2

Fifty years ago, the intermediate school district system was created by an act of the state legislature. Folks in our community not only saw the need for this service, they had the forethought to place a priority on it.

Today, our community embraces education at all levels with a joy and passion that is rare. As a result of this commitment, thousands of Kalamazoo County students are gaining educational and employment experience through Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency programs. Many of your students and parents credit our staff and programs with having a positive, life-changing impact. We rejoice in these successes and accomplishments.

It is widely known that Kalamazoo RESA has a high level of expertise in instruction and special education, but few realize the depth of our technology and business back-shop operations. These departments provide many public and private schools in the region with on-site services and support that allow them to save on costs and focus on education.

Words alone cannot do justice to the depth and breadth of our programs, so I invite you to visit any of our Kalamazoo RESA sites to see how public funds, private philanthropy and community engagement combine to make many educational dreams a reality.

At Kalamazoo RESA, we collaborate across our community, region -- and beyond -- to leverage all available resources for their best and broadest use. And the need for our services has never been greater, so we’re working hard to respond to that need.

After all, our No. 1 goal is service. As we’ve seen in our 50-year history, that’s a key to high-quality education.

Ronald L. Fuller Superintendent, Kalamazoo RESA

3

Our MissionThe Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency provides innovative and responsive educational services to educators and learners through leadership, collaboration and support.

Statement of PurposeKalamazoo RESA is committed to providing educational support services for all students in public and nonpublic schools. We provide leadership and act as a proactive force in education.

Kalamazoo RESA is a communicator, a facilitator and a partner working with our local community, state legislature and the State Department of Education.

Kalamazoo RESA receives its legal authority from the state legislature and the state board of education, but it receives its credibility by serving the educational needs of the community and, ultimately, the students.

The No.1 goal of Kalamazoo RESA is service.

Constituent Districts:n Climax-Scotts Community Schools n Comstock Public Schools n Galesburg-Augusta Community Schools n Gull Lake Community Schools n Kalamazoo Public Schools n Parchment School District n Portage Public Schools n Schoolcraft Community Schools n Vicksburg Community Schools n Youth Advancement Academy n Oakland Academy n Paramount Charter Academy n 18 nonpublic schools in Kalamazoo County

For More Information: Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency1819 E. Milham Avenue, Portage, MI 49002269.250.9200www.kresa.org

Kalamazoo RESA Board of Education

PresidentDr. Delores Myers

Vice PresidentJames Harrington

SecretarySkip Knowles

TreasurerDavid Webster

TrusteeGary Brown

Nondiscrimination NoticeIt is the policy of Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency that no discriminating practices based on gender/sex, sexual orientation, race, religion, height, weight, color, age, national origin, disability or any other status covered by federal, state or local law be allowed during any program, activity, service or in employment. The following position at Kalamazoo RESA has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policy. Human Resources Director Tom Zahrt; Assistant Superintendents: Margaret McGlinchey and Laurie Montgomery. Contact information: 269-250-9200.

4

Instructional CenterThe Kalamazoo RESA Instructional Center provides focused, research-based support to districts aimed at improving student achievement.Professional development opportunities and consultation are provided at Kalamazoo RESA and in local school districts.In 2011-2012:

n More than 173 workshops were offered. n 2,654 teachers and administrators participated in professional development. n 46 in-district workshops were conducted. n 42 in-district consultations were held. n 18 community workshops and presentations took place.Other services included:n Professional development for administrators from 16 districts n 20 participants in the Principals Institute n 51 participants in the Administrators Academy n Literacy and Positive Behavior Support coaching for 25 schools n Monthly meetings for: n Curriculum leaders n Middle school principals n Social studies teachers n Instructional technology coordinators n MiBLSi coaches n School improvement review and feedback n Capacity-building initiative n Community trainings n SB-CEUs for workshop attendance, teacher mentors, supervision of interns and school improvement meetings

Workshop and consultation topics included:n Response to Intervention (RTI) n School Improvement n Instructional Practices and Strategies n Professional Learning Communities n Literacy Instructional Strategies K-12 n How to Prevent Bullying n Classroom Management n New Teacher Series n Technology Integration n Social Studies n Collaboration n Balanced Leadership n Formative Assessment n Math Instructional Strategies n Positive Behavior Support n Teaching American History n Data Management & Analysis

Kalamazoo RESA offers data warehousing as well as training and support services on data management and analysis.

