SPDG Program Overview Jennifer Coffey, October 2009 Harrison Owen developed OST in 1985[1]; people first credited him with use of the term "OST" in 1986. Practitioners have subsequently used it in more than 100,000 times in 132 countries for purposes as various as peacemaking in the Middle East, corporate strategic planning, community-project design, and many others. Anyone may use Open Space methods for free, without infringing trademarks or copyrights. Open Space Technology enables groups of any size to address complex, important issues and achieve meaningful results quickly.[citation needed] It functions best where more traditional meeting formats fail: in situations involving conflict, complexity, diversity of thought or people, and short decision-times. People have used it in widely diverse situations, from designing aircraft doors at a large aircraft-manufacturing company to engaging street kids in defining a sustainable jobs-program. OST meetings have a single facilitator who initiates and concludes the meeting and explains the general method. The facilitator has no other role in the meeting and does not control the actual gathering in any way. Then someone will invite all participants to identify any issue or opportunity related to the theme. Participants willing to raise a topic will come to the centre of the circle, write it on a sheet of paper and announce it to the group before choosing a time and a place for discussion and posting it on a wall. That wall becomes the agenda for the meeting. No participant must suggest issues, but anyone may do so. However, if someone posts a topic, the system expects that the person has a real passion for the issue and can start the discussion on it. That person also must make sure that a report of the discussion is done and posted on another wall so that any participant can access the content of the discussion at all times. No limit exists on the number of issues that the meeting can post. All discussion reports are compiled in a document on site and sent to participants, unedited, shortly after. Very large groups have generated as many as 234 sessions[3] running concurrently over the course of a day and longer meetings may establish priorities and set up working-groups for follow-up.

Welcome: New SPDG cohort FY2009 Arkansas Colorado Indiana Tennessee

Monthly Webinars/Evaluators’ calls Technology Initiative Low Incidence Affinity Group Evaluators Implementation and Scaling Up Continuation reporting - program measures Roles and responsibilities Updates to personnel Planning groups

Monthly Webinars: recent topics (http://www.signetwork.org/notes.html) National RTI Center Update and SPDG Continuation and Final Reporting Using Technology for Professional Development, Technical Assistance, and Strategic Communication Scaling Up Capacity: Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities in Context National RTI Center: Technical Assistance Documentation and Implementation

Webinar topics, cont Building Unified Education Systems Using IDEA Partnership Tools and Processes Creating Customized Evaluation Reports for Stakeholders Ohio’s Collaborative Initiatives to Improve Teaching of Students with Disabilities Reaching Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Families and Other Hard to Reach Audiences Through Technology and Partnerships/Collaborating with Parent Programs

Technology Talk Using online surveys Virtual environments Video conferencing Holding Webinars

Evaluators’ calls Measuring Teacher Retention Massachusetts SPDG Family Engagement Initiative Evaluation of Alabama and Georgia’s Math Initiative

Low-incidence affinity group Innovative approaches related to recruiting and preparing LI practitioners Collaboration of State special education, state certification departments, and IHEs to provide distance based course work

Implementation and Scaling Up Implementation Drivers and Scale Up presentations during SIG Day Follow-up calls to SIG Day Requests to have a way to collaborate with other SPDGs thinking-through implementation challenges Round table? Use of technology? State Readiness Community of Practice

Continuation reporting - program measures Follow the directions that come with the continuation package Every project must report on all Program measures Use the descriptive information section Work with your Project Officer as you are putting the report together, if you have any questions

Roles and Responsibilities SIGnetwork Coordinator OSEP Program Lead OSEP Project Evaluator Lead OSEP Project Officers Grants management responsibilities Request approval for change in key personnel Send the new staff’s resume to your project officer Request approval for significant changes in your budget Request approval for changes in the scope of your project

Roles and responsibilities, cont. And please… Let Audrey and your Project Officer know when contact information changes Request that new staff be added to the appropriate listserv Let your Project Officer know how often you would like to meet with them Try to involve your evaluator in SPDG program activities

Planning Groups Technology Focus Workgroup SIG Day Regional Meetings Facilitation

Regional Meeting Planning Group SPDG Directors/Coordinators Toyah Robey, Kentucky SPDG Director Pam Rosen, Maine SPDG Director Jon Dyson, Rhode Island SPDG Director Steve Goodman, Michigan SPDG Co-Director Julia Causey, Georgia SPDG Director Evaluators Amy Erickson, Evaluator, Missouri SPDG Hayley Cavino, Evaluator, New York SPDG Other Jennifer Doolittle and Pat Gonzalez, OSEP Jeanna Mullins, MSRRC Audrey Desjarlais, SIGnetwork

Thanks to Coaching Facilitators! Washington, DC Susan Davis Tom Manthey Margie McGlinchey Toyah Robey Jeanna Mullins Kansas City, MO Howie Knoff Julia LePage John Green Kerry Haag