Proposal to Assist LEAs Support Students with Disabilities Sujie Shin Kristin Wright Director, Research and Strategy Director, Special Education Division California Collaborative for California Department of Education Educational Excellence a - Dinallmontat EDUCATION rem. nu,- . rm 1.- ,c mum; Data Analysis Findings: Students with Disabilities by LCFF identi?ed Student Groups Percentage of Students with Disabilities within Overall Student Population: 10.92% Students in Poverty Foster Youth English Learners 75% lEPs, 85% December 15 CASEMIS LuleM??l?? .- hi rm. mmhu D?uaIImlM ol EDUCATION 69% of Students with Disabilities are in one or more ofthe LCFF Identified Student Groups Non LCAP, 31% Unduplicated total for LCAP, 69% December 16 CASEMIS Dt?urt EDUCATION Universal Support for EACH Student STATEM ENT ABOUT THE WHY ?Each child is a unique person, with unique needs, and the purpose of the education system of this state is to enable each child to develop all of his or her own potential.? Doaanmonr EDUCATION Targeted Supports vs. Universal Resources Building on the I nterventions MTSS model We? LEAS deSlgnEd t0 Lgituieij nppi?opr. 'itil of: slate l"Cl?. let; ?5 Targeted imriiyitegitigul?igiig Student; Supports] Resources i'iFil i earning Networks Test for LEAs lt- iimtriix Identification and dissemination of learning around ?bright spots" and lessons learned Universal Supports and Resources for All Department at . EDUCATION Support Framework - - What are some new approaches/processes] What mnovat'ons are tools that can be tested? taking place in Innovation and research How can small successes be scaled up? What resources (research, tools, processes, people) currently exist? What?s working? And for whom? Where are students/schoolsLEAS vet existi:p . . ?his? and districts ?beating the odds?? 9 vetting of identi?cation resources for qual'ty' ?9de 0f ?bright What is different/same about relevance' and resources spots the contexts of success? usefulness? 0! F. EDUCATION r} "Hag 53:: Mu; HIM i?M :um?u Next Steps - Facilitating ongoing conversations and planning meetings with: - County Of?ces of Education - Districts and Charter Schools SELPAs - Research - Planning for launch in February Dtnullminl nl EDUCATION A Proposal for Assistance to LEAs Identified for Support to Improve the Performance of SWDs Based on a June 2017 informational memorandum to the SBE and additional analysis of those LEAs potentially identified for technical assistance, approximately two-thirds of the potentially identified LEAs will be identified based on the performance of their SWDs student group in one or more priority areas as noted in the Table 1 below. Table 1. Student Group LEAs . . . . . . . . Qualifying LEA for Quali?ed for P?'?dr'tgf Pg'?gtgf Support Support SWDs 139 30 88 7 14 All other Student Groups 217 37 157 9 14 *Priority areas: 4 Academic and English Learner Progress Indicators, 5 Graduation Rate Indicator, and 6 Suspension Rate Indicator. The concentration of LEAs with performance challenges of their SWDs is consistent with past trends, but should not be interpreted as challenges or weaknesses specific to special education programs in isolation. As noted in the state?s 2015 Special Education Task Force Report, One System: Reforming Education to Serve ALL Students In a coherent system of education, all children and students with disabilities are considered general education students first; and all educators, regardless of which students they are assigned to serve, have a collective responsibility to see that all children receive the education and the supports they need to maximize their development and potential, allowing them to participate meaningfully in the nation?s economy and democracy. California?s design of a new system of support includes an overall assessment of and weaknesses, which will help LEAs improve and enhance the way in which the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) serves as a guide to achieving positive outcomes for all students. An added complement to a robust response to and weaknesses is to attend to the unique and specific needs indicative of data indicators at the student subgroup level. Given the performance noted above for SWDs, the CCEE in partnership with the CDE and other state and local agencies, will work together to provide targeted support in response to this area of need. This approach includes: - Leveraging existing capacities and partnerships among those that can support LEAs to identify and implement improvements to attend to the system needs evidenced by the performance of SWDs. - Providing resources that reflect research, evidence-based, effective examples, and shared learning. 