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to top This document describes the grants that received funding in Fiscal Year 2004 from the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), U.S. Department of Education, under its competition 84.323A: State Program Improvement Grants. This funding is authorized by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), our nation's special education law.
The Bigger Picture
NICHCY is pleased to make this listing available to you online. The listing comes from a longer publication with the incredibly long title of: Volume 3 of Discretionary Projects Supported by the Office of Special Education Programs under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Fiscal Year 2004: Technical Assistance, Dissemination, Parent Information, and State Improvement.
For an overview of OSEP's discretionary funding programs, and to find complete listings of all its program areas, competitions, and funded projects, please visit:
www.nichcy.org/directories/intro.aspFor a print copy of the complete Technical Assistance, Dissemination, Parent Information, and State Improvement directory (Volume 3), or any of the other directories (while supplies last), please contact Todd Fisk, the Directory/Database Manager, at:
tfisk@aed.org
Project Director: Garrard, Holly | Beginning Date: 8/1/2001 OSEP Contact: Larry Wexler |
Purpose: The Wyoming State Improvement Grant (WySIG) will build a systemic reform approach to ensure that all students, including students with special needs, actively participate in the regular classroom as Wyoming moves to a rigorous, standards-based educational system. Students with disabilities will receive the core educational services and programs that will enable them to master all of the state standards, beginning with the graduating class of 2005 and beyond.
Method: The four basic components of this reform approach involve: (a) improving the preservice and inservice training for teachers of Wyoming's students with disabilities; (b) recruiting and training qualified personnel to meet the needs of Wyoming's students with disabilities; (c) providing Wyoming's parents with learning tools to effect school reform; and (d) creating partnerships to implement this reform project. The project will integrate these four diverse components into an effective vehicle for educational reform in the best interests of Wyoming's students with disabilities. To achieve the vision, changes will be made at the school, local education agency, and the state level to help students.
Products: All initiatives for this project begin and end with the standards. The project begins by identifying the needs of the student with a disability and then proposing and executing activities that ultimately help that student meet the standards all other students are expected to meet. The ultimate outcome is to change policy at the state level by involving all the stakeholders and increasing the effectiveness of inclusive classroom practices by educators.
Project Director: Goff, Shan | Beginning Date: 8/1/2001 OSEP Contact: Larry Wexler |
Purpose: The purpose of Florida's State Improvement Grant (SIG) is to improve results for students with disabilities by increasing the state's capacity to recruit, prepare, and retain sufficient numbers of qualified personnel to provide effective instructional and related services.
Method: The project consists of three major goals to accomplish this purpose: (a) ensuring that sufficient numbers of qualified personnel are available in all regions of the state to provide effective instructional and related services; (b) enhancing the capacity of colleges of education and departments of special education to increase the quality of personnel preparation programs through the development and implementation of Faculty Innovation Institutes; and (c) supporting the participation of the state's Parent Training and Information Center (operated by the Family Network on Disabilities) in collaborative opportunities designed to increase the quality and availability of special education and related services personnel.
Products: The SIG will work with the existing system of the nine regional Comprehensive System of Personnel Development (CSPD) Professional Development Partnerships. Each Partnership will design and implement activities to increase recruitment and retention of special education personnel (including administrators, teachers, paraprofessionals, and related service providers) into the profession. Through the design and implementation of annual Faculty Innovation Institutes, the project will provide teams of general and special education faculty from the state's universities and colleges with information and skills to increase the capacity of preservice preparation programs to provide effective, needs-based, research-validated personnel preparation.
Project Director: Wohle, Roberta; Petroff, Jerry G. | Beginning Date: 8/1/2001 OSEP Contact: Larry Wexler |
Purpose: New Jersey's State Improvement Grant is responsive to the challenge identified through the self-assessment process of the New Jersey Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs, recent federal compliance reviews, and the vision of key self-assessment stakeholders: to maximize the development and learning of children and youth with disabilities ages birth to 21.
Method: The project goals include: (a) creating positive and effective school environments that promote participation of students with disabilities in the general education curriculum and in academic, nonacademic, and extracurricular programs and the school community, and that promote successful transition of students with disabilities to adult life and community inclusion; (b) creating positive and effective school environments that foster collaboration with families of students with disabilities; (c) fostering the successful transition of children with disabilities from early intervention to preschool programs; and (d) recruiting general and special education personnel prepared to educate students with disabilities in inclusive programs.
Products: The New Jersey State Improvement Grant will contribute to comprehensive statewide systems change regarding access, equity, and positive outcomes for students with disabilities.
Project Director: Howard, Sam | Beginning Date: 8/1/2001 OSEP Contact: Larry Wexler |
Purpose: This State Improvement Grant creates the structural changes that New Mexico (NM) needs at state, regional and local levels to ensure that systemic improvements will occur. The four goals are: (a) building state education agency capacity for system alignment; improving student access, participation, and progress in general education; and providing FAPE; (b) establishing a statewide system of personnel development and addressing underrepresentation in the professional education workforce; (c) improving student outcomes and supporting high-needs districts; and (d) improving family and student participation and leadership in systemic reform.
Method: To align special and general education personnel development and improvement goals, local efforts must simultaneously be facilitated and guided at the regional and state levels. This three-tiered structure for change—local, regional, and state—will link reform strategies and ensure that systemic change will be sustained. Local level strategies will improve the school-level EPSS (Education Plans for Student Success) and include students with disabilities in the system of school improvement and accountability. At the regional level, the Regional Education Centers/Regional Cooperative Centers will be linked and coordinated with institutions of higher education to create an unprecedented partnership with local districts and parent training and information centers for system-wide personnel development. At the state level, a Personnel Development Mega-Council will be formed, with local and regional representation. Together these partnerships will provide a regional learning and support community, a statewide train-the-trainer institute, and local district Professional Development Teams, to create a continuum of personnel development opportunities from initial recruitment, to preservice preparation, to school district induction, to continuing development. Ten "Pioneer" districts have been selected to serve as demonstration sites for several initiatives, so that specific reform strategies can be validated before they are replicated statewide.
Products: The project will create a coherent set of strategic goals and actions that will impact priority student, family, and personnel outcomes. By involving families and consumers as meaningful partners with state and local leaders in systemic reforms, project results will be sustained and strengthened beyond the project period.
Project Director: Bartlett, Kathy | Beginning Date: 8/1/2001 OSEP Contact: Larry Wexler |
Purpose: The mission of the Connecting IDEAs Project (CIP) is to initiate, develop, and maintain a system for improving results of special education services in Washington. The goals that will guide the work of the partnership to meet the state's mission and to build capacity to improve results for children and youth with disabilities are to: (a) improve the academic performance of students receiving special education services; (b) improve the postschool performance of students receiving special education services; (c) ensure that eligible special education students receive a free appropriate public education; (d) enhance preservice preparation opportunities for all personnel; (e) enhance inservice preparation activities; and (f) retain and enhance skills of existing special education personnel.
