Archived newsletter — September 2022. This issue preserves historical information; events, contacts, and resources may have changed.
News You Can Use
2022 Project Directors’ & Leadership Conferences Recordings Now Available!
Recordings for all Large Group Panel, Breakout, Poster, and Technology Demonstration sessions are now available on the conference website.
September Directors’ Webinar Recording & Resources
During our September Directors’ Webinar, Laura Brown of the Georgia SPDG joined us in the interview seat for an installment of “What I’ve Learned so Far.” She shared how she has set the stage for sustainability. She also got in-depth about training coaches for success.
Event Recording
Event Chat
Upcoming SPDG Directors’ Webinar
Luiz Pereira, New Jersey’s Project Director, will share what he has learned about sustainability, communication, and improving fidelity in our next installment of “What I’ve Learned so Far”.
Additionally, Karen Erickson will share the Tar Heel Reader a collection of free, easy-to-read, and accessible books on a wide range of topics. Each book can be speech enabled and accessed using multiple interfaces, including touch screens, the IntelliKeys with custom overlays, and 1 to 3 switches.
OSEP-funded Parent Training and Information Centers (PTIs) and Community Parent Resource Centers (CPRCs) are a backbone of the SPDGs’ efforts to engage and support families of children with disabilities. This funding demonstrates their importance in improving results for children with disabilities.
SPDG Success!
The New Jersey SPDG focuses on MTSS, and particularly on reading within a multi-tiered system of supports.
In 2021-2022 the scores on the District Implementation Map (a measure of the degree of implementation of key MTSS components) ranged from approximately 47% to 79%. The project divided districts’ scores into tertile groups that reflected low, medium, and high implementation, and they found that districts in the low implementation group had a lower percentage of students who met benchmark expectations on NWF-CLS (M= 35%, SD=13%) compared to the districts in the medium implementation group (M=48%, SD = 17%) and to the districts in the high implementation group (M=57%, SD = 1.4%). The same pattern was observed for ORF-WC (Low implementation group: M=43%, SD = 14%; medium implementation group: M=53%, SD=19%; and high implementation group: M=60%, SD=6%).
The data suggest that, overall, districts with greater implementation of MTSS for early reading exhibited better student outcomes.
Improving Professional Learning
Making Space for Students in Professional Learning Communities | Edutopia
Cornelius Minor’s PLC student-centered inquiry cycle using data protocols focuses on student partnerships and has helped the school highlighted in the article improve their collegial and student-teacher collaboration.
A Guide to Planning Change Quickly (at the student level)
This guide can assist PLCs focused on instruction and supporting student behavior to rapidly change their teaching to respond to student needs. Note that it accompanies the guidance provided in the article above from Cornelius Minor’s book We Got This: Equity, Access, and the Quest to Be Who Our Students Need Us to Be.
Research Roundup
This working paper by Nguyen, Lam, & Bruno (2022) contains the latest research on teacher shortages across the nation. The authors found “there are at least 36,000 vacant positions along with at least 163,000 positions being held by underqualified teachers, both of which are conservative estimates of the extent of teacher shortages nationally.”
Preservice Observation in Special Education: A Validation Study
Advancing teacher candidates’ overall competence through use of valid teacher observation systems should be an essential element of teacher preparation. Yet, the field of special education has not provided observation protocols designed specifically for preservice teachers that are founded in theoretical perspectives and research on effective instruction for students with learning and other high-incidence disabilities (SWDs). To address this need, a group of researchers in special education teacher preparation and measurement developed the Preservice Observation Instrument for Special Education (POISE). The POISE is an observation system rooted in effective special education practices that support the growth of preservice teachers who will serve SWD across instructional settings….
Pua, D. J., Peyton, D. J., Brownell, M. T., Contesse, V. A., & Jones, N. D. (2021). Preservice observation in special education: A validation study. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 54(1), 6-19.
Evaluators' Corner
Brief: What is Fidelity?
The concept of measuring fidelity is a growing a topic of interest among educational agencies. Staff and leaders want to ensure implementation of the selected program or practice is as intended. But fidelity is also a very complex concept that does not stop with a checklist or survey. Utilizing fidelity measurements and data at all levels of the teaming cascade is needed to support staff with implementation. The "What is Fidelity" brief provides a deep dive into this concept and real-world examples from the Florida Department of Education, Kentucky Department of Education, and the Minnesota Department of Education.
Family Engagement Done Well
The National Academies provide TOOLS FOR YOUNGER CHILDREN and Their Parents focusing on the connection between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors through video stories and strategies.
Spotlight on OSEP/TA
You, too, can sign up for SISEP’s monthly newsletter. See the latest edition on equity and teaming. A recommended resource for September is “Developing Implementation Capacity of a State Agency to Improve Outcomes for Students with Disabilities (Minnesota)”
Tweets, Podcasts, & Videos of the Month
Learn why “freedom to the wolves means death to the sheep” on this episode of The School Leadership Show. The hosts get into some of the big ideas from the book “The Art of Gathering”, such as determining the purpose of your meeting before planning it (tip: use the 5 whys).
SISEPcenter (@SISEP) Tweeted: When selecting stakeholders to engage with, you must first examine team membership. Measure your strengths and gaps to ensure that when you select stakeholders, it creates an equitable process.
From Chad Littlefield - 3 Clever Ways to Use “the chat” in Person
This video includes gems and nuggets for your in-person meetings:
1. One fun, interactive way to get your in-person group talking to each other
2. Chad’s absolute FAVORITE way to make sure everyone’s voice is heard
3. A better method to do a great activity that Chad often sees done poorly
If You Have the Time
Diversifying the Educator Workforce: A Guide for Minnesota Districts and Schools
The guide is designed to help districts begin to understand, select, and implement strategies that will work in their localized context.
Redesigning University Principal Preparation Programs: A System Approach for Change and Sustainability
This report from the Wallace Foundation describes how universities implemented evidence-based approaches to preparing principals. Specifically, they implemented:
- Active recruitment and selection of high-potential principal candidates with successful eaching experience and a focus on instructional improvement
- A coherent curriculum integrating theory and practice through active learning
- Supervised clinical experiences using realistic leadership activities that are linked to coursework
- A cohort structure to support principal candidates
- A leader-tracking system providing continuous feedback for program improvement across the trajectory of principals’ careers.