Services provided during 2011-2012 included:n 773 authorized user accounts n Bimonthly user group meetings n Training on District Data Analyzer for local district staff

TransportationThe Regional Transportation Safety Institute provides training and management consultation services to 130 schools in nine inter-mediate school districts.

During the July 2011-June 2012 training cycle:n 231 new bus drivers were trained.n 1,006 bus drivers received continuing education.n 56 drivers were trained in evasive maneuvers on a closed course, the only one of its kind in the United States.n 674 employees were monitored with random drug and alcohol testing.n 50 transportation supervisors were trained.n 674 driver’s license skills tests were performed.

5

Business OfficeThe Kalamazoo RESA business office provided local schools with a variety of administrative and fiscal services in 2011-2012, including:n 809 employees and substitute teachers fingerprinted by the Kalamazoo RESA human resources department n Business office services for local school districts, including payroll, accounts payable, accounts receivable, business manager services and grant accounting n Pupil auditing and training n Countywide transportation coordination n Fiscal services for cooperative programs such as EFE, EFA and special education n Coordinated cooperative purchasing n Monthly business manager meetings n 403(b) compliance through the MRIC consortium n Medicaid outreach and fee for service processing generating more than $3.094 million in revenue countywide n Enhancement millage administration n State reporting and data collection n Backup accounting and payroll staff n The Kalamazoo RESA attendance office was involved with 471 truancy referrals during 2011-2012. n Substitute teacher coordination with Professional Educational Services Group (PESG) and AESOP automated substitute-finder system. There were approximately 1,176 substitute teachers registered in 2011-2012. n AppliTrack job posting and applicant tracking consortium. Eight districts within Kalamazoo RESA currently participate in the consortium. There were approximately 159 jobs posted on the AppliTrack system in 2011-2012.

Regional Educational Media Center (REMC)Regional Educational Media Center (REMC) 12 is one of 22 such centers in the state. It offers services in educational technology support, printing, shredding, graphics, bindery, digital document management, regional delivery, instructional videos, the Teacher Materials Center, and cooperative purchasing.

REMC 12’s service area includes school districts in Barry, Kalamazoo and St. Joseph counties and parts of Van Buren County. Many other school districts throughout Michigan take advantage of REMC 12’s printing operation.

Services and savings provided to schools during 2011-2012 included:

n 232,001 documents and boxes deliveredn 15,347 jobs printedn 5,916 instructional videos loanedn 3,006 visitors to the Teacher Materials Centern $1,868,874 saved through the REMC Bid Catalogn $118,435 saved on Discovery Education streaming licensesn 66,053 videos/segments streamed through Discovery Education (Aug 2011 – April 2012)n $9,581 saved on public performance licenses

6

Special Education Kalamazoo RESA provides diverse special education services throughout Kalamazoo County that serve students from infancy and, if necessary, continuing to age 26.

Audiology Services – The audiologist selects, fits, assesses, and maintains assistive listening technology and provides consulta-tion services to facilitate the educational development of hearing impaired students, in addition to providing full audiological evaluations and hearing screenings for students with suspected hearing loss.

Family, Infant, Toddler Program (FIT) and Early On – Provide early intervention to families with children with disabilities from birth to age 3.

Hearing Impaired Program and Services– Teachers and teacher consul-tants, an audiologist, and speech and language therapists work collaboratively with students with hearing impairments, their families, and other school person-nel to provide neces-sary instruction, and access to instruction, through appropriate services, materials, and equipment.

Juvenile Home Schools – Provide educational instruc-tion to adjudicated youth through the Intensive Learning Center and Youth Center School.

Lakeside School – Provides educational services to residential students who have been placed by the court.

Preprimary Evaluation Team (PET) – Provides developmental as-sessment for children ages birth to 6 years old.

Transition Services – Provides a coordinated set of activities through the school, along with other agencies, to promote suc-cessful movement from high school to adult life by focusing on the areas of post-secondary education, employment, community participation, and independent living skills.

