MA DSAC Collaboration Institute for Special and General Education Leaders 2011-12Session 4: February 28, 2012Action Planning

Agenda

Framing the day. Goals for the day Expectations for final presentation May 22 Discuss documents on jump drive

Reviewing and refining your primary concern Exploring contributing factors and barriers Critical friends: Provide and receive feedback

to/from your peers Identifying action steps Wrap up

Goals for the Day

Goals for the day Teams will:

Refine a primary concern Identify contributing factors and barriers Begin thinking about action steps and

implementation Provide and receive feedback to/from

peers on all of the above Learn about expectations for May 22

presentation

Final Presentations: May 22

Each district team should prepare a short presentation

Format for presentations: Districts will present in pairs in 30-

minute blocks 10-minute presentation (District 1) 10-minute presentation (District 2) Reactions, questions, and

recommendations from discussant Dr. Tom Hehir and large group (10 minutes)

Final Presentations: May 22

District presentations should describe:1. Institute areas of focus (leadership, clear and

collaborative relationships, and quality teaching and learning)

2. Primary concern and how it meets the three selection criteria

3. Contributing factors, barriers, and action steps (process visual template)

4. Implementation plans for the action steps (action plan template)

5. How the action plan, when implemented, will positively impact students with disabilities in your district

Final Presentations: May 22

Complete the process visual and action plan template and email to Institute co-directors by May 11

These and other supporting documents are available on your jump drives

We will make hard copies for the full group

Final Presentations: May 22

Documents on the jump drive to help you prepare for your final presentation include:

Guidelines for presentation Process visual template Action plan template Criteria for selection of your primary

concern

Final Presentations: May 22

Q&A?

Refining Your Primary Concern

What is a primary concern? A primary concern is an issue or

problem you think should be addressed from reviewing your own data.

There are three guiding questions you should consider when selecting (and refining) your primary concern.

Refining Your Primary Concern

Three guiding questions for selecting a primary concern:

1. What would have the greatest benefit for students with disabilities?

2. What would have the greatest positive impact on the other challenges you identified over the course of this Institute?

3. What does your district team have the greatest potential to impact and change?

Refining Your Primary Concern

Primary Concerns SHOULD

Primary Concerns SHOULD NOT

Reflect a problem in your district

Be related to students with disabilities

Be something within your control

Describe the solution to a problem in your district

Include the word “need”

Be unrelated to students with disabilities

Be something outside your control

Refining Your Primary Concern

Example primary concerns:

Our out-of-district placement rate is too high (particularly EBD students).

Special and general education staff at the building level do not work closely together to improve outcomes for students.

Refining Your Primary Concern

Spend the next few minutes with your team members reviewing your primary concern.

Consider the guiding questions and the checklist.

Make any needed modifications to your primary concern.

Write revised primary concern on flip chart. Turn your cup to green when you are ready

for us to review and approve.

Contributing Factors

Consider your primary concern. What are possible factors

contributing to these results?

Example: Contributing Factors

Primary concern: Our out-of-district placement rate is too high (particularly EBD students).

Possible contributing factors: There is not a culture of inclusion in

our district. Staff do not have the appropriate

skills or training to support EBD students in regular school settings.

Contributing Factors

Individually brainstorm possible contributing factors.

Report out round-robin style and recorder capture all ideas on flip chart paper.

Discuss all options and vote on top 1-3 contributing factors.

Turn your cup to green when you are ready for us to review and approve.

Barriers

What is standing in the way of addressing each of the contributing factors?

In other words, why haven’t we fixed this problem to date?

Example: Barriers

Primary concern: Our out-of-district placement rate is too high (particularly EBD students).

Contributing factor: There is not a culture of inclusion in our district.

Possible barriers: We have not yet had an honest conversation

district-wide about our out-of-district placement rates and sense that staff are comfortable with the status quo.

District leadership has not publicly stated its support of inclusionary practices or dissatisfaction with out-of-district placement rates.

Example: Barriers

Primary concern: Our out-of-district placement rate is too high (particularly EBD students).

Contributing factor: Staff do not have the appropriate skills or training to support EBD students in regular school settings.

