CalSTAT Technical Assistance and Training

STRATEGIES TO INCREASE CSCS PARTICIPATION RATE

 

 Leadership Team Member Name _______________________________

 

Organization Name __________________________________________

 

CHECKLIST OF ORGANIZATIONAL STRATEGIES   Activities:   _____ 1) Post notice of SESM on organization’s website or email list   Date Posted:             Impact Data: Number of Potential Viewers Comments:   ______2) Presentation on SESM at organization’s annual convention or meeting(s)   Date of Presentation:             Impact Data: Number of Participants in Audience Comments:   ______3) Print or post SESM News Release in organization’s newsletter,               magazine, or email blast   Date of News Release in Newsletter or Magazine:              Impact Data: Number of Potential Viewers Comments:       _____4) Present poster session at organization’s meeting or conference   Date of Poster Session:             Impact Data: Number of Poster Participants Comments:   _____5) Print or post SESM News Release in organization’s professional journal   Date News Release Posted or Printed in Professional Journal:             Impact Data: Number of Potential Viewers Comments:   _____6) Share information at organization’s training academies   Date of Information Sharing:             Impact Data: Number of Participants Comments:

COPY-READY WEBSITE POSTING, NEWSLETTER, OR MAGAZINE ARTICLE

SPECIAL EDUCATION SUPPORTS INFORMATION SYSTEM (SESIS)

The California Department of Education (CDE) has created the nation’s most extensive, comprehensive system for providing local education agencies (LEAs) with data on school climate, student engagement, and nonacademic learning barriers and supports. The comprehensive California School Climate, Health, and Learning System (Cal-SCHLS), developed for the California Department of Education is comprised of the:

• California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) for students

• California School Climate Survey (CSCS) for school staff

• California School Parent Survey (CSPS) for parents.

 

LEAs may administer these three surveys simultaneously at least once every two years. More information is available at http://www.cde.ca.gov/eo/in/se/climatesurvey.asp.

Contact Us for more information.

WestEd and the CDE announce an expansion of the CSCS to include a Special Education Supports Information System (SESIS). http://cscs.wested.org/survey_content/sesis

Goals of the SESIS are:

• Raise school and general public awareness of the needs of students with IEPs , and the staff who provide services to them
• Promote dialogue at the local, regional, and state level on meeting those needs
• Monitor and promote a better understanding of how schools are implementing programs and services for students with IEPs in fulfillment of the California Strategic Action Plan and No Child Left Behind (NCLB)
• Help create a supportive, positive working environment that will retain high quality special education staff
• Better integrate special and general education 
• Embed efforts to improve supports for special education in the broader CDE effort to close the racial/ethnic achievement gap (CTAG)

This effort has the collaborative input from the Leadership Team for California's Strategic Plan for Recruiting, Preparing, and Retaining Special Education Personnel with broad representation from statewide organizations, county office of education, universities, parents, teachers and paraprofessional unions, nonpublic schools, and various programs within the CDE.

Please encourage school staff to participate in the California School Climate Survey (CSCS) during your school’s specific survey cycle.

COPY-READY NEWSLETTER OR MAGAZINE ARTICLE / ANNOUNCEMENT (MORE DETAILED TEXT)

ANNOUNCING THE SPECIAL EDUCATION SUPPORTS MODULE 

WestEd and the California Department of Education (CDE) announce an expansion of the California School Climate Survey (CSCS) to include a Special Education Supports Module (SESM). 

The 24-question SESM is designed to be answered by staff that have responsibilities for teaching or providing related support services to students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). It provides data about the perceptions and concerns of school personnel to guide program and service improvement, particularly in understanding how to:

1. effectively meet the needs of students with IEPs; and
2. create a supportive, positive working environment for all staff. 

Recruitment and retention of teachers and other personnel has become a major barrier to efforts to meet the needs of youth with IEPs.  Research conducted by the National Center on Educational Statistics and in California has suggested that workplace conditions, control over the workload, and perceptions about administrative support are highly correlated with teacher attrition rates.

This new module, combined with new questions related to closing the racial/ethnic achievement gap, significantly enhances the value of the CSCS to assist schools in improving the learning environment for all students and the working environment for all staff.

In addition, districts that administer the CSCS will also now receive a supplementary report comparing all survey results provided by staff who serve students with IEPs with all other staff. This report, funded by CDE, will provide a better understanding of staff perceptions on how well schools are implementing programs and services for students with IEPs. 

Below is an overview to the SESM’s content.   For further information, call the CSCS Helpline at 888-841-7536.

 

The California School Climate Survey (CSCS) Special Education Supports Module

1. Addressing Bureaucratic Barriers to Effective Service Delivery

• This school works to reduce interruptions to instruction for students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs).  
• This school takes steps to minimize required paperwork.
• This school effectively schedules legally mandated special education activities (e.g., assessments, behavior supports, mandated meetings with parents).