Visually Impaired Services – Teacher consultants/specialists, orientation and mobility specialists, and Braille/media specialists work collaboratively with students with visual impairments, their families, and other school personnel to provide access to instruc-tion through appropriate services, materials, and equipment.

Valley Center School – Delivers special education services to stu-dents with emotional impairments or unique behavioral needs.

WoodsEdge Learning Center – Serves students between the ages of 3 and 26 who have autism or severe cognitive and physical disabilities. The school also operates 12 classrooms, for students with autism, located in Parchment, Portage, and Schoolcraft.

Young Adult Program (YAP) – Provides instructional services to help students with disabilities, between 18 and 26 years old, transition from school to adult community living.During 2011-2012, Kalamazoo RESA provided special education services to:n 104 students who have cognitive impairments, severe multiple impairments, or are physically/otherwise health impaired at WoodsEdge Learning Center n 208 students with autism at WoodsEdge Learning Center n 513 families/children in the Great Start, Early On and Family, Infant, Toddler (FIT) programs n 104 children in the FIT program n 409 children in the Early-On program n The Preprimary Evaluation Team (PET) evaluated 320 children; 253 were found eligible for services n 152 from the Central Service Area: Kalamazoo n 100 from the Southern Service Area: Portage, Schoolcraft, Vicksburg n 68 from the Eastern Service Area: Climax-Scotts, Comstock, Galesburg-Augusta, Gull Lake, Parchment n 116 students received hearing impaired services and/or participated in programming for the hearing impaired n 70 students received hearing impaired services n 115 students in the Young Adult Program n 210 students in the Juvenile Home Schools Intensive Learning Center and Youth Center School n 41 students with severe emotional impairments at Valley Center School n 196 students at Lakeside School; 76 were eligible for special education services. Students were in grades 6-12th with the highest concentration in 10th grade. n 7 students at the Kalamazoo Psychiatric Hospital n 61 students who received full audiological evaluations at Kalamazoo RESA’s Audiology Clinic n 58 students who received hearing screenings to rule out hearing loss at Great Start n Additionally, through tuition reimbursement, 4 students with hearing impairments and 1 student with a visual impairment from outside Kalamazoo County received programming and/or services from KRESA’s teacher consultants specializing in hearing and visual impairments. n Also, 18 students from outside Kalamazoo County were enrolled in the Juvenile Home Schools.

7

Education for the ArtsEducation for the Arts (EFA) strives to enhance arts education for all K-12 students in Kalamazoo County through high school classes, grants and performances.

During 2011-2012:n 489 high school students participated in an EFA Excellence in the Arts class. Classes are available to highly talented and/or motivated 10-12 grade students from the 15 Kalamazoo County high schools. Introductory and advanced level classes are taught in music, dance, theater, visual and media arts.

n 162 student scholarships worth $84,321 were awarded. Scholarships are funded by the Irving S. Gilmore Foundation and are available to any K-12 student whose legal residence is within the Kalamazoo RESA jurisdiction. The scholar- ships may be used for projects like private lessons, intern- ships, mentorships and art camps. Block grants for student tuition are also made to the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Kalamazoo Civic Theatre and the Gilmore International Keyboard Festival’s Camp Gilmore.

n 7 student artistic equipment grants were awarded worth a total of $20,000. Students in grades 6-12 may apply for a scholarship for the purchase of high-quality artistic equipment, such as instruments and cameras. This project is also funded by the Irving S. Gilmore Foundation and requires students to live within Kalamazoo RESA’s jurisdiction.

n 16 project grants worth $26,800 were awarded to schools in Kalamazoo County. These funds are to be used for artistic projects such as artist residencies and art exhibitions.

n 19 artistic development grants worth $17,060 were provided to Kalamazoo County educators. EFA believes in supporting an educator’s desire to continue their artistic growth and assists through funding of artist retreats, workshops, institutes, university or college course work (tuition/ registration fees) and other opportunities.

n 28,384 students attended live theater, music and dance performances and visual arts exhibitions, 513 of whom attended through the Alternative Arts Initiative.

n 1,388 K-8 students participated in eight-week dance and theater residencies through the Professional Artists and Cooperating Educators (PACE) program.

n 122 classrooms in 30 schools participated in EFA’s Aesthetic Education program.

n 83 participants took part in EFA’s advanced level Lincoln Center Institute International Educator Workshop.

n 39 teachers trained at EFA’s Aesthetic Education Introductory Summer Institute.

n 392 students in alternative education and special education settings participated in workshops in theater, dance and visual arts through artist residencies as part of the Alternative Arts Initiative.

