Delaware Projects Year 5
2009-2010
Supported for the Delaware Education Support System Leadership Team
In Year 3, MACC helped the DESS Leadership Team identify gaps in its SSOS that need to be addressed in order for the system to work more effectively. In Year 4, the team created a strategic plan for improving the SSOS and has been focused on implementing that plan. For Year 5, MACC reviewed the status of that implementation and make recommendations to help the team move forward with that plan. MACC assisted the DESS Leadership Team with its three goals: 1) to help the team develop and implement a plan for moving the state system of support forward based on the recommendations of the State System of Support self assessment; 2) to provide the team with feedback from school districts as well as from SEA staff about the level of understanding and utilization of DESS; and 3) to guide the DDOE as it develops a communication plan to link the resources and services of DESS to their intended users in schools and districts. MACC provided critical feedback from districts and SEA staff on their understanding and utilization of DESS, guidance on creating a communications plan, and facilitation and assistance with strategic planning based on the recommendations from the SSOS self assessment.
Education Success Planning and Evaluation System (formerly RAMPS)
MACC helped the DDOE to identify districts that need to improve their data-informed decision making and assist the DDOE in supporting districts to design and use ongoing, job-embedded professional development that helped district instructional leaders build effective practices in schools identified for improvement.
MACC provided the following assistance: identified the data-informed decision-making practices related to improved student achievement in successful schools, identified and produced products and procedures that can be used to train other districts/school instructional leaders in effective data-informed decision-making practices, assist the DDOE in developing and implementing a range of differentiated professional development options, support the DDOE in the training of data coaches who provided the professional development to help district teams analyze a wide range of data, and assisted the DDOE in determining if the differentiated professional development improved the data-informed decision-making practices at the district and school level.
Assisted the DE SEA to Determine Patterns of Teacher Distribution Statewide
In order to ensure that students in Delaware have equal access to highly qualified teachers, MACC helped the SEA to study patterns of teacher deployment across the state. MACC convened researchers from the REL Mid-Atlantic and the NCCTQ to design and carry out an investigation of patterns of teacher distribution in Delaware. Data collected by MACC assisted the SEA in developing a better equity plan for teacher quality and provided the DDOE with needed information about existing inequities in teacher deployments and assignments in order to make any necessary policy changes.
Migrant Education Program Comprehensive Needs Assessment
MACC assisted the Delaware Migrant Education Program (MEP) with completion of its Comprehensive Needs Assessment in January 2008. Now that the CNA process is completed, the DE MEP has a detailed road map for service delivery that will guide their two regional programs over the course of the next 3-5 years and enable the state to monitor the efficacy of program improvement efforts. In order to help the DE DOE complete their SDP and articulate the goals of the MEP, MACC provided technical assistance in a variety of ways to build the capacity of the SEA to identify and develop resources and training for their LEA's that are charged with improving migrant student and family outcomes.
The two principal objectives of this project were to: 1) provide strategic guidance in the development of a state Service Delivery Plan, and 2) assist with identifying research and resources that will add to the SEA's capacity to provide technical assistance to LEA's in the areas of a) School Readiness; b) Improving Reading and Math Proficiency; and c) High School Graduation.
Refinement of Delaware State Assessment Policies for Accommodating English Language Learners
This project was designed to address shortcomings in state assessment policies for accommodating English language learners (ELLs) by providing states with information and guidance about policy design, appropriate accommodations, and assistance to develop/use protocols for monitoring the use of accommodations. MACC increased the DDOE's capacity to appropriately address the unique needs of ELL students by supporting them in improving their assessment accommodation policies so they are more responsive to the individual needs of each ELL child. MACC improved the DDOE's capacity to develop a cohesive statewide system of support by providing SEA staff from the Assessment, Title I, and Title III offices with opportunities to collaborate, discuss, and refine state assessment policies for accommodating ELLs. MACC also increased the DDOE's capacity to develop and deliver training to LEAs on the state assessment policy for accommodating English language learners.