Project Description:
Description:
With funding from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, TECS provides technical assistance in support of the Comprehensive System of Personnel Development (CSPD) for South Carolina's system of early intervention services under Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). We also assist the lead agency in assuring that South Carolina's early intervention personnel meet state standards by maintaining and reviewing applications for the BabyNet Credential for Part C system personnel. We employ a collaborative, interdisciplinary team approach in offering technical assistance through a variety of mechanisms to all constituents of South Carolina's early intervention system.
Vision Statement:
Through interagency and interdisciplinary collaboration, BabyNet personnel are able to systematically identify their professional development needs, access information, and build skills necessary to implement quality early intervention services to families of infants and toddlers with disabilities and/or developmental delays.
Mission Statement:
TECS will develop and implement a comprehensive statewide system for personnel development and technical assistance that promotes high quality early intervention services by ensuring that all personnel in the state who have responsibilities for Part C (including institutes of higher education, early intervention providers, administrators and leaders) are knowledgeable and informed regarding Part C and related recommended practice.
Recipients:
BabyNet System Personnel; Community Partners; Interagency Coordinating Council; Institutions of Higher Education; Lead Agency and Partnering Agencies; Primary Referral Sources; Parent Training/Information Center; Parent Resources & Supports
TA System Processes:
1. CSPD: Assessment of Individual Learning Needs, support implementation of Individual Professional Development Plans; Awarding of BabyNet Early Intervention Credential for Part C of IDEA; Articulation of BabyNet Early Intervention Credential with S.C. Infant-Toddler Credential (SC Technical College System); Development and implementation of a South Carolina Infant Mental Health Specialist Credential
2. TA MECHANISMS: Allied Health Network for BabyNet Service Providers under contract with lead agency, including health literacy systems; TA Consultations related to application of current recommended practices in early intervention; TECSBOOK: Online Managed Learning System for BabyNet System Personnel in fulfillment of required CSPD content; TECSINFO: Listserv for CSPD constituents; TECSTAB: Technical Assistance Bulletins; TECSWEB: CSPD Web Site and portal to Lead & Partnering Agency web sites, relevant resources, announcements, etc.
3. RESEARCH AND DISSEMINATION: Use of current recommended practices in early intervention
4. EVALUATION: Child Participation Outcomes; Family Participation Outcomes; System Enhancements; CSPD (in collaboration with MidSouth Regional Resource Center); Use of current recommended practices in early intervention by BabyNet System Personnel (in collaboration with Thomas Jefferson University)
Content of Managed Learning System:
1. Foundation Series: IDEA statute and regulations; Intersecting legislation; Orientation to the State Early Intervention System; Comprehensive System of Personnel Development; Teaming, Training, and Consultation; Continuous Improvement and Focused Monitoring System; Supervision and Leadership; Working for Families with Infants and Young Children
2. Evidence-Based Practice Series: Child Find and Referral (developmental screening); Service Coordination; Evaluation for Eligibility; Assessment of Family and Child Strengths and Needs; Developing Individualized Family Service Plans; Delivering IFSP Services (natural environments, model curricula); Transitions
3. Resource Series: Typical Child Development; Atypical Child Development; Developmental Disabilities; Chronic Health Conditions
Intended learner outcomes:
1. Information (Collecting Relevant Information: short term and long term memorization; ability to selectively recall, repeat, and paraphrase pieces of information; identification of information that is relevant)
2. Conceptual (Understanding: the ability to define by validation; visualization; alternative representation of concepts and processes; development of conceptual maps; explanation of a process with reasoning; dispelling misconceptions; differentiating by examples and non-examples)
3. Model (Direct Application: analyze a given algorithm; apply (mimic instructions); extend a model or a set of instructions; develop a model to generalize solutions to similar problems; validate a process via an alternative strategy; integrate tasks to solve larger problems of similar nature)
4. Transfer (Critical Thinking & Problem Solving: the ability to use new materials in a new situation; analysis of a problem to identify information by parsing the language, decide on a required algorithm, and develop an efficient pathway to the solution; synthesize solution to a problem and evaluate the quality and reliability of such a solution.
Core Function(s):
Performing Technical Assistance and/or Training, Performing Research or Evaluation, Developing & Disseminating Information
