The Florida State Improvement Grant (SIG) is designed to have a major impact on the quantity and quality of

personnel serving students with disabilities and is administered by the Department of Education (DOE). The SIG is

a competitive federal project under Part D of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 1997) that was

awarded to Florida. Five-year funding totals $7,750,000 ($1,550,000 awarded for fiscal year 2001-02). SIG activities

are supplemented by IDEA, Part B discretionary matching funds through DOE.

SIG activities are in full alignment with:

■

The new Florida Board of Education’s Strategic Imperative #1,

increasing the supply of highly qualified

K-12 instructors

, of Florida’s K-20 Education System Strategic Plan and

■

Florida’s State Improvement Plan’s Goal 3, to

ensure sufficient numbers of qualified personnel will be

available to provide effective instructional and related services to students with disabilities

(required

under IDEA.)

SIG GOAL 1

Ensure sufficient numbers of qualified personnel are available in all regions of the state to provide effective instructional

and related services.

■

Goal 1 activities, through the Florida Comprehensive System of Personnel Development (CSPD), are

addressed by the nine regional Professional Development Partnerships (PDPs) housed at Florida’s

public universities.

SIG GOAL 2

Enhance the capacity of colleges of education and departments of special education to increase the quality of personnel

preparation programs through development and implementation of Faculty Innovation Institutes (FIIs).

■

FIIs are designed to address systemic, problem-based change issues in colleges of education.

■

The FII concept is being developed by a committee of college/university faculty and administrators,

parent representatives, Florida CSPD personnel, and Department of Education staff.

■

Public and private college and university faculty teams are invited to submit an application to participate.

■

Facilitated team workgroups will develop Action Plans for implementation at home colleges/universities

as a requirement of the FIIs.

■

DOE technical assistance, support, and resources will be provided to faculty teams for systemic change

efforts.

SIG GOAL 3

Support the participation of the state’s Parent Training and Information Center (Family Network on Disabilities,

FND) in collaborative opportunities designed to increase the quality and availability of special education and related

services.

■

Parent appointees on the CSPD Advisory Council, on each of the nine Regional Partnership Councils

and the FIIs Steering Committee will provide parent perceptions of teacher quality and training needs.

■

Technical assistance for database design and implementation of a parent training and information

needs database will be provided by Bureau of Instructional Support and Community Services (BISCS).

Florida Department of Education

Division of Public Schools and Community Education

Bureau of Instructional Support and Community Services

FACT SHEET

2002