Tackling Equity in California: A Whole System Approach, Analysis and Plan for Improvement

1. Tackling Equity in California: A Whole System Approach, Analysis and Plan for Improvement California Department of Education National Center for Systemic Improvement at WestEd Hemet Unified School District

2. OSEP Disclaimer 2019 OSEP Leadership Conference DISCLAIMER: The contents of this presentation were developed by the presenters for the 2019 OSEP Leadership Conference. However, these contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. (Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1221e-3 and 3474)

3. Our Presentation: Who Are We? Kristin Wright California State Director of Special Education Matt Navo Director of System Transformation WestEd Karen Valdes Assistant Superintendent Student Services Hemet USD

4. Outcomes for Today’s Session • Tackling Equity- CA State Level- Multi-Agency Technical Assistance and Support • Tackling Equity- NCSI- Multi-District Support • Tackling Equity- Hemet USD- Multi-Agency Support

5. California Education Code, Section 33080,Purpose of the Educational System “Each child is a unique person, with unique needs, and the purpose of the education system of this state is to enable each child to develop all of his or her own potential.”

6. Tackling Equity in California: It Takes a Village California’s Landscape • Education spending = $53.2 Billion • 1026 School Districts • 10,473 Schools • 1228 Charter Schools • 628,849 Students in Charter Schools • 6,220,413 Students • 313,989 Teachers • Student Population = 54.3% Hispanic/23.20% Caucasian Dataquest 2018

7. Snapshot: Students with Disabilities (SWD) in California Public Schools Of the more than 795,047 SWD ages 0-22 comprising approximately 11% of the total student population in California: • 68% are boys • 26% are English Learners • Top 3 primary disability categories • Specific Learning Disability (37.77%) • Speech and Language (20.72%) • Autism (15.11%) CASEMIS 2018

8. Students with Disabilities by Disability Category 2018 CASEMIS Dec 18

9. What are we doing to ensure equity for students with disabilities in California? Our what: Focus on outcomes leading to employment, independent living, access to higher education and community inclusion Our how: Ensure access to grade-level standards, including specialized instruction, through universally designed general education with a focus on tiered supports (MTSS) and quality first instruction

10. Looking Through a Funding Lens: Students in CA Local Control Funding Formula Student Groups with IEPs2018-19

11. In Relentless Pursuit of Ensuring LRE* Every child with a disability has the right to be educated with their grade-level peers without disabilities to the maximum extent appropriate. *Least Restrictive Environment

12. Replacing IF we can with HOW we can …Replacing“IF” with“HOW”? Reframe school conversations with “how” a school team can include students with disabilities not “if” they can.

13. The Stars Continue to be Aligned in California • Alignment across policy making entities to support one coherent system of education • Governor, State Board of Education, Legislature, State Superintendent of Public Instruction • New Accountability System • Teacher credentialing changes from disability label driven to level of support driven • Governor and Legislative Support for Addressing Special Education Funding and Issues • Positive Fiscal Climate • Changes at California Department of Education • Cross state agency collaboration and collective work via an articulated state system of support • Policy Drivers Mapping to Employment: Employment First, Competitive Integrated Employment, Workforce Innovations and Opportunity Act (WIOA)

14. California System of Support

15. All Hands on Deck Approach in California: Early Lessons and Continuing Challenges • Coordination of technical assistance to avoid district ”TA fatigue” • Larger system needs to model the same continuous improvement it touts • Strive for role definition and clarity across state, regional and local educational agencies and assistance providers • Start with ensuring basic systems are in place for long term improvement sustainability • HELP to align/make sense of monitoring and improvement activities

16. Special Education Indicators for LEA Profile (IDEA):Annual Performance Report (APR) Indicators Performance Measures: (state rate) • Graduation Rates • Dropout Rates • Participation & performance on assessments, reading and math • Suspension rates • Educational settings • Preschool settings • Preschool outcomes • Parent engagement 14. Post school outcomes 17. SSIP measure is academic performance on reading and math Compliance Measures: 100% • Disproportionality (identification) • Disproportionality (identification with AUT, SLD, SLI, ED, OHI, ID) • Child find • Transition to school (IDEA Part C to B) • Post-secondary transition

17. Discuss and Revise Technical Assistance Crosswalk

18. Tackling Equity: Hemet Unified School District • Hemet USD Demographics (28 schools) • 22,203 Students • 60% Hispanic • 9% African American • 25% Caucasian • 81% Free or reduced lunch • 14% Special education • 11% English Language Learners • 1.1% Foster Youth

19. Tackling Equity: Multi-agency Support • California Department of Education • National Center for System Improvement (NCSI) • Hemet Unified School District

20. Understanding Improvement Central law of improvement Every system is perfectly designed to get the results it gets. system = An interdependent group of materials, people, and processes with a common purpose

21. Learning to Investigate Our System Learning Questions: • What do we know about our current performance? • What do we want to know? • What method might we use to investigate? • What do we predict we will learn? • Planning who will do what? By when?

22. National Center for Systemic Improvement (NCSI): Tackling Equity-in Multi-District Support Central Valley School Districts Central Valley Special Education Network Improvement Community Rural Schools 12,000 students 10-12% SWD 80% Free and Reduced Lunch/80-90% Hispanic Pulling leaning knowledge together Focused: Building Capacity of leaders and practitioners to improve outcomes for students with disabilities.

23. Tackling Equity through the Theory of Improvement • Focusing on Directors of Special Education • Building an improvement team around them • Multi-disciplinary capacity • Learning how to answer each question • Network improvement community • Analyzing common data • Forming a narrative through consultancy (handout) • Helping them to see their system (handout)

24. Different Kinds of Expertise to Improve Research Knowledge: Knowledge about what works. Professional/Practitioner Knowledge:Knowledge of organizational context, structures, and processes. Improvement Knowledge: The interaction of the theories of systems, variation, measurement, disciplined inquiry, user-centered design, and psychology.

25. Tackling Equity by Ensuring We are Improving the Same Thing

26. Contacts Kristin Wright Email: Kwright@cde.ca.gov Karen Valdes Email:kvaldes@hemetusd.org Matt Navo Phone: 1-559-575-4706 Email: mnavo@wested.org

27. Tackling Equity in a District: Whole Systems Analysis and Improvement Thank You!

28. OSEP Disclaimer 2 2019 OSEP Leadership Conference DISCLAIMER: The contents of this presentation were developed by the presenters for the 2019 OSEP Leadership Conference. However, these contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. (Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1221e-3 and 3474)