State Spotlights
State Spotlight: Delaware
December 2021
This State Spotlight examines how Delaware aligned their State Systemic Improvement Plan and State Personnel Development Grant initiatives with the goal of creating an effective MTSS infrastructure to achieve improved academic outcomes for students.
State Spotlight: How Texas Used Coaching to Impact Outcomes
April 2021
This state spotlight focuses on Texas’s implementation effort, which aimed to embed and sustain an effective coaching framework across the state so that SWD could demonstrate marked educational gains.
State Knowledge Utilization Strategies: Washington
August 2019
This state spotlight will focus on Washington’s improvement strategy to address this early literacy challenge using the state’s Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) Special Education Consistency Index (SECI).
State Data Use Spotlight Update: Florida
May 2019
This updated state spotlight highlights how the Florida Department of Education is sustaining local data use capacity and continuing to improve graduation outcomes for students with disabilities.
State Data Use Spotlight: New York
April 2019
This state spotlight highlights the New York State Early Intervention Program’s use of the Breakthrough Series model to create sustained improvements in the quality of services for children and families.
Florida Builds Local Data-Use Capacity
August 2018
This state spotlight highlights the Florida Department of Education’s strategies to build local data literacy capacity and the positive impacts those efforts had on student outcomes.
Using MTSS Data to Improve Graduation Rates
August 2018
To facilitate problem solving within an MTSS, SEAs and LEAs need efficient systems and processes for analyzing and integrating data across initiatives. Creating the infrastructure to support data-based problem solving can be a challenge. This spotlight shares how three states use different approaches to promote data use within an MTSS to improve graduation rates for students with disabilities.
States use fidelity tools to improve data quality
February 2018
Many states find it difficult to access high-quality data from local education agencies and early intervention service providers. In a review of State Systemic Improvement Plans, 72% of Part B states and 78% of Part C states noted limitations or concerns related to data quality. Often times, this challenge is the result of a lack of fidelity to the data collection process. This spotlight shares how three states used three different approaches to data fidelity tools to improve data quality. Learn more about strategies for improving data quality here.
Alabama supports SSIP pilot sites to scale-up goals
February 2018
Alabama is focused on improving post-school outcomes for students with disabilities by increasing student engagement and improving academic performance. The state developed a network of demonstration sites to help support the scale-up of these practices. Alabama’s SSIP work has generated some exciting results! Learn more about Alabama’s strategies for success here (will be a link to the spotlight).
Tennessee Uses Data to Maximize Early Intervention Services
October 2017
Tennessee discovered that children and families in need of a full evaluation for Part C services may not have been accurately identified at an early enough stage to maximize child outcomes. This state spotlight describes how Tennessee used data to improve the child find process.
North Carolina Uses Data to Target Improvement Strategies
September 2017
The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction sought strategies to build LEA’s capacity to improve local graduation rates for students with disabilities. This state spotlight highlights using a self-assessment to target improvement strategies.
Pacific Entities, U.S. Territories, and Bureau of Indian Education Participate in a Technical Assistance Meeting After the 2017 Office of Special Education Programs Leadership Conference
August 2017
As has become a tradition after national meetings, the pacific entities, U.S. territories, and Bureau of Indian Education had the opportunity to get together with OSEP staff and their technical assistance providers following the OSEP Leadership Conference. This article spotlights the rich discussions and sharing that occurred.
State Knowledge Utilization Spotlight: Maryland
August 2017
Selecting and implementing evidence-based practices in mathematics is a critical step toward improving outcomes for students with disabilities. In order to increase the proficiency of students with disabilities in third through fifth grade, the state of Maryland developed a process that when supported with effective coaching ensures high fidelity of EPBs. This state spotlight will focus on two important aspects of Maryland’s process and examine what the implications are at the local school level for a state-wide system of support for selecting and implementing EPBs in mathematics.
Nevada Develops a Communication Protocol to Connect Stakeholders to Initiatives
July 2017
Data show that effective and ongoing communication and evaluation can have a positive impact on local and statewide systems change. This state spotlight describes how the Nevada Department of Education used a communication protocol to support implementation of the SSIP.