8

Education for EmploymentEducation for Employment (EFE) is a nationally recognized career preparation program that partners with post-secondary education institutions and business and industry. EFE provides students with practical work experience and hands-on training.During the 2011-2012 school year:n 184 classes were offered in 37 areas of study.n Approximately 3,500 high school students enrolled.n 73 scholarships worth $60,708 from post-secondary schools, community organizations and business and industry were awarded to outstanding seniors.n 10 post-secondary partners offered college credit through EFE programs (Baker College, Davenport University, Ferris State University, Grand Rapids Community College, Kalamazoo Valley Community College, Kellogg Community College, Lake Michigan College, Michigan Career Tech Institute, Northwestern Michigan College, University of Northwestern Ohio)n 899 students received college credit opportunity at Kalamazoo Valley Community College.n There were more than 400 business and industry partnerships in the EFE program and work-based student placements including internships, apprenticeships, and cooperative education.

Great StartKalamazoo RESA provides Great Start early childhood programs to children from birth to age 3 and their families.

Services provided include developmental screening and assess-ment, early intervention with child development generalists and specialists, parent education, referrals and playgroups.

During 2011-2012:

n 134 playgroups were hosted countywide.n 278 families received monthly home or mail visits.n 374 at-risk families received two or more home visits per month.

These numbers do not include children from birth to age 3 who are involved in Early On or the Family, Infant, Toddler (FIT) special education programs. Those figures are included in the special education section of this annual report.

9

Technology ServicesThe Kalamazoo RESA Technology Services Department strives to make technology work for schools by providing software and services, Internet access and training.

Services provided during 2011-2012 included:

n 380 Mbs Internet bandwidth with packet shaping, 50% burst- ing, and multiple connections and BGP for fail-over redundancyn Maintained/improved fiber connectivity to local districts with 24/7 monitoring n E-rate filing for Internet bandwidth and fiber connectionsn Formed an E-rate consortium to reduce consulting fees for districts n Managed 20 domain names and 4 security certificatesn Server Hosting: n Pinnacle Analytics data warehouse system (MiCase) n Pinnacle SIS student information system web server cluster (MiCase) n Pinnacle Gradebook (MiCase) n Integrations server for student data and external systems (MiCase) n HCMS (HR) management systems (MiCase)

n Moodle server for districts to use for online courses (REMC) n e2020 Online multi-media curriculum (MiCase) n Discovery Education educational video streaming (REMC) n TIENET for web-based IEP management n Versatrans for a countywide transportation system n Follett Destiny library system (MiCase) n Storage Server for offsite backup of data n Wowza (MiStreamnet) for on-demand professional

Youth Opportunities Unlimited (YOU)Youth Opportunities Unlimited (Y.O.U.) operates programs that serve youth and adults in Kalamazoo and St. Joseph counties. Components of the services provided include basic skills, employ-ability skills, credit recovery, GED preparation, training, paid work experience, supportive services, KeyTrain and WorkKeys, resume preparation and assistance, job search techniques, workshops and certifications.

Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Youth ServicesThe WIA Youth Services program provides assistance to at-risk, economically disadvantaged youth. In the program year 2011-2012, 372 youth participated in the program. Initially, staff works with each youth to establish a comprehensive, individual service plan that targets educational and employment related goals. Youth receive assistance with high school completion, enrollment in college or certification programs, basic skills tutoring and credit recovery.

Program participants also may have the opportunity to build their work history through paid work experience. This “on-the-job” train-ing component offers youth a glimpse into real-world requirements, challenges and opportunities in the workforce. Youth are placed at community job sites and work alongside their staff to gain invalu-able workplace experience.