0 Encouraging new approaches by LEAs with support to implement and make changes to the overall system of teaching and learning with an intent to effect who receives special education services. The CCEE proposes creating and leading, in collaboration with the CDE, an SWDs /Professional Learning Network (PLN) Collective (Collective) that draws from its experience with PLNs related to improve and support LCAP development and use. The Collective will coordinate and leverage existing partnerships and establish new ones to define PLNs that will serve as a both a support mechanism and connector for LEAs challenged with targeted improvement of SWDs. This Collective will also leverage California?s $30 million investment in the work of the SUMS Initiative: Scaling up MTSS through a strategic partnership building on the training and resources developed through this statewide project currently in year 2. The CCEE is currently partnering with the OCDE and the CDE to develop and implement differentiated assistance PLNs to focus on particular student groups, including SWDs, based on the MTSS framework. Targeted and Universal Levels of Support 0 Targeted support for identified LEAs: This strand of support would focus on providing immediate technical assistance and support to LEAs that will be identified following the Fall 2017 Dashboard release as a result of the performance of their SWDs student group. This support would ensure the essential first step within a systems improvement process, a root cause analysis, is conducted either by the CDE or other provider, with each LEA participating as part of the Statewide System of Support improvement process in a PLN. During this process, focus will be placed on examining the root causes of low performance for SWDs or any other identified student group. Following the root cause analysis, proposed actions will be developed by the LEA to ensure that the appropriate next steps to address policies, procedures, and practices specifically affecting the identification and performance of SWDs are being addressed. These strategies should be integrated into the LCAP the following year. 0 Universal support for all LEAs: While the immediate need will be to support LEAs that have been identified as a result of the performance of their SWDs student group, all resources identified, developed, and offered by the Collective will be available to all LEAs. This universal support will focus on highlighting existing state resources and programs, and identifying and evaluating existing research, classroom- and school-level resources and evidence-based practices, and illuminating local policies and practices that may lead to the over? identification and placement of particular groups of students within the SWDs student group. The Collective will be instrumental in ensuring that a focus on all strands of the work is placed on creating and maintaining positive and welcoming environments within classrooms, schools, and districts to help each student meet their academic and behavioral goals. In preparation for the Fall 2017 Dashboard release, the Collective will initially focus on the following three areas of work: 1. IdentificationNetting of Existing Resources: The Collective will work with external partners, including researchers and expert practitioners, to organize existing assets to support LEAs in this work, including the documentation of best practices and policies, classroom instructional tools and materials, professional development resources, assessment practices, and coordinated coaching/training for LEAs. Based on an initial analysis of needs, these efforts may include: 0 Reading literacy supports for students in grades pre-K?3 (including preschool) who: (1) are struggling to meet grade level standards, (2) have gone through a process leading to early identification for intervention (via Student Study Team/Coordination of Services Team process), or (3) are identified as needing special education supports and services through an individualized education program (IEP) Behavioral support programs for classroom and school populations, Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports and School Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports Behavioral health programs and tiered supports for student populations experiencing stress due to trauma, or other circumstances Analysis and Identification of Outperforming LEAs: An essential element of the Collective?s work will be to identify ?bright spot? LEAs that have similar community demographics and student populations, but exhibit a record of sustained outperformance for their SWDs student group. The Collective will convene teams through a PLN, including expert practitioners, administrators, and researchers to do the following: 0 Examine the Dashboard results (led by the CDE) to identify outperforming LEAs to highlight and partner in this work 0 Partner with identified outperforming LEAs to conduct a deeper analysis of the practices, policies, and decision-points that have contributed to successes for their SWDs student group 0 Disseminate findings regularly to the field 0 Contribute new tools/guidance/materials as a result of this work to be added to the resource collection described above Innovation and Research: Another critical element of the Collective?s work will be to create opportunities for developing, implementing, and testing innovative practices