CEEDAR in Bozeman, Montana

Nov. 4, 2013

Recently, Erica McCray, Center Co-Director and Meg Kamman, Project Coordinator, traveled to beautiful Bozeman Montana to participate in the Montana Higher Education Consortium semi-annual meeting. Faculty members from seven institutions of higher education, and leaders from the Office of Public Instruction spent the day completing a needs assessment and determining priorities. The group engaged in discussions about their strengths and areas in which they want to improve to better meet the needs of students with disabilities in their state. They committed to working collaboratively–within and across institutions– on reforming and streamlining their teacher and leader preparation programs.

The faculty members present were the first to use the online Innovation Configuration process. They appreciated being able to access the Evidence Based Practices in one place and to be able to assess how well they were covering the content in their programs. Additionally, faculty commented on how they could easily see gaps and redundancies in coverage and would use the information to inform faculty and drive reform. Montana participants provided valuable feedback that is already being incorporated into the system before a wider audience uses it.

The commitment and investment of the Montana Higher Education Consortium is evident. They meet twice a year to discuss “hot topics” and are enthusiastic about engaging in Targeted TA to guide the work they were already planning to do. It is our hope that the products and services the CEEDAR Center will provide, in partnership with CCSSO, will enhance and expedite their efforts.