SST16 Special Education Newsletter
SST 16 Literacy Network
Learn more about all things PK-12 literacy from ESC and SST adolescent and early literacy specialists, CLSD partners from Gallia County Local Schools, and guest speakers. Participants will be provided updates, professional development, and an opportunity to network with other literacy leaders across the region. Meetings for the remainder of 2023-2024 will be hosted in room 122 at the Athens-Meigs ESC in Chauncey, Ohio from 9am-12pm. Please register here if you plan to attend at least one of the dates listed below.
Southeast Ohio Transition Council
The SOTC is designed for educators who work with students with disabilities that are age 13-21, agency representatives who serve students with disabilities that are age 13-21and Higher Education Office of Accessibility Representatives. We welcome anyone interested in contributing to positive post-school outcomes for students.
School Psychologist Network
This network is designed for regional School Psychologists to have a space to gather together to learn, discuss, share resources, and advance best practices that will improve outcomes for Students with Disabilities, as well as ALL students through their involvement in a Multi Tiered System of Supports.
⭐ Please note date change of first session: Now THIS THURSDAY Oct 19th
Transition Booster - Mental Health Care for People with Disabilities
Introductory Series on Deafness and Blindness: Assessments
Introduction to Collaborative Problem Solving for Educators
Develop a behavioral growth mindset!
Join Dr. Stuart Ablon to learn what Collaborative Problem Solving® is all about! Collaborative Problem Solving® (CPS) is an entirely different way of understanding and meeting the needs of all children, including those with social, emotional, and behavioral challenges. Join us to learn how to identify what’s really causing challenging behavior and unmet expectations and how to partner with your students to develop solutions. The CPS approach aligns with CASEL's 5 core competencies, integrates with MTSS frameworks, PBIS, and restorative practices, is evidence-based, neuro-biologically and trauma-informed, and child and family-centered.
About the Course
This course introduces the principles of Collaborative Problem Solving® (CPS), an evidence-based, trauma-informed approach that helps young people meet expectations, reduces concerning behavior, builds skills, and strengthens relationships with adults.
Join us to:
- Understand what really causes challenging behavior or unmet expectations in students.
- Discover the limitations of motivational approaches as a solution to unwanted behavior.
- Learn three ways to respond to concerning behavior and the best times to use them.
- See how the approach can positively change interactions and outcomes between educators and students.
This self-paced course will take approximately 2 hours to complete, and you will receive a Certificate of Completion.
Special Education Spotlight Series for Administrators
In this webinar series featuring renowned special education experts, we address the most important challenges faced by special education administrators in today's environment.
The nationally recognized speakers will provide real-world guidance based on research, best practices, and compliance to help you navigate the unique circumstances of the 2023–24 school year.
Bricker and Graydon Special Education Legal Sessions
SST 11 annually hosts the Emerging Special Education Leadership Academy with monthly virtual sessions from Bricker and Graydon on relevant Special Education Topics. Even if you've attended in the past, these are always worth tuning into as you hear even repeated information with a different perspective or experience than when you heard it the last time. Register for each session individually in STARS.
10/13, 11/3, 12/8, 1/12, 2/9, 3/1 from 9-11:30. Topics are not yet listed for each session but typically cover Child Find, Procedural Safeguards, Section 504, Discipline.
PBIS Online Trainings
Learn the fundamentals of PBIS through a series of short videos that show actual examples of PBIS implementation. These modules are designed for use by PBIS Leadership Teams to provide guidance, strengthen a focus area, and supplement learning for all school personnel, including classroom teachers, related arts teachers, classified staff, bus drivers, coaches, families and community members. For more advanced training for leadership teams, contact the regional State Support Team or Educational Service Center.
Setting Up a Positive Classroom Culture with Language
Register for this knowledge and practical learning experience for K-3 educators. Over the course of four, quarterly sessions, learners will build knowledge of structured literacy that is immediately applicable in your daily instruction, and ensure every student in your classroom has access to language and literacy.
Recruiting Parents and Caregivers!
