1. New Specialist Orientation May 2014
RSE-TASC OVERVIEW
New Specialist Orientation
May 2014

2. Topics Vision and Goals NYSED Structure RSE-TASC Structure
Roles and Responsibilities
Reporting Requirements

3. Improve results for students with disabilities
Vision and Goals
Improve results for students with disabilities
How?
Through Systemic Change
Network specialists focused on the most critical needs in special education
Targeted technical assistance and professional development to schools, approved private schools, parents and others on special education policy
Coaching of instructional staff to utilize the most current research-based instructional strategies and practices for students with disabilities.
Monitoring of schools to ensure change is occurring

4. Expectations for Results
Improvement goals that are clear, measurable and achievable and based on assessment of the district’s instructional practices
High quality professional development provided in research based instructional practices to help schools build their capacity to achieve those goals
Systemic changes that are sustainable

5. How do we get from here to there?

6. Research tells us that aligning our resources to effect change means…
data-driven decision making,
continuous improvement planning,
resource alignment,
implementation and monitoring,
coordination,
developing expectations, and
high-quality professional development.

7. Instructional Practices
The Focus –
Instructional Practices
Target all resources
Focus every discussion/decision
Continuously communicate the focus until every classroom demonstrates the vision

8. Coordination of Efforts
Analysis and deployment based on State, district and school results and upcoming reviews
Regional Planning Process for the deployment of TA resources
State School Improvement Cabinet

10. P- 12:Office of Special Education

11. P-12: Office of Special Education Funded Technical Assistance and Resource Centers
Center for Autism and
Related Disorders
14 Special
Education
Parent Centers
14 Early
Childhood
Direction Centers
Technical
Assistance Center
on Disproportionality
(TAC-D)
Response
to Intervention TAC and RtI Professional Development Project
10 RSE Technical Assistance and Support Centers
(RSE-TASC)
(Regional Specialists and
School Improvement Specialists)
Transition Services Professional Development Support Center (PDSC)
Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports TAC (PBIS TAC)

12. Regional Special Education Technical Assistance and Support Centers
RSE-TASC Coordinators
Special Education School Improvement Specialists
Each BOCES region
Each Big 5 district
Regional Specialists
Special education trainers
Behavior
Transition
Bilingual special education
Nondistrict program technical assistance providers
Regional Planning Process
to strategically deploy TA Resources to those
schools, districts & nondistrict programs most in need

13. Technical Assistance Structure
Regional Special Education Technical Assistance Support Centers (RSE-TASC)
Formed in Brought several TA networks under one umbrella
10 Coordinators – Oversee each RSE-TASC
SESIS – Provide targeted technical assistance to school districts. Focus is to improve instructional practices primarily in the areas of literacy, behavioral supports and special education for students with disabilities.
RSETS – Provide technical assistance and professional development to schools, families and others regarding special education regulations and policy.

14. TA Structure (cont’d.) RSE-TASC (continued)
Transition Specialists – Provide technical assistance and professional development to schools, families and others regarding transition.
Behavior Specialists – Provide professional development and technical assistance to schools in order to establish and sustain school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS).
Nondistrict Specialists – Provide training and technical assistance to Nondistrict programs on literacy, behavior and specially designed instruction.
Bilingual Specialists – Provide regional information and technical assistance to groups of schools, districts and Nondistrict programs regarding services and effective practices for bilingual/English language learners (ELL) students with disabilities.

16. .

17. TA Structure (cont’d.)
Technical Assistance Centers Established to Support the RSE-TASC
Professional Learning Center (PLC): formed in 2011
Assesses the RSE-TASC network’s PD needs in multiple skill and content areas; provides skills training for RSE-TASC Nondistrict Specialists, Bilingual Specialists and SESIS; increases the RSE-TASC network’s knowledge and application of research-based practices in school improvement; evaluates the effectiveness of the RSE-TASC school improvement work with districts; assists in planning and development of statewide meetings, and arranges for PD for RSE-TASC Coordinators.
Transition Services Professional Development Support Center (PDSC): formed in 2010
Provides PD & and TA to the RSE-TASC Transition Specialists; evaluates effectiveness of PD offered by the Transition Specialists; developed and maintains TransitionSource, a web-based data and resource system for transition services and planning.
Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) TAC: formed in 2010
Provides PD & TA to the RSE-TASC Behavior Specialists; developed and maintains statewide website, and evaluates effectiveness of support provided by the Behavior Specialists to school districts in PBIS implementation.

18. Alignment of IDEA and NCLB Accountability Systems
Identification Criteria
Diagnostic Reviews
Special Education School Improvement Specialist
Subgroup specialist on the team
Technical assistance resources dedicated
Ongoing and embedded professional development to support implementation of school improvement plans as they relate to students with disabilities

19. 2012–13 IDEA Determination Criteria
Needs Assistance
Performance: District is a Focus District under the ESEA Waiver based on combined ELA and math assessment results or the graduation rate for students with disabilities; and/or the district has one or more schools identified in need of a local assistance plan (LAP) for students with disabilities; and/or
Compliance: District has findings of noncompliance that remain uncorrected between 12 and 24 months from the date of identification of the noncompliance by the State.
Needs Intervention[1]
Compliance: District has findings of noncompliance that remain uncorrected more than 24 months from the date of identification of the noncompliance by the State.
Needs Substantial Intervention
Compliance: District has significant noncompliance that remains uncorrected and that is resulting in substantial failure of the district to provide a free appropriate public education (FAPE) for its students with disabilities.
[1] Districts identified as Needs Assistance for three consecutive years beginning in will also be designated as Needs Intervention.

