Focusing on improvement of educational results of students with disabilities, the partnership will be responsible for professional development, technical assistance, and dissemination of knowledge about best practices. Embedded in the design is a plan to build partnerships that will focus on coordination and collaboration with existing agencies, programs, projects, and resources. Working in concert with Commonwealth Education Reform Initiatives, the partnership will use their Performance Indicators to measure the effectiveness of the project.

A two-tiered approach is planned with state-level policy review and revision and local-level pilot implementation and evaluation. Integration of the goals within existing policies and state-level initiatives will insure systemic change. Other keys to the success of the partnership include:

• Coordinated technical assistance that is customized to the identified needs of the LEAs and restructured pre-service training.
• Establishment of clear accountability methods that measure outcomes and student performance, while holding LEAs accountable.
• Improvement of the quality and quantity of professionals, especially in areas identified with need/shortages.
• Improvement of recruitment, preparation and retention of underrepresented groups of professionals.

Project Title:	Professional Development Partnerships For Improving Student Outcomes
Primary contact person:	Jackie Vocke, Director PATTAN
Address:	1923 Park Forrest Ave. State College, PA 16803
Phone:	814-867-8919
Fax:	814-867-2185
Email:	jvocke@pattan.k12.pa.us
Web site:	http://www.pde.psu.edu
Date SIG application written/submitted:	October 1, 1998
Round funded:	First
Begin/end dates for funding:	1999 - 2003
Funded amount /year:	$1,320,000
Who wrote the application?	SEA staff
Length of application:	Narrative: 151 pages  Appendices: 21  How long are they? 100 pages

1. What specific products are planned for development? 

• Development of integrated special education and regular education curricular model.
• Development of a comprehensive conceptual framework for the School of Education.
• Accountability systems, procedures, and protocol.
• Statewide data collection system for students with disabilities participating in PSSA alternate assessments.
• Statewide collection system for students with disabilities in collaboration with Interagency Committee to Coordinate Services Provided to Individuals with Disabilities (ICCSPID) including post-secondary and/or employment.
• Bi-annual report regarding specific category of personnel shortages.
• Professional development activities.
• A Professional Development School Model for PA (K-16).
• A framework for a comprehensive K-12 Professional Development School with district staff.
• One Professional Development School with one new district each year.
• Needs Assessments.
• Leadership Initiatives (Academies, consultation, TA, Collaboration, and Information Sharing Roundtable).
• Master's Level Speech Language Pathology Degree Program with Western Chester University (WCU) partnership.
• Partnership Institute.
• Web-based training.
• Statewide resource bank of promising practices, materials, and technology.
• Clearinghouse.
• Recruitment materials for identified vacancies.
• Training for parents, community agencies, and educators on effective transition.
• Publication of results of projects.

2. What interstate connections are planned?

Pennsylvania intends to develop collaborative agreements with other states for the joint support and development of uniformity and reciprocity in the credentialing of teachers and preparing other personnel for work in LEAs. A partnership with West Virginia DOE and others in PA to provide professional development for teachers of the visually impaired is planned. Working in collaboration with Tri-State Consortium, Pennsylvania plans to develop professional development activities that assist school district personnel to review and revise school district discipline and behavior management policies.

 3. What strategies are planned for service delivery? 

• Synthesis and integration with state plans.
• Study pre-service programs focused on working with students with disabilities.
• Enforcement efforts will increase in response to poorly performing LEAs.
• Identification and analysis of data systems.
• Analysis of state and local needs for professional development.
• Analysis of major OSEP findings and work toward compliance.
• Establishment of partnerships.
• Change state policy and procedures to address systemic barriers.
• Align state compliance (Bureau of Special Education [BSE], Instructional Support System of Pennsylvania [ISSP], Intermediate Unit [IU]), complaint investigation, corrective action planning and assistance activities.
• Provide TA to LEA and school to improve results.
• Development of a coordinated Leadership Initiative.
• Identification of core Knowledge Skills and Aptitude (KSA) needed for teachers and others to support them.
• Modification of existing curriculum for inclusion of core KSA.
• Design comprehensive professional development programs.
• Partner with WCU to implement a Masters' Level Speech Language Pathology Degree.
• Work with IHE and others to ensure that their programs meet SEA and LEA needs.
• Development of summer institutes at PSU for school-based teams.
• Development of awareness level web-site training specific to behavioral approaches and posting of that training on appropriate sites.
• Work in collaboration with Tri-State Consortium to develop professional development activities.
• Statewide resource bank of promising practices, materials, and technology and disseminate to LEAs.
• Creation of a clearinghouse on personnel.
• Develop recruitment materials and partner with organizations to recruitment qualified personnel.
• Complete a comprehensive review of professional development plans and develop a system of integrating plans through collaborations.
• Develop pilot joint training of parents and LEA personnel.
• Provide distance education for vocational educators.
• Provide guided practice and information to IEP teams.
• Implement activities outlined in Governor's Executive Order.
• Establish a system of sanctions for poorly performing LEAs.
• Collect data on local capacity building and improvement projects.
• Publish results of study and distribute information through meetings, mailing, etc.
• Design and implement evaluation system to assess formative and summative results that are sensitive to student outcomes and performance.
• Identify and define the role of public and private sector agencies and resources.

