Introduction to FIMC-VI for New Teachers and New Program Supervisors

Slide 1

2011-2012 FIMC-VI Webinar Series

Introduction to FIMC-VI for New Teachers and New Program Supervisors

Session 3 of 3

Slide 2

AGENDA – Session Three

1:00 Welcome

1:10 FIMC-VI Updates

Annual Census Report

Book Ordering for 2012-2013

Returning Books and Materials to FIMC-VI

Braille Challenge Update

2:10 Tentative Workshops, trainings, webinars and dates for 2012-2013

2:20 Follow-up and questions

2:30 Adjourn

Slide 3

Objectives of Webinar Series

To provide new teachers of the visually impaired and new program supervisors:

Timely information in a cost-effective manner

Overview of FIMC-VI, APH, FCAT, and upcoming events

National and State Initiatives related to students with visual impairments

Statewide and local resources

Slide 4

FIMC-VI 2011-12 Services

Procurement or productions and distribution of accessible instructional materials

Professional Learning

Working with the Experts

Quality Programs for Students with Visual Impairments (QPVI)

QPVI- Building Local Capacity

Braille FCAT development

Volunteer services for braille and audio

Professional Loan Library

NIMAS Florida

Braille Challenge

Slide 5

FIMC-VI and APH Annual Census

Those using the QPVI Master List will find this much easier…

Slide 6

Annual Census

Student registration closed Friday, Feb. 3, 2012

All the data has been submitted to American Printing House for the Blind (APH).

Census shows that we currently have 3,101 students registered with FIMC-VI:

2,033 legally blind students

1,068 low vision

Slide 7

New Legal Ruling on Braille Instruction

Oceanport, New Jersey (May 7, 2012): After a three-year administrative and legal battle against their local school board, the Oceanport Board of Education, Jeffrey and Holly Miller obtained a ruling (docket number: 2011 17218) from an administrative law judge that their eleven-year-old son Henry “Hank” Miller was improperly denied instruction in Braille….

blind

Slide 8

Ruling continued…

Administrative Law Judge Lisa James-Beavers found that the school board and the commission displayed a clear “bias against Braille.”

… had failed to assess Hank’s “sustained reading ability” with print, relying instead on reading assessments involving only brief passages, and citing Hank’s alleged failure to complain about struggling to read print.

Slide 9

Ruling continued:

The judge was unconvinced by the board and CBVI’s contention that Hank could rely on audio technology as reading demands increased through his school years, noting that “as pointed out by all of petitioners’ well-qualified experts, listening does not equate to reading. One does not enhance the active skill of comprehending text by passively listening, even if one is following along with the reading.”

Slide 10

Ruling Continued…

Judge James-Beavers ordered that Hank Miller be provided with Braille instruction for forty-five minutes, five days a week, and that the school board provide compensatory instruction because of the three years that Hank was not provided with Braille instruction, in the form of intensive Braille summer programs or tutoring.

Slide 11

Remember …

Braille is the DEFAULT learning media for all students staffed into a program for the visually impaired!

Current and FUTURE NEEDS must be considered

A thorough Learning Media Assessment is used to establish that the student has EQUAL access to all learning materials. If not, intensive instruction in the reading and writing of braille must begin

Slide 12

Book Orders for
2012-2013

Should be submitted to Kathee Cagle at FIMC-VI by now … and I’m serious!

Slide 13

2011 FIMC-VI Braille “Timely Delivery” for Complete Books Shipped by August 31, 2011

Braille books ordered in April 2011 - 96%

Braille books ordered in May 2011 – 87%

Braille books ordered in June 2011 – 75%

Braille books ordered in July 2011 – 70%

Braille books ordered in AUGUST – 49%

Slide 14

2011 FIMC-VI Large Print “Timely Delivery” Status of Books Shipped by August 31, 2011

Large print books ordered in April, May, or June – 100% shipped complete

Large print books ordered in July - 95% shipped complete

Large print books ordered in August - 72% shipped complete

Slide 15

Tips for ordering braille books and materials

Submit orders for the titles on which you have information. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL YOU HAVE ALL THE BOOKS FOR ONE STUDENT. Order as soon as you know a title!

Double check the ISBN – that is the most valuable piece of information.

Slide 16

Tips for ordering and handling braille books and materials

Have the books shipped to a location where there will be people working all summer. Work with the custodians to designate a room or closet (ok…a shelf) for storage for braille books and special materials. Clearly mark the area.

Save the boxes to return the books back in the same boxes.

Slide 17

Ink Print Requests

If FIMC-VI has asked you to send an “ink print” or a copy of the book to use as a master for a braille transcription or large print production, it is best if you DO NOT pack this with other text books.

Put this (or these) textbook(s) in a separate box or envelope.

Clearly mark the box or envelope as containing INK PRINT(S).

You should ship this package first class to ensure its timely delivery. We have no way to track shipments that are marked Free Matter for the Blind.

If you do include it with other books, clearly mark it as an ink print.

Slide 18

Book Shipments

Between now and August 31, Denise Battle (shipping clerk) will ship approximately 2,500 shipments.

This is approximately 25,000 volumes that will be packed, labeled, and shipped

Boxes are marked with bright stickers to indicate braille and large print books are enclosed to prevent unauthorized return of the materials

When materials are returned, they are either shelved or shipped to the next order

Slide 19

Returning Books to the Center

What to do when you are finished with a braille or large print book.

