SB-1039, As Passed Senate, February 28, 2008

SUBSTITUTE FOR

SENATE BILL NO. 1039

     A bill to amend 1976 PA 451, entitled

"The revised school code,"

(MCL 380.1 to 380.1852) by adding section 641.

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

     Sec. 641. (1) An intermediate school district may develop and

make available to districts and public school academies an early

intervening model program for grades K to 3. The early intervening

model program shall be designed to instruct classroom teachers and

support staff on how to monitor individual pupil learning and how

to provide specific support or learning strategies to pupils as

early as possible in order to avoid inappropriate referrals to

special education. The model program shall be based on a program

with documented positive results and outcomes and shall include all

of the following:

     (a) Literacy and numeracy supports, sensory motor skill

development, behavior supports, instructional consultation for

teachers, and the development of a parent/school learning plan.

Specific support or learning strategies may include support in or

out of the general classroom in areas including reading, writing,

math, visual memory, motor skill development, behavior, or language

development. These would be provided based on an understanding of

the individual child's learning needs.

     (b) A schoolwide system of academic and behavioral support

based on a support team available to the classroom teachers. The

members of this team could include the principal, special education

staff, reading teachers, school psychologists, speech and language

services providers, school social workers, and other appropriate

personnel who would be available to systemically study the needs of

the individual child and work with the classroom teacher to match

instruction to the needs of the individual child.

     (2) An intermediate school district may use funds received

under section 81 of the state school aid act of 1979, MCL 388.1681,

for the purposes of subsection (1).

     (3) If an intermediate school district develops an early

intervening model program under this section, the intermediate

school district shall notify its constituent districts and the

public school academies located within the intermediate school

district that the model program is available and that the

intermediate school district has funds available for developing the

model program.