An Overview April 2012

1. An OverviewApril 2012

2. Why What Who ? How When Where

3. WHY – Federal and State Policies ESEA/ IDEA 2004 Improved Student Outcomes Policy 2510 Policy 5310 Policy 2512 Policy 4373 Policy 2419

4. WHY – WVDE Policies

5. WHY – Purpose of SPL The West Virginia Support for Personalized Learning (SPL) framework is a state-wide initiative that suggests flexible use of resources to provide relevant academic, social/emotional and/or behavioral support to enhance learning for ALL students. SPL is designed to improve outcomes for students with a variety of academic and behavioral needs.

6. Core Principles of SPL • Effective leadership at all levels is crucial for the implementation of SPL. • Positive school culture provides the foundation on which all instruction occurs and all students are engaged in learning. • Collaboration among educators and families is the foundation of effective problem-solving and instructional decision-making. • Ongoing and meaningful involvement of families increases student success. • Student results are improved when ongoing academic and behavioral performance data are used to inform instructional decisions.

7. Core Principles of SPL • ALL Students can learn and achieve high standards as a result of effective teaching. • ALL students must have access to a rigorous standards-based curriculum and research-based instruction. • Intervening at the earliest indication of need is necessary for student success (Prek-12). • A comprehensive system of multi-level instruction is essential for addressing the full range of student needs. • ALL members of the school community must continue to gain knowledge and develop expertise in order to build capacity and sustainability.

8. WHAT – Six Essential Components of SPL Leadership Improved Student Outcomes School Climate and Culture Curriculum and Instruction Teams and Processes Assessments Family and Community Partnerships

9. Leadership State • Guidance Document • Self-assessment tools • Website providing professional development materials and resources RESA • Providing Professional Development • Facilitating sharing and building consensus • Forming Regional Leadership Team District • Developing leadership roles • Defining and communicating criteria used to make decisions • Providing professional development • Acquiring and disseminating relevant resources School • Supporting team problem-solving • Developing a plan to strengthen essential components of SPL • Managing time and schedules to focus on identified needs

10. School Climate and Culture • Positive school climate consists of three primary domains: • Engagement • Safety • Environment • A positive school culture exists when key elements of a positive school climate are in place.

11. School Climate and Culture Practices • Defining and consistently teaching expectations of behavior for students, parents and educators • Acknowledging and recognizing students and adults consistently for appropriate behaviors • Monitoring, correcting or reteaching behavioral errors • Engaging teachers in a collaborative team problem-solving process that uses data to guide instruction • Including families in culturally-sensitive, solution-focused approach to supporting student learning

12. Teams and Processes Problem-Solving Team • Composed of teachers (general and special educators), specialists, parents and school level administrator • Plans intensive instruction for students • Promotes shared responsibility for student learning • Collects and reviews data • Evaluates responsiveness to intense instruction

13. Teams and Processes Problem-Solving Process

14. Teams and Processes Problem-Solving Process

15. Family and Community Partnerships • Effective partnerships include: • Parents • Families • Students • Community Members • Educators • Indicators of effective partnerships: • Sharing information • Problem-solving • Celebrating student successes • Central to effective partnerships is the recognition of shared responsibility and ownership of student challenges and successes.

16. Family and Community Partnerships Key Roles • Collaborate with teachers regarding identified need • Share information about child and family as appropriate • Support student learning at home • Attend Problem-Solving Team meeting • Partner in instructional planning and progress monitoring

17. Assessment Purpose of Assessment • Identify strengths and needs of individual students • Inform problem-solving process • Inform instruction and necessary adjustments • Evaluate the effectiveness of instruction at different levels of the system (e.g. classrooms, school, district) • Inform educational decisions

18. Assessment Types Screening/Interim Purpose: Inform determination of risk status and indicate need for additional support and/or assessment Formative/Classroom Purpose: Determine response to instruction and indicate direction for most appropriate instructional adjustments Progress Monitoring Purpose: Determine if students are making progress toward specific skills, processes and understandings and inform school-wide action plans Diagnostic Purpose: Assist teachers in adjusting the type and degree of scaffolding, in differentiating instruction, and in picking up patterns of strengths and weaknesses Summative Purpose: Inform the system and provide a longitudinal view of curricular strengths and weaknesses

