1. An Overview April 2012

2. Why
What
How
Where
When
Who ?

3. WHY – Federal and State Policies
ESEA/ IDEA 2004
Improved Student Outcomes
Policy
2510
Policy
5310
Policy
2512
Policy
4373
Policy
2419

4. WHY – WVDE Policies

5. WHY – Purpose of SPL
The West Virginia Support for Personalized Learning (SPL) framework is a state-wide initiative that suggests flexible use of resources to provide relevant academic, social/emotional and/or behavioral support to enhance learning for ALL students.
SPL is designed to improve outcomes for students with a variety of academic and behavioral needs.

6. Core Principles of SPL
Effective leadership at all levels is crucial for the implementation of SPL.
Positive school culture provides the foundation on which all instruction occurs and all students are engaged in learning.
Collaboration among educators and families is the foundation of effective problem-solving and instructional decision-making.
Ongoing and meaningful involvement of families increases student success.
Student results are improved when ongoing academic and behavioral performance data are used to inform instructional decisions.

7. Core Principles of SPL
ALL Students can learn and achieve high standards as a result of effective teaching.
ALL students must have access to a rigorous standards-based curriculum and research-based instruction.
Intervening at the earliest indication of need is necessary for student success (Prek-12).
A comprehensive system of multi-level instruction is essential for addressing the full range of student needs.
ALL members of the school community must continue to gain knowledge and develop expertise in order to build capacity and sustainability.

8. WHAT – Six Essential Components of SPL
Leadership
Improved Student Outcomes
School Climate and Culture
Curriculum and Instruction
Teams and Processes
Assessments
Family and Community Partnerships

9. Leadership State Guidance Document Self-assessment tools
Website providing professional development materials and resources
RESA
Providing Professional Development
Facilitating sharing and building consensus
Forming Regional Leadership Team
District
Developing leadership roles
Defining and communicating criteria used to make decisions
Providing professional development
Acquiring and disseminating relevant resources
School
Supporting team problem-solving
Developing a plan to strengthen essential components of SPL
Managing time and schedules to focus on identified needs

10. School Climate and Culture
Positive school climate consists of three primary domains:
Engagement
Safety
Environment
A positive school culture exists when key elements of a positive school climate are in place.
A caring school community
Instruction in appropriate behavior and social problem-solving skills
Effective academic instruction

11. School Climate and Culture
Practices
Defining and consistently teaching expectations of behavior for students, parents and educators
Acknowledging and recognizing students and adults consistently for appropriate behaviors
Monitoring, correcting or reteaching behavioral errors
Engaging teachers in a collaborative team problem-solving process that uses data to guide instruction
Including families in culturally-sensitive, solution-focused approach to supporting student learning

12. Teams and Processes Problem-Solving Team
Composed of teachers (general and special educators), specialists, parents and school level administrator
Plans intensive instruction for students
Promotes shared responsibility for student learning
Collects and reviews data
Evaluates responsiveness to intense instruction

13. Problem-Solving Process
Teams and Processes
Problem-Solving Process

14. Problem-Solving Process
Teams and Processes
Problem-Solving Process
Team Members
Steps in the Process
School Level Administrator
Meeting Facilitator
Recorder
Time Keeper
Parent
Persons with Expertise in:
Data
Customized Instruction
Academic/ Behavioral
Community Resources
Progress Monitoring
Identify and Define Needs
What is the Problem?
Analyze the Problem
Why is the Problem Occurring?
Develop a Plan
What are we going to do about it?
Implement and Monitor the Plan
How will we monitor progress?
Evaluate and Adjust the Plan
Did it work?

15. Family and Community Partnerships
Effective partnerships include:
Parents
Families
Students
Community Members
Educators
Indicators of effective partnerships:
Sharing information
Problem-solving
Celebrating student successes
Central to effective partnerships is the recognition of shared responsibility and ownership of student challenges and successes.

16. Family and Community Partnerships
Key Roles
Collaborate with teachers regarding identified need
Share information about child and family as appropriate
Support student learning at home
Attend Problem-Solving Team meeting
Partner in instructional planning and progress monitoring

17. Assessment Purpose of Assessment
Identify strengths and needs of individual students
Inform problem-solving process
Inform instruction and necessary adjustments
Evaluate the effectiveness of instruction at different levels of the system (e.g. classrooms, school, district)
Inform educational decisions

18. Assessment Types
Screening/Interim
Purpose: Inform determination of risk status and indicate need for additional support and/or assessment
Formative/Classroom
Purpose: Determine response to instruction and indicate direction for most appropriate instructional adjustments
Progress Monitoring
Purpose: Determine if students are making progress toward specific skills, processes and understandings and inform school-wide action plans
Diagnostic
Purpose: Assist teachers in adjusting the type and degree of scaffolding, in differentiating instruction, and in picking up patterns of strengths and weaknesses
Summative
Purpose: Inform the system and provide a longitudinal view of curricular strengths and weaknesses

