STEPSS: State Toolkit for examining post-school success

1. STEPSS: State Toolkit for examining post-school success Catherine Fowler, NSTTAC Matt Klare, NDPC-SD Deanne Unruh, NPSO Lorrie Sheehy, AZ Dept. of Ed

2. Session Outcomes Participants will: • Learn about the structure of the STEPSS tool • Learn how it can be used with LEAs for data based decision-making through an example from Arizona

3. What is STEPSS? Supports SEAs to disseminate data to LEAs Web-based Application Multi-phase Data-Based Decision Making Targets Improving Student Outcomes Drives Programmatic Improvement Evidence-based Practices Collaborative Effort

4. Purpose To help state and local educators, in partnership with other stakeholders, use secondary transition indicator data to improve transition programs for youth with disabilities.

5. Why is STEPSS needed? • To help state education agencies Meet Federal Reporting Requirements Build the capacity to consistently and efficiently disseminate transition data to local districts for program improvement

6. State Systematic Improvement Plan (SSIP, Proposed Indicator 17) States must assess the capacity of their current infrastructure systems and their ability to enhance this infrastructure to increase the capacity of LEAs to implement, scale up, and sustain evidence-based practices that will result in improved student outcomes across key measures of performance on assessment, graduation with a regular diploma, and post-school outcomes

7. STEPSS: A multi-phase process to: • Examinegraduation, dropout, the secondary transition component of IEPs, and post-school outcomes data • AssessState/District progress toward meeting targets in each outcome area • Selectpredictors of post-school success, and • Develop and implementan action plan designed to improve in-school, secondary transition programs for students with disabilities

8. Phases of STEPPS • Phase 1: • Upload transition related indicator data (SEA) • Review STEPSS slideshow with stakeholders • Phase 2: Assessing Outcome Areas • Phase 3: Prioritizing Predictors and Essential Characteristics for Implementation • Phase 4: Developing an Action Plan

9. Web-based application: • Can be housed on UO server or portable to SEAs server • Multiple levels of security: • valid login and password from every user • requires and enforces a valid session for every user • passwords are encrypted before being stored in the database and use a salted SHA-256 algorithm before storing them • all traffic between the web browser and the server is encrypted and sent over HTTPS

10. State and Local Guides • User Guide: • Security • Uploading the data • Inputting information for slideshow • Local Facilitator’s Guide: • Step-by-Step process to use STEPSS as part of a DBDM in a district/state

11. Support: On-Going TA COP, Facilitators’ Guides, Demos Small group instruction via webinar for one or multiple states or local districts • 1:1, small group, state specific

12. Stakeholder Meetings • Series of Meetings with Stakeholders • Meeting Time • Flexible, based on the needs of the stakeholders • Each phase is a natural breaking point • Dependent on • pace of the stakeholder group • number of outcome areas identified for improvement • details incorporated into the action plan

13. Phase 1: Indicator Data Uploaded by SEA • SEA upload of indicator data • Data Manager • Transition Specialist • Contractor • Pre-populates the slideshow and action planning framework • Districts do not upload data

14. Phase 1: Review Slideshow • Separate SEA/LEA slideshows • Familiarize stakeholders with • Federal transition Indicators: graduation, dropout, secondary transition component of IEP, and post-school outcomes • How SEA meets reporting requirements for these Indicators • Review SEA and LEA results

15. Slideshow Outline • Informational Slides • Purpose and Materials • Federal Reporting Requirements • Data Slides • Data displays -- grouped bar and column graphs • Collection Methods and Results Organized by Indicator • Group Activity Slides • Think-Pair-Share • Reflect

16. Engagement Rate by Males and Females

17. Aahberg compliance for quality transition IEPs Using Indicator 13 Checklist A

18. Phase 2: Assessing Outcome Areas • To help stakeholders identify any gap/s between the state and or district percentages and the desired (i.e., targeted) percentage for each Indicator. • State and district actual percentages and the state desired target are pulled from data entered by the SEA. • Local district stakeholders enter the district’s desired target

19. Assessing Outcome Areas state and district percentages 82

20. Summary of Progress • After reviewing data for each indicator: • STEPSS provides an Indicator Summary - each outcome area is sorted based on the assigned Progress Rating: No, Some, or Significant Progress • Predictors aligned with outcomes rated as No Progress or Some Progress are identified for Prioritizing.

