From 11/16/18 Board meeting. Read full update here
Special Note: There is lots of great data (at the end) in Clarisse Haxton’s presentation titled “District Evaluation for Special Education Improvement”
Excerpts related to Special Education:
PAUSD’S NEW HIRE EQUITY WORKSHOP SERIES
A core feature of our work with new hires includes our New Hire Equity Workshop series. These workshops not only assist teachers with developing the skills and awareness about meeting the needs of all students, but also provide a forum for creating a common language and commitment and sense of empowerment. Workshops focus on equity in education in a historical context, areas of student need, as defined by district data, and are connected to the California Standards for the Teaching Profession. Using an equity lens, participants explore school and classroom climate and culture, instructional strategies, and the diversity of PAUSD students.
Teachers attend a full-day workshop in the fall of their first two years with PAUSD to create common language and understanding. Participants select follow-up workshops aligned with professional goals. Follow-up options include:
- Classroom Culture & Management with an Equity Lens
- Special Education Basics for Gen Ed Teachers
- Special Ed for Gen Ed Teachers: Beyond the Basics
- Supports for All Students
- Case Studies in Diversity & Social Justice in Education
- Supporting English Learners
- Gender Identity & LGBTQ+ 101
- Gender Identity & LGBTQ+ 102
- Culturally Responsive Teaching (online course through SCCOE)
- Student Panel: Perspectives on the PAUSD Experience
WORKSHOPS DESIGNED BY COLLABORATIVE PARTNERS
Workshops are designed by cross-departmental collaborative teams of teachers and administrators, including the New Hire Equity Team (comprised of teachers and administrators), and the departments of Professional Learning; Academic Supports; Research, Evaluation, and Assessment; Student Services; Special Education; and PAUSD’s Induction Program.
UPCOMING SECTION 504 TRAININGS
The District’s annual Section 504 trainings are being offered through webinars and on-site training on December 6 and the Section 504 Training Requirements December 17. These are yearly trainings, and each training has a target audience; one training is designed for 504 Leads and school psychologists, while the other training is for school counselors, school administrators, and other District staff. Final training dates will be shared shortly.
RESEARCH, EVALUATION, AND ASSESSMENT (REA) DEPARTMENT
The REA team attended the California Education Research Association (CERA) Conference. This annual meeting convenes researchers and leaders in K-12 districts, universities, and research organizations as well as California Department of Education (CDE) and county office of education (COE) staff to share current state research and policies. The team brought back valuable information related to the California Dashboard, state assessments, data visualization, and connecting research to practice for continuous improvement. Clarisse Haxton also gave a presentation titled “District Evaluation for Special Education Improvement” to share findings from the District’s special education program evaluation in the 2017-18 school year. Click this link for the slides.
Director Christopher Kolar co-presented with the Chief Academic Officers for Elementary and Secondary Education at Tuesday’s Board meeting on Spring 2018 SBA scores and understanding our within-District performance gaps.
The REA team is scheduling meetings with District leadership team to provide an overview of the California Dashboard; the update is publicly released in early December.