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Wednesday, August 27, 2008 - 2008 OSEP Leadership Conference 7:15 am - Early Bird Sessions - Alternate Assessment Using Modified Academic Achievement Standards (AA-MAS) Description: This session will provide an overview of the requirements that must be met when developing an AA-MAS, issues that emerged during AA-MAS peer review, and one State’s process for addressing the requirements as they develop an AA-MAS. Resources related to AA-MAS requirements will be shared. Presenters: Sharon Hall, Education Program Specialist, Student Achievement and School Accountability (SASA) Programs, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE), David Egnor, Education Program Specialist, OSEP and Trinell Bowman, Program Manager, Division of Accountability and Assessment, Maryland State Department of Education
Facilitator: Matthew Schneer, OSEP 7:15 am - Early Bird Sessions - State Response to the National Instructional Materials Standard (NIMAS): An Opportunity Description: IDEA requires that States implement practices to ensure timely delivery of accessible instructional materials to students with print disabilities. This session will offer attendees an opportunity to learn about the experiences of a diverse range of States as they develop and refine their systems for delivering accessible instructional materials to students with print disabilities. Presenters will share innovative strategies, opportunities, and challenges from the States they represent.
Presenters: Arthur Albert, Executive Director, Special Education Program, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM); Betsy Burgess, Director of Outreach, Bookshare.org; June DeLeon, Associate Director, Guam CEDDERS; and Chuck Hitchcock, Director, NIMAS Technical Assistance Center.
Facilitator: Carmen Sanchez, OSEP 7:15 am - Early Bird Sessions - Audit Resolutions and Fiscal Leadership
Description: This session will focus on the frequent audit findings identified by OSEP and how States can work with OSEP to resolve these audit findings and put strategies in place to prevent their reoccurrence. An overview of the fiscal desk audit will be presented and a discussion of how the fiscal desk audit will be used as part of OSEP’s Verification Visits to States this year.
Presenters: Ronald Petracca, Attorney, Office of General Counsel and Lucille Sleger, Education Program Specialist, OSEP.
Facilitator: Deborah Morrow, OSEP 7:15 am - Early Bird Sessions - Meeting the Provisions of Highly Qualified Teachers (HQT) at the Secondary Level: Strategies and Success
Description: Through a session, that integrates policy and practice, attendees will learn about strategies that States use to address the provisions of HQT at the secondary level.
Presenters: Elizabeth (Libby) Witt, Education Program Specialist, OESE; Bonnie Jones, Education Program Specialist, OSEP; Kim Hartsell, State Director of Special Education Supports, Georgia Department of Education; and Lou Staffilino, Associate Superintendent, Ohio Department of Education
Facilitator: Michael Slade, OSEP 7:15 am - Early Bird Sessions - The National Evaluation of IDEA 2004: What’s in the Works? Description: The Department of Education’s Institutes of Education Sciences (IES) has initiated several evaluation studies as part of the congressionally-mandated National Assessment of IDEA 2004. These studies include: (1) the analysis of extant data on patterns of identification and academic and developmental outcomes for children with disabilities; (2) studies of the effectiveness of programs supported under IDEA 2004, including school improvement plans focused on students with disabilities and Response to Intervention (RTI) strategies for beginning readers; and (3) descriptive studies of state and district IDEA implementation. The IDEA National Assessment Implementation Study (NAIS) will be based on information provided by Part B, Part B 619, and Part C leaders in each state and a sample of district special education directors. State and district surveys for the NAIS will be distributed in the fall of 2008. This presentation will share information on the above studies including the questions each project seeks to answer, study timelines, and information specifically about the NAIS and the surveys state and district officials may see this fall. There will be time for discussion and for the presenters to respond to any questions.
Presenters: Jonathan E. Jacobson, Senior Research Scientist, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute of Education Sciences (IES); Lauren Angelo, Associate Research Scientist, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, IES; and Fran E. O’Reilly, Principal Associate, Social and Economic Policy, Abt Associates, Inc.
Facilitator: Rex Shipp, OSEP 9:00am - First General Session - Staying the Course-Making a Difference
Description: Since 2000, North Carolina has championed a focused, strategically planned statewide literacy initiative to address research-based reading instruction for students with disabilities. During the last eight years, the percent of growth for students with disabilities reading at or above grade level has more than doubled the percent of growth for nondisabled students. Join us for the exciting story of this journey. Participants will view data related to student academic growth, personnel development, fidelity of implementation, and sustainability. Successes, challenges, and lessons learned will be shared through stories, visuals, and even music-a truly multisensory experience!
Presenters: Mary N. Watson, Director, Exceptional Children Division, North Carolina Department of Public Instruction; and Laura H. Snyder, Section Chief, Exceptional Children Division, NC Department of Public Instruction 10:15 am - Breakout I - Reading Foundations: Research to Practice
Description: This session will provide the research foundation used to develop a 30-hour reading course required of all State Personnel Development Grant participants. Attendees will understand how this research-based training was developed, how it is implemented across NC and how we are building capacity through a Training of Trainers model. Data showing the extensive impact of this professional development on both special and general educators will be presented.
Presenters: Lynn E. Bailey, Literacy Consultant, Exceptional Children Division, NC Department of Public Instruction; and Connie P. Steigerwald, Literacy Consultant, Exceptional Children Division, NC Department of Public Instruction
Facilitator: Jennifer Simpson, OSEP 10:15 am - Breakout II - Getting Started-Implementation Strategies Description: This session will provide key start-up and maintenance strategies that ensure successful implementation of research-based reading instruction. Ideas ranging from leadership training to orientation for grantees to reading program training will be shared. Participants will understand the components of a strategic 5-year literacy plan that is required of all State Personnel Development Grantees, and its importance in building capacity for quality literacy instruction.
Presenters: Angie Cloninger, Literacy Consultant, Exceptional Children Division, NC Department of Public Instruction; and Elizabeth H. Gibbs, Literacy Consultant, Exceptional Children Division, NC Department of Public Instruction
Facilitator: Marsha Goldberg, OSEP 10:15 am - Breakout III - Sustainability-Keeping It Going
Description: This session will provide examples of strategies used to sustain quality reading instruction for students with disabilities across NC. Various activities and celebrations necessary to sustain the energy that this initiative deserves will be emphasized. Participants will appreciate the critical importance of direct connections with parents and with universities. The use of data notebooks and annual Developmental Reviews as accountability measures will be shared.
Presenters: Saysha M. Carter, Literacy Consultant, Exceptional Children Division, NC Department of Public Instruction; and Vickie C. Norris, Literacy Consultant, Exceptional Children Division, NC Department of Public Instruction
Facilitator: Jennifer Doolittle, OSEP 10:15 am - Breakout IV - Striving Readers: Improving Adolescent Literacy in an Urban School District – The Memphis Story
Description: No one can deny the importance of literacy in secondary content classrooms. As William Brozo and Michelle Simpson maintain in their text, Content Literacy for Today’s Adolescents (2007), “we believe content learning and content literacy learning are one and the same.” But deep questions remain as to the methods to improve content literacy, especially in secondary schools. Research provides some answers as to the strategies that can improve students’ achievement, but little has been substantiated that tells us how to enhance the instructional practices of content area teachers so they will use those strategies with their students in the context of their content methodologies. In 2005, OESE awarded Memphis City Schools, in partnership with the University of Memphis, a $16.1 million grant to study ways of improving the achievement of middle school students, especially “struggling readers,” called the Striving Readers Grant. The goals of the project are to improve the quality of literacy instruction across the curriculum; enhance the literacy skills of struggling readers; and help build a strong, scientific, research base around specific strategies that improve the literacy skills for minority adolescents. This addresses a targeted intervention for students most behind in reading and a school-wide intervention in the core subject areas. This session will relate how Memphis addressed these issues.
Presenters: Richard Potts, Director of Secondary Literacy, Memphis City Schools, Project Director, Striving Readers Grant; and Helen Perkins, Assistant Professor, University of Memphis Co-Principal Investigator, Striving Readers Grant, Editor, theReading Teacher
Facilitator: Carmen Sanchez, OSEP
1:00 pm - Second General Session - Improving Schools Using Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CEIS) Description: IDEA 2004 allows school districts to use up to 15 percent of the amount they receive under Part B of the IDEA to develop and implement coordinated early intervening services (CEIS). In addition, IDEA 2004 requires a district to reserve the maximum amount of funds available for comprehensive CEIS if the State determines there is significant disproportionality in the school district. CEIS is a new way of thinking for many schools and this session will discuss how CEIS can be used as a part of broader school improvement initiatives including those required by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. General education and special education leaders from the Federal and State level will discuss the implementation of CEIS as a school improvement initiative and the coordination that is required between general education and special education leaders at all levels to ensure results for children and schools.
Presenters: Patricia J. Guard, Deputy Director, OSEP; Susan Wilhelm, Group Leader, Policy Coordination Team, SASA, OESE; Roberta Wohle, Director, New Jersey Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs; and Mary Jane Kurabinski, Director, Office of Language Arts Literacy, New Jersey Department of Education. 2:30 pm - Breakout I - Significant Disproportionality and CEIS
Description: This session will discuss the requirements of States to determine significant disproportionality based on race and ethnicity and to require the use of IDEA funds for CEIS when a determination of significant disproportionality is made. The presentation will include a discussion of OSEP guidance on significant disproportionality provided in the July 2008 OSEP memorandum.
Presenter: Perry Williams, Education Program Specialist, OSEP
Facilitator: Debra Jennings, OSEP 2:30 pm - Breakout II - Using CEIS and Other Federal Funds for School Improvement Initiatives Including RTI
Description: Representatives of OESE, OSEP and the Office of English Language Acquisition will present guidance from the department on considerations for using Title I, CEIS, and Title III funds for RTI and other school improvement initiatives. In addition, this session will include a presentation on technical assistance provided by the Texas Education Agency to its local education agencies on the use of funds for school improvement initiatives and determining which funds are best to use for an initiative. Presenters: Ruth Ryder, Director, MSIP Division, OSEP; and Susan Wilhelm, Group Leader, Policy Coordination Team, SASA, OESE; Millie Bentley-Memon, Senior Education Program Specialist, Office of English Language Acquisition; and Kathy Clayton, Director, Special Programs, Texas Education Agency Facilitator: Dan Schreier, OSEP 2:30 pm - Breakout III - Considerations and Guidelines for Using CEIS Funds
Description: The purpose of this session is to further discuss the guidance provided by OSEP in the July 2008 memorandum on CEIS. During this session, the requirements for CEIS will be explored as well as barriers to CEIS implementation and solutions to help States overcome those barriers.
Presenters: Sara Doutre, Education Program Specialist, OSEP and Peg Brown-Clark, State Special Education Director, Wyoming Department of Education
Facilitator: Cynthia Bryant, OSEP
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