New York State’s Special Education Technical Assistance

Resources

Higher Education Task Force MeetingSeptember 2009

State Performance Plan Requirements

• Performance and Compliance

• NYS – State “In Need of Assistance”

• 2009 District Determinations– Graduation, drop out, performance on State assessments,

compliance• 58 Needs Assistance (17 NYC; 41 ROS)• 44 Needs Intervention (14 NYC; 30 ROS)• 97 At Risk of Identification

• 21 districts identified in 08-09 are not identified this year.

Turning the page …

Restructuring of former SETRC, Transition Coordination Sites and PBIS Networks into 10 Regional Special Education Technical Assistance and Support Centers

• Regional Specialists– Special education trainers– Behavior – Transition – Bilingual special education– Nondistrict program

technical assistance providers

• Special Education School Improvement Specialists– Each BOCES region– Each Big 5

Teams created in nine regions by Joint Management Team plus New York City

RSE-TASC Coordinators

Regional Planning Processto Strategically Deploy TA Resources to those Districts Most in Need

56 Regional Specialists Statewide

Cyndi Besig

Acts as a liaison between NYSED/VESID leaders, BOCES District Superintendents, Big 5 District Superintendents, NYSED

Special Education Quality Assurance officials, regional specialists & local SESIS and other NYSED funded technical

assistance networks

Regional Special Education Technical Assistance Support Center (RSE-TASC)A VESID funded network supporting & improving instructional practices & outcomes for students with disabilities. RSE-TASCs are located in

nine Joint Management Team Regions of New York State and in New York City

(Regional)Nondistrict Programs Technical

Assistance Specialist

Provides training and

technical assistance on

special education to

selected approved

private schools and

other nondistrict programs

(Regional)Transition Specialist

Provides training and

assistance to school districts

identified to improve transition

planning and services

(Regional) Behavior Specialist

Provides training and

technical assistance to districts on

positive behavioral

supports and establishing &

sustaining PBIS

(Regional) Bilingual Special

Education Specialist

Provides regional

information & technical

assistance related to effective

practices for students with

disabilities who are bilingual/English language learners

(Regional) Special

Education Training

SpecialistProvides training & information to

school personnel from multiple school

districts in region related to

special education

compliance & effective practices

(Local)Special Education

School Improvement Specialists

(SESIS)Provide targeted

technical assistance to school districts

designated by VESID focusing on improving

instructional practices for students with disabilities in the areas of literacy, behavioral supports,

special education instruction.

12 14 14 8 8 115

RSE-TASC Coordinator

(42 SESIS in NYC; 73 Rest of State)

56 Regional Specialists Statewide – 13 NYC; 43 Rest of State

Meet the RSE-TASC Coordinators

•http://www.vesid.nysed.gov/specialed/techassist/rsetasc/locations.htm

Regional Planning Process • Analysis and deployment

based on State and district results on the State Performance Plan

• Regional Planning process for the deployment of TA resources

• State School Improvement Cabinet– Project Directors Cabinet

Focus on the Instructional Core• What is the instructional basis for schools identified as

needing assistance or intervention?

– How are students taught literacy across the grades?

– What behavioral supports are in place school-wide, in classrooms, in small groups and for individual students?

– What is the quality of the special education instruction and supports students are receiving?

Supported by research-based tools and high quality professional development

• Research-based Quality Indicator Review and Resource Guides http://www.vesid.nysed.gov/specialed/techassist/QIcover.htm

– Literacy– Behavior– Specially designed

instructional practices

School districts with high or improving performance of students with disabilities on grades 3-8 assessment

• Professional learning communities drive system and classroom exploration of effective instruction through action research

• Dedicated 90-minute literacy blocks

• Movement within instructional groupings and allocation of educator intervention determined based on progress monitoring data

• Classes co-taught by special and general education teachers at every grade level

• Common planning time for general and special educators

• Systems of positive behavioral supports

• Literacy coaches

School districts with high or improving graduation rates for students with disabilities

• Integrated co-teaching

• Literacy instruction across the grades

• Good transition planning processes

• Regular guidance meetings

• Supplemental instructional support systems

• School wide, classroom, small group individualized positive behavioral supports

• Systems of progress monitoring

State Centers to Support Work of TA Providers

– Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS)

– Transition Services: TransQual and Professional Development

– Network Capacity: Professional Development

– Response to Intervention

VESID funded Technical Assistance Centers

Center for Autism &Related Disorders

13 Special Education

Parent Centers

15 Early Childhood

Direction Centers

Technical Assistance Center

on Disproportionality (TAC-D)

Resource CenterFor the Blind

ResponseTo Intervention

TAC

RSE-TASC

S³TAIR Project

Higher EducationSupport Center