What can we learn from this Bright Spot?
Both research and our own experience show that, when districts implement a student-directed IEP process, student achievement, self-determination, and motivation all increase.
Endings & Beginnings: Farewell to the RSE-TASC! Hello Regional Partnership Center!
By Patti Slobogin, Director
The Lower Hudson Regional Special Education Technical Assistance Support Center (RSE-TASC) is closing its doors on June 28, 2019 (but don’t panic! See below). It has been our privilege and pleasure to serve the educators of the Lower Hudson by providing training and technical assistance on evidence-based practices that improve outcomes for students with disabilities, as well as on legal and regulatory requirements in Special Education...
This month’s Bright Spot comes from districts that participated in the Student-Directed IEP series with Kit Casey and Stephanie Wozniak, RSE-TASC Transition Specialists, and Naomi Brickel and Jenna Lequia, from the Hudson Valley Special Education Parent Center. These districts were Blind Brook, Mahopac, Mount Vernon, North Salem, Ossining, Pearl River and Pelham.
What were students with disabilities able to achieve?
Student achievements are perhaps best characterized by quotes from students, a parent and an educator:
- Student: “I can now make my own choices in my programs, tell others what I’d like to accomplish and how I’m going to do it.”
- Student: “I cannot believe that I learned so much about myself. And once I knew so much about myself, I also knew that I had to be a part of the IEP process. I know I can be a leader and someone who can have a say in what it is I want to do.”
- Parent: “It gave my daughter the confidence and strength to become who she really is and know what she can do….”
- Educator: “By helping students truly understand the IEP process and their learning needs, [they can] use that understanding to better communicate with their teachers and families, and carry the self-advocacy skills with them to post-secondary education or as they choose a career path.”
What practices or systems made this possible?
Teams of educators engaged in shared learning throughout the year on ways to increase students’ self determination skills, including participation in their own educational planning process. They developed and implemented strategies that empowered students to become actively engaged in developing and implementing their IEPs.
SCHOOL TOOL
Data-Driven Decision-Making – June 2019
Read the full RAND Corporation research report, Making Sense of Data-Driven Decision Making in Education, on which our June 2019 Newsletter Article is based. The Research Roundup from the National Association of Elementary School Principals, entitled Data that Drives Decisions,…Local Resource Guides – May 2019
A great source of information about local community providers are resource guides which list the agencies that serve people with disabilities in our region. * For Westchester County, you can access a resource guide, the Disability Resource Guide, on the Westchester…Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR) – April 2019
The University of Minnesota National Center on Secondary Education and Transition (NCSET), funded by the College of Education and Human Development, publishes Research-to-Practice Briefs on evidence-based practices that improve secondary education and transition services. These free and downloadable briefs cover…Classroom Management Self-Assessment – March 2019
Want to check out your own classroom management skills? Below is a link to a checklist that can be used to assess the fidelity of implementation of classroom management practices. Teachers can use it as a self-assessment or they can…I’m Determined! – February 2019
Understanding and articulating one’s strengths, interests, preferences and needs is the foundation for self-determination. I’m Determined! is a free website offering materials and resources to educators, parents and students of all ages. Videos are available featuring students discussing their own…