Method: Washington State has developed a comprehensive set of performance standards, the Essential Academic Learning Requirements (EALRs). The Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) measures student performance towards the EALRs. Students with disabilities are expected to meet the EALRs and participate in the WASL, as appropriate. In order to ensure that children and youth with disabilities participate and succeed in achieving the EALRs, a partnership will facilitate and strengthen the educational systems needed to support these children and youth. The partnership includes Washington's Parent Training and Information Center, institutions of higher education (IHEs), Educational Service Districts (regional), local education agencies, and many others. As the system changes, other individuals and organizations with expertise will be identified and invited to join the partnership to ensure continuation and refinement of the system well beyond the funding period of the grant.
Products: CIP products will be: (a) demonstration sites focusing on research to practice; (b) county community councils focusing on secondary transition; (c) IHE and demonstration site links focusing on preservice education; (d) a training clearinghouse focusing on inservice education; (e) an online academy focusing on recruitment and retention; (f) a mentorship program to improve retention; and (g) a cadet training program to improve recruitment. The anticipated results will be a coordinated system to support children and youth with disabilities that will ultimately benefit also their families, education and service providers, professional development providers, organizations representing individuals with disabilities, and local communities.
Project Director: Johnson, Steve; Burr, Jacquelyn | Beginning Date: 8/1/2001 OSEP Contact: Larry Wexler |
Purpose: Oregon's State Improvement Plan for Special Education—Project Pursuit —will support partnerships to achieve these three goals: (a) improving reading achievement for students with disabilities; (b) having greater access to the Oregon Statewide Assessment System at their appropriate instruction levels for students with disabilities; and (c) recruiting and retaining highly qualified special education personnel.
Method: To arrive at these goals, four distinct needs were identified by educators and parents, and were informed and driven by data provided by the Teacher Standards and Practices Commission, the Oregon University System, and the Oregon Department of Education. The four needs are the following: (a) Children with disabilities demonstrate low levels of achievement in reading; (b) children with disabilities have low levels of participation in statewide assessments and those who participate demonstrate poor performance in assessments; (c) teacher attrition in general and special education remains high and is growing; and (d) teachers are in great need of strategies for differentiating instruction, increasing participation in assessment, and teaching reading. The partnerships carrying out the work will involve the Oregon Department of Education, five campuses of the Oregon University System (the University of Oregon, Portland State University, Eastern Oregon University, Western Oregon University, and Southern Oregon University), five education service districts, local school districts, and the Coalition in Oregon for Parent Education.
Products: This project will improve the identification and diagnosis of reading difficulties in students with disabilities, improve reading instruction, include greater numbers of these students in the Oregon Statewide Assessment System, and support recruitment and retention efforts statewide.
Project Director: Rosen, Pamela Clark | Beginning Date: 8/1/2001 OSEP Contact: Larry Wexler |
Purpose: Like many states, Maine is currently addressing educational reform, focused on "The Learning Results," among the highest standards in the nation. This State Improvement Grant will fully integrate special education personnel, services, and students with disabilities and their families into Maine's systemic efforts.
Method: The project will: (a) improve the participation and performance of students with disabilities in Maine's Learning Results; (b) increase parent education, support, satisfaction, and involvement in Maine's initiatives at the local, district, regional, and state levels; (c) improve Maine's system of recruitment, retention, and certification of special education personnel; (d) improve the ongoing professional development of parents and educators; and (e) build the capacity of Maine's educational accountability system to address state performance goals and indicators. Professional development activities will be delivered through regional partnerships involving the Maine Department of Education, school districts, inservice providers, and institutions of higher education.
Products: As a result of this project, increasing numbers of students with disabilities will: (a) meet the Learning Results; (b) graduate from high school; and (c) enter postsecondary education and employment. More families with children with disabilities will be actively involved in their children's education and in professional development activities. The quality of Maine's educational personnel will improve. Maine's educational accountability system will improve its collection, analysis, and use of data at school, district, and state levels.
Project Director: DeMay, Fredric; Guigno, Matthew | Beginning Date: 8/1/2001
OSEP Contact: Larry Wexler |
Purpose: New York's State Improvement Grant (SIG) will address the need to: (a) reduce the performance gap in educational achievement between general education and special education students in high-need and low-need districts; and (b) reduce or eliminate the disproportionality of language and ethnic minority students in classification and placement practices.
Method: In those cases where both low performance and disproportionality occur, it is likely that the root causes on both are the same. They include the lack of parental involvement and effective home-school collaboration models; poor use of local data to analyze needs and develop appropriate goals/benchmarks; inadequate district and building policy for teaching reading and math; inappropriate evaluation tools, techniques, and interpretation of results of language and ethnic minority students; inadequate prereferral strategies; inadequate coordination of mental health programs including behavioral interventions and strength-based planning; inadequate IEP development; and a high turnover rate of teachers and leadership personnel. To effect systems change, three SIG teams consisting of four professionals each will be established statewide to provide ongoing regional training on specific topics associated with low performance and disproportionality. Targeted districts and schools in need of improvement will receive intensive (up to 20 days per district) onsite, job-embedded training from SIG teams tailored to the unique goals and expected outcomes of each district/school. Three cohorts of approximately 45 school districts each, including all major urban areas, will receive funding for two-year cycles to participate in the project. These districts have over 50 percent of the students with disabilities in the state. Targeted districts will provide personnel development programs based on a comprehensive district planning process for both general education and special education, which will include a personnel development plan for all paraprofessional and professional staff in the district.
Products: Targeted districts will develop and implement comprehensive plans in partnership with institutions of higher education, parent information and training centers, and other state agencies involved with the education of students with disabilities. Faculty of institutions of higher education with teacher training programs will also be provided with training on topics associated with root causes of disproportionate representation and low achievement, for inclusion in teacher training programs.
Project Director: Beridon, Virginia | Beginning Date: 8/1/2001 OSEP Contact: Larry Wexler |
Purpose: This project seeks three broad outcomes in participating schools and districts: (a) increasing the number and quality of general and special education teachers, related service personnel, administrators, and other staff; (b) increasing the access to and participation of children and youth with disabilities and their families in appropriate and effective special education services and supports; and (c) increasing and improving the learning results of children and youth with disabilities.
Method: With local and state partners, the project will address these outcomes through seven targeted objectives that: (a) align and coordinate all current Professional Development offerings; (b) support local schools in targeted districts to design, implement, and evaluate local agendas of school improvement that blend general and special education reform initiatives; (c) improve the technology infrastructure available to districts/schools; (d) create initial teacher education programs that integrate the preparation of general and special educators; (e) improve literacy and numeracy offerings and outcomes for students with disabilities in targeted districts; (f) decrease the overrepresentation of minority students in special education; and (g) improve family/school linkages in general and special education.
