The Leadership Challenge in Graduating Students with Disabilities

1. The Leadership Challenge in Graduating Students with Disabilities Guiding Questions Joy Eichelberger, Ed.D. Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network

2. Think on It! What I need to know about drop out prevention…... What I now know about drop out prevention…...

3. Off the Dime! • Strategic Planning • Alignment of Goals • Implementation Integrity • Accountability • Collective Will Moving from where we are to where we need to be!

5. Guiding Questions: Beliefs and Mission • Is there a clear vision for graduating students with disabilities? Is it a shared vision and easily articulated by all partners? • Are students with disabilities and particularly those at risk for dropping out of school reflected in your mission statement. • Is the district or school clear on its beliefs about graduating students with disabilities, or have the district resigned itself t issuing certificates of completion.

6. Guiding Questions: Policies and Procedures • What district policies and procedures impact drop out prevention efforts? • Are there conflicting policies or procedures impacting efforts to graduate students with disabilities? • Are polices and procedures reviewed and revised routinely? • Are policies and procedures implemented with fidelity? How do you know?

7. Guiding Questions: Policies and Procedures • Does policy support the inclusion of students with disabilities in district-wide and state-wide assessment programs? • Are policies and procedures supportive of assessment accommodations and adaptations? • Are curriculum development teams formed and operated to meet policy requirements?

8. Guiding Questions: Governance and Structure • Are schools organized to support and promote small learning communities and meaningful relationships? • Is dropout prevention vested in a place of authority? • Are Is there clear articulation and coordination of instructional and drop-out specific initiatives in the district?

9. Guiding Questions: Governance and Structure • Are drop out prevention resources utilized efficiently, and are resources used to target the “neediest” students? • Are resources pooled to maximize efficiency (district, state, federal, community)? • Are systems in place to review and monitor program effectiveness? • Is the district/school organized to facilitate communication and shared ownership of dropout prevention efforts?

10. Organizational Structure: Parallel System

11. Organizational Structure: Integrated System

12. Guiding Questions: Support Structures • Are meaningful partnerships in place with family and community agencies including: • Higher education • Mental health • Corporate and small business • Households of faith • Community centers? • Is professional learning data-driven and targeted to: • critical areas of student need? • Drop out prevention targets?

13. Professional Learning!!! Is it Data driven Research validated Job embedded Ongoing Available to key staff and community partners Capacity building? Professional Learning!!! Does it include Large and small group opportunities On-site supports Technical assistance Resources Guiding Questions: Support Structures

14. Guiding Questions: Accountability System • Are students with disabilities a part of the district assessment and accountability system? • Integrated • Separate • Is an accountability system in place to ensure the integration of assessment data for students with disabilities? • Statewide • District • Progress Monitoring • Benchmark • Ongoing • Is drop out data routinely reviewed and used for program development and evaluation?

15. Guiding Questions: Assessment System • Where are students with IEPs receiving instruction? • Data analyzed for students receiving itinerant, resource, part-time and full time services, LRE, and classes operated in the district , out of district classes, and other locations • How is academic growth assessed and tracked over time for students not achieving at the proficiency level? • Progress monitoring • District assessment • Other growth measures • How are data results communicated? • Teachers • Intermediate Units • Parents • Students • Community Partners

16. Guiding Questions: Curriculum • Are students with IEPs being instructed with the general education curriculum? • Who are the students receiving instruction in the general education curriculum? • What students are receiving a different curriculum? Why? • Where are they receiving instruction in the general education curriculum? • What accountability measures are in place to ensure student instruction in the general education curriculum?

17. Guiding Questions: Curriculum • Are students at risk for dropping out of school being instructed in the core reading, writing and math programs? • Are supplemental and intervention materials tied to the core reading program? • Are the IEP goals and objectives of students based on the standards/general education curriculum?

18. Guiding Questions: Instruction • Are students with IEPs being instructed by highly qualified teachers, particularly in reading and math? • Are teachers trained and proficient in the Academic Standards? • Are teachers using Assessment glossary and terms in day to day instruction? • Are lessons deliberately planned to teach skills and competencies assed by the state assessment? • Is instruction in special education classes based in the general education curriculum, particularly standards for reading, math and writing.

19. Guiding Questions: Instruction • Are teachers using research based effective teaching principles and strategies consistently? • Modeling and Guided practice • Feedback • Differentiated instruction • Progress monitoring data to adjust instruction • Data driven instructional grouping (flexible) • Are school wide behavior and classroom management interventions explicitly taught and continuously reviewed?

20. Guiding Questions: Instruction • Is a system in place to ensure instructional fidelity? • How do you know what is being taught? • How do you know research validated approaches and strategies are used consistently across general education and special education classes? • Are students with IEPs fully engaged in the instructional process in general education classes • Are students held to the same standards with appropriate accommodations?

21. Guiding Questions: Instruction • Are teachers thoughtful and deliberate in designing and implementing a coordinated course of instruction. • Are teachers teaching the same content? • Are students receiving additional opportunity for content mastery with special education teachers or is instruction with the special education teacher replacing general education instruction? • Are students provided additional time and opportunities to master content through extended learning programs and targeted interventions? • After school tutoring • Remedial or extra help periods built into the school day

22. Guiding Questions: Infrastructure • Does the school schedule provide sufficient allocated time for reading and math instruction? • Is instructional time protected at all costs? • Interruptions including school assemblies, field trips, etc., are planned around reading and math instruction • Does the schedule support flexible grouping of students throughout the school year?

23. Guiding Questions: Infrastructure • Are teachers matched to instructional groups based on student needs and staff strengths? • highly skilled teachers are working with neediest students • Does school scheduling provide opportunity for teacher collaboration? • Grade level planning time • Problem solving • Exchange of teacher ideas • Are transitions planned to maximize instructional time? • Entry and exit patterns • Class locations and movement of students between classes • Cafeteria, playground and bus

24. Guiding Questions: Professional Learning • Is the content for professional learning tied to student achievement gaps? • Are general education teachers provided professional learning to adequately instruct students with IEPs? • Instructional strategies • Positive behavior support • Is professional learning coordinated for special and general educators? • Assessment Anchors • Classroom management

25. Guiding Questions: Professional Learning • Is professional development in drop out prevention strategies available to all staff? • Are drop out prevention staff trained in effective teaching principle and positive behavior support approaches? • Are teachers and other staff encouraged to develop genuine relationships with students at risk for dropping out of school?

26. Effective Strategies • Refer to the Effective Strategies Self Assessment Checklist • Complete the Checklist as directed

27. Pulling it All Together Current State: “Where are you now?” Summarize the current status of drop out prevention is your district based on the findings/responses to the guiding questions and the Strategies Assessment Matrix. “Where do we want to go next?” Identify the critical few actions to be undertaken immediately or recommend for immediate consideration.

28. CALENDAR OF GOALS, ACTIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS ACTION A: ACTION B: ACTION C: ACTION D: GOAL #5 DATE BEGIN KEY PLAYERS EVALUATION CRITERIA BY WHEN

29. CALENDAR OF ACTIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS STEP A: STEP B: STEP C: STEP D: ACTION # 2 DATE BEGIN RESPON. TEAM MBR. BY WHEN How to Evaluate Data Needed

30. CALENDAR OF ACTIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS STEP A: STEP B: STEP C: STEP D: ACTION # 3 DATE BEGIN RESPON. TEAM MBR. BY WHEN How to Evaluate Data Needed

31. Are We Willing?