Project Measures Innovation and flexibility may be necessary this year to capture meaningful data regarding projects’ progress and impact. Please work with your Project Officer to discuss project measures that are challenging to respond to in 2020-2021.
Program Measure 1 Projects use evidence-based professional development (PD) practices to support the attainment of identified competencies.
The Evidence-based Professional Development Worksheet should be used by each grantee and included as part of the APR package. Please note that new grantees (FY 2020 SPDGs) will use an updated version of the worksheet. All other grantees will use the previous version. Both can be found here: http://www.signetwork.org/content_pages/205
Considerations: Although professional development may have been provided differently during this APR cycle (March 2020 to March 2021), the key features of evidence-based professional development remain the same. For example, when providing virtual training adult learning principles are still necessary. Engaging learners prior to the training, actively engaging them during the training, and assessing their mastery of new skills and knowledge are all still necessary.
Other resources:
Designing Professional Development in a Remote Learning Environment
A video preview of November's Directors' Webinar by Patricia Hilliard & Laura Albrecht
Directors’ Webinar: Designing Professional Development in a Remote Learning Environment
Patricia Hilliard & Laura Albrecht, NCS
Program Measure 2: Participants in SPDG professional development (PD) demonstrate improvement in implementation of SPDG-supported practices over time.
Considerations: Fidelity measurement will be challenging for most SPDGs this year. OSEP is hoping projects will be innovative in determining how to capture fidelity. We are flexible with changes in measurement and to data collection tools. For an example of a project that has changed their fidelity measurement methodology during COVID, please watch New Hampshire SPDG’s 15 + 15 presentation: http://www.signetwork.org/event_calendar/events/1649
Please note that a reliability check of 20% of participants/sites (in the case when the fidelity measure is a self-assessment) is not required for this APR.
Other Resources:
Implementation capacity, system fidelity, practice fidelity, oh my!
Recording
Slide presentation
Caryn Ward & Sophia Farmer
SISEP TA Center
This session provides an overview of the different constructs of implementation capacity, system fidelity, and practice fidelity. Specifically, the overview describes measurement in implementation work, functions they serve, and implications for virtual data collection.
Collaboration to Maximize Data Collection and Reporting: Spotlight on Iowa's SPDG Spotlights
Recording
Slide presentation
Shelly Menendez
Measurement Incorporated
The format, data collection, and analyses related to Iowa's SPDG Spotlight briefs are shared with an emphasis on how the evaluation reporting was used for the purposes of improving the initiative and documenting its impact on teaching and learning
Program Measure 3: Projects use SPDG professional development (PD) funds to provide follow-up activities designed to sustain the use of SPDG-supported practices.
Considerations: The original target set by the project may not be appropriate for 2020-2021. Please use the explanation section below your status chart to describe what decisions regarding this spending were based on and how funding will be used in the 2021-2022 APR year for mentoring, coaching, or other types of assistance to increase fidelity and the likelihood of sustainability.
Program Measure 4: Highly qualified special education teachers who have participated in SPDG-supported special education teacher retention activities remain as special education teachers two years after their initial participation in these activities.
Considerations: This measure is only used by projects that have an objective related to retaining special education teachers.
Program Measure 5: Projects improve outcomes for children with disabilities.
Considerations: This measure is used by new grantees (FY 2020 grants and newer). For 2020-2021 year projects should try to capture baseline data, when able, and set targets for this measure.