Products: The value added by LaSIG will be the expansion of many current initiatives to more completely address the needs of students with disabilities and their families as well as specific critical issues not currently being addressed (e.g., improved access and participation of families; overrepresentation of minority students in special education).
Project Director: Podrazik, Miriam | Beginning Date: 11/1/2002 OSEP Contact: Larry Wexler |
Purpose: The systemic problems impacting the performance of students with disabilities in Arizona can be summarized as: (a) inadequate numbers of teaching and related services personnel to fill increasing numbers of classrooms; (b) low programmatic compliance in charter school programs; and (c) insufficient use of practices that use scientifically based, validated research to raise academic performance in reading. This project will address these critical needs.
Method: This five-year project has three major goals, which are to: (a) reduce teacher turnover and increase the number of fully certified teachers; (b) improve programmatic compliance and effectiveness in charter schools; and (c) improve early literacy and reading skills for children and youth with disabilities. These goals will be achieved using a variety of scientifically based, validated research training strategies selected to address the identified needs. The project will: (a) develop and enhance aggressive recruitment strategies to increase certified personnel; (b) implement high school career exploration programs promoting special education careers; (c) conduct cultural orientation training for newly hired teachers trained outside Arizona; (d) expand new allied health field-based training programs for related services personnel; (e) provide tuition incentives to preservice students and teachers holding emergency certification to complete degrees and become fully certified in special education; and (f) provide rewards for teachers who achieve full certification two years after initial receipt of an emergency certificate and who agree to stay two additional years. The project will also provide tuition and stipends for Associate of Arts paraprofessionals to attain full certification, will implement beginning teacher induction programs, and will use mentoring and coaching strategies to support teachers and reduce turnover.
Products: These project goals will be accomplished in five years: (a) Fully certified special education teachers will fill nearly 100% of the positions; (b) charter schools will have 95% of the special education teaching staff fully certified and their level of compliance will be equal to that of traditional schools; and (c) the performance on statewide reading assessment of 70% of students with mild to moderate disabilities will have improved.
Project Director: Shope-Thomas, Susan | Beginning Date: 11/1/2002 OSEP Contact: Larry Wexler |
Purpose: This project will foster and sustain systemic reform in South Carolina's public schools by developing, implementing, evaluating, and refining a statewide educational model that results in improved educational outcomes for all students in South Carolina.
Method: The project will: (a) create a comprehensive statewide system to identify students who are at risk for the development of reading and behavior problems; (b) increase the reading achievement levels and prosocial behaviors of all students; (c) develop and implement programs to address the reading and behavioral problems of children and youth who are identified as at risk for developing serious reading and behavior problems or who have developed serious reading and behavior problems; (d) implement a professional development system that fosters the adoption of research-based educational practices and ensures that these practices are used and sustained; and (e) decrease the percentage of South Carolina's students who are in special education, specifically focusing on the overrepresentation of students who are from racial and ethnic minorities.
Products: The project will link assessment, research-based practices, and data-based progress monitoring into a coherent, conceptual framework and implement it in South Carolina's schools. The model emphasizes prevention and ultimately will be implemented statewide through technical assistance and professional development. The project will enhance the state's capacity to provide early intervention and research-based instruction to young children at risk of developing serious reading and behavioral problems and to children whose problems are already serious.
Project Director: Lackey, Rorie | Beginning Date: 11/1/2002 OSEP Contact: Larry Wexler |
Purpose: This project will work toward achieving the high standards expected of all Nevada learners by ensuring that students with disabilities receive research-based supports and interventions (e.g., reading, behavior) as well as appropriate accommodations and modifications in instruction and assessment settings. Integrated supports (including transition planning) will be put into place to enable students to achieve academic and social gains. Additionally, personnel shortages and training needs will be addressed for students to have access to high quality teachers.
Method: The design of Project Promises is consistent with the Nevada state legislative mandate for an integrated regional network of professional development to provide training in state content standards. This configuration supports state values and forms the framework for reaching the goals of Promises , which are to: (a) improve special education student performance and achievement through grants, training, information, and partnerships; (b) increase parent representation and contribution to policy and procedure developments across system levels; and (c) improve recruitment and retention for general and special education teachers, administrators, and related service providers in order to increase teaching quality.
Products: Project Promises will expand the state's professional development to strengthen outcomes for special education students by ensuring that necessary expertise is in place at local, regional, and state levels to provide training and technical assistance that enables staff and family members to make quality accommodations and supports in instruction and assessment. Regional trainers will receive additional support to collaborate with educators and parents, and will work in partnership with schools in assigned districts to provide training.
Project Director: Bilzing, Deborah | Beginning Date: 11/1/2002 OSEP Contact: Larry Wexler |
Purpose: This project will assist the Wisconsin Department of Instruction and its partners with reforming and improving state systems providing early intervention, education, and transition services, including their systems for professional development, technical assistance, and dissemination of knowledge about best practices.
Method: Wisconsin's State Improvement Grant will build on the State Improvement Plan for Children with Disabilities, and through a unified systems change model will: (a) improve the quality of outcomes for young children with disabilities through system-level partnerships and collaboration among families, early intervention, childcare, Head Start, and school-based early childhood staff and programs; (b) assist school-age children to successfully meet challenging academic and behavior standards, by improving the quality of educational services and collaboration among professionals and parents; and (c) improve and enhance postsecondary education and employment for students with disabilities through intensive professional development, transition interventions, and statewide collaboration among parents, educational institutions, and other service agencies.
Products: This project will achieve the following student outcomes over the five-year period: (a) Young children with disabilities, birth to 5 years old, will receive special education and related services from well-trained personnel in a rich array of appropriate natural environments to reach their full potential and developmental milestones; (b) all students, including students with disabilities, will meet high standards for academic performance in reading, math, and personal behavior; and (c) students with disabilities, ages 14 and older, will develop critical skills and access opportunities that will enable them to become independent, productive, and included citizens in society.
Project Director: DiPaola, Thomas P. | Beginning Date: 11/1/2002 OSEP Contact: Larry Wexler |
Purpose: This project has been developed in response to the following needs identified in Rhode Island's Self Study phase and Improvement Planning phase of the Continuous Improvement Monitoring Process (CIMP): (a) There is not a sufficient number of qualified teachers and paraprofessionals to provide effective instruction for children with disabilities in the general education curriculum; (b) there are 20 local school districts in Rhode Island that have been identified as having "low-performing, not improving" schools; and (c) there is a lack of leaders who have the knowledge and strategies needed to facilitate increased participation and performance in the general curriculum.