Arizona Uses Data to Maximize the Use of Funding
June 2017
Enforcing the regulations that require maximal use of Medicaid funds has been particularly challenging when providing early intervention services in states where Medicaid uses clinic rates that are lower than the natural environment rates covered by state or federal Part C funds. Read how Arizona improved the access to and the use of all available funds.
West Virginia increases graduation rates for students with disabilities
May 2017
The West Virginia Department of Education recognized the importance of closing the graduation gap for students with disabilities. This state spotlight presents strategies to increase access to and awareness of data to improve the graduation rate.
Louisiana creates opportunities for schools to improve instructional decisions.
May 2017
The Louisiana Department of Education sought a measurement approach that resulted in accurate and reliable information on student progress and outcomes, yet respected local control over the choice of formative assessment tools. This state spotlight presents initial findings from piloting a categorical data analysis approach to improve student outcomes.
Iowa increases buy-in for a state-identified assessment system
January 2017
The Iowa Department of Education, recognizing the challenges facing states and districts that have local control of assessment tools, gave districts access to a state-identified assessment system. This state spotlight presents strategies that encourage schools to adopt and employ a state-identified literacy screening and progress monitoring tool.
Rhode Island measures early outcomes toward a SiMR with screening and progress monitoring data
December 2016
The Rhode Island Department of Education is using screening and progress monitoring data to evaluate early student-level progress toward SiMR outcomes. This state spotlight presents strategies to collect and summarize screening and progress-monitoring data from local education agencies that are using different assessment tools.
Tennessee reports progress toward a SiMR in the absence of state testing data
September 2016
The Tennessee Department of Education faced significant challenges in evaluating and reporting the effects of its first year of SSIP implementation when its state test data became unavailable. This state spotlight highlights how Tennessee selected one of two options to address the challenge.
Maine Uses a Risk Assessment to Monitor Federal Grant Programs
August 2016
Did you know the NCSI has a team designated to support states with fiscal issues? The Fiscal Support Team (FST) objectives include (1) providing state educational agencies (SEAs) with technical assistance regarding fiscal issues to support local educational agencies (LEAs) to improve outcomes for children with disabilities and (2) collaboration across national technical assistance centers to ensure state access to a continuum of support in unpacking fiscal questions. States are using risk assessments to monitor LEAs that are considered subrecipients of subawards under this federal provision. Maine is one state that has developed a risk assessment to assess all of its federal grant programs, including IDEA. Its tool measures fiscal risk by assigning weighted numeric values to multiple measures impacting federal grant management, resulting in a total risk value. Learn more about the FST and Maine’s risk assessment work. Learn more about the FST and Maine’s risk assessment work.
Do you have fiscal questions? Talk to your NCSI TA Facilitator or reach out to the FST member assigned to your state or territory.
- Anne Louise Thompson at [email protected]: ME, NH, VT, MA, RI, CT, NY, PA, NJ, DE, MD, DC, WV, VA, SC, NC, TN, KY
- Jana Rosborough at [email protected]: AL, HI, WA, OR, CA, ID, NV, AZ, BIE, CO, KS, MN, NE, NM, ND, SD, UT, WY, AS, FM, GU, MH, MP, PW
- Katherine Bradley-Black at [email protected]: AL, GA, FL, TX, LS, MS, OK, AK, PR, VI, IL, IN, IA, MI, MN, MO, OH, WI
Ohio Explores Effective Coaching Practices to Support Implementation
June 2016
Decades of research shows that coaching can be an effective mechanism for improving teacher practice and student learning outcomes. As part of its SSIP, Ohio has focused on identifying research-based effective coaching practices, developing a cadre of coaches that uses effective coaching practices, providing professional development on effective coaching strategies, and measuring fidelity of implementation of coaching practices.
Learn more about the work in Ohio.
Rhode Island Aligning Supports to Build Capacity Toward Meeting Its SIMR Goal
November 2015
Since 2012, the Rhode Island Department of Education has worked with the National Center on Intensive Intervention (NCII) to implement data-based individualization in reading, mathematics, and behavior for students with severe and persistent learning and behavioral needs. Rhode Island plans to leverage its ongoing work with NCII along with other efforts to tackle its SIMR that are focused on improving mathematics outcomes for students with disabilities.
Learn more about the state’s efforts.