Now Recruiting! Seeking a diverse group of Ohio parents and caregivers of Ohio children from birth to grade 12 to be members of our advisory council beginning in January 2024!
Applications are due by November 30, 2023.
Click here to access the application and read more about our State Advisory Council.
About the Council
The State Advisory Council is made up of a diverse group of representatives. This includes parents, grandparents, foster parents, adoptive parents, and other caregivers from urban, rural, and suburban areas. The council also includes middle and high school student delegates, school leaders, representatives of community organizations, and ambassadors from businesses and other community agencies. In total, there are approximately 60 members on the council.
Council members…
- Attend about 4 meetings per year (virtual or in Columbus, Ohio) to learn from others and share their experiences from their own communities and organizations.
- Participate in Council discussions and activities, guiding and informing the work of the Center with their rich and diverse perspectives. Our council members, especially parents/caregivers, have consistently brought up mental health of students in Ohio as a priority, and as a result, we are working hard to develop more and better “family engagement in mental health” resources.
- Create new resources for families and schools, like the Family to Family Videos series, which was the idea of one of our council members!
- Engage with their community and are enthusiastic ambassadors for the Center.
Frequently Asked Questions about Budget Bill Changes to the Third Grade Reading Guarantee
Family Engagement Toolkit for Justice Involved Families
This NDTAC Family Engagement Toolkit provides useful templates for facilities to use to Engage families in their child’s education while their youth is justice involved. Tools 1–4 are intended for distribution to students' families, and tools 5-7 are intended for use by facility staff. All tool/templates are customizable to meet the unique needs of each facility and the families it serves.
This resource was linked when ODE released guidance to support Successful Transitions for Justice-Involved Students. Knowing that justice-involved students have a higher likelihood to be a student with a disability, these resources are essential.
The Argument for Teaching Interoception in Schools
From OT and leader on Interoception Awareness and Education, Kelly Mahler, this quick read gives five reasons why interoception should be explicitly taught:
1) It provides a framework for curiosity
2) It empowers self regulation
3) It Provides a Framework for Compassion and Curiosity
4) It Promotes Positive Mental Health
5) It's important!
Why Educational Strategies and Student Outcomes are Not in Sync
Research repeatedly shows that educators spend a lot of time doing activities that do not connect to student outcomes. Not on purpose, but in a world with so many distractions it becomes easy to lose the North Star. In this podcast, author and consultant Lyle Kirtman implores us to shed any projects or behaviors that do not align with our goals for student outcomes. In fact, he stresses that this is imperative if we want to stop the rapid rate of burnout that is impacting schools at all levels. Listeners will get tips on how to talk to data-averse teachers about data, use guiding questions to make decisions about what to do and what not to do, and how to skillfully push back against mandates that run counter to a school’s mission.
Literacy Newsletter from SST16
Alternate Assessment Info: Training, Ordering
OHIO’S ALTERNATE ASSESSMENT FOR STUDENTS WITH THE MOST SIGNIFICANT COGNITIVE DISABILITIES (AASCD) SPRING ADMINISTRATION RESOURCES
The following AASCD Administration resources are expected to be available in the Resources section of the AASCD Test Portal on Nov. 2:
- AASCD Test Administration Manual (AASCD TAM)
- AASCD Supplemental Instructions for Paper Testing Manual (AASCD SIFPT)
- Updated TA-Alt Certification Course:
- Edits have been made to the course to reflect the new TA Interface layout. There are no changes to the course regarding policy or procedure.
- New Embossed Tactile Graphics Training Video:
- This short video provides information on the policies and procedures around administering embossed tactile graphics for students that are blind or have visual impairments.
AASCD ON-TIME ORDER WINDOW
The AASCD on-time order window is open in TIDE Nov. 21-Dec. 6. District test coordinators place orders under the “Paper Orders AASCD Spring 2024” administration task in TIDE. All orders are subject to Department approval.
ASSESSMENT AUTHORING – ADDITION OF AASCD ITEM LIBRARY
The Department and Cambium Assessment have worked in partnership to add a library of AASCD items to Assessment Authoring.
