PROJECT RAISE-UP RAISING THE BAR THROUGH CURRICULUM ENHANCEMENTS Dr. Kathleen Magiera Dr. Rhea Simmons The State University of New York at Fredonia 325T Program Improvement Grant January 28,

GOAL: To redesign and improve Fredonia’s undergraduate teacher preparation program graduating highly qualified special education teachers Special education teacher preparation program approved by the New York State Education Department in 2007 Merged program of general education and special education Grant funded July, 2009 (Cohort 3) Dr. Christine Givner, College of Education Founding Dean, also Co-PI A 325T GRANT PROJECT RAISE-UP REDESIGNING AND IMPROVING SPECIAL EDUCATION – UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM

Western most comprehensive college in New York State university system located in most agricultural county in the state Approximately 5,000 students 20% of student body majors in Education 24 Faculty members in College of Education Two departments in College of Education Curriculum & Instruction Language, Learning, & Leadership THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT FREDONIA

To enhance general education teacher preparation curriculum by strategically embedding special education content and knowledge supported by evidence-based practices into course syllabi throughout the curriculum To enhance the collaboration skills of our program graduates to work with families of students with disabilities, educational professionals, and community services PURPOSE OF GRANT

WHAT WERE SOME OF THE TOOLS ?

Used for more than 30 years in development and implementation of educational innovations and methodologies to: – Evaluate programs – Evaluate fidelity of implementation of educational interventions – Facilitate the change process 6 WHAT IS AN INNOVATION CONFIGURATION?

Innovation Configurations… Identify strengths and gaps within preparation programs and address: – What types of instruction and experiences do teacher candidates receive throughout their preparation that promote the use of evidenced-based practices? – To what extent are teacher candidates provided an opportunity to apply these evidenced-based practices with explicit feedback and sustained implementation and support to ensure fidelity?

8 HOW ARE WE DOING?? LOOKING AT PROGRAM IMPROVEMENT

ALWAYS START OUT POSITIVELY! Celebrate what university faculty are doing well! Solicit an outside evaluator to assist with reflection Invite faculty to be part of the discussion Build systems that will carry on the work after the grant is over Provide incentives

Fall Adapt Holdheide and Reschly (2008) Innovation Configuration Tools (ICs) Spring Pilot of ICs with 10 College of Education syllabi Fall Analyze all College of Education syllabi Spring Embed IRIS Center materials and evidence-based practices within courses May Resubmit syllabi to OSEP for analysis TIMELINE FOR MAJOR PROJECT ACTIVITIES

Fall 2009 – Utilized OSEP’s 5 domains to develop overall program improvement roadmap Certification Organizational Structure & Instructional Delivery Curriculum & Course Content Student Support Program Evaluation Fall Adapted Innovation Configurations (ICs) by Grant Planning Group (include faculty from both departments) YEAR ONE PROJECT: FACULTY BUY IN

January 2010 – Professional development for special and general education faculty via Winter Institute (offered honorariums for participation) – before the semester starts Follow-up office visits to invite faculty and see how it went Spring Pilot of adapted ICs with 10 course syllabi – who would be willing to try it out?? Spring Initial pilot of IC for field experiences

IEP (Inclusion, Evidence-Based Practices, & Partnerships) for the Least Restrictive Environment Define inclusive practices using a common vocabulary throughout the teacher preparation curriculum Embed evidence-based practices throughout the curriculum Partner with rural school districts to locate more quality inclusive field placements IEP FOR THE LRE

Piloted the process with a representative sample of 10 education courses from three categories: Field-Based Psychological Foundations Methods Conducted document review of student teaching handbook and evaluation forms SELECTED COURSES FOR PILOT

HOW DO WE MAKE A GOOD PROGRAM BETTER?

Two data sources : Surveyed 10 faculty members (2 faculty members have terminal degrees in special education) about knowledge of inclusion, how to incorporate inclusion in coursework, and how to improve our teacher preparation program Utilized adapted Inclusive Services IC for 9 courses and adapted Classroom Management IC for 1 course (relevant content) to review syllabi SPRING 2010 PILOT DATA

INCLUSIVE SERVICES ADAPTED IC MODEL Essential Components for Syllabi Inclusion Foundations Inclusive Service Models Collaboration Access to General Education Curriculum Learning Strategies Family Involvement Self-Determination for Students Degree of Implementation in Syllabi No evidence in Syllabi Mentioned in Syllabi Required Readings on Topic in Syllabi Required Readings and Project or Assignment or Test on Topic Required Readings and Project or Assignment or Test on Topic and Supervised Practice 17

Invited faculty to participate in institutes Provided small honorarium for participation (no homework) Invited rural school partners to join us Exemplary pairs of special and general ed teachers did posters to present to faculty Highlighted exemplary pairs of special and general education teachers via posters sessions Faculty and school partners Shared with schools and placed on College of Education website Invited outside experts to stimulate discussion WINTER & SUMMER INSTITUTES (2011 – 2013)

Always started out positively with faculty about syllabi Met one-on-one with faculty to discuss syllabi Invited faculty to embed evidenced-based practices in syllabi Faculty-to-Faculty mentoring on selecting EBPs Resubmitted syllabi to OSEP Worked on field-based courses the following year Faculty used adapted ICs Analyzed student teaching syllabi FACULTY SABBATICALS

College of Education Retreats Faculty Meetings College-As-A-Whole Meetings Round table meetings with faculty and local teachers Paid the teachers with “smart pens” Outside evaluator met with faculty in small groups Student teaching seminars Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR) Common Core Learning Standards ONGOING DISCUSSIONS

ONGOING DISSEMINATION OF 325T GRANT WORK Joint publication with SUNY New Paltz Co-Editors for special topic edition of Rural Special Education Quarterly Journal College of Education Website

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NEED MORE INFORMATION? Contact Dr. Kathleen Magiera

26 The contents of this presentation were developed under a grant from the US Department of Education, Cooperative Agreement #H325T However, the content does not necessarily represent the policy of the US Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. Project Officer, Dr. Sarah Allen.