAL 4: Organizational Infrastructure

Create management structures and practices that form the infrastructure that will provide appropriate support for programs, services and all staff that remain flexible enough to respond to the dynamic state of affairs in the delivery of special education programs and services.

OBJECTIVE 1: Develop a management structure and communication processes that will allow the organization to respond effectively to the goals and objectives contained in SEEM’s strategic plan.

STRATEGIES:

1) Begin a process of joint planning meeting of the Board of Directors, the Planning and Assessment Committee, and SEEM’s Administrative Council to be held in February, 2002 to consider possible management structures that will allow SEEM’s administration to effectively meet the needs of its member districts.
2) Continue the practice of having SEEM’s Administrative Council, made up of the Executive Director, Business Manager, Special Assistant to the Director, Program Directors, Site Directors, meet on a weekly basis to deal with organizational management issues in a timely and collaborative manner.

GOAL 5: Standards

Ensure that SEEM’s programs and services and any other initiatives undertaken by SEEM are in compliance with state and federal guidelines and regulations and that specifically all curricula are aligned with the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks.

OBJECTIVE 1: Ensure that all SEEM students have access to the general education
curriculum commensurate with their abilities.

STRATEGIES:

1) Establish at each SEEM location a curriculum review committee that will have responsibility, under the supervision of the site director, of ensuring that all curricula are aligned with the Curriculum Frameworks and that students participate in all aspects of MCAS testing and remediation.
2) Each curriculum review committee will report to Administrative Council on a yearly basis or as otherwise requested on curriculum alignment issues.
3) Clarify expectations for each student regarding placement in the least restrictive environment and establish criteria that can be used by evaluation teams to determine if the expectations are being met.

OBJECTIVE 2: Ensure that all SEEM programs respond to the four criteria that form the basis of the National Disability Policy Frameworks – equality of opportunity – full participation – independent living – economic self-sufficiency.

STRATEGIES:

1) Develop indicators that can be used by the curriculum review
Committees and the outside evaluation teams to determine if the four criteria in the National Disability Policy Frameworks are being addressed in SEEM programs.

Appendix

STRENGTHS

1. An effective, accountable, and well-managed financial system has been achieved and maintained.

2. We have ever improving reputation, as measured by the increasing number of referrals to our programs.

3. We are responsive to member districts needs.

4. We have a staff that is professional and dedicated to working with challenging students with a high record of success.

5. We schedule time for consultative meetings with a focus on collaboration and integration of treatment plans and approaches.

6. We have a strong clinical team that provides therapeutic and support services.

7. We have successfully transitioned individual students back to their home districts.

8. We are creative in the design of new programs.

9. We provide high quality extended year programs that meet students’ needs and districts’ needs for placements.

10. We provide a comprehensive vocational life skills program for intellectually impaired adolescents and adults.

11. We provide specialized classroom environments, e.g. Applied Behavior Analysis, Hearing Impaired.

12. We provide extensive vision support services to member and non-member districts.

13. We provide transportation, municipal Medicaid reimbursement billing, staff development, related treatment services, a resource center and other such supports for member districts.

WEAKNESSES AND CHALLENGES
Analysis of Internal Issues

a) SEEM personnel are concerned about their ability to recruit, retain and hire certified and experienced staff, despite significant recruiting initiatives.

b) Current organizational systems do not adequately support planning and development of new programs and classes for unique student needs, including systems for hiring new staff and restructuring speech therapy services.

c) Transportation - lack enough SEEM vans.

d) Budget guidelines for direct service staff are not sufficiently clear.

e) Lost opportunity for accessing grant money.

f) Internal information is not disseminated well enough about policies and practices, e.g. professional development opportunities, how to file 51As, allocation of therapists’ time, integration of new personnel.

g) Internal collaboration doesn’t adequately support program development, access to resources, and intake procedures.

h) In some programs instructional materials are inadequate to support the curriculum.

i) SEEM staff feel there is not enough time, need to learn time management and to delegate.

j) Roles and responsibilities of SEEM staff are not sufficiently clear, including how the organizational hierarchy works, e.g. where decisions are made & problems solved. Clear job descriptions and titles are needed.

k) Psychology and social work support for all students and staff consultation is inadequate.

Analysis of External Issues

a) There is insufficient clarity about how to resolve problems with district transportation.

b) Some current SEEM facilities are inadequate.

c) Some building maintenance and repair is inadequate.

d) Means to safely contain out-of-control students are constrained by limitations of the facilities.

e) Noise level in buildings escalates behavior of other students, when walls are not full height and there are no doors.

f) Transition planning is not consistently developed with all districts.

g) Inclusion opportunities are compromised by access to building-based general education programs and typically developing peers.

h) Communication of procedures and clear expectations is insufficient to engender support of districts - a public relations issue.

i) SEEM staff want better ability to interface and develop collaborative relationships with districts where SEEM programs are located

j) Inadequate provision of extracurricular activities.

k) Providing home-based training.

l) Vocational opportunities in the communities.

m) SEEM has need for more technology - hardware, software, internet access, training, assistive technology, maintenance.

n) Structures are inadequate to support special education administrator-Collaborative problem-solving and planning. (external communication & customer satisfaction)

o) Inconsistent commitment of special education administrators to meet regularly with colleagues and executive director

CRITICAL ISSUES

SEEM is in a period of rapid growth, due to high demands for programs and services and is challenged to maintain quality in the face of rapid growth. This situation provides a context for the following critical issues:

1. Maintain fiscal viability.

2. SEEM is in a period of rapid growth, due to high demands for programs and services and is challenged to maintain quality in the face of rapid growth.

3. A strong educational collaborative is needed to help districts address the changing needs of the special education population.

4. The role of the Planning and Assessment Committee is not clear in terms of their involvement in planning, assessment, program development and decisions about such issues as rate setting, intake procedures, parent involvement, staffing and specifically how to balance quality with cost containment.

5. Within the collaborative, SEEM’s policies, procedures, roles and responsibilities need to be documented and disseminated in a clear, consistent and timely manner.

6. In order to maintain quality and ensure placement in the least restrictive environment, clearly defined entrance and exit criteria are needed.

7. SEEM is concerned about their ability to recruit, hire and retain certified and experienced staff.

8. The lack of adequate facilities and logistical supports is an ongoing challenge. SEEM Collaborative is restricted by the availability of adequate space offered by the member districts, resulting in using facilities that are in need of modification for use as classrooms. This in turn compromises the districts ability to meet state and federal legal mandates to provide access to the general curriculum and placement in the least restrictive environment.