Method: This project will target the "low-performing, not improving" schools to expand the capacity of the staff to provide increased opportunities to participate in the general education curriculum and effective instructional strategies that will improve the performance of students with disabilities. The project will: (a) ensure that all students with disabilities are taught by highly qualified teachers; (b) expand the opportunities available to children with disabilities to participate in the general education curriculum and to improve the performance of these children on state assessments and other outcome measures; and (c) develop and inform educational leaders who will facilitate the participation and progress of children with disabilities in the general education curriculum.
Products: Systems change will be evidenced in: (a) the existence of alternative approaches for recruiting and preparing personnel; (b) the existence of an increased number of personnel who can effectively educate children with disabilities in the general curriculum; (c) increased capacity of the 60 lowest-achieving schools in the state (and other schools) to educate children with disabilities in the general education curriculum; (d) an increase in the participation of children with disabilities in the general curriculum and in the performance of these children on state assessments and other outcome measures; and (e) increased capacity of local leaders to develop and support policies and practices that will facilitate changes in how Rhode Island schools educate children with disabilities.
Project Director: Smith, George A. | Beginning Date: 11/1/2002 OSEP Contact: Larry Wexler |
Purpose: The five-year project has two major goals: (a) Through the use of trained teachers and the implementation of scientifically based research regarding the teaching of early literacy and reading skills, preschool, Grade K-3, and Grade 4-12 students with disabilities will make significant reading gains over their baseline (entry level) scores, or against comparable control groups; and (b) through the provision of supports, accommodations, and differentiated instructional strategies, all students with mild and moderate disabilities will gain access to and progress in the general curriculum.
Method: Major project strategies to be employed include: (a) Literacy/reading training modules that include teaching skills, assessment, and effective instruction will be adapted and developed; (b) the modules will be used to train special education teachers and early childhood providers on scientifically based literacy/reading teaching strategies, implement the training, and gather pre/post curriculum-based assessment samples; (c) after gaining experience using the strategies, teachers will receive a second level of training focusing on analysis of child assessment data and learning activities; (d) a third level of training will be given later to expand knowledge of scientifically based preliteracy/literacy skill development and parent/family involvement; and (e) the training team will provide ongoing support, training, and coaching for teachers; institutions of higher education (IHEs) will provide ongoing support, training, and coaching for teachers; and IHEs will provide weekly telecasts and coursework. To facilitate access to the general curriculum, three Master Teachers will review all available universal design research and effective techniques; facilitate the implementation of pilot universal design efforts in two curriculum areas in three school districts to expand access to the general education curriculum; and train key school personnel and help develop and implement a three-year plan using universally designed curriculum in the districts.
Products: Through the use of these strategies, Delaware will provide system change and impact the areas of need. Project goals anticipate that: (a) a larger percentage of special education students will pass the reading part of the statewide assessment; (b) the percent of special education students successfully included within general education classrooms for at least 80% of the day will increase to the national average or above; and (c) the number of special education students returning to general education and graduating with a diploma will increase and the number dropping out will decrease.
Project Director: Harding, Marcia | Beginning Date: 10/1/2003 OSEP Contact: Larry Wexler |
Purpose: The Arkansas State Improvement Grant has these three major goals: (a) to improve reading and language skills of K-12 students utilizing research-based curricula; (b) to improve the use of positive behavior interventions, thereby reducing discipline referrals, suspensions, and expulsions; and (c) to fill all classrooms with fully certified teachers implementing research-based strategies.
Method: These goals will be achieved by using a variety of scientifically based research knowledge and training strategies, which will include: (a) adapting the content of the existing "Smart Start, Smart Step, and Next Step" literacy training curriculum so that it is appropriate for students with disabilities; (b) increasing the number of teachers implementing the above research-based curriculum; (c) implementing the adapted curriculum in schools having the biggest performance gap; (d) increasing the parental understanding and involvement in literacy training of their child; (e) implementing Project Achieve in other schools throughout Arkansas; (f) expanding the school-based mental health program to five additional counties serving students with behavioral/emotional problems; (g) increasing numbers of preservice graduates by using stipends and other support; (h) modifying the "Arkansas Mentoring Program" so that it is tailored to novice special education teachers; (i) implementing a stipend and other support programs to entice qualified special education teachers to re-locate to Arkansas; (j) providing financial and other support to novice special education teachers to become fully licensed within three years; and (k) working with a recruitment firm to expand the available pool of preservice teachers and build the enrollment at Arkansas' institutions of higher education.
Products: Through the use of these strategies, Arkansas will provide system change and impact the areas of need. Project outcomes will include the following: (a) Literacy skills of students with disabilities in Grades K-12 will increase, as measured against norms and their general education peers; (b) discipline referrals will be reduced and both short-term suspensions and unilateral removals will reduce by 50% to the present level of long-term suspensions; and (c) in five years, there will be fully licensed special education teachers in nearly 100% of the teaching positions.
Project Director: Marra, Robert | Beginning Date: 10/1/2003 OSEP Contact: Larry Wexler |
Purpose: Indiana's State Improvement Project will work to ensure that all students, including those with disabilities, will be expected and supported to achieve high academic standards. The project is based upon six overarching principles that establish the conceptual framework for the identification of the goals, objectives, and strategies to effect change. These six principles drive Indiana's efforts to improve educational systems and educational results and outcomes for students with and without disabilities. The six principles are the following: (a) Use a comprehensive conceptual framework to guide systemic school improvement aimed at equity and excellence; (b) implement a unified system of equity and excellence; (c) collaborate with multiple partners to extend and enhance results; (d) use a participatory approach to sustain school change; (e) focus project activities at both local and state levels; and (f) work in an integrated and coordinated approach.
Method: Project activities will be targeted to: (a) improve and enhance postsecondary education and employment outcomes for students with disabilities; (b) improve early childhood programs and transitions; (c) assist school-age students to successfully meet challenging academic and behavior standards; (d) improve system-level partnerships and collaborations among families, schools, and community agencies; and (e) improve the quantity and quality of personnel to meet student needs. The project will partner with student/family groups, institutions of higher education, educators, administrators, and state agencies to effect change at the state level.
Products: The project will work intensively with nine school districts throughout the five-year period to implement systemic change that can be replicated statewide. The project will link with other general and special education reform efforts in the state to ensure a unified system of equity and excellence that will be sustained over time.