The program also offers the opportunity for participants to receive numerous certifications, including: CPR, National Career Readi-ness Certification (NCRC), and Servsafe. In addition, work readi-ness and employability skills workshops are routinely offered to participants. Follow-up services are provided to each youth to ensure they continue down the path of educational success and professional fulfillment.

development and legislative videos for Michigan educators (REMC) n SIRENS system to provide notification to schools of students who are detained by law enforcement for various offenses n Barracuda anti-spam n OnBase document management and retention system (MiCase) n DNS for authoritative name lookups for managed domainsn Hosted bimonthly Regional Technology Support Group meetings and monthly Instructional Technology meetingsn Managed 28 servers for Kalamazoo RESA and 27 servers for local districts and the MiCase consortiumn Provided use of Basecamp Project Management System provided for management of countywide and regional initiativesn Computer lab and mobile cart at Kalamazoo RESA Service Center made available to local districtsn Direct technology support to Gull Lake, Kalamazoo Area Mathematics & Science Center

10

reconnected with high school, alternative school or GED programs, five completed their GEDs, and three have graduated from high school. Of the participants who have graduated so far, six of the eight will be attending college in the fall, something none of them had thought possible before enrolling in Education Reconnection.

Operation Graduation (OG) Program:The program consists of 30 at-risk students, identified by KPS, who are provided services from their freshmen year through grad-uation. The goal of the program is to ensure continuing education. The students are awarded a ½ school credit based on attendance at weekly workshops and/or positive participation in program ac-tivities. Enrollees include 15 sophomores from Kalamazoo Central and 15 from Loy Norrix.

Summer Work Experience – City of Kalamazoo 2011The City of Kalamazoo provided funding for the placement of ap-proximately 153 youth in summer work experience between the ages of 14-17. This provides a first-time opportunity for many of the youths to experience the responsibilities of working, earning paychecks, attendance, teamwork, and attending weekly work-shops throughout the program to enhance skill levels.

General Educational Development (GED)In cooperation with Kalamazoo Adult Education, Y.O.U. offers GED preparation to program participants. Remedial Adult Basic Educa-tion (ABE) classes are offered to those students who fall below minimum standards necessary to participate in GED programs. During 2011-2012, 69 students participated in the program; 10 completed their GEDs.

Kalamazoo Education Employment Partnership (KEEP)The Kalamazoo Education Employment Partnership (KEEP) is a private, sector-led initiative to provide entry-level employment and workplace mentoring to first-year students at Kalamazoo area post-secondary institutions. The objectives of the program include: improving college success and retention through hard and soft skills training and mentorship support, creating new opportunities for students to network with local employers, increasing the ability of area employers to connect with secondary and post-secondary schools in a meaningful way, identifying and training promising future employees, and keeping local talent and improve the local labor force. During the first year of this exciting new initiative, 29 students participated (20 enrolled at Kalamazoo Valley Community College and nine at Western Michigan University). Of those 29 students, 16 were graduates of Kalamazoo Central High School, 12 were graduates of Loy Norrix High School, and one was from Phoenix High School.

Employment Services/One-Stop OperatorEmployment Services located at the Michigan Works! Service Cen-ters help Kalamazoo and St. Joseph County’s area adults with job search and employability skills. Resume development, job search assistance, workplace skills assessments, employability skills

Credit Recovery & Graduation (CRG) Program The CRG program is funded by a private grant to provide an alter-native resource for secondary students who find themselves credit deficient. After students have been referred to the CRG program by school counselors, they have the opportunity to recover credits and stay on track for high school graduation by utilizing NovaNET online curriculum. NovaNET is derived from Pearson Education’s world-renowned instructional content and is proven cutting-edge software that educators use across the globe.

During 2011-2012, the CRG program continued its legacy of success by providing these invaluable services to 69 students. Among those students, 48 determined seniors graduated with the support of CRG, including one named Elizabeth. Throughout high school, Elizabeth battled personal health and family issues that interfered significantly with her ability to succeed at school. As a result, she found herself behind in the number of credits that she needed to graduate on time. With the support of the CRG program,

she completed eight NovaNET courses and retrieved enough credits to cross the stage and receive her diploma with her friends and classmates.

Education ReconnectionThe program is designed to encourage youth drop-outs to com-plete secondary education. Re-enrollment in public school, GED prep/testing, Adult Basic Education (ABE) classes, online high school credit recovery courses, and computer skill development to increase basic skills are offered. Other assistance provided includes job search, job applications, resume and interview skill development.

