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State Education Department Seal

THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK
ALBANY, NY 12234

 VESID logo

OFFICE OF VOCATIONAL AND EDUCATIONAL SERVICES FOR INDIVIDUALS
WITH DISABILITIES

SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES

 

QUALITY INDICATOR REVIEW AND RESOURCE GUIDES for

LITERACY

BEHAVIORIAL SUPPORTS AND INTERVENTIONS

SPECIAL EDUCATION INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICES

 

OFFICE OF VOCATIONAL AND EDUCATIONAL SERVICES FOR
INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES
STATEWIDE COORDINATOR FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION
Room 1624 One Commerce Plaza   Albany, NY  12234
www.vesid.nysed.gov

June 2008

TO:               All Interested Parties
FROM:         James P. DeLorenzo 

SUBJECT:   Quality Indicator Review and Resource Guides for Literacy, Behavior, and Delivery of Special Education Services

The Office of Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID) of the New York State Education Department (NYSED) has developed a series of standardized and research-based Quality Indicator Review and Resource Guides to lead districts to assess and improve their use of research-based instructional practices for students with disabilities.  The Quality Indicator Review and Resource Guides have been developed by workgroups comprised of members of the Special Education Training and Resource Center (SETRC) Network, representatives of Institutions of Higher Education in New York State (NYS) and VESID’s Special Education Quality Assurance and Policy Units.  As one of VESID’s primary resources for school improvement in NYS, the SETRC networks will use the Quality Indicators to guide their work in the provision of professional development and technical assistance to districts and schools.

The Guides are intended to be used to support a quality improvement process that includes:

  1. assessing the quality of a school district’s instructional programs and practices in the areas of literacy, behavioral supports and interventions; and special education instructional practices;
  2. determining priority need areas; and
  3. prescribing and planning activities to change practices and improve outcomes for students with disabilities.
NYSED grants permission to NYS public schools, NYS approved private schools and NYS-based nonprofit organizations to copy this for use as a review and quality improvement guide. Please note however, that this material may not otherwise be reproduced in any form or by any means or modified without the written permission of NYSED. For further information, contact VESID’s Special Education Program Development and Support Services Unit at (518) 486-7462 or write to VESID, Special Education Program Development and Support Services Unit, Room 1624 One Commerce Plaza, Albany, New York 12234.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED by the NEW YORK STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

The State Education Department grants permission to New York State (NYS) public schools, NYS approved private schools and NYS-based nonprofit organizations to copy the Quality Indicators for use as a review and quality improvement guide. This material may not otherwise be reproduced in any form or by any means without the written permission of NYSED. For further information, contact the Special Education Program Development and Support Services Unit at NYSED at (518) 486-7462 or write to VESID, Special Education Program Development and Support Services Unit, Room 1624 One Commerce Plaza, Albany, New York 12234

Structure and Content of the Quality Indicators

LITERACY

  1. Early Literacy Instructional Practice
    1. Phonemic Awareness
    2. Phonics, Decoding
    3. Fluency, Automatic Reading of Text
    4. Vocabulary
    5. Reading and Listening Comprehension
    6. Written Expression
    7. Spelling and Handwriting
    8. Progress Monitoring
  1. Adolescent Literacy (Middle Level)
    1. Direct, Explicit Comprehension Instruction
    2. Literacy Instruction Across the Curriculum
    3. Motivation and Self-Directed Learning
    4. Support for Struggling Readers
    5. Intensive Writing
    6. Ongoing Formative Assessment of Students
  1. Adolescent Literacy (High School)
    1. Direct literacy instruction across disciplines
    2. Reading to learn
    3. Motivation and self-directed learning
    4. Writing embedded in the content area
    5. Extended learning opportunity
  1. Specially-designed and Intensive Reading for Students with Disabilities
    1. Explicit and Comprehensive
    2. Assessment and Benchmarking
    3. Intensive Programming
    4. School-wide Supports
    5. Motivation and Engagement
  1. Systemic Support
    1. Leadership
    2. Professional Development
    3. Summative Assessment of Student Programs
    4. Communication
    5. Universal Design for Learning

 

BEHAVIORAL SUPPORTS AND INTERVENTIONS

  1. School-wide Positive Behavioral Supports
    1. School-level behavioral system
    2. District level administrative structure
    3. Classroom behavioral supports
    4. Non- classroom behavioral supports
    5. Interventions for at-risk students
    6. Interventions for students with chronic difficulties
  1. Classroom Management
    1. Caring and supportive relationship with and among students
    2. Instruction designed to optimize learning and engagement
    3. Classroom managed to support student engagement
    4. Direct instruction in student behavioral self management
    5. Professional development/district support 
  1. Targeted Small Group Behavioral Interventions
    1. School/district infrastructure
    2. Evidence-based small group intervention strategies for students who are behaviorally at-risk
    3. Classroom behavioral supports
    4. Interventions for students with chronic difficulties
  1. Intensive Individualized Behavioral Interventions
    1. School infrastructure
    2. Classroom behavioral supports
    3. Small group interventions for at-risk students
    4. Developing intensive individualized interventions:  FBA
    5. Developing effective behavioral intervention plans

 

SPECIAL EDUCATION INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICES

  1. Instructional Environment and Practice
    1. Structured, predictable school and classroom
      environment
    2. Planning for effective instruction
    3. Effective implementation of specially-designed instruction 
    4. Ongoing assessment of student progress
  1. Committee on Special Education (CSE) Process        
    in development

 
  1. Individualized Education Program (IEP) Development 
    in development