Project Director: Bryant, Ray; Wood-Garnett, Stephanie | Beginning Date: 10/1/2003 OSEP Contact: Larry Wexler |
Purpose: The District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) State Improvement Grant will seek to effect systemic change that will improve student results and success. DCPS will implement, in collaboration with its Stakeholder Advisory Council, a coherent and systematic plan to improve the reading literacy and behaviors of students with disabilities. This plan will build on evidence-based practices of existing initiatives within DCPS, including collaboration with the National Institute for Urban School Improvement, the implementation of Responsive Classrooms (with a Safe Schools Healthy Students project funded by the National Institutes of Health), Positive Behavioral Supports, and Failure Free Reading. These approaches will be complemented by the introduction of DIBELS, an approach of one-minute timings to measure literacy, as well as programs to involve parents and provide professional development for paraeducators and building administrators, and meet other professional development needs of teachers.
Method: The project will establish lasting, effective partnerships among stakeholders that will facilitate the incorporation of evidence-based practices throughout DCPS schools. The project will also provide technical assistance and professional development to enhance teacher quality, administrator knowledge and skills, and the involvement and capacity of families to support education of students with disabilities. To implement a coherent plan for professional development and provide opportunities for teachers to gain university credit towards certification, a consortium of local universities will participate in Student Success . Participating universities include: George Washington University, Catholic University, the University of the District of Columbia, and the University of Maryland. In addition, the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) will continue providing resources and discussion forums for building administrators focused around IDEA, IDEA reauthorization, and inclusion.
Products: Implementation will build progressively over the five-year period at the rate of 10 schools per year, with an intended outreach to 50 schools over the course of the project. As schools engage in professional development activities, participants will be provided opportunities to form "communities of practice" for sharing knowledge and developing collaborative problem solving. DCPS' structure for Teacher Assistance Teams also will further inclusion and success for students with disabilities in general education classes.
Project Director: Boezio, Cyndi | Beginning Date: 10/1/2003 OSEP Contact: Larry Wexler |
Purpose: The systematic needs impacting the performance of students with disabilities in Colorado can be summarized as: (a) inadequate numbers of teaching and speech/language professionals to fill growing numbers of classrooms and ancillary positions; and (b) inadequate training and implementation of positive behavioral interventions to reduce discipline referrals, suspensions, and increase academic achievement statewide. To address these critical needs, the Colorado Department of Education's Exceptional Student Services Unit has developed this five-year project, which has two major goals: (a) to increase the number of teachers and speech/language pathologists with fully certified credentials; and (b) to improve the use of positive behavior interventions thereby reducing discipline referrals and suspensions, and increasing academic achievement.
Method: These goals will be achieved by using a variety of scientifically based research knowledge and training strategies to impact needs. Major project strategies to be employed include: (a) developing and enhancing aggressive recruitment strategies to increase certified personnel so that, at the end of five years, Colorado local education agencies (LEAs) and state-approved facilities will increase the percentage of fully licensed special education teachers from 78% to 100%; (b) increasing the training/retraining activities specifically aimed at special education teachers who are not fully licensed and now teaching within LEAs; (c) expanding the in- and out-of-state training capacity so that all speech and language pathologist vacancies within the LEAs can be filled with fully licensed professionals; (d) targeting the reduction of special education teacher attrition through staff development, coaching, mentoring, and increased administrative support; (e) implementing positive behavior supports in LEAs having the highest suspension rates using a three-phase process of Awareness, Readiness, and Implementation; and (f) developing and implementing the necessary state infrastructure to support a statewide continuing positive behavior support initiative.
Products: Through the use of these strategies, Colorado will provide system change and impact the areas of need. The project anticipates the following outcomes by the end of the five-year period: (a) Fully certified special education teachers will be in place in 100% of Colorado's special education teaching positions; (b) Colorado will have in- and out-of-state capacity to train speech and language pathologists needed to fill all vacancies within LEAs; (c) the annual attrition and turnover of special education teachers in high need areas will decrease to the level of general education teachers within Colorado; (d) all 55 of Colorado's LEAs will have participated in the Awareness Phase of the Positive Behavior Initiative; (e) 44 or 80% of Colorado's LEAs will have completed the Positive Behavior Initiative Readiness Phase; (f) statewide discipline referrals and suspensions will decline by 50% within Positive Behavior Support Sites, and academic achievement will show statistically significant gains in reading and math; and (g) the necessary infrastructure will have been implemented to provide ongoing support for the Positive Behavioral Initiative throughout the state of Colorado.
Project Director: Hoelscher, Sharon | Beginning Date: 10/1/2003
OSEP Contact: Larry Wexler |
Purpose: The South Dakota State Improvement Grant (Project Enrich ) will create new systems for teaching and learning in order to increase achievement for children and youth with disabilities. Project Enrich accepts the challenge of re-creating learning environments for teachers and children so that all children and youth can achieve high standards. Project Enrich will develop an infrastructure to provide professional development activities to teachers and early intervention providers.
Method: Project Enrich will focus on the following activities: (a) creating a system for coordinating and enriching the professional development of school personnel, early intervention providers, mentors, volunteers, parents, and others connected with the life and learning of children and young adults with disabilities; (b) improving the learning opportunities and achievement of children with disabilities; and (c) increasing meaningful collaboration and linkages with other state and federal school improvement efforts as well as other agencies, services, and resources existing primarily for the good of children with disabilities. Five regional programs will be the agents of growth and development relative to the goals of Project Enrich . A project management team will provide the guidance for the development of regional programs. Participants from each of the regions will represent the following: agencies that represent or serve individuals with disabilities, institutions of higher education, public school districts, private and faith-based schools, parents, teachers, preschools, and early intervention programs.
Products: Project Enrich will develop the capacity of state leaders, policy makers, parent organizations, educators in institutions of higher education, early intervention providers, and educators at the local level. The project will implement strategies that provide for continued improvement of existing reform and professional development initiatives, and will ensure local capacity through data and needs assessment analysis, statewide accountability, professional development, technical assistance, and ongoing reflection. Scientifically based research will be the process and the product of the project. Each region will publish best practices on the South Dakota Department of Education Web site for wide dissemination throughout the state and to national and international audiences.
Project Director: Bledsoe, Brenda | Beginning Date: 10/1/2003 OSEP Contact: Larry Wexler |
Purpose: The Tennessee State Improvement Project is based on the idea that literacy is thoroughly interwoven with the capacities of children and families to move longitudinally through the system of services in order to achieve optimal outcomes. The project will address fundamental child and family literacy issues, as well as the transition-related knowledge and skills of service providers, through a comprehensive system of personnel development. The project will link children with disabilities, their parents, and service providers with the best national, multistate, and state resources to achieve seamless and successful transitions by enhancing capacities at the infrastructure, personnel development/delivery, family, and child levels. Simultaneously, the long-term capacity of state resources, both general and disability-focused, will be augmented to support personnel development in literacy training and transition.