A recently implemented component of the program is the addition of a work-experience incentive. This work-experience incentive will not only help the participants financially, but participants will be able to cultivate work skills that will follow them for the rest of their careers. Participants are placed at worksites where they are trained and supervised by the employer, teaching them invaluable skills to help them become successful in life. A total of 40 youth participated in the program this year. Twenty-eight participants

11

MiCaseIn July 2007, Kalamazoo RESA formed the MiCase consortium with Allegan Area Educational Service Agency, Lewis Cass Intermedi-ate School District and Van Buren Intermediate School District. Since that time, Berrien RESA, Mason-Lake/ Oceana Intermediate School District, Menominee County Intermediate School District and St. Joseph County Intermediate School District have joined the consortium.

Kalamazoo RESA serves as fiscal agent for MiCase. The following services were provided by the consortium during the 2011-2012 school year:

workshops, and referrals to partner agencies are offered. Employ-ment Services also has collaborated with community partners on the Transit for Employment program, the Money Smart and Energy Conservation training, the Advanced Manufacturing and Health Care employer industry clusters, and a five countywide Health Care Industry Job Fair.

Employment Services staff are also regularly engaged in business service activities. Staff partner with local economic developers and training institutions to devise solutions to issues critical to the local employer’s success. Business Services staff has been inte-grally involved in numerous layoff-aversion and business-growth projects and also are routinely involved in the talent acquisition portion of business attraction projects. Additional services to em-ployers include: Talent recruitment, job postings on Pure Michigan Talent Connect, on-site office space for interviewing, customized assessments, and pre-screening of job applicants. Employment Services also regularly hosts employer job fairs both on-site and at other community venues.

This past year, more than 100,000 customers visited the two Service Centers. Staff assisted 5,321 individuals with resume development, 3,917 with job search planning, and presented workshops to 1,563 job seekers.

Workforce Investment Act Adult Services (WIA)The WIA Adult program provides unemployed, economically-disad-vantaged adults with training and training-related job placements. All participants complete WorkKeys testing to obtain national certi-fication. Case managers also work one-on-one with participants on employability skills, job placement, and job retention. The program assisted 242 individuals in 2011-2012 with vocational training and/or job searching.

National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC) Program:The NCRC offers individuals with certification for the attainment of three workplace skills valuable in the majority of the jobs in to-day’s labor market. It uses the three core WorkKeys Assessments: Applied Mathematics, Locating Information, and Reading for Infor-mation, which measure skills that are critical to job success. The NCRC is considered the universal standard for providing validation to employers of applicant skill levels. Y.O.U. administered 412 WorkKeys tests.

n MiCase financial accounting and human resources software package and support for 61 districtsn MiCase Student Information System and support for 19 districtsn Implemented the Pinnacle web-based Student Information System in 32 districtsn Managed and maintained 47 data analysis application in Pinnacle Insightn Assisted Kalamazoo and Van Buren county schools with migration to Maximus Tienet Special Education Systemn Assisted Allegan County and Lewis Cass County schools with use of Illuminate Special Education Systemn Help desk phone support for 6,618 callsn Consortium discount and hosting for Follett Destiny Library System for 21 school districts and 3 public librariesn Hyland OnBase Records Management System provided for 3 ISDs and 4 school districtsn 2,100 seats of Michigan Virtual High School courses provided at consortium discount for a savings of $38,060n Workforce Software web-based time and attendance system in use by three districts with three more in process of implementationn Provided consortium discount for Honeywell Instant Alert for 26 school districts and SynreVoice School Connects for 3 school districtsn Expanded usage of web-based HR System to 9 districts n Continued full-scale development of web-based payroll and financial accounting systemn Consortium discount for Education 2020 online learning system with 483 E2020 User licenses, 43 GED Virtual Tutor licenses and 17 ACT Virtual Tutor licensesn Assisted in continued use of the Pinnacle Instruction syste for districts participating in the Regional Data Initiatives grantn MSDS file merging, processing and submission for districts in Kalamazoo, Allegan and Cass countiesn Completed an RFP process and signed an agreement with SchoolMessenger and Bright Arrow to provide notification systems to districts in the 2012-13 school year and beyond.