Possible barriers: We have not prioritized or provided funding for

professional development for staff related to serving EBD students in an inclusionary setting.

Staff do not have evidence or examples of what good inclusionary practices look like—they need proof that this will work!

Barriers

Individually brainstorm possible barriers for each contributing factor considering the checklist.

Report out round-robin style and recorder capture all ideas on flip chart paper.

Discuss all options and vote on top 1-2 barriers.

Turn your cup to green when you are ready for us to review and approve.

Critical Friends/Peer Review

We’d like to give you the opportunity to hear feedback from your colleagues on your primary concern, contributing factors, and barriers before moving to action steps.

Please pair up as follows… Use the provided protocol to structure

your discussion and feedback.

Action Steps

How can you move forward from barriers to specific action steps?

How do we take the good ideas generated today and translate them into concrete improvements?

Action Steps

Consider each contributing factor at a time.

Review the barriers for that contributing factor and develop your action steps.

As appropriate, utilize the resources available on your thumb drive.

We encourage you to leave here today with concrete ideas. But do not feel like you have to make final decisions.

Use the following guidance…

Action Steps

Writing Action Steps Guidance:

Begin with an action verb that describes what will be done by staff.

Write clear, concise statements that describe what should be accomplished.

Make sure each action step addresses each of the barriers you’ve identified.

Refer to your checklist

Example: Action Steps

Primary concern: Our out-of-district placement rate is too high (particularly EBD students).

Contributing factor: There is not a culture of inclusion in our district.

Barriers: We have not yet had an honest conversation district-wide about our out-of-district placement rates and sense that staff are comfortable with the status quo.

Action step:

Conduct a staff survey to better understand people’s perceptions of the problem and reasons for out-of-district placement.

Example: Action Steps

Primary concern: Our out-of-district placement rate is too high (particularly EBD students).

Contributing factor: There is not a culture of inclusion in our district.

Barrier: We have not yet had an honest conversation district-wide about our out-of-district placement rates and sense that staff are comfortable with the status quo.

Action step:

Form a committee to work on planning next district in-service day to address this issue. Include analysis of placement data as part of day. Develop protocols for principals to use with staff following the event to engage them in honest conversation about this issue.

Example: Action Steps

Primary concern: Our out-of-district placement rate is too high (particularly EBD students).

Contributing factor: There is not a culture of inclusion in our district.

Barrier: District leadership has not publicly stated its support of inclusionary practices or dissatisfaction with out-of-district placement rates.

Action step:

Provide time during planned in-service day for superintendent and special education director to address the importance of inclusion and the need for change.

Action Steps

Individually brainstorm possible action steps for each contributing factor and associated barriers.

Report out round-robin style and recorder capture all ideas on flip chart paper.

Discuss all options and vote on top 1-2 action steps.

Turn your cup to green when you are ready for us to review and approve.

Action Plan Template

Once you’ve identified specific action steps, use the provided action plan template to plan for implementation.

The template asks you to consider the following:

Lead person responsible for each action step

Other staff/stakeholders who will be involved (think of people who could support this action step, should be involved for political reasons, etc.

Start and end dates

Resources required

Benchmark goals

Benchmark dates

Final Presentations: May 22

Please email to the Institute Co-Directors by Friday, May 11:

Complete process visual (feel free to add more boxes or delete ones you don’t need; you are not limited to the number on the template)

Completed action plan template for all action steps

Final Presentations: May 22

District presentations should describe:1. Institute areas of focus (leadership, clear and

collaborative relationships, and quality teaching and learning)

2. Primary concern and how it meets the three selection criteria

3. Contributing factors, barriers, and action steps (process visual template)

4. Implementation plans for the action steps (action plan template)

5. How the action plan, when implemented, will positively impact students with disabilities in your district

Planning Support

We are here to help you with your action plan and final presentation!

Please use sign-up sheet to indicate your interest in a phone call or webinar with us to:

Review elements of your action plan (primary concern, contributing factors, barriers, and action steps)

Look at your action plan template Discuss plans for your final presentation

Thank you!

Thank you and see you in May!

Karen Mikkelsen(802) 951-8208; kmikkel@wested.org

Susan Hayes(802) 951-8210; shayes@wested.org