The Significance Section Jennifer Doolittle, Ph.D. April 23, 2009

(b) Significance. (19 points)  (1) The Secretary considers the significance of the proposed project.  (2) In determining the significance of the proposed project, the Secretary considers the likelihood that the proposed project will result in system change or improvement.

…the likelihood that the proposed project will result in system change or improvement  What is the impetus? –Is there broad-based support for the change?  Have you connected your activities to the weakness/gaps that have been identified in your State? –Are project activities addressing State needs identified in the Annual Performance Report?  Are you using a systemic approach (i.e., ongoing professional development, targeted extra assistance, coaching)?  Are you going further with activities from your last SIG/SPDG?

 Are you increasing collaboration with general education?  Will you be assisting in implementation of district-wide interventions?  Are you joining academic and behavioral training?  Are you expanding to middle and high school? System change or improvement cont.

 Will administrators be trained to be instructional leaders in this area?  Will you be able to demonstrate that you have replicated and scaled up implementation of the chosen practices?  Are you creating or leveraging existing partnerships that will help you address the needs of your State? –Including national educational associations System change or improvement cont.

How did you select your activities?  Prior SIG program findings?  Improvement strategies aligned with your State’s SPP/APR?  NAEP data?  Dropout trends?

How do you know you will achieve systems change?  Using a systems approach (ongoing PD with coaching)?  Using evidence-based practices? –Provide the evidence that the chosen practices are effective  Taking effective strategies to scale?  Capitalizing on the foundation and infrastructure in place?

Connect the dots  The activities you will implement to meet the identified needs, the partners you will include, the systematic way you will do it, the importance of the outcomes you will obtain, and how it will be sustained.

Example  Identified gap/weakness – Need to increase percent of students with disabilities in Least Restrictive Environment (SPP Indicator #5) –SPDG activity:  District-wide (gen ed and sped/middle and high school included) training and coaching in PBS and evidence- based literacy instruction –Administrator trainings at the district and building levels Establishment of district and building level teams  Partners –Regional TA providers –Parent Training Centers –Associations –IHEs

Example cont. –Outcomes  Improving teacher knowledge and skills in evidence-based positive behavior supports may result in children identified for Sped services due to behavioral problems staying in the General Ed classroom for a greater percentage of the day.  In addition, these activities can meet other needs such as increasing graduation rates and reducing drop out rates (indicators #1 & #2)

Example cont.  Increases probability of sustainability by: –including those TA providers that typically provide assistance to the schools –having associations (e.g., NEA, AFT) help with communication of the core message –training parents on how they can help their children and assist the school –Having leadership teams instead of single champions for the practice(s) –Having administrators trained to be instructional leaders in this area