• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

Report Board of Education of Howard County Meeting Agenda Item Bridge to Excellence: LD/ADHD Initiative: Title: A Model for Systemic and Community Collaboration Date: March 22, 2012 Presenter(s): Cynthia A. Schulmeyer, Ph.D.,Coordinator, School Psychology & Instructional Intervention Emily B. Hurd, M.Ed., Instructional Facilitator, Psychological Services _________________________________________________________________________________________ Overview: The 2008-09 year marked the inception of the Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) LD/ADHD Initiative established in accordance with recommendations from the Early Identification and Intervention Charter Committee’s Preliminary Report. The initiative supports the classroom teachers’ efforts to deliver effective, differentiated instruction to students with learning and/or behavioral needs. The LD/ADHD Initiative endeavors to represent a model for systemic and community collaboration through a focus on two HCPSS systemic expectations: 1) know your students and the differentiated supports in place to ensure their success and 2) develop a relationship with students and their families. This is the first Board of Education report since implementation in July 2008. The information presented in this report will demonstrate: Systemic collaboration among offices and departments within the HCPSS to develop resource modules for classroom teachers Community collaboration, including HCPSS staff and community groups, in the development of resource modules and evening programming for parents Creation and implementation of professional development strands for teachers focusing on understanding and responding to learning disabilities (LD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and the executive functioning needs of our students Collaboration with community and higher education colleagues to support the current work and long-term planning of the LD/ADHD Design Team _____________________________________________________________________________________ Recommendations/Future Directions: The LD/ADHD Initiative will: Disseminate parent and teacher modules, Strategies for Teachers/Parents to Support Students with Learning and Attention Challenges, created by the LD/ADHD Design Team in fall of 2012. Develop professional learning opportunities to support HCPSS personnel who self-identify and request support with their own learning and/or attention challenges. Continue collaboration with HCPSS offices/departments and community groups to further design supports for classroom teachers. Submitted by: Approval/Concurrence: Pamela Blackwell Sydney L. Cousin Director, Student Services Superintendent Cynthia A. Schulmeyer Mamie J. Perkins Coordinator, School Psychology Deputy Superintendent & Instructional Intervention Emily B. Hurd Linda T. Wise Instructional Facilitator Chief Academic Officer Bridge to Excellence: LD/ADHD Initiative: A Model for Systemic and Community Collaboration Introduction The Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) recognizes the importance of collaboration with stakeholder groups including staff, students, school, community members, business partners, and community agencies to promote the success of all students and staff. Collaboration among stakeholders within a system as well as stakeholders outside a system is needed to promote systemic change. As a result of the beliefs for our teachers, students, and their families, the HCPSS developed systemic expectations for student success: Know your students and the differentiated supports in place to ensure their success Ensure students receive exemplary instruction that prepares them for college and careers Have a process in place for continuously monitoring student progress Develop a relationship with students and their families While the LD/ADHD Initiative embraces all systemic expectations, critical to the success of the Initiative was an initial concentration on: 1) to knowing your students and having the differentiated supports in place to ensure their success, and 2) developing a relationship with students and their families. To further guide the work of the LD/ADHD Initiative, a banner question was collaboratively developed by stakeholder groups: How do we support the classroom teacher to deliver best practices in instruction and behavioral intervention for students with learning and/or behavioral needs? This report provides the first update to the Board of Education on the LD/ADHD Initiative. Key components of the initiative included within this report are: Background of the LD/ADHD Initiative Collaborative efforts within the HCPSS Collaborative efforts within the community Professional development Future directions Background In 2005 the HCPSS formed an Early Identification and Intervention Committee to investigate early identification of students with learning and/or behavioral difficulties. The committee membership represented four stakeholder groups: HCPSS staff Learning Disabilities Association (LDA) Individual Differences in Learning (IDL) Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorder (CHADD) Following a presentation to the Board of Education in 2006 the committee focused its efforts specifically on the early identification of and interventions for students with Learning Disabilities (LD) and/or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Four main area were identified as needs and included: 1) professional development for classroom teachers addressing how to support students exhibiting characteristics of LD and/or ADHD in their classrooms; 2) improved communication with families; 3) expansion of services to support students exhibiting characteristics of LD/ADHD; and 4) evaluation of how teachers used the strategies from professional development modules to support students academically and behaviorally. In January 2007, parent concerns were expressed to the Board of Education regarding the HCPSS meeting the needs of students with LD and/or ADHD. Specific areas of concern included the identification of students with these disabilities, intervention strategies for students with LD and/or ADHD and educational and vocational outcomes. During the 2007-2008 academic year, the LD/ADHD committee met and completed a gap analysis noting areas of difference between HCPSS practices and recommended strategies for supporting students exhibiting characteristics of LD and/or ADHD. Identified gaps and recommended areas to develop were included in the Learning Disabilities/ADHD Committee Preliminary Report (Refer to Appendix A for the Executive Summary). As in 2006, the committee recommended that a central office staff position be created to support implementation of the report’s recommendations. Effective July 1, 2008 an Instructional Facilitator was added to the Office of Psychological Services to design and implement the LD/ADHD Initiative within the HCPSS. Currently, it is difficult to determine the exact number of HCPSS students who have been identified with LD and/or ADHD as not all students require the supports of an Individualized Educational Program (IEP) or a Section 504 Plan. About 1,100 HCPSS students have an IEP for the educational disability of “specific learning disability” and nearly 740 HCPSS students have a Section 504 plan for ADHD. Students with ADHD may also have an IEP under Other Health Impairment (OHI); however, since the number of OHI students encompasses other chronic and acute medical conditions, the exact number of ADHD students is not known. For additional information on Learning Disabilities (LD) refer to Appendix B and for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) refer to Appendix C. Collaborative Efforts within the Howard County Public School System The collaborative efforts of the LD/ADHD Initiative provide supports for general education teachers to address the diverse learning needs of students exhibiting characteristics of LD and/or ADHD. As the HCPSS approaches the Common Core Curriculum and focuses on College and Career Readiness, the collaborative efforts of the LD/ADHD Design Team support the future direction of education in the system. Members of the LD/ADHD Design 1 Team modeled collaboration within the HCPSS, with central office staff and school-based personnel providing representation on the LD/ADHD Design Team between 2008 and the present: Career and Technology Education Educational Technology Elementary Curricular Programs English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Family Support and Resource Center Gifted and Talented Professional and Organizational Development Psychological Services Pupil Personnel and Alternative Education School Administration School Counseling and Related Services Secondary English/Language Arts Special Education, including Instructional Access Team Student Assessment and Program Evaluation Student, Family and Community Services In addition, community representatives from IDL, LDA and CHADD were on the Design Team (Refer to Appendices D and E). In its first year the LD/ADHD Design Team prioritized the first step in the Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA) cycle by identifying the specific work of the team. The Design Team met monthly, formed collaborative subcommittees, and created a banner question. Each meeting incorporated resource sharing, subcommittee project work, and large group discussions focused on aligning instruction and best practices professional development activities across departments, levels, and settings for classroom teachers. Three committees were created based on the findings in the Executive Summary of the Learning Disabilities/ADHD

Load more

  26

Copy Link