Slide 20

Books being returned to the center

Between now and August 31, Curtis Nelson (receiving clerk) will receive approximately 3,000 books into the center

As many as 23,000 volumes – an average of 6,000 volumes a MONTH

Each volume is scanned and either shipped out again or shelved.

FIMC-VI receives as many as 15 mail crates a day

This is all done with one full time and one temp employee.

Slide 21

Returning braille books

If a braille volume is missing or damaged, please put a piece of paper in the box with that information

Try to keep the volumes of one book together in the box. If packing more than one book in a box, please put a piece of paper separating the two books.

If you need more than one box for a book – and you will for many braille books – put a piece of paper in the box saying which volumes are present.

Slide 22

Returning large print books

If a large print volume is missing, written in, or damaged, please put a piece of paper in the box with that information.

Try to keep volumes of one book together in the same box. If packing more than one book in a box, please put a piece of paper separating the two books.

If you separate the volumes from one book into more than one box, put a piece of paper in the box saying which volumes are present.

Slide 23

Returning workbooks

If you have received permission to write in a workbook, you do not need to return that book. Please notify Kathee Cagle that the book has been consumed so we can remove it from our database.

Slide 24

Returning APH tangible items

Criteria for returning: If you would be unhappy to receive these items for your use … don’t send them back to us, throw them away.

Slide 25

Returning tangible items

Only return APH kits and teaching supplies when the kit has all its materials and it is ready for another teacher to use.

If braille writers are broken, please put a note in the braille writer as to the problem

Slide 26

APH Tangible Items

Please check with other teachers in your district to see if they can use the materials.

If the kit or materials are incomplete, dirty, or used extensively, please throw them away.

REMEMBER – IF THE CONDITION IS SUCH THAT YOU WON’T USE IT – NOBODY ELSE WANTS IT EITHER!

Slide 27

Questions????

Use the chat box or I can open the microphone one at a time.

Slide 28

Florida Braille Challenge

Affiliated with the National Braille Challenge sponsored by Braille Institute of America

Slide 29

Braille Challenge

FIMC-VI contracts with Sue Glaser to manage all aspects of the Florida Braille Challenge

Grown from one event with 19 students in 2008 to three events with over 80 students participating in 2011

2012 offered four events

Tallahassee – January 20

Orlando – February 2

Ft. Lauderdale – February 24

Tampa – March 2

Data analysis shows improvement in braille reading fluency and comprehension for students participating for more than two consecutive years

Slide 30

Braille Challenge Winners!

“California here I come!”

Michelle Younge – Pinellas County

Kate Antolak – Sarasota / FSDB

Annette Lamas – Broward County

CONGRATULATIONS!

Slide 31

FCAT – 10 Years of Data…

Slide 32

Average % of students passing FCAT Math since 2002

Math Scores

Slide 33

3rd Grade Reading: All Students/ VI / ESE

Slide 34

6th Grade Reading: All Students/ VI / ESE

Slide 35

10th Grade Reading: All Students / VI / ESE

Slide 36

Tentative topics and workshops for next year

We want your ideas!

Slide 37

FIMC-VI 2012 -2013 Tentative Workshops

August 14 and 15 – Sensory Learning Kit in Highlands County

Training for the TEAM working with students with significant intellectual disabilities

October 4 and 5 – QPVI Building Local Capacity follow-up in Lake Placid

Slide 38

FIMC-VI 2012 - 2013 Tentative Workshops

November 1 and 2 – Working with the Experts

School Psychologists and TVI on Assessment in Ft. Lauderdale

December 6 and 7 - Working with the Experts

Technology “Wonderland” in Tampa

Slide 39

Tentative Webinar Topics and Dates

New Teacher and New Program Supervisor Webinars:

September 10 – Session 1

December 10 - Session 2

May 10 - Session 3

Microsoft Word Overview

October 15 – Session 1

November 15 – Session 2

Slide 40

Tentative Webinars Topics and Dates

Introduction to Apple Products and the Student with a Visual Impairment … iCan Webinar

January 11, 2013

Introduction to Downloading Digital Books and Using BookShare

March 8, 2013, Session 1

May 8, 2013, Session 2

Slide 41

Braille Challenge Tentative Dates

January 25 – Tallahassee

February 8 – Orlando

February 22 – Ft. Lauderdale

March 1 - Tampa

Slide 42

FIMC-VI Full-Time Staff

Suzanne Dalton – Supervisor

Kay Ratzlaff – Coordinator

Donna Ross – District Resource Teacher

Cynthia Cookson – Secretary and NIMAS Florida

Kathee Cagle – Order Processing and APH Census

Cathy Babbitt – Clerk/ Professional Library and DeWitt Curriculum Materials

Diana Moyer- Large Print Production

Vernon Underwood – Braille Production

Siew Ng – Braillist

Denise Battle – Shipping

Curtis Nelson - Receiving

Slide 43

Other Florida Projects and Resources

Florida Low Vision Initiative (Kim Roberts and Alysa Crooke: )

Florida Outreach Project for Children and Young Adults with Deaf-Blindness (Emily Taylor-Snell: )

Florida Outreach Services for Blind/Visually Impaired and Deaf/Hard of Hearing (Diana Deacon: )

FSU Teacher Prep Programs – Undergraduate and Graduate

Tallahassee (Dr. Sandra Lewis )

St. Petersburg/Tampa (Sue Glaser)

Miami-Dade/ Broward (Jennifer Breitinger)

Slide 44

QUESTIONS?