Method: A collaborative network of partnerships will manage the project, including parents and children with disabilities, parent organizations, a wide variety of education and early intervention administrators and service providers, the state education agency (SEA), the SEA's instate regional technical assistance providers, local education agencies, institutions of higher education, and multistate and national centers of expertise. Horizontally and vertically integrated working relationships will ensure the practical application of the best information and science-based practices. Active participation in this project by major stakeholders at all levels will ensure the productive utilization of project resources to make profound and lasting differences in the lives of children and youth with disabilities and their families.
Products: The project will permanently change the infrastructure for delivering technical assistance and training to families, to local service personnel, and to pre-professionals, by capitalizing on and expanding existing resources, including those in general education. The project will change administrator and provider skills and systems at the local level across the age span and across roles so they are better able to improve literacy skills for children with disabilities and plan for and ensure seamless transitions to the next environment. The project will improve family knowledge, skills, and access so they can be full partners in the early intervention and education system for and with their children. The project will also help youth be knowledgeable self-advocates in the transition planning process.
Project Director: Thompson, Jacquelyn J. | Beginning Date: 9/1/2004 OSEP Contact: Larry Wexler |
Purpose: The purpose of this project is to integrate special education and general education program assets in order to increase Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) proficiency rates for Michigan's middle school students with disabilities.
Method: There are four objectives focused on realizing this purpose: (a) preparing and supporting a cadre of skilled "Partner Educators" that will facilitate target schools using data for school improvement, analyzing root causes for AYP gaps, instituting content-based Communities of Practice, and implementing school improvement plans informed by these practices; (b) engaging personnel at high priority middle schools in a universal school improvement process that integrates general education, special education, and parents in a common design; (c) instituting AYP Communities of Practice in mathematics and literacy to enhance high priority middle school teachers' knowledge of content and pedagogy; and (d) supporting Michigan's participation in the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium's (INTASC) Center for Teacher Quality effort to refine teacher preparation, licensing, and professional development systems.Project Director: Parker, Alice D. | Beginning Date: 9/1/2004 OSEP Contact: Larry Wexler |
Purpose: California's State Improvement Grant intends to address the following identified needs: (a) improving the quality of personnel working with students with disabilities; (b) improving educational service coordination for students with disabilities; (c) improving academic outcomes for students with disabilities; (d) improving behavior supports and outcomes for students with disabilities, (e) improving participation of parents/family members of students with disabilities; and (f) improving data collection and dissemination.
Method: To achieve these objectives, the project will fund activities that were selected for inclusion based on: (a) their contribution to important and quantifiable systemic change, (b) their strong foundation in research and effective practice, and (c) their capacity to be "scaled up" to meet the needs of California's large and diverse population. Specific activities will include: Statewide Leadership Institute, Regional Leadership Institutes, Core Message Learning Community Program, Core Message Technical Assistance, Site-to-Site Technical Assistance, BEST Technical Assistance, and Family Participation Fund.
Project Director: Ottlinger, Kerry A. | Beginning Date: 9/1/2004 OSEP Contact: Larry Wexler |
Purpose: Kansas' State Improvement Grant targets reform and improvement in education, early intervention and transition services, including professional development, technical assistance, and knowledge dissemination. A cross-analysis of current Kansas data related to student performance and the priority improvement areas identified by stakeholders indicate a need to channel resources to districts that meet the following criteria: (a) districts that are low ranking in achievement of students with disabilities in math and/or reading; (b) districts that are low ranking in general education achievement in math and/or reading, but same content area as students with disabilities; and (c) districts that have limited outside resources for capacity-building and improvement.
Method: Identified districts will receive learner-focused support through capacity-building professional development. In addition knowledge dissemination and system improvement will occur statewide. Goals and activities of this grant will result in students with disabilities who: (a) demonstrate proficiency on age-relevant indicators for early childhood and state assessments of math and reading; (b) improve LRE indicators; (c) benefit from IEPs that promote and allow for evaluation of student proficiency; (d) are instructed by highly qualified staff and administrators; and (e) are involved in transition plans and services that lead to positive postschool outcomes.
Project Director: Causey, Julia | Beginning Date: 9/1/2004 OSEP Contact: Larry Wexler |
Purpose: Alabama's SIG project proposes to use the successful program efforts established during the state's first SIG project and replicate these efforts on a larger scale throughout the state. Alabama will also enhance training for low-incidence special education and early intervention personnel. Other proposed system change activities include infusion of evidence-based instruction into the above areas and preservice training programs.
Method: Programs implemented during SIG I include: a reading intervention curriculum, LANGUAGE! and a reading failure prevention program, the Beginning Reading Model (BRM); Positive Behavioral Supports (PBS) to reduce discipline referrals, long-term suspensions, and removals; Makes Sense Strategies (MSS) to reduce dropouts; and Teacher-Teachers.com and a mentoring service (GEMS), used to increase the hiring and retention of fully qualified teachers. Goals of this SIG project will be implemented by utilizing 11 Regional Inservice Centers to provide ongoing training and technical assistance to school systems in their regions on the interventions named above (BRM, PBS, MSS, GEMS). By the end of the three-year grant period, the intervention programs will have been scaled up in 59% of all school systems in Alabama.Project Director: Price, Richard | Beginning Date: 9/1/2004 OSEP Contact: Larry Wexler |
Purpose : The purpose of this grant is to develop a unified, integrated, and coordinated professional development plan and to provide professional development, technical assistance, and knowledge of best practices.
Method: This grant will support local education agencies in providing effective research-based practices that improve student outcomes for all students and provide professional development to ensure that all special education personnel are highly qualified. Contracts will be developed with institutions of higher education (IHEs), local education agencies (LEAs), and parent training institutions (PTIs) to promote partnerships and collaboration. Key activities include: (a) developing highly qualified special education personnel through specific professional development initiatives: secondary special education teacher initiative; special education paraeducators initiative; low incidence teacher initiative; and psychological counseling personnel initiative; and (b) increasing systemic efforts to implement effective data-based student practices that ensure adequate yearly progress through two initiatives: progress monitoring initiative; and supervisors' data analysis initiative. Key strategies of this plan include: providing coordinated and customized technical assistance to LEAs to meet local needs and build capacity; restructuring preservice training programs so that personnel are prepared to address the needs of students within the school environment; disseminating best practice information to parents and professionals; partnering with appropriate stakeholders to identify and remove systemic barriers to partnerships between state agencies, parents, IHEs, and LEAs; partnering with the PA Parent Training and Information (PTI) center, PEN, to develop and present training series for parents and community agencies on effective instructional practices, the continuum of psychological services, extended school year, and progress monitoring; and partnering with IHEs to provide distance-learning courses in (a) content areas for middle and high school teachers; (b) certification coursework in visual impairment, in deafness/hard of hearing; and orientation and mobility; and (c) supervisory certification in special education.
