State Improvement Plans

Steering Committee

The Mississippi Department of Education (MDE), Office of Special Education (OSE), has established a state steering committee as recommended by the Office of Special Programs (OSEP), as an integral component of OSEP’s continuous improvement monitoring process (CIMP).

The steering committee is composed of key stakeholders, representing a broad background and representing diverse perspectives.  Members of the steering committee include parents of children with disabilities, individuals with disabilities, teachers, representatives of institutions of higher learning (IHL), state and local education officials, administrators of programs and representatives of other state agencies. 

The steering committee is responsible for developing and implementing a self-assessment that analyzes how successful the state has been in achieving compliance and improving results for children with disabilities and their families. Collaborative efforts of the steering committee impact all of the following:  the setting of goals and benchmarks, the collection and analysis of self-assessment data, the identification of critical issues and solutions to the problems, and the development, implementation and oversight of improvement strategies to ensure compliance and improved results for infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities.