1. Addressing Disproportionality through Technical Assistance: A Case Study of New York Project 405 Team Metropolitan Center for Urban Education New York University Metropolitan Center for Urban Education

2.  Part I: New York State Chapter 405 Laws on Disproportionality  Part II: NYU Chapter 405 Project Overview & technical assistance in piloted districts  Part III : Preliminary Field Experiences

3. To Provide an overview of: New York State Chapter 405 Laws on Disproportionality Chapter 405 Project at NYU NYU/VESID contract for technical assistance in piloted districts Objectives

4. Part I: New York State Chapter 405 Laws on Disproportionality

5. New York State Chapter 405 Laws of 1999 required provisions: Collect and examine special education data from all school districts. Identify school districts that have overrepresentation in one or more areas of disproportionality. Address and improve results in identified problem areas.

6. 1.High rate of classification 2.Low declassification rate of preschool students ages 4-5 3.Low declassification rate of school-age students ages 6-12 4.High rate of placing school-age students in separate education settings 5.Disproportionate overrepresentation based on race/ethnicity, of students with particular disabilities 6.Disproportionate overrepresentation based on race/ethnicity, in the placement of preschool students with disabilities in separate education settings 7.Disproportionate overrepresentation based on race/ethnicity, in the placement of SWD in more restrictive settings Problem Areas

7. What is Disproportionality in NY State? Inappropriate overrepresentation and over- identification of sub-groups in special education. Relationship or association between a child's race or ethnicity, special education classification, and placement.

8. New York State--the number of Identified Schools Districts with Disproportionality

9. As a result of identification, School districts are provided specific technical assistance

10. Technical Assistance Provisions Technical assistance to identified school districts for planning and professional development through State Education Technical Assistance networks. Regional technical assistance by pre-referral and intervention strategies, co-facilitating, team building and parent training. Technical assistance with New York University contract to six identified school districts.

11. NYU Project Overview & Technical Assistance in Piloted Districts Part II :

12. Project Overview Develop, implement, and assess a process of providing comprehensive technical assistance to New York State school districts addressing issues of disproportionality. Build capacity of regions and districts on understanding the root cause and systemically addressing the disproportionate assignment of various subgroups into special education. Provide professional development trainings, coaching, training follow-ups, and materials and resources.

13. Two-Tiered Capacity Building Approach Tier 1: Provide schools and districts with a content and assessment framework for identifying, understanding, and addressing disproportionality. This includes… Root cause analysis, strategic planning process, resource inventory, collaboration with regional networks, and an assessment of interventions (fidelity and impact). Collaborative alignment, implementation, assessment, and identification of further areas of improvement. Align with other equity initiatives (e.g., achievement gap, high school graduation)

14. Tier 2: Provide regional networks with the tools for continuously identifying disproportionality issues, assess the implementation and impact of research- based strategies identified and implemented by districts and schools. This involves… Incorporating the content, process, and protocols developed by the Professional Development Initiative of State Education Department. Two-Tiered Capacity Building Approach (Cont…)

15. State Education Agencies (OSI and VESID) Regional Technical Assistance and Training Providers Principals and Superintendents Schools and School Staff Tier I Training and TA focus on District and School sites Tier II Training and TA focus on State, Regional, and District alignment Parents, Youth, and Community Two-Tiered Approach

16. What Does NYU Provide to Piloted Districts? Training Modules on Data Analysis Service Plan Web-based clearinghouse On-site Coaching/Technical Assistance Professional Development Fact Sheets on disproportionality related topics Disproportionality related tools and resources

17. Six New York State Piloted Districts Cheektowaga Central School District-- Western Region Haverstraw-Stony Point Central School District-- Hudson Valley Region Hudson City School District-- Eastern Region New York City-- Region 7 Patchogue-Medford UFSD-- Long Island Region Utica City Schools-- Mid-State Region

18. Selection Criteria for Identified School Districts Data District data indicated at least two 405 problem areas out of the seven possible categories Readiness District demonstrated a readiness to address issues of disproportionality Capacity Regional TA networks supporting the district have the ability to build capacity Pilot District could provide schools for piloting the program

19. Training Modules A - Understanding Disproportionality B -Disproportionality Data Repository (DDR) C - Data Analysis D -Root Cause Identification E - Root Cause Research F - Service Plan (Summer Institute)

20. Year 1 Activities (04-05) Building district and regional team membership Connect technical assistance network providers

21. Year 2 Activities (05-06) Provide technical assistance training modules Identify root cause in piloted districts Develop professional development service plan for 2006-2007

22. Year 3 Activities (06-07) Professional Development based on root cause in piloted districts Provide technical assistance training modules in unidentified districts Conduct project evaluation of piloted districts

23. Year 4 Activities (07-08) Professional Development based on root cause in pilot districts and unidentified districts Continue project evaluation Develop best practices publication

24. Year 5 Activities (08-09) Continue professional development in piloted and unidentified districts Finalize best practices publications Finalize Evaluation

25. Part III: Preliminary Field Experience

26. Year 1 Experiences Getting to root cause too quickly Difficulty establishing district and regional membership teams General Education and Special Education teams did not know each other Summer Institute 2005

27. Technical Assistance module Website DDR Higher Education Institutions Coaching to piloted districts Supporting Superintendent Conferences Summer Institute 2006 Development of service plan Year 2 Experiences

28. Project 405 Team Metropolitan Center for Urban Education New York University Steinhardt School of Education 212.998.5100 http://nyu.edu/education/metrocenter