California’s State Personnel Development Grant (SPDG/SIG3) Evaluation Overview

On September 1, 2007, California was awarded a five-year federal Office of Special Education Projects (OSEP) State Personnel Development Grant. SPDG is the new name for the SIG or State Improvement Grant. California is currently completing its second SIG, and will begin implementing the new SPDG/SIG3 in summer 2008.

Purpose: The central purpose of the State Personnel Development Grant (SPDG) is to continue to reform and improve California’s system of personnel preparation and professional development to increase student achievement and improve outcomes for students with disabilities.

Project Activities: Specific areas of activity supported under the SPDG will include:

• Professional development,training and technical assistance in scientific or evidencebased interventions in literacy (Effective Reading Intervention Academy or ERIA);
• The Leadership Community (State Leadership Institute, Regional Leadership Institutes, and Leadership Site Award Program activities) characterized by collaboration between general education and special education; and knowledge and skills gains in the evidence-based CDE-approved “core message” areas;
• Centrally coordinated TA provided by project consultants and site-to-site TA provided by the Leadership Community centered around the evidence-based “core message” areas;
• Data tools for data-informed decision-making at the state and local levels;
• The Family Participation Fund and Parent Training and Information Centers parent/family outreach and development of the Parent-School Involvement Facilitation Survey;
• Expansion of the capacity of the California State University Los Angeles (CSULA) education specialist credential intern program; and
• Improvement of the TeachCalifornia.org website to help recruit special education (SE) teachers.

Project Evaluation: This SPDG Evaluation Overview is designed to familiarize California’s collaborative partners with the coming efforts. Included in this overview, on the pages that follow, are:

• CA’s SPDG/SIG3 LogicModel
• CA’s SPDG/SIG3 Objectives
• CA’s SPDG/SIG3 Evaluation Methods Table

California's SPDG/SIG3 Logic Model

CA’s SPDG/SIG3 Objectives

Goal: The purpose of CA’s State Personnel Development Grant (SPDG) effort is to continue to reform and improve California’s system of personnel preparation and professional development to increase student achievement and improve outcomes for students with disabilities.

Outcome 1: SPDG activities are aligned with SPP improvement strategies

Objective 1: To provide personnel development Training/TA that is aligned with improvement strategies in the California State Performance Plan (SPP), as demonstrated by:

• Performance Measure 1a: To deliver SPDG activities that are named as SPP improvement strategies in each of the three SPP Improvement activity areas: 1) monitoring and stakeholder meetings, 2) T/TA, and 3) utilizing data in decision-making.

Outcome 2: The percentage of personnel receiving professional development in scientific or evidence-based instructional practices is increasing or scaling up within districts and statewide

Objective 2: To increase the percentage of personnel receiving professional development in scientific/evidence-based instructional practices by scaling up successful SIG2 activities, as demonstrated by:

• Performance Measure 2a: ERIA training will be provided to an additional 30 school sites;
