South: Regional Information

Alliance for School-based Problem-solving & Intervention Resources in Education
An Illinois State Board of Education Initiative

Illinois ASPIRE (Alliance for School-based Problem-solving and Intervention Resources in Education) is a coordinated, regionalized system of personnel development designed to increase the capacity of school districts to provide early intervening services, aligned with the general education curriculum, to at-risk students and students with disabilities.  This system consists of four regional Illinois ASPIRE Centers established by the Illinois State Board of Education, and each is responsible for activities to support the following project objectives:

  1. Deliver standardized research-based professional development in Problem-Solving, including Response to Intervention (RTI); scientifically-based reading instruction; and standards-aligned instruction and assessment through:
    1. A coaching model to targeted demonstration districts in each region,
    2. Large scale trainings throughout each region, and
    3. Ongoing technical assistance to schools.
  2. Increase the participation of parents in decision making.
  3. Incorporate the professional development content into Institution of Higher Education (IHE) general and special education preservice and graduate curricula.
  4. Evaluate the effectiveness of project activities.

Illinois ASPIRE is operated under a State Personnel Development Grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education & Rehabilitation Services. All funding ($1.85 million annually) is from federal sources.

POSTED OCTOBER 17, 2008: In collaboration with ISBE, Illinois ASPIRE South is working to expand services to school districts to facilitate implementation of a multi-tier, early intervening services model, more commonly referred to as Response to Intervention (RtI). Changes in state timelines and priorities have required our grant to have a modest shift in focus and timelines. As part of this scaling up initiative, Illinois ASPIRE South will provide training and technical assistance to external coaches from Regional Offices of Education, special education joint agreements/cooperatives, and/or school districts who will then serve as trainer/coaches for their respective school district(s).

The "Application for RtI External Coaches Partnership" outlines the details of this new initiative. It is an opportunity for one or more of your staff to receive comprehensive training and technical assistance related to RtI and, in turn, provide local level coaching to your school(s). Illinois ASPIRE South encourages ROE's, joint agreements/cooperatives and/or school districts to apply.

Also, we ask that ROE's and joint agreements/cooperatives assist in disseminating the application by forwarding this email, with the application, to district superintendents in your respective areas. THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS IS NOVEMBER 21, 2008.

Click here to downlaod the application.

If you have questions, please contact Michael McCollum, I-ASPIRE South Project Co-Director, at mmccollum@siue.edu or 618-650-5182.