21. Phase 3: Prioritizing Predictors • To narrow the scope of the action plan by reviewing evidence-based predictors of post-school success and prioritizing predictors and essential program characteristics for implementation. • Predictor- an in-school experience, typically a program (i.e., work-based learning experiences) correlated with improved post-school outcomes. • 17 Predictors identified by high quality research

22. Evidence-based Practices for Indicators 1 & 2

23. Indicator 13 & 14 Predictors for Post-School Success

24. Predictors and Program Characteristics • For Each Predictor: • Operational definition • 5 – 15 Essential Program Characteristics • Used to implement and evaluate a predictor at a state or local level • For example:

25. Table of Predictors

26. Phase 3: Prioritizing Predictors • For each program characteristic of a predictor consider: • Criteria for Prioritizing: • Current Implementation Status • Currently Implemented or Not Currently Implemented • Necessary Implementation • Implementation Timeline • 3 Months or Less -- Adjustable • Available Resources for Implementation • Time, administrative support, materials

27. Phase 4: Action Planning • To develop a plan of action that promotes change at the classroom, school, community, or state-level to improve outcomes of youth with disabilities. • These are the action steps that need to occur in order to implement the prioritized predictors and program characteristics.

28. Phase 4: Action Planning • Action Plan describes • what needs to happen to implement that program characteristic • who needs to be involved • what additional data, if any, are needed • who is responsible for implementing the step • timeline for completing the step Repeated for each program characteristic

29. Printable Action Plan

30. Phases of STEPPS • Phase 1: Upload and review transition related indicator data with stakeholders using the STEPSS slideshow component • Phase 2: Assess Progress of Outcome Areas • Phase 3: Prioritize Predictors and Essential Characteristics for Implementation • Phase 4: Develop Action Plan

31. Arizona State line

32. Arizona, Diverse Geography, Population and School Systems

33. Education Statistics Education Statistics… • 246 School Districts • 399 Charter Schools* • (increasing each year) • 53 Native BIA/BIE Schools • Joint Technical Education • District (JTED) Schools • Secure Care Education Schools Students: 1,096,040 General Education 128,281 Special Education 11.7% SPED Population -October 2012

34. Special Education Personal Statistics Special Education Personnel Statistics… • Special Education Personnel • 6,675 Special education teachers • 2,267 Special education related • service providers • 634 Special education administrators • Personnel = Highly Mobile • 13% SPED teachers left their school • during/after the school year • 17% SPED teachers were in their first • year of teaching • 22% SPED administrators were in their • first year of administration 2011-2012 Annual SPED Data Collection

35. Arizona and STEPSS

36. Arizona’s Readiness for STEPSSSpring 2010 to Present • Agency focus on improved graduation rates and college and career readiness for all students • ADE/ESS leadership has made PSO and DBDM a priority • Support for ongoing enhancement to the PSO online application to provide PEA and school level reports outlining response rates, representativeness, and disaggregated results • Commitment to providing TA and training to assist PEAs in understanding and using their data

37. Strengths for STEPSS Implementation • Arizona is a NPSO intensive TA state • High level commitment to using STEPSS in AZ • Proven AZ PSO online data collection and reporting system • Established multi-unit collaboration including: IT, data management, research and evaluation, and secondary transition • Grant-funded capacity building team training program can serve as pilot for STEPSS in Arizona

38. Arizona STEPSS Proposed Implementation Plan • Use NPSO developed system, resources, and technical assistance. • Start with a pilot group • Provide training on use of STEPSS. • Evaluate pilot; determine if Arizona-specific system will be developed. • Develop plan for full implementation

39. Questions

40. Contact Information Catherine Fowler, (chfowler@uncc.edu) Matt Klare, (MKLARE@clemson.edu) Deanne Unruh, (dkunruh@uoregon.edu) Lorrie Sheehy, (lorrie.sheehy@azed.gov)