Ohio’s Collaborative Initiatives to Improve Teaching of Students with Disabilities SPDG Project Directors’ Webinar August 24, 2009 Presented by: Kathe Shelby, ODE Office of Exceptional Children JoHannah Ward, ODE Office of Exceptional Children John Soloninka, ODE Office of Educator Preparation Linda Morrow, Muskingum University

Ohio Department of Education Collaborates with School Districts and Institutions of Higher Education School Districts Higher Education Ohio Department of Education

The Teacher is the Key to Student Academic Achievement School Districts Higher Education Ohio Department of Education

Question? Some state departments of education see their role as “compliance” only. Others see their role as both compliance and assistance. Does your state department of education consider itself a “collaborative” partner with school districts and higher education institutions in your state for accountability and improvement to meet state P-12 educational goals?

Problem: Special Education educators for grades 7 through 12 do not meet NCLB requirements for Highly Qualified Teacher status. Teacher preparation programs prepare Intervention Specialists; programs have a focus on the teaching of reading and language arts.

Question? Is there a similar problem in your state?

Ohio Started by Responding using a Compliance Approach ODE focused on the TEACHER and developed programs to assist special education teachers fulfill HQT requirements. ODE then developed an agency directed proposal to increase academic content in math, science, and social studies in the Intervention Specialist educator preparation programs. ODE invited higher education special education stakeholders to a conference to roll-out the new mandate. Drs. Blanton and Pugach were keynote speakers. Higher Ed felt disenfranchised from the process.

Regroup around a Collaborative Model Collaborative Initiatives to Envision: Plan Collaborative Initiatives to Encourage: Pilot Collaborative Initiatives to Equip: Implement

School Districts Higher Education Ohio Department of Education Office of Exceptional Children Office of Educator Preparation ODE Offices of Exceptional Children and Educator Preparation Plan and Organize Initiatives with School Districts and Higher Education

Question? Does your state department function “collaborative” across internal offices and with stakeholders?

ODE’s SPDG  Work with District Leadership Teams  Ohio Improvement Process  Focus on improving results for children with disabilities  Aligning work to the SPP

Connecting SPDGs with IHEs  Identify district needs  Communication with the IHEs  Strong linkage between ODE Office of Teacher Preparation and ODE Office for Exceptional children

Collaborate with Higher Education (IHEs) to Envision the Work  51 Higher Education Teacher Preparation programs in Ohio  Ohio Confederation of Teacher Education Organizations (OCTEO)  Ohio proposed special education teachers move to an “intervention specialists” role and preparation in late 1990s  Ohio SEA/IHE team’s participate in the Center for Improving Teacher Quality five-year project  The ODE Center for the Teaching Profession was charged to revisit and recommend new licensure program requirements to ensure the preparation of High Qualified Special Education Teachers (Intervention Specialists).  ODE invited IHEs to participate in a Special Education Task Force to look at licensure programs in light of NCLB and HQT requirements.

Collaborate to Envision - Planning  2007 – the Ohio Consortium to Improve the Teaching of Students with Disabilities was organized  University of Cincinnati (UC) and the University of Toledo (UT) were awarded Cohort I 325T grants by OSEP  UC and UT provided Technical Assistance to six other Ohio IHEs that submitted Cohort II RFPs to OSEP.  ODE developed plans to support additional IHEs  2008 – Consortium met to establish goals for its work  Two additional Ohio IHEs, Wright State University and Muskingum University were awarded Cohort II 325T grants  2009 – one additional Ohio IHE, Cleveland State University was awarded a Cohort III 325T grant

Collaborate to Envision - Parameters Intervention Specialist Teacher Preparation Program Re-design Parameters  Candidates to complete requirements for a baccalaureate degree and additional academic content expertise within four years  IHEs to recruit diverse and underrepresented student groups as teacher candidates  The state and IHEs are NOT to do something that would inadvertently “increase” the shortage of Intervention Specialist teachers  Determine the appropriate PRAXIS II specialty area tests to be used for Intervention Specialist (grades 7-12) HQT status  Identify, select, implement, and successfully use EBP*  Complete field work and student teaching with cooperating teachers and college supervisors who are well prepared to evaluate candidate skills in using EBP*

Collaborate to Encourage – Piloting new models  Five Ohio 325T Grant recipients collaborate with state mini- grant recipients and other IHEs to form a consortium to share ideas, and possible new models for special education / intervention specialist teacher preparation  Consortium members make presentations of their work at OCTEO and OSEP  Consortium members share resource materials and contact information

 Rural southeastern Ohio  1550 undergraduates  part-time graduate students, primarily in programs related to educator preparation  NCATE Accredited  Long history of strong collaboration with regional stakeholders  325T Project – Cohort II (began Fall, 2008)  Competence and Collaboration in Teaching Students with Disabilities

Building the Foundation  Strong Stakeholder Advisory Groups  Revision to General Education Licensure Programs: The Heart of It All  “Update and expand” the Intervention Specialist: Mild to Moderate Major  Enhance Content Area Preparation  Strengthen the emphasis on Collaboration and Co-Teaching : On and off campus

Looking Ahead: Hopes and Challenges  Develop parallel program re-design options at graduate level  Locate more high quality co-taught classes for field work  Develop and implement a plan to systematically infuse an emphasis on “evidence-based practices” across all licensure programs (at all levels of support)  Develop and provide PD in Co-Teaching and EBP in conjunction with Mentoring Seminars  Recruit minority & underrepresented groups into licensure programs  Resolve issues with faculty load when involved in a co-taught setting with focus on parity – include recognition of planning time

Collaboration To Encourage  On going collaborative work among IHEs and School Districts to redesign Sp. Ed Prep programs to include “residency years”  On going collaborative work between IHEs and ODE to have teacher candidates meet HQT  Development of Licensure revision recommendations  Opportunities to Pilot selective aspects of program redesign

Collaboration to Equip: Looking Ahead  State Special Education Leadership conference will bring School Districts and IHEs together  ODE will consider collaboratively developing recommendations for licensure revision  Study to be proposed in fall 2009

Recommendations for Revision of IS: Mild to Moderate Licensure Requirements  Preparation Program requirements need to emphasize co- teaching knowledge and skills; candidates to practice co-teaching during student teaching and residency program  The middle childhood level content is appropriate for HQT status to serve as instructor of record for SWD in grades 7-12…thus PII Middle Childhood content tests would be appropriate  The (newly adopted) four year residency requirement for beginning teachers could provide co-teaching experiences and the opportunity for developing content expertise in additional content areas:  Intervention Specialists would exit their initial licensure programs with a “plan” for gaining additional content expertise  Study to determine, “What impact the models are having on student performance?”

Discussion Questions: What networks have been established within your state to promote collaboration, dissemination, and broader implementation of fulfilling 325T project initiatives? What specific features of more “inclusive practices” characterize the special education programs in the school districts and educator preparation programs at the higher education institutions in your state? What unique strengths and challenges does co- teaching bring to more inclusive practices for all students?

For additional information, please contact us: Kathe Jo Hannah John Soloninka Linda