With this expansion, features now include the following:
- Two distinct libraries of test questions (items); one based on OST items, and one based on the AASCD items.
- The ability to create custom, teacher-authored tests aligned to Ohio’s Learning Standards for OST or Ohio’s Learning Standards – Extended (OLS-E) for AASCD.
- Collaboration tools that allow educators to work within and across schools to create tests.
- Test sharing to allow created tests to be administered by teachers within or across schools.
- Printing of individual test questions or complete tests from the OST library only.
- A bank of tests created by the Department including Benchmark (OST), Checkpoint (OST) and Released Item (OST and AASCD) tests. These tests can be copied and then modified as needed.
Assessment Authoring is accessible from the OST test portal. A user guide and training presentations are available in the Resources sections of the test portal to help users become familiar with this system.
Report Card Guide
The 2023 Ohio School Report Card Guide provides an overview and explanation of the key components of the 2023 Ohio School Report Cards. Districts and schools receive an overall rating of 1 to 5 stars in half-star increments. The overall rating is comprised of five rated components: • Achievement Component • Progress Component • Gap Closing Component • Early Literacy Component • Graduation Component The College, Career, Workforce and Military Readiness Component is reported for information purposes only and does not count toward the overall rating for the 2023 Ohio School Report Cards. Many other components also have report-only data.
Readiness Assessments: Checkpoints and Benchmarks
The Readiness Assessments – composed of benchmark and checkpoint tests – also include updated content. All writing items on the readiness assessments now use the instructions and writing rubrics introduced in spring 2022 and are machine scored. Many checkpoints have new or revised test questions.
*NEW* Assessment Authoring
The Ohio Department of Education is pleased to introduce the new Assessment Authoring system. This flexible and user-friendly system enables teachers to create their own tests from a large bank of Ohio test questions, administer these tests to their students using the familiar Test Delivery System and view results in the Centralized Reporting System. This includes the ability to author assessments for the Alternate Assessment. Powerpoint on details and directions here.
Students with Disabilities Graduation Tool
The new Students with IEPs Graduation Decision-Making tool has been released. This tool will be used to help families understand the pathways available to students with disabilities when it comes to graduation and should be incorporated into IEP meetings starting at age 14. Both the PDF and the Video can support family and student understanding.
RIMP Videos and the Read Ohio Landing Page
The Read Ohio Landing Page links many of the potential resources you may be searching for and in need of, including supports grouped by role: superintendents, principals, teachers, and families. Includes implementation timelines and videos.
And as you're writing RIMPs for students or considering what best practices you need to add to support students, rewatch the RIMP Code Mini-Video series that can be used to refresh understanding of these evidenced based practices or teach new staff who may be unfamiliar.
Ohio Parent 2 Parent
Consider offering this resource to families:
Are you feeling overwhelmed or isolated because of your child’s needs? Do you want to talk with another parent who has similar experiences? Ohio P2P can connect you!
What is Ohio Parent to Parent? Ohio P2P is a statewide matching program that matches parents, family members, or caregivers of a person with a disability or special healthcare need. Our program is unique because we match families with an experienced, trained, volunteer support parent.
Who are the Ohio P2P Staff? Ohio P2P Staff are family members of people with disabilities/special healthcare needs. Ohio P2P staff help match families with similar experiences and backgrounds.
UDL: Would Your Rather?
This technique of “Would You Rather?”, when examined through the lens of UDL, allows educators to recognize and eliminate barriers to traditional practices to provide flexible pathways for students to build purpose and become more resourceful and strategic.
Three UDL principles support the development of flexible learning experiences that allow students to self differentiate. In universally designed classrooms, teachers provide:
-Multiple means of engagement
-Multiple means of representation
-Multiple means of action and expression
There are a series of strategies, or Guidelines, that help educators recognize and minimize barriers. In the following sections, teachers in the Washington Educator Association (WEA) share “Would You Rather?” strategies aligned to the UDL Guidelines. These tried and true practices will help to create more inclusive classrooms that optimize expert learning.
