In November 2007, MDE’s Office of Special Education/Early Intervention Support began redesigning the state’s Continuous Improvement and Monitoring System (CIMS) to update the process and tools used to help the state, intermediate school districts (ISDs) and local school districts keep track of the tasks and activities required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Highlights of the CIMS-2 redesign include an emphasis on data analysis versus data collection and a new schedule of activities. Every local school district will complete the CIMS-2 process each year, with teams convening in the spring to review and analyze existing data as presented in the new CIMS-2 report for State Performance Plan (SPP) indicators. Corrective action plans (CAPs) will be drafted in the spring, progress reports will be due in the fall, and CAP activities must be completed by December of each year.

The CIMS-2 will launch on April 15, 2009. For more information on the status of the CIMS-2 redesign, or to learn more about CIMS-2 training training opportunities, visit www.cenmi.org/cims.