19. Curriculum and Instruction

20. Curriculum and Instruction
CORE
Provides foundation of curriculum and school organization that has a high probability (80% of students responding) of bringing students to a high level of achievement in all areas of development/content
Choose curricula that has evidence of producing optimal levels of achievement (evidence-based curriculum)
TARGETED
Supplemental curriculum aligned with CORE and designed to meet the specific needs of targeted group (15%)
INTENSIVE
Focused curriculum designed to meet the specific needs of the targeted group and/or individual (5%)

21. Curriculum and Instruction
CORE Instruction
Utilizes differentiated and scaffolded instruction to meet students’ needs
Incorporates small group activities
Focuses on the most critical standards and objectives
Utilizes evidence from summative and ongoing formative assessment to make instructional decisions
Maximizes instructional time
Emphasizes 24/7 learning

22. Curriculum and Instruction
TARGETED Support
SPL endorses the value of instructional supports at the TARGETED level including:
Differentiating, scaffolding and using multi-modal strategies to engage students
Providing explicit instruction that emphasizes skill building as well as contextualized instruction that emphasizes application of skills
Peer interaction to scaffold student understanding
Teacher use of learning progressions within the standards and objectives as guidance for constructing scaffolding
Accommodations that affect how a student learns, not what they are expected to learn

23. Curriculum and Instruction
INTENSIVE Support
SPL endorses the value of instructional supports at the INTENSIVE level including:
Intensified scaffolding and time: suggested to occur 3 to 5 times per week for class sessions of 30 to 60 minutes
Smaller groups of similarly-skilled and needs-alike students or one-to-one
Most likely to occur outside the general education classroom
May occur before, during or after the school day dependent on available resources and personnel.
SPL does not promote:
INTENSIVE support replacing opportunity to receive instruction in science, social studies, physical education and the arts
Isolated skill drill requiring students to independently make generalizations and connections back to the CORE content.

24. HOW-WHEN-WHERE-WHO – Putting It All Together
CORE
Improved Student Outcomes
TARGETED
Progress
Monitoring
INTENSIVE
Problem-Solving
Screening

25. CORE Level – SUGGESTED FOCUS: all students
INSTRUCTION: WV Next Generation Content Standards and Objectives and instructional practices that are evidence-based and incorporate differentiated instruction and scaffolding
LOCATION: general education classroom
ASSESSMENT: screening/interim, formative/ classroom; screening all-beginning, some-middle, end

26. CORE Level – SUGGESTED
BEHAVIOR SUPPORT: effective school-wide behavior supports
GROUP SIZE: flexible grouping-students move to groups as appropriate
TIME: sufficient time for mastery of content and behavioral expectations
GOAL: demonstrated learning of grade-level standards or above

27. TARGETED Level – SUGGESTED
FOCUS: students identified through screening as at-risk or as exceeding grade-level standards
INSTRUCTION: targeted, supplemental instruction delivered to small groups
LOCATION: general education classroom or other general education location within the school; before, during, after school, interim, summer
ASSESSMENT: progress monitoring every 2-3 weeks; diagnostic

28. TARGETED Level – SUGGESTED
BEHAVIOR SUPPORT: specialized positive behavior plans provided/monitored by teacher, specialists, parents
GROUP SIZE: small groups of students with similar skills and needs
TIME: minutes per session, 3-5 sessions per week
LENGTH: 9 weeks minimum prior to INTENSIVE
GOAL: eliminate gap between present achievement and grade-level expectations and the gap between instruction and what students need

29. INTENSIVE Level – SUGGESTED
FOCUS: students who have not responded to CORE and TARGETED level instruction
INSTRUCTION: intensive, supplemental instruction delivered to small groups or individually
LOCATION: general education location within the school; may be pull-out; before, during, after school, interim, summer
ASSESSMENT: progress monitoring every 1-2 weeks; diagnostic

30. INTENSIVE Level – SUGGESTED
BEHAVIOR SUPPORT: assessment of student behaviors (FBA) and development of specialized behavior plans with teacher, specialist, parents
GROUP SIZE: individual or very small groups of students with similar skills and needs
TIME: minutes per session, 3-5 sessions per week
LENGTH: 9 weeks minimum prior to referral
GOAL: eliminate or narrow gap between present achievement and grade-level expectations and gap between instruction and what students need

31. SPL FRAMEWORK: A Quick Reference Guide