Products: Products and outcomes of this project include distance learning/online courses: (a) in secondary level content areas; (b) for candidates as teachers of students with visual impairments; (c) for candidates as teachers of students who are deaf or hard of hearing; and (d) for certification of teachers or supervisors of special education. Four videoconferences for paraeducator training are also planned.
Project Director: Kane, Dennis; Ferguson, Michael (Ms.) | Beginning Date: 9/1/2004 OSEP Contact: Larry Wexler |
Purpose : Vermont's SIG will improve and enhance outcomes for all students with disabilities, birth through 21 years, by addressing the gaps and deficiencies identified in the Continuous Improvement Monitoring Plan (CIMP).
Method: This project has three interrelated goals, which are to: (a) recruit, retain, and provide professional development to interdisciplinary early intervention and related service personnel by providing support for a community of practice, mentorship, and professional development for physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, and others, and through professional development resulting in a speech-language pathology assistant certificate; (b) enhance the capacity of teachers and paraprofessionals providing secondary transition support to youth with disabilities through preservice and inservice activities, technical assistance, and model sites of practice; and (c) develop and provide an integrated system of professional development and flexible career tracks by expanding the Vermont Higher Education Collaborative for personnel serving children and youth with intensive educational needs (low incidence populations, including those on the autism spectrum); infants, toddlers, and young children served through early intervention and early childhood special education; and students with literacy needs. These goals will be implemented through scaling up the implementation design and exemplary practices from the last SIG and through existing educational and professional development collaborative efforts, professional development institutes, tuition support for three related service providers pursuing advanced endorsement, preservice and inservice professional development activities using distance learning technologies, communities of practice, a Related Services Training and Mentorship program, competence modeling, coordinated personnel mapping, and policy and partner agreement changes. The Secondary Transition Program component will provide seed money for LEAs to hire eight job coaches and will develop a Transition Academy in two pilot sites in the state. Vermont's Parent Training and Information (PTI) center, VPIC, will conduct a needs assessment of families' need for transition services, create and distribute transition materials, and host 2-5 regional college fairs.
Products: This project will produce a Related Services Web page; transition materials; speech-language pathology assistant endorsement; intensive special needs endorsement; early intervention/early childhood special education endorsement; and endorsement in literacy.
Project Director: Accola, Diane | Beginning Date: 9/1/2004
OSEP Contact: Larry Wexler |
Purpose : Iowa will focus its grant-funded efforts to decrease the achievement gap in reading and math that currently exists between students with disabilities and those without disabilities. The Improvement Plan reflects a careful examination of current state and local efforts aimed at improving student achievement. This analysis resulted in the design of objectives that complement current activities and address unmet needs. The objectives were also shaped by the recognition that teacher competency is a key factor in increasing student achievement. The project goal is to ensure a full contingent of highly qualified teachers for Iowa's students with disabilities and to prepare parents of students with disabilities to work as partners with educators. Objectives include: (a) increasing the skills of middle and high school reading teachers and elementary and high school math teachers by expanding the use of scientifically based instructional strategies; (b) increasing the capacity of early childhood programs to meet Iowa's Quality Standards; (c) increasing the competence of special education teachers by assisting Class C (conditionally licensed) teachers to achieve their full professional status; (d) generating an adequate data set to determine needs in recruiting and maintaining a full complement of highly qualified special education teachers (Recruitment and Retention Study); and (e) assisting culturally diverse parents of children with disabilities to work as partners with educators.
Method: Each of the five objectives will be achieved through a corresponding initiative specifically designed for Iowa's State Improvement Plan (SIP). The initiatives are based on stringent standards and scientifically based research. Further, Iowa's SIP is designed to integrate all initiatives into existing support systems and to leverage systemic changes for each of the objectives in order to "institutionalize" the components.
Products: Outcomes of this project will be the development and dissemination of professional development materials framed in scientifically based instructional practices targeting reading and math.
Project Director: Mallory, Judy; Abell, Michael | Beginning Date: 9/1/2004 OSEP Contact: Larry Wexler |
Purpose : KY Signal intends to accelerate what has been accomplished through past State Improvement activities, especially in the areas of increasing access to the general curriculum, improving secondary and postsecondary transition services, building lasting relationships with Part C for early intervention and transition, increasing competency of paraeducators, and the development of a statewide system for a three-tiered approach to instructional discipline across KY schools.
Method: This state improvement effort will address eight initiatives through the following specific activities:
Project Director: Allan, Karen | Beginning Date: 9/1/2004 OSEP Contact: Larry Wexler |
Purpose : This grant will address identified gaps in the communication arts and reading achievement of students with disabilities in the elementary grades, the lower graduation rates of students with disabilities, the high percentage of children in early intervention who are served in the home versus in programs designed for typically developing children, and the identified gap in the transition from Part C to Part services.
Method: The program will work at the local and state level to integrate data-based decision-making plans for low performing schools. Consultants at the Regional Professional Development Centers (RPDC) will serve as established contacts for targeted schools for planning and professional development. They will: assist schools in analyzing data to make decisions about professional development and resources; help schools coordinate with other agencies, schools, and districts; and assist districts in determining the root cause of performance problems and to develop a plan of action. They will also provide training and technical assistance in needed areas (e.g., positive behavior supports, Reading First, transition). A community of practice online system will be established. For young children, early intervention consultants will work with Systems Point of Entry (SPOE) to develop plans and coordinate cross-training between providers and school district personnel to effect smoother transitions from Part C to Part B.
Products: Among the products of this project will be school-based plans and a professional development Web site.
Project Director: Hamamoto, Patricia | Beginning Date: 9/1/2004 OSEP Contact: Larry Wexler |
Purpose : As a result of SIG I, a Comprehensive Student Support System (CSSS) was created in each public school to identify and address student problems early across all levels of need, with facilitation of CSSS activities provided by a new student services coordinator (SSC) position (over 300 SSCs were trained and placed in schools). In addition, thousands of educators, related services personnel, and family members were trained on a range of topics, including literacy, family involvement, collaborative teamwork, assessment, teaching to standards, addressing emotional and behavioral needs, and using effective behavioral supports on a schoolwide basis. The number of special education and related services personnel was also substantially increased, to serve a rapidly increasing number of children identified with disabilities, and the overall quality of special education teachers was enhanced, with more than 90% certified. However, the improvements in system capacity and personnel quality have yet to produce significantly improved outcomes for children with disabilities. The Hawaii SIG II is designed to achieve deep impact at the school level through a "bottom-up" approach consisting of three phases of personnel development and local system improvement activity.
