Delaware Education Support System

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Delaware Education Support System

• Improving Results for all of Delawares Students

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Department of Education Strategic Plan

• Goal I
• In cooperation with districts and schools,
  continuously and significantly increase the
  percentage of students meeting Delaware
  standards, thereby improving student readiness
  for post-secondary education and work.

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DESS Priorities for 2005-2006 Pre-School
Elementary School
Middle School High School
Early Literacy
Reading/ELA Math
Reading/ELA Math
Reading/ELA Math Numeracy
Science Social Studies
Science Social Studies Science
Social Studies
Teaching and Learning
Leadership
Embedded Concepts
Connections
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Embedded Concepts Universal Design/Differentiated
Instruction
Research-Evidence Based ? Career-Technology
Crosswalks ? Visual and Performing Arts
Cultural
Respect Access ? Delaware
Technology ? Global
? World Languages
Teaching and Learning
Leadership
Embedded Concepts
Connections
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Indicators for Change

• Resources to Support local Improvement
• Consolidated Application
• IDEA Part B
• Competitive (Reading First, 21st CCLC)
• Monitoring
• Quality Review Process for Consolidated Programs
• Focused Monitoring and Student Audits for IDEA B
• Reporting
• Technical Assistance

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Indicators for Change
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Indicators for Change
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Indicators for Change
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Indicators for Change
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Indicators for Change

• Professional development and technical assistance
  provision by DOE
• First come, first served
• Disjointed
• Last minute
• District use of federal and state funds
• Not changed in years
• NCLB requirements

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DESS is built on

• The concept of Continuous Improvement.
• The school improvement process embedded in NCLB,
  IDEA and the State Accountability system.
• Partnerships with districts, charter schools,
  higher education and other providers of
  professional development and technical assistance
  for schools.
• A data-based problem solving model that is
  reflected in the Domains of Continuous
  Improvement.
• Coordination across the DDOE and linkages to
  TA/PD providers across the State.

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Impact of Support System

• The implementation of Delaware School Reform
  has resulted in
• Comprehensive school plans in all Delaware
  schools.
• State, district, and school consensus around the
  concept of School Improvement.
• School planning teams in each school.
• Annual District Evaluation of Consolidated
  Application Goals and Objectives.
• Significant increases in student achievement in
  all schools and Title I schools specifically.

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Lessons learned

• Districts and schools have knowledge of school
  improvement but, in some cases, lack the capacity
  for effective implementation.
• Resources available to districts and school
  improvement were limited to those defined in the
  Consolidated Application.
• Resources lacked consistency and coordination.
• State technical assistance and professional
  development was not formally linked to district
  and school needs.

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DESS

• The lessons learned resulted in the creation and
  eventual implementation of the Delaware
  Educational Support System (DESS)
• DESS is a comprehensive system of state support
  that is based on district and school needs and
  focuses DOE resources toward meeting those needs
  in an efficient and effective way.
• DESS includes a cadre of facilitators that
  provide School Improvement support to districts
  and schools.
• Fundamental to DESS is inclusion of the Domains
  of School Improvement into the state School
  Improvement Process.

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SEA-LEA Collaboration using DESS Service Model
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Equity and Resource Considerations in SEA Service
to Districts

• Aligning needs, resources and services
  (introduced last year)
• SEA-LEA annual service agreements (introduced
  this year)
• Aligning SEA and LEA decision-making cycles
  (long-term goal)

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Aligning Needs, Resources,Services

• Key Question 1
• Which services are both critical to effective
  school improvement and in limited supply due to
  cost and expertise?

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Aligning Needs, Resources,Services

• Key Question 2
• How can SEAs guide allocation of costly
  training and technical assistance to those
  districts most in need? (And how do we define
  need?)

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Aligning Needs, Resources,Services

• Key Question 3
• How can SEAs assist schools and districts with
  systems level change?

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Anticipated Issues

• The press of traditional school-based
  perspectives
• Haves and Have-Nots
• Realistic Service Agendas
• SEA staff training and success

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Changes as a Result of DESS

• Needs conversations w/LEAs
• Continuous School Improvement System
• Merging QR Special Ed applications and
  monitoring

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Changes as a Result of DESS

• Action Teams
• Whole-school professional development initiatives

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Changes as a Result of DESS

• Closely monitoring DOE LEA use of federal
  state professional development funds
• Statewide Recommended Curriculum
• Professional Development Evaluation
• Personal Learning Plans

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Whats Next?

• Communication
• Professional Development for Staff
• Personal Learning Plans
• Building the Statewide Network
• Implementing the Access Model
• Infrastructure

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Questions

• Are you doing anything similar in your state?
• What are you doing different?
• Do you have any suggestions or advice for us?

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• Contact information
• Ron Houston rhouston_at_doe.k12.de.us
• [phone]
• Mike Stetter mstetter_at_doe.k12.de.us
• [phone]