20. DTSDE

21. Quality Improvement Process
Results of Diagnostic Reviews will inform selection of schools and focus for SESIS led Quality Improvement Process for following two years.
QIP focus must continue to be on:
Specially-designed instruction
Literacy and/or
Behavioral supports and interventions

22. Roles and Responsibilities: NYSED Project Manager
Ensure that contract deliverables are being met.
Ensure professional development needs for RSE-TASC Part I, Part II specialists are being met.
Ensure effective communication between NYSED, RSE-TASC, and TACs supporting specialists (i.e., PLC, PBIS TAC, Transition PDSC)
Coordinate and collaborate with other project managers

23. Roles and Responsibilities: Coordinators
Meet monthly as a group in Albany
Identify and plan professional development needs of Network in coordination with PLC
Includes discussion with PLC regarding Statewide Topics (SDL, DTSDE, QIP, Walk Through Tool)
Receive updates from NYSED to deliver to the field
Changes in Regulations, new initiatives, challenges
Develop training packages to bring to regions on key Special Education Initiatives
Common Core Learning Standards, CDOS
Collaborate to bring best practices to their regions
Goal: To Contribute to Systemic Change Across the State

24. Roles and Responsibilities: SESIS
Work directly with school districts identified through the regional planning process to bring and sustain high quality, research-based practices in the areas of literacy, behavioral supports and special education instruction to improve outcomes for students with disabilities. Special Education School Improvement Specialists:
work with each of the designated school districts, including school districts identified for NYSED Quality Assurance Focused Monitoring Reviews to:
conduct an analysis of data relating to results for students with disabilities to identify the area(s) of instructional review and improvement for the school district;
conduct an analysis and review of instructional practices, using the Quality Indicator Review and Resource Guides developed for this purpose (
develop upfront agreements with districts/schools to establish the level and type of commitment the district/school will make to improve and sustain improvements in its instructional programs and practices for students with disabilities;

25. Roles and Responsibilities: SESIS (cont’d.)
document the professional development and support to be provided directly by the school improvement specialist on the NYSED required Quality Improvement Process (QIP) plan;
provide high quality, professional development to the school district in a manner that will lead to district-wide improvement of instructional programs and practices;
assure systems of progress monitoring are established and progress is documented;
review and revise the QIP as necessary to ensure systemic change is occurring;
communicate with the NYSED SEQA office on issues and concerns in their work with identified school districts; and
submit the QIP for each district to NYSED as required by NYSED.

26. Roles and Responsibilities: SESIS (cont’d.)
participate in NYSED directed professional development, statewide meetings as required by NYSED, and as necessary to enhance and maintain knowledge and skills in research-based instructional practices and research based school improvement activities;
participate in workgroups as established by NYSED, including workgroups to develop, review and revise Quality Indicator Review and Resource Guides; and
provide reports of work accountability in the time periods and format required by NYSED.

27. Roles and Responsibilities: Nondistrict Specialist (NDS)
Provide training and technical assistance, consistent with NYS required training and the recommendations of the Steering Committee and the NYSED regional planning process, to selected approved private schools and other non-district programs.
Provide regional training and information to approved private schools and other Nondistrict providers of special education services on topics identified annually by NYSED, priority topics determined through the regional planning process and on effective and research-based instructional practices. (Level 1)
In collaboration with SEQA’s Nondistrict Unit, conduct an assessment of quality instructional and behavioral practices in identified non-district programs and provide school improvement support to promote the use of research-based practices in the three key areas (literacy, behavioral supports and interventions, and quality delivery of special education services) utilizing the Quality Indicator Review and Resource Guides (Level 2 or 3)

28. Roles and Responsibilities: NDS (cont’d.)
Participate in workgroups as established by NYSED, including workgroups to develop, review and revise Quality Indicator Review and Resource Guides.
Provide reports of work accountability in the time periods and format required by NYSED.

29. Reporting Requirements
All Part I and Part II Specialists:
Annual Service Plans (to NYSED)
Quarterly Status Reports (PSRs) (to NYSED)
Additional Reports:
SESIS & Nondistrict: Quality Improvement Process Plans (QIPs)

30. Annual Service Plan Coordinator reviews and submits to NYSED.
Project Manager reviews; asks for clarification, if needed; provides feedback.
Outlines work to be completed during the upcoming year.
For all Part I Specialists: Identifies the regional training topics and plan for delivery.
For Behavior, Bilingual, Nondistrict, Transition and SESIS: Identifies the district, school or nondistrict program and the level of support to be provided.

31. Quarterly Status Report
Coordinator reviews and submits to NYSED.
Project Manager reviews and provides feedback.
Program Managers may share/review with PBIS TAC, PDSC or PLC to help inform PD and TA needs.
The report is used to reflect work conducted on project deliverables during each quarter
Need balance to provide information that is reflective of expected work within one quarter’s timeframe, without excessive details.
Review of sample Status Reports (see handouts)

32. Status Reports – Performance Objectives Specific to SESIS and NDS
Let’s take a look at some sections of status reports for SESIS and Nondistrict Specialists
Who is receiving support from you?
What types of activities are you engaged in?
What is the focus of your support (e.g., topics on which you provide training)?
What tools are mentioned in your performance objectives?

33. Fiscal Reporting
Annual Budget Preparation and Submission (see handouts)
Timeframes
Categories
Tips

34. Quarterly Expenditure Reports and Vouchers for Payment (see handouts)
Timeframe and reporting requirements
Categories for expenditures
Tips

35. Evaluation of the Network
Completed yearly by Measurement Incorporated
Evaluates the impact of RSE-TASC support on School Improvement
Scope and quality of technical assistance activities
Impact technical assistance activities on district/school organizational and teaching practices
Impact of technical assistance activities on students and the district wide special education delivery system.