Method: During Year One, the project will focus on one school complex (consisting of a high school and its elementary and intermediate feeder schools) where past improvement efforts have had little measurable impact and all schools are failing to make Adequate Yearly Progress required by No Child Left Behind. A complex-level Professional Development Team and school-level Learning Communities will be created and supported to identify and prioritize local barriers to student success as well as personnel development needs that must be addressed in order to overcome those barriers. Personnel development needs will be addressed through training, coaching, mentoring, and information sharing by experts from the HI DOE, four universities, and other agencies. Family involvement will also be strongly supported. Process, outcome, and impact evaluations will be used to identify strategies and practices that effectively meet personnel development needs and promote student success. During Year Two, the intensive supports will be continued within the demonstration complex, with modifications based on evaluation results. In addition, the replication and evaluation of evidence-based strategies and practices will be initiated in several other complexes. During Year Three, replication and evaluation of evidence-based strategies and practices will be conducted statewide.
Products: Outcomes of this project include: development of an interactive SIG Web site that will provide access to discussion boards, professional development materials, and online training modules. The project will develop and produce professional development plans and training materials that support the use of evidence-based improvement strategies, individualized to the needs of each school. Further, SIG II will develop and produce replication materials for statewide implementation of improvement and professional development practices.
Project Director: Cox, H. Douglas | Beginning Date: 9/1/2004 OSEP Contact: Larry Wexler |
Purpose: This State Improvement Grant (SIG) initiative for Virginia seeks to address the complex policy, service delivery, and academic improvement challenges faced by middle and high school youth with mild-moderate disabilities and their families. The intended outcomes of this SIG are to: (a) design systemic and evidence-based practices that frame the essential components and policies for effective service delivery in middle and high school settings, (b) develop statewide capacity for sustainability for evidenced-based instructional practice and service delivery in middle and high schools, (c) improve middle to high school and long-term planning and understanding by youth with disabilities and their families, and (d) directly influence evidence-based preservice and inservice professional development regarding instructional practice and service delivery for adolescents with mild-moderate disabilities.
Method: The project will: (a) promote improved access to, and success with, the general education curriculum and content for students with disabilities through the Content Literacy Continuum and Strategic Instruction Model from the University of Kansas Center on Research and Learning; (b) sustain the use and statewide development of evidence-based instructional practices by creating a state network of skilled staff-development professionals and partnerships; (c) recognize and retain qualified educators through the enhancement of general and special educators' knowledge, skills, and abilities in the delivery and assessment of their effective evidenced-based instruction, development of collaborative special education/general education partnerships, and enhancement of Standards of Learning (SOL) content-specific skills; (d) disseminate and promote the use of evidenced-based practices by all general education core academic content teachers and special educators; (e) promote the knowledge of, and participation in, the educational planning processes that occur between middle and high school and high school and postschool options for families of adolescents with disabilities and for adolescents with disabilities; and (f) promote systemic change and reform for middle and high school services for students with disabilities through the creation of a community of practice whose task will be to evaluate and review current policies and practice, integrate formative evaluation data from this SIG project, and inform the state policy-making structures to ensure that policies, regulation, and guidelines enhance the design and delivery of special education services to youth and young adults with disabilities.
Products: An interactive guidebook for families and students to help them better understand options and opportunities during the middle school years will be developed during Year 1. In Year 2, a workshop designed for families, students, and educators to accompany the guidebook will be developed and offered through Virginia's system of Parent Resource Centers.
Project Director: Armstrong, Mike | Beginning Date: 9/1/2004 OSEP Contact: Larry Wexler |
Purpose: This SIG will serve as a vehicle for connecting school improvement initiatives, for leveraging other monies available for capacity building and discretionary use, and for providing a viable model for assisting districts to implement an academic system of support for improving the performance of learners most at-risk.
Method: This SIG is based upon a specific model involving five components: (a) implementation of a sustainable, effective planning model for integrating continuous improvement plans; (b) development and implementation of SIG best practice professional development action plans; (c) adoption and accurate implementation of strategies proved to improve reading outcomes for targeted at-risk groups; (d) monitoring of reading progress and data-based decision making using the STEPS model (a Part B-funded project piloted in 10 districts); and (e) development and implementation of schoolwide positive behavior support (SW-PBS) plans. The project will work with districts and buildings to incorporate this SIG model as part of their overall continuous improvement planning (CIP) process. Up to 16 new sites will be identified to implement the model, and intensive professional development in SIG implementation will be provided. Existing SIG sites (established under the previous SIG) will expand their current model to add a PBS component and will receive professional development in PBS. Sites trained in PBS will add an academic component to their model and receive professional development in the use of scientifically based reading interventions and data-based progress monitoring using STEPS. Networks will be established to promote regional communities of practice and dissemination of information among participants.
Products: Outcomes of this project include a training manual for SIG components, district or school continuous improvement plans, and schoolwide PBS plans.
Project Director: Levine, Madeline | Beginning Date: 9/1/2004 OSEP Contact: Larry Wexler |
Purpose: The Massachusetts Department of Education (MDOE), in partnership with the following: Federation for Children with Special Needs; The Institute for Community Inclusion, a University Center for Excellence in Disability (UCED) at the University of Massachusetts in Boston; nine local education authorities; and state agencies that serve transition-aged youth with disabilities propose to develop an integrated infrastructure for professional development, training, technical assistance, and knowledge dissemination of evidence-based practices that improve postschool outcomes for youth with disabilities. The vision is to assist high schools in developing communities in which school personnel youth, and family members have the knowledge and skills to ensure that all youth reach high academic achievement, develop sound career goals, and obtain leadership and self-advocacy skills that will result in successful postschool outcomes.
Method: The Project FOCUS Academy (PFA) will: (a) develop a Communities of Practice (CoPs) framework for statewide professional development, using Web-based and direct training, technical assistance, and dissemination activities for nine high school grantees and members of their local communities; (b) develop training and technical assistance (TTA) and dissemination materials related to three priority topics—which are schoolwide positive behavior supports; universally designed curriculum, instruction, and assessment strategies that ensure access to and success in the general curriculum and achievement of high standards; and research-based practices for successful postschool outcomes of competitive employment, postsecondary education, and self-determination; (c) conduct customized TTA that includes annual conferences, Web-based strategies, development of CoPs features, and direct TTA events coordinated among HS grantees and relevant statewide and national initiatives; (d) implement a project management structure to ensure achievement of project goals and objectives, including timely and effective execution of TTA activities, continuous feedback processes and data collection, reporting requirements, evaluation mechanisms, and coordination of project activities across partners and nine HS grantees; (e) evaluate the effectiveness of project activities in meeting the needs of project participants and in improving the postschool outcomes of youth, using quantitative and qualitative evaluation methods.
Participatory research strategies will be used to ensure that the CoPs framework is responsive to the needs of four consumer groups—educators, youth, family members, and adult service providers. Long-term outcomes for the project include: Secondary school educators will know how to develop and implement universally designed curriculum, instruction, and assessment that is inclusive of all youth and that promotes achievement of high standards; administrators, educators, and family members