1. The document discusses goals and strategies for supporting students with exceptional learning needs, including analyzing school data, determining priorities, and discussing curriculum, instruction, assessment, and professional development. 2. It provides guidance on developing an improvement plan through defining problems, analyzing issues, implementing solutions, and evaluating progress. 3. School representatives shared information about their school's exceptional student population, assessment results, instructional approaches, and professional development activities.

1. Beyond District Improvement Plans Working with Students with Exceptional Learning Needs Sharon Knoth, Assistant Director Indiana Department of Education, Division of Exceptional Learners

2. Goals for Today 1. Discuss School Data Specific to Students with Exceptional Learning Needs: 1.1 Curricular Requirements, 1.2 Assessment Processes, 1.3 Adaptations/Technologies Available, 1.4 Training Activities Enacted, and 1.5 Strategies Implemented / Discarded. Methods for Determining Planning Priorities. Planning to Address School-Specific Needs.

3. Survey Rankings with Regard to Exceptional Learners Differentiated Instruction for Students with Exceptional Learning Needs. Strategies and Resources for Teaching Reading to Students with Exceptional Learning Needs. Suggestions and Ideas for Providing Professional Development for Classroom Teachers who have Students with Exceptional Learning Needs.

4. Data-Based Decision Making Define the Problem Analyze the Problem Develop a Plan Evaluate the Progress Is there a problem? What is it? Why is it happening? What shall we do about it? Did our plan work? Implement the Plan with Fidelity ADAPTED From: National Association of State Directors of Special Education, Response to intervention: Policy considerations and implementation, 2006

5. What Types of Assessments Do Your Schools Use? Formative Assessments, Predictive Assessments, Growth or Value-Added Assessments, Curriculum-Based Assessments, Computerized Assessments, Classroom Assessments, Others?

6. Group Activity: Analyzing Data 1. What type of corporation-level data do you collect and analyze? What type of building-level data do you collect and analyze? What type of program-level data do you collect and analyze? What type of classroom-level data do you collect and analyze? What type of student data do you collect and analyze?

7. What Do You Know About Your School Data (as it pertains to students with exceptional learning needs)? Which exceptionality areas are represented? How many students are currently identified (age, race, gender, etc.)? How many passed ISTEP+ last year? Did any of these students also receive an ISTAR rating (as a supplement to the ISTEP+ score)? How many received a passing rating in ISTAR last year? Other information you have available to assist you today?

8. Analyzing Supplemental Data

9. Using Supplemental Data

11. Universal Design for Learning How technologically proficient is your school (and the staff who work with your diverse learners)? What steps would need to be taken to get the technology in place and/or the staff trained? What barriers exist that may impact these steps? How might you overcome those barriers? Universal design for learning (UDL) places the thought of adapting or modifying the item during the design phase (instead of after it has already been created and in use). Through use of UDL principles the item itself is inherently more accessible and therefore less likely to require adaptations or modifications.

12. Curriculum Discussion How do you define your school’s curriculum? How accessible is your school’s curriculum? What does the term Universal Design for Learning (UDL) mean for your school? How does your school go about removing institutional barriers for students with exceptional learning needs? How does your school go about choosing effective methods for adapting or making all aspects of the curriculum accessible? After you complete the self-assessment, reflect on these questions:

13. Effective Instruction How do you define effective instruction? How do you know when it is happening? What are some common components? Engaging the Learner. Linking to Past Experiences or Prior Knowledge. Modeling or Demonstrating the Expectation. Providing Multiple Representations. Scaffolding Content. Providing Multiple Means for Demonstrating Skills. How do you know when it is effective?

14. Pillars of Reading Instruction Phonological Awareness Phonics Fluency Vocabulary Comprehension of Text Classroom Organization Matching Pupils and Texts Access to Interesting Texts, Choice, and Collaboration Writing and Reading Modified from: The other five ‘pillars’ or effective reading instruction, an editorial by Richard L. Allington, 2005.

15. What Makes Your Reading Instruction Work? Using clear, simple directions. Modeling for the students. Adjusting your pace of instruction. Checking frequently for understanding. Allowing for alternate ways of demonstrating learning. Using high interest / vocabulary controlled materials. Being consistent with terms and reinforcers. Modified from: Professional Development Guide: Phonological Awareness, from the Texas Center for Reading and Language Arts, University of Texas at Austin,

16. Curriculum and Districts in Corrective Action Per NCLB requirements, the Indiana Department of Education, Division of Compensatory Education/Title I has selected the following sanction for districts in corrective action: “ Institute and fully implement a new curriculum …that includes appropriate, scientifically research-based professional development for all relevant staff.” After Title I reviews a district’s curriculum, the district is required to do one of the following: (1) Complete a curriculum review/audit (2) Map and align the curriculum to state standards (3) Conduct a survey of the enacted curriculum

17. Curriculum Review (Discussion) How do you know if the curriculum is working for a student? What do you see now? What would you like to see in the next two years? What content do you expect students to master? What do you see now? What would you like to see in the next two years? Does your curriculum reflect these expectations?

18. Making Accommodations General Curriculum Modified from: Professional Development Guide: Phonological Awareness, from the Texas Center for Reading and Language Arts, University of Texas at Austin, What do I know about the student? What assessment information do I have for this student? With which expectation(s) is the student experiencing difficulty? What are the setting demands that are creating difficulties for the student? What are my options for making adaptations for the student?

19. How Would You Accommodate… Give us some ‘real life’ examples of instructional materials you need to accommodate (or have accommodated). You have a student who keeps losing their place on the page while reading. You have a student who has difficulty tracking. You have a student who cannot seem to accurately copy items from the board.

20. Professional Development Using the sheet provided, list all professional development activities your school has either sponsored, attended, or provided in the past 12 months. How do your activities compare with the items reflecting “best practices”?

21. Discussion For those of you willing to share this, which types of professional development activities have you discarded or stopped using, and why? How do you evaluate your professional development activities?

22. Your Plan Differentiated Instruction for Students with Exceptional Learning Needs. Strategies and Resources for Teaching Reading to Students with Exceptional Learning Needs. Suggestions and Ideas for Providing Professional Development for Classroom Teachers who have Students with Exceptional Learning Needs.

23. Evaluation / Closing Sharing of Highlights from Plan. Critique of Process. Additional Questions or Comments. Evaluation of Session.