Division completes numerous actions and projects to achieve goals
Enhanced communication and decision-making topped a list of Special Education division improvements presented to the BOCES Board of Education at its November meeting.
Last spring, the Special Education administrative team set a series of short- and long-term goals for positive change within the division. These were informed by the recommendations of a comprehensive study of the division in 2010 and those made by staff who participated early this year on a series of advisory groups that looked at the major issues facing the division.
The goals the division is working toward this school year and next include:
1) Developing a meaningful and concise mission statement for the Special Education Division
Actions/projects completed to date:
Formation
of a group of principals' cabinets facilitated by the division’s
principals and composed of staff volunteers.
Training with the Capital Area School Development Association
(CASDA) on guidelines for the successful implementation of these
cabinets.
Cabinet members are now discussing the content of a guiding mission
statement for the division and the process for division-wide
adoption of this statement.
2) Improving communication within the Special Education division, with its customers and between divisions
Actions/projects completed to date:
Addition of the division’s communications specialist at weekly
administrative team meetings to increase the group’s understanding
of communication opportunities and how best to share important
information with the division’s staff and public audiences;
Weekly
“What’s New in Special Education” e-mailings to all division staff;
Periodic reporting on division-wide activities both within
and outside the division.
3) Improving use of technology throughout the division, including classrooms and offices
Actions/projects completed to date:
Implementing
a technology needs survey;
Regular
meetings of the division technology committee;
Focusing
technology staff on expanding the use of assistive technology for
students with disabilities;
Increasing
professional development opportunities for all staff, in multiple
formats.
4) Enhancing professional development designed to support staff needs around the division’s changing student population
Actions/projects completed to date:
Introduction
of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) model;
Expansion
of Verbal Behavior (VB) model at middle school level for 2012-13;
Creation
of regional action plans for improving education within the division
based on student achievement data.
5) Establishing a common process-based approach to improve and evaluate functions within the division
Actions/projects completed to date:
Use
of principals'
cabinets (see above) and regularly scheduled
department meetings to enlist staff in actively addressing issues
related to the effective education of students in the division.
“Already, there is much meaningful change happening in the
division,” explained Special Education Deputy Director Peter
Taormina, who, along with Division Director Inge Jacobs, made the
presentation to the board. "The principals' cabinets are providing a
forum and an opportunity for all Special Education staff members to
contribute in thoughtful ways to the process of reform.
Increased communication within the division and throughout our BOCES
has made it possible to enlist all staff members, some of whom have
not previously had the opportunity to collaborate, to meet the goals
for improvement within the Special Education division.”
