BCIU Initiatives 2012 - 2013

1. Presents BCIU Initiatives 2012 - 2013 Dr. Barry J. Galasso Executive Director Bucks County Intermediate Unit BCIU School Board Presentation September 2012 Our Children… Their Future… Bucks County IU

2. The 5 Strategy Areas • The 5 Strategy Areas from our IU Strategic Plan will serve as the foundation for our IU Initiatives for the 2012 -2013 School Year: • Teaching and Learning • Digital Organization • Client Needs • Staff Capacity • Program Effectiveness Our Children… Their Future… Bucks County IU

3. 2012 -2013 BCIU Initiatives • Communication- To design and market the services of BCIU to a variety of organizations within and outside of Bucks County. • Consortium - Identify cost-saving opportunities and design partnerships to provide the benefit of consortium purchasing to more education and non-education agencies. • Professional Learning- Provide job-embedded, sustained professional learning through hybrid approaches to support current initiatives throughout Pennsylvania. • School District and Client Needs- To maximize teaching and learning with our school districts and clients. • Special Education- Increase organizational efficiency and effectiveness to meet the needs of all clients while maintaining high-quality standards, as well as maximizing teaching and learning to assure student achievement. • Technology & Facilities- To utilize technology/facilities as a support to client/staff needs.

4. Communication- To design and market the services of BCIU to a variety of organizations within and outside of Bucks County. • Develop multiple summits that include non-profits, organizations, municipalities, and private sectors. • Utilize the Presidency of PAIU to gain access to PDE distribution of dollars. • Identify, publicize, and disseminate a comprehensive menu of services and personnel roles within the IU. • Establish Town Hall meetings to share the work of the IU across the county – (PTO’s, PTA’s, etc.). • Solicit formal and informal feedback.

5. Consortium - Identify cost-saving opportunities and design partnerships to provide the benefit of consortium purchasing to more education and non-education agencies. • Identify and act upon opportunities for shared services to reduce costs. • Identify and design consortium pricing for materials and resources. • Partner with townships, boroughs, and municipalities for joint purchasing. • Provide leadership to the health care consortium to assist with its goal of reaching 12,000 contracts and 30,000 lives.

6. Professional Learning- Provide job-embedded, sustained professional learning through hybrid approaches to support current initiatives throughout Pennsylvania. • Design online professional learning experiences across a variety of topics. • Provide leadership in facilitating the programs, materials, and resources needed to design strong curriculum. • Design forums through which parents can learn about education. • Involve experts from both public and private providers. • Support ongoing work with Teacher Effectiveness, Common Core, and Brain Research.

7. School District and Client Needs- To maximize teaching and learning with our school districts and clients. • Continue successful District Support Team Model. • Provide direct support for district initiatives by BCIU specialists and consultants. • Plan and conduct Program Quality Reviews. • Prepare school and district leaders for Pennsylvania’s new teacher and principal evaluation system. • Support the ongoing development and use of formative assessment, and alignment of quarterly assessments with Common Core State Standards. • Assist with the development of School Improvement and Comprehensive Plans.

8. Special Education - Increase organizational efficiency and effectiveness to meet the needs of all clients while maintaining high-quality standards, as well as maximizing teaching and learning to assure student achievement. • Enhance supervisor knowledge of budgetary decisions. • Provide regular, targeted, and timely communication to staff through both vertical and horizontal means • Utilize Curriculum Council to align instruction with the PA Common Core for students with complex needs. • Ensure effective collection of data to monitor progress and identify needs of students receiving IU services. • Ensure effective interpretation and use of data to modify IEPs, determine the need for ESY and other services, and communicate progress and needs to our client districts and families • Utilize budget data to assure cost effectiveness as well as efficient and responsive service delivery to all clients.

9. Technology & Facilities - To utilize technology/facilities as a support to client/staff needs. • Provide easier navigation of the BCIU Website for external clients and stakeholders. • Provide support in instructional technology and classroom software. • Identify non-education organizations and market technological services. • Utilize digital resources to enhance communication with all clients. • Launch the county's new Wide Area Network, providing more bandwidth and capacity for less cost. • Transition from an aging telephone system to feature-rich Voice-Over-IP system. • Upgrade the legacy conference room equipment throughout the Intermediate Unit's conference rooms to ensure that we remain the destination of choice for local professional development events and conferences.

10. Questions?