in an environment that is both practical and measurable. The Collective will structure this process based on the ongoing work of the Test Kitchen, which facilitates the implementation and refinement of locally led practices, based on the principles of improvement science as described by the Carnegie Foundation: As the improvement process advances, previously invisible problems often emerge and improvement activities may need to tack in new directions. The objective here is quite different from the traditional pilot program that seeks to offer a proof of concept. Improvement research, in contrast, is a focused learning journey. The overall goal is to develop the necessary know-how for a reform idea ultimately to spread faster and more effectively. Since improvement research is an iterative process often extending over considerable periods of time, it is also referred to as continuous improvement. The Collective will partner with LEAs that have the capacity to undertake this work to develop, implement, and refine school-wide practices to improve achievement, engagement, and behavior outcomes for SWDs. The Test Kitchen is designed to act as an incubator to emerging best practices, supported by research?based facilitation, to improve the ways in which SWDs are identified, taught, supported, and assessed in schools. In addition to a focus on direct improvements to instructional supports and policy, the Test Kitchen examines the broader task of changing mindset, behavior, and practices that are currently resulting in the disproportionate underperformance of SWDs as identified by the Dashboard. Specific outcomes for the Test Kitchen include: 0 Development of solutions to the specific problem(s) of practice identified by participating LEAs as part of a collaborative process, that can be immediately implemented within their local contexts Opportunity for participating LEAs to test promising concepts that build the knowledge base of the field to more effectively identify and address needs associated with SWDs and realize opportunities for student performance gains 0 Surfacing of successes, challenges, and potential solutions as a result of the learning and rapid-cycle testing environment that may inform future decision- making to ensure positive outcomes, equity, and greater engagement within our state and local education systems Examples of Potential Partners for the Collective Led by the CCEE, in collaboration with the CDE, the Collective will work to identify partners among state and intermediary agencies in California, as well as institutes of higher education, research organizations, professional associations, and other non- profit providers. This work will necessarily build on the prior work of the Special Education Task Force, the expertise in the Special Education Division, as well as other contributors to this work including, but not limited to, the: 0 El Dorado COE (State Systemic Improvement Plan Project) - Orange and Butte COEs (MTSS SUMS Initiative) - Napa COE (California Services for Technical Assistance and Training Project and State Performance Plan Technical Assistance Project) 0 Sacramento COE (Supporting Early Education Delivery Systems Project) 0 Santa Clara COE (Supportive Inclusive Practices Project and the Inclusion Collaborative) Updated Timeline for Differentiated Assistance Fall 2017?18 Secure and advertise Webinars with local educational agency (LEA) staff and stakeholders on the California School Dashboard (Dashboard), indicators and data years, and overview of assistance/support. October 2017 Preview toolkit to be released to support communications about Dashboard and system of support at the local level. Finalize content for Dashboard and agency Web sites related to differentiated assistance for Fall 2017 Dashboard release. Cross agency group continues stakeholder engagement and presentations on California's system of support. LEA preview of Dashboard begins. Academic Indicator data added to LEA preview based on State Board of Education (SBE) action at November meeting. County superintendents contact districts eligible for differentiated November assistance based on Fall Dashboard data. 2017 Cross agency group sends joint notification to districts eligible for differentiated assistance. Districts receiving differentiated assistance provided opportunity to engage with key stakeholders prior to public Dashboard release. Final toolkit released to LEAs (including communication staff, LEA leaders, and Dashboard coordinators) and stakeholders. Dashboard Web site goes public (approximately the week of November 27). December 2017 County superintendents and districts identified for differentiated assistance begin needs-identification process. Differentiated assistance continues, in conjunction with Local Control and Accountability Plan development for districts receiving differentiated assistance. 2018 Cross agency group gathers feedback on improvement efforts. California Department of Education provides SBE update on Dashboard development at March 2018 meeting.