4. What partnership strategies are intended?

• Partners will work together to initiate and improve coordination and collaboration among the various groups and individuals joining in this effort and to help bring about systemic change.
• Provide professional development, and will aid in restructuring and implementation of various pre-service training activities.
• Systems of accountability and evaluation will be designed and implemented.
• PIT and PET will disseminate best practice information to parents and professional so that they can translate policies and procedures into effective practices and help students improve performance.

5. Who are the partners?

Among the partners listed in the SIG are:

• The Governor's Office.
• The Department of Labor and Industry.
• Department of Public Welfare/Office of Mental Retardation Part C.
• Department of Public Welfare/Office of Social Programs/Blindness and Visual Impairment.
• Department of Labor and Industry/Office of Vocational Rehabilitation.
• Department of Labor and Industry/Office of Deaf and Hard of Hearing.
• Department of Labor and Industry/Bureau of Employment Security.
• LEAs: Lancaster Lebanon Intermediate Unit # 13; Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit #16; Danville Area School District; Harrisburg School District.
• Parents Training Institutes: Parent Education Network.
• Institutions of Higher Education: State System of Higher Education; Bloomsburg University; Cheyney State University; Kutztown University; West Chester University.
• Other Institutions of Higher Education: Pennsylvania State University; Pennsylvania College of Optometry; University of Pittsburgh.
• Professional Associations.

6. What types of contracts or subgrants are intended to partners, LEAs, IHE, PTIs, and others (including lead agency under Part C)?

The Instructional Support System of the Department of Education will be the lead organization. Partners listed above provided letters of intent that are part of the proposal. Formal agreements will clearly outline responsibilities and the nature of the partnership. Contracts will be developed with those organizations for which purchase of service is intended. Each letter addresses the focus and intent of the partnership and support for the grant to be made. Upon notification of funding formal and binding agreements and contracts will be developed.

7. How will resources be pooled with other resources?

Coordination with similar or related efforts within the Commonwealth is identified specifically in Goal One as the project will be integrated with state plans under ESEA of 1965 and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. It brings together partners with resources:

• DOL will promote employment of individuals with disabilities by providing vocational rehabilitation, job training and placement services.
• Department of Public Welfare (DPW)/Office of Mental Retardation (OMR), Part C will provide coordination of transition from EI to school age and integrate professional development plans to ensure the delivery of services in the areas of low incidence autism.
• DPW/OSPBVI will integrate professional development plans to enhance transition for post secondary outcomes for students with visual impairments.
• DOL/OVH is responsible for integration of professional development to enhance transition for post secondary outcomes for students with disabilities.
• DOL/ODHH is responsible for integration of professional development plans to enhance transition for post secondary outcomes for students with deafness and work with the PDE to examine the quality of interpreters for the deaf and hard of hearing.
• DOL/Bureau of Employment Security will integrate professional development to promote the availability of appropriate employment training choices and options for students with disabilities.
• LEAs: Lancaster Lebanon Intermediate Unit # 13 will serve as fiscal agent for the Central Instructional Support Center and the subcontracts with Parent Education Network, PSU, WCU, Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO), Kutztown University (KU), University of Pittsburgh (UP); Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit #16 is the fiscal agent for IHE partnerships and subcontracts with BU and Danville Area School District; Danville Area School District is going to provide teacher release time, administrative involvement and support and associated cost for the development of a model Professional Development School in conjunction with BU; Harrisburg School District will serve as a service integration model site to pilot curricula alignment and customized comprehensive professional development plans and will provide release time and follow up of school improvement activities.
• Parents Training Institutes: PEN will plan and conduct nine regional training sessions.
• IHE: State System of Higher Education will provide administrative support and ensure implementation of the activities at the following universities: BU-development of an integrated teacher preparation model and a model for K-16 Professional Development School; CSU-development of a partnership with WCU to prepare professionals from underrepresented groups in speech and language; KU-to work in a partnership with PCO and UP to provide distance education to prepare teachers in WV and PA to support the education of children who are visually impaired; WCU development of a partnership with CSU to prepare professionals from underrepresented groups in speech and language; PSU-provide summer institutes, WWW educational activities and a distance education certification course for vocational educators; PCO-to work in partnership with KU and UP to provide distance education to support the education of children who are visually impaired; UP-to work in partnership with UP PCO, KU and UP to provide distance education to prepare teachers in WV and PA to support the education of children who are visually impaired.