2008-2009
Response to Intervention
Over Year 4 MACC will facilitate an expert working group tasked with providing recommendations for establishing English language learner (ELL) guidelines for Response to Intervention (RTI). The working group consists of experts that include researchers, practitioners and representatives of state departments of education knowledgeable about RTI generally, general educators, and educators who specialize in ELLs. Findings and recommendations from the working group will address RTI practices associated with either implementation or student achievement. MACC will disseminate the findings through on-line InfoBriefs, and through a series of webinars for Comprehensive Center Directors and SEAs.
The overarching goal of this project is to work with the existing community of practice surrounding the issue of RTI and expand it to RTI for ELLs at the secondary level with a focus on literacy, thus helping to refine state practice.
Spotlight Webconference Series
In Year 4 MACC continues its series of webconferences to address Mid-Atlantic States’ needs around specific features of their statewide systems of support.
At the first webconference in the Spotlight Series, May 2008, Amelia Hodges, Director at the Delaware Department of Education (DDOE), and Lori Duerr, Education Associate, DDOE, presented Delaware’s State System of Support: What we learned from a Self-Assessment.
The second webconference, Affecting Change with School Improvement Funds, August 2008, Carlas McCauley (US Department of Education) and Jim Kohlmoos (Knowledge Alliance) provided examples of how some state education agencies are creatively using school improvement funds to support technical assistance statewide.
The third webconference, October 2008 focused on how the New Jersey Department of Education used school needs assessment data to drive technical assistance to schools and districts in need of improvement.
The fourth webconference January 2009 will feature the state of Virginia, and provide an opportunity for in-depth discussion about Virginia’s use of the CII SSOS framework as a tool for school improvement at the state, district and school level.
Year 3
2007-2008
During Year 2 (2006-2007), MACC held three regional forums with accompanying follow-up. These high quality professional development forums and follow-up activities focused on Goals Two and Three - enabling State Education Agency (SEAs) representatives to network, increase their knowledge-base in specific content areas, and share their expertise with colleagues.
Over Year 3 MACC will provide in-depth, focused technical assistance through two regional institutes: A State System of Support Pre-Institute and an English language learner (ELL) Institute. These will be two-day events conducted by experts that focus in-depth on the goal of enhancing statewide systems of support and will be developed in partnership with the Appalachia Regional Comprehensive Center (ARCC). Pre and Post-Institute regional activities will help to inform, enhance and provide follow up to the work of the Institutes.
Year 2
2006-2007
In state needs assessments conducted Spring 2005 and again in Spring 2006, MACC identified three common needs across all Mid-Atlantic states. Based on those needs, the following 3 projects were collaboratively planned with the SEAs:
- Leadership for the Elementary to Secondary Transition Years
- Restructuring & Corrective Action Forum
[contains Nov. 2006 forum materials] - Using Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives (AMAO) Data to Support District Improvement
These 3 regional projects involved cross-state sharing of information via regional forums. To develop content for those forums, the following steps were performed:
- Conduct a needs assessment with the SEA. The Regional Advisory Board will assist with identifying stakeholders
- Write a state of the region report on challenges
- Use the resources of the appropriate Content Comprehensive Center to align evidence-based strategies with identified challenges.
- In collaboration with the 5 Mid-Atlantic SEAs, develop a plan for the regional forum
- MACC-SEA plan and follow-up
For more information about MACC’s Regional Projects please contact MACC’s Regional Events Coordinator
Tracy Runfola at trunfola@ceee.gwu.edu