2. Integration and Collaboration between Special and General Education

• This school integrates special education into its daily operations.
• This school encourages teaming between general and special education personnel.
• This school provides sufficient time to collaborate with colleagues regarding services to students with IEPs.
• This school views service to students with IEPs as a shared responsibility among all staff.
• This school promotes personnel participation in decision-making that affects school practices and policies.

3. Expectations and Supports for Special Populations

• This school sets high expectations for students with IEPs.
• This school provides effective supports for teaching culturally and linguistically diverse students with IEPs.

This school provides effective supports for students needing alternative

• modes of communication (e.g., manual signs, communication boards, computer-based devices, picture exchange systems, Braille). 
• This school provides complete state adopted instructional materials for students with IEPs.
• This school has sufficient resources to support special education programs and services. 

4. Personnel Supports

• This school provides a positive working environment for staff who serve students with IEPs. 
• This school acknowledges the responsibilities for staff who serve students with IEPs.
• This school provides relevant training for paraprofessionals.
• This school has a climate that encourages me to continue in my role of service to students with IEPs.
• This school provides adequate access to technology for staff who serve students with IEPs.
• This school has good communication with district personnel to support students with IEPs.
• This school offers adequate compensation (e.g. salary, fringe benefits and retirement) to support my continued employment at this school.

 

EMAIL BLAST (SAMPLE A)

The California Department of Education (CDE) has created the nation’s most extensive, comprehensive system for providing local education agencies (LEAs) with data on school climate, student engagement, and nonacademic learning barriers and supports. This system is based on three complementary surveys the:

• California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) for students and
• California School Climate Survey (CSCS) for school staff
• California School Parent Survey (CSPS)

WestEd and the CDE announce an expansion of the CSCS to include a research-based Special Education Supports Module (SESM) that provides information related to improving staff retention. Please encourage school staff to participate in the California School Climate Survey (CSCS) during your school’s specific survey cycle

More information is available at http://cscs.wested.org/survey_content/sesis

 

EMAIL BLAST (SAMPLE B)

WestEd and the CDE announce an expansion of the California School Climate Survey (http://www.cde.ca.gov/eo/in/se/climatesurvey.asp.) to include a Special Education Supports Information System (SESIS). Goals of the SESIS are:

• Raise school and general public awareness of the needs of  students with IEPs , and the staff who provide services to them
• Promote dialogue at the local, regional, and state level on meeting those needs
• Monitor and promote a better understanding of how schools are implementing programs and services for students with IEPs in fulfillment of the California Strategic Action Plan and No Child Left Behind (NCLB)
• Help create a supportive, positive working environment that will retain high quality special education staff
• Better integrate special and general education 
• Embed efforts to improve supports for special education in the broader CDE effort to close the racial/ethnic achievement gap (CTAG)

Please encourage school staff to participate in the California School Climate Survey (CSCS) during your school’s specific survey cycle

More information is available at http://cscs.wested.org/survey_content/sesis

 

NEW!!!! EMAIL BLAST (SAMPLE C)

The California Department of Education (CDE) has created the nation’s most extensive, comprehensive system for providing local education agencies (LEAs) with data on school climate, student engagement, and nonacademic learning barriers and supports. The comprehensive California School Climate, Health, and Learning System (Cal-SCHLS), developed for the California Department of Education is comprised of the:

• California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) for students
• California School Climate Survey (CSCS) for school staff
• California School Parent Survey (CSPS) for parents.

LEAs may administer these three surveys simultaneously at least once every two years. More information is available at http://www.cde.ca.gov/eo/in/se/climatesurvey.asp.

WestEd and the CDE announce an expansion of the CSCS to include a Special Education Supports Information System (SESIS). http://cscs.wested.org/survey_content/sesis

Please participate in the California School Climate Survey (CSCS) during your school’s specific survey cycle.

Contact Us for more information.

 

LIST OF LOCAL SITE ACTIVITIES TO PROMOTE THE CSCS

Guiding Questions:

• How will survey do something for me? What is my compelling reason for completing survey?
• How is this survey data dovetail with other things we are doing at our site?
• How does data fit in with School Site Plan?

Activities:

• Invitation to special event / treat if fill out survey. Special Event if 100% participation; Encouragement from administration.
• Make computers and/or time accessible to classified staff to take survey (Don’t forget parents and students!)
• Work through BTSA to encourage participation of new (BT) teacher and training on how to interpret (This could tie to Assessment Strand (using data).
• PTA collaboration to support staff comp staff completion
• School site competition / awards / ribbons / “I surveyed ;-)” stickers
• Create a District competition to recognize school site with highest participation rate
• Provide relief sub for teacher to vote
• Provide access for CSEA Employees
• Encourage PTA Collaboration; Examples:  Create bulletin board, run award, competition
• Take School Site Photo wearing stickers “I surveyed.”

SESM Organizational Checklist developed by Dr. Lisa R. Churchill and revised 10/12/10.

 

 

California Services for Technical Assistance and Training (CalSTAT)
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