State Performance Plan 2005-2012 - Part B - Arkansas Department Of Education (Page 31 of 277) in pdf

State Performance Plan 2005-2012 - Part B - Arkansas Department Of Education Page 31

Arkansas Department of Education Special Education Unit

Part B State Performance Plan

Post-School Outcomes Center Collaboration: P.O.I.S.E. will collaborate with the Post-School Outcomes

Center in May 2009-June 2009, piloting the National Post-School Outcomes Center Data Use Tool. Little

Rock School District has agreed to pilot the tool. P.O.I.S.E will organize a team of district personnel to

review the post-school data (2006-LifeTrack). The district will provide a meeting space to accommodate the

team for a three-hour meeting. A site visit will be conducted on June 26, 2009. The district team will

provide constructive feedback regarding the utility of the tool and suggestions for refining the tool for use

with other LEAs.

P.O.I.S.E. Website: The P.O.I.S.E. website will be updated to include a dropout prevention focus and

information on parental involvement priorities.

Check and Connect Program: The P.O.I.S.E. coordinator will attend a Check and Connect Training

sponsored by the Institute on Community Integration at the University of Minnesota. The Check and

Connect model is designed to promote students' engagement with school, reduce dropout, and increase

school completion. P.O.I.S.E began offering technical assistance (regional) in the Check and Connect model

to a network of local school districts that triggered in both indicator 1 (graduation) and 2 (dropout) to

develop frameworks for school completion. To expand Check and Connect across the State, Arkansas

Transition Services will provide opportunities along with P.O.I.S.E.

Making the Connection Across Indicators 1, 2, 13, 14 Workshop: In September 2008, a team from Arkansas

will participate in this workshop sponsored by the North Central Regional Resource Center and Southeast

Regional Resource Center in Kansas City, KS. The P.O.I.S.E. staff will provide professional development

opportunities on Making the Connection Across Indicators 1, 2, 13, and 14 and will use this process in local

school districts that requests assistance through CIRCUIT.

Changing Outcomes through Retention Elements (C.O.R.E.): The C.O.R.E. project began to provide

interventions in three Arkansas school districts for an initial cohort of ninth graders failing the first semester

of the 2007-08 school year. In 2008-09, the C.O.R.E. project will expand to include select high schools in

the Little Rock School District, the largest district in the State, as well as the continued participation of the

three initial districts. Participation in the C.O.R.E. project is voluntary but districts must commit to the

intervention strategies. For students to be considered at risk of dropping out of school they must be in the

ninth grade and have failed at least one core subject area

English, mathematics, science, or social studies.

Presentations: The P.O.I.S.E Coordinator will present C.O.R.E. at Special Show 2008.

Activities planned by the Arkansas Transition Services (ATS) for 2008-09 include:

• Participation in local team meetings to encourage transition teams to continue making progress on

their plans.

• Participation of various consultants on Child and Adolescent Service system program (CASSP)

Teams around the State. Consultants on CASSP teams served approximately 30 students.

• Plan and conduct Transition Orientation Night for Parents for each education service cooperative

area.

• Plan and conduct Transition Fairs for students and families to learn about area agencies and services

they provide.

• Submit proposals for presentations of Transition Activities at the state and national level.

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State Performance Plan 2005-2012 - Part B - Arkansas Department Of Education Page 31