Name: Arkansas Department of Education
PR Award #: H323A150013
City, State: Little Rock, AR
Project Director: Jennifer Gonzales
Project Director email: jennifer.gonzales@arkansas.gov
Purpose
The Arkansas State Personnel Development Grant (SPDG) project will restructure Arkansas’s Response to Intervention model using evidence-based personnel development to implement a multi-tiered system of supports for behavior and academics. Focused on State, regional, and district level implementation teams, evidence-based practices will provide sustainability over time to improve outcomes for all students, especially students with disabilities. Lessons learned from previous SPDGs awarded to Arkansas, in addition to resources developed through those grants, provide a foundation for this project. Current literature and research-based practices around implementation of large-scale initiatives inform the restructuring of the State’s multi-tiered system of supports.
Method
Activities will include face-to-face and online training, coaching, technical assistance; ongoing support through phone, web, and onsite consultation as needed; and shared problem solving and peer learning through communities of practice. Participants will be general and special educators, administrators, and related services providers at the State, regional, district, and school levels. Evaluation will include qualitative and quantitative measures of State, regional, district, and school level implementation fidelity, capacity change, content knowledge and skills, and student growth/achievement over time.