Linking Systems: Special Education, Title I, ELL, and Beyond

1. Linking Systems: Special Education, Title I, ELL, and Beyond Chairs: Thomas Kerins, Center on Innovation & Improvement Carole Perlman, Center on Innovation & Improvement

2. CII’s Methodology • Extension of previous case study process • Interviews • Review of key documents

3. Some Features of Ohio’s SSOS • Single, unified plan replaces separate plans for each funding source • Integrated general education and special education support • Greater SEA emphasis on school improvement vs. compliance • Inclusion of budget staff in school improvement teams

4. Goals of Integrated Process • Make school improvement processes more seamless, efficient, and flexible without sacrificing the purpose of the separate funding streams and programs • Assist children in poverty (Title I), English language learners, and children with disabilities

5. Keith Speers Ohio Department of Education Director of Field Relations keith.speers@ode.state.oh.us

7. Needs Assessment & Goal Setting • Ohio’s Improvement Process • Decision Framework • Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment • Educator Quality • Professional Development • Leadership • School Climate • Parent and Community • Resource Management • State Diagnostic Reviews • Comprehensive Continuous Improvement Plan (CCIP)

8. Planning • Improvement Plans – Corrective Action Plans • Partnership Agreements • Highly Qualified Teachers • Title I – School Improvement Grants • Literacy Improvement Grants • Special Education Compliance • Aligned resources to the plan

9. Implementation • System to Achieve Results with Students (STARS) • Evidence of Implementation • Technical Assistance System • Deployment of ODE’s Products and Services to Districts and Schools

10. Evaluation • Evidence of Impact - Essential Practices Guide • State Performance Plan indicators • Disaggregated Data from the Decision Framework

11. Challenges • Moving from individual work to collective work • Assisting individuals in seeing the synergy of the combined effort • Working internally and externally to communicate common messages about the focus of the work

12. Barriers • Navigating the various funding sources and requirements of each • Developing and strengthening the systems in the midst of political structures and processes

13. Strategies • Collaborate more than you think you should • Make all decisions and processes transparent • Communicate! Communicate! Communicate! • Be flexible and recognize when to let go of something • Keep the focus on Children • Have a Vision of what success looks like and keep referring to it

14. Susan Tave Zelman Superintendent of Public Instruction Ohio Department of Education susan.zelman@ode.state.oh.us

15. A Systems Approach to Education

16. Goals for Education System • Clear, high expectations • Build capacity of educators to teach well • Hold individuals and systems accountable for results • Become a high-performing, adaptable organization

17. Instructional System • Core of education • Aligned standards, curriculum and assessments

18. Human Resource System • Human capital • Recruitment to retirement • Professional development • Differentiated roles

19. Fiscal Resource System • Efficiently fund • Aligned to plan • Focused • Ohio Improvement Process

20. Student Support System • Make conditions for learning right • Open the schoolhouse doors

21. Accountability System • Achievement • Progress • Performance- based

23. Zollie Stevenson, Jr. Director Student Achievement and School Accountability Programs (SASA) U.S. Department of Education zollie.stevenson@ed.gov

24. Lois Adams-Rodgers Deputy Executive Director CCSSO loisar@ccsso.org

25. Contact Information • Sam Redding, sredding@centerii.org • Marilyn Murphy, mmurphy@centerii.org • Thomas Kerins, tkerins@centerii.org • Carole Perlman, c.perlman@comcast.net Visit the CII website at www.centerii.org