19. Curriculum and Instruction

20. Curriculum and Instruction CORE • Provides foundation of curriculum and school organization that has a high probability (80% of students responding) of bringing students to a high level of achievement in all areas of development/content • Choose curricula that has evidence of producing optimal levels of achievement (evidence-based curriculum) TARGETED • Supplemental curriculum aligned with CORE and designed to meet the specific needs of targeted group (15%) INTENSIVE • Focused curriculum designed to meet the specific needs of the targeted group and/or individual (5%)

21. Curriculum and Instruction CORE Instruction • Utilizes differentiated and scaffolded instruction to meet students’ needs • Incorporates small group activities • Focuses on the most critical standards and objectives • Utilizes evidence from summative and ongoing formative assessment to make instructional decisions • Maximizes instructional time • Emphasizes 24/7 learning

22. Curriculum and Instruction TARGETED Support SPL endorses the value of instructional supports at the TARGETED level including: • Differentiating, scaffolding and using multi-modal strategies to engage students • Providing explicit instruction that emphasizes skill building as well as contextualized instruction that emphasizes application of skills • Peer interaction to scaffold student understanding • Teacher use of learning progressions within the standards and objectives as guidance for constructing scaffolding • Accommodations that affect how a student learns, not what they are expected to learn

23. Curriculum and Instruction INTENSIVE Support SPL endorses the value of instructional supports at the INTENSIVE level including: • Intensified scaffolding and time: suggested to occur 3 to 5 times per week for class sessions of 30 to 60 minutes • Smaller groups of similarly-skilled and needs-alike students or one-to-one • Most likely to occur outside the general education classroom • May occur before, during or after the school day dependent on available resources and personnel. SPL does not promote: • INTENSIVE support replacing opportunity to receive instruction in science, social studies, physical education and the arts • Isolated skill drill requiring students to independently make generalizations and connections back to the CORE content.

24. HOW-WHEN-WHERE-WHO – Putting It All Together CORE TARGETED Improved Student Outcomes Progress Monitoring INTENSIVE Problem-Solving Screening

25. CORE Level – SUGGESTED • FOCUS: all students • INSTRUCTION: WV Next Generation Content Standards and Objectives and instructional practices that are evidence-based and incorporate differentiated instruction and scaffolding • LOCATION: general education classroom • ASSESSMENT: screening/interim, formative/ classroom; screening all-beginning, some-middle, end

26. CORE Level – SUGGESTED • BEHAVIOR SUPPORT: effective school-wide behavior supports • GROUP SIZE: flexible grouping-students move to groups as appropriate • TIME: sufficient time for mastery of content and behavioral expectations • GOAL: demonstrated learning of grade-level standards or above

27. TARGETED Level – SUGGESTED • FOCUS: students identified through screening as at-risk or as exceeding grade-level standards • INSTRUCTION: targeted, supplemental instruction delivered to small groups • LOCATION: general education classroom or other general education location within the school; before, during, after school, interim, summer • ASSESSMENT: progress monitoring every 2-3 weeks; diagnostic

28. TARGETED Level – SUGGESTED • BEHAVIOR SUPPORT: specialized positive behavior plans provided/monitored by teacher, specialists, parents • GROUP SIZE: small groups of students with similar skills and needs • TIME: 15-30 minutes per session, 3-5 sessions per week • LENGTH: 9 weeks minimum prior to INTENSIVE • GOAL: eliminate gap between present achievement and grade-level expectations and the gap between instruction and what students need

29. INTENSIVE Level – SUGGESTED • FOCUS: students who have not responded to CORE and TARGETED level instruction • INSTRUCTION: intensive, supplemental instruction delivered to small groups or individually • LOCATION: general education location within the school; may be pull-out; before, during, after school, interim, summer • ASSESSMENT: progress monitoring every 1-2 weeks; diagnostic

30. INTENSIVE Level – SUGGESTED • BEHAVIOR SUPPORT: assessment of student behaviors (FBA) and development of specialized behavior plans with teacher, specialist, parents • GROUP SIZE: individual or very small groups of students with similar skills and needs • TIME: 30-60 minutes per session, 3-5 sessions per week • LENGTH: 9 weeks minimum prior to referral • GOAL: eliminate or narrow gap between present achievement and grade-level expectations and gap between instruction and what students need

31. SPL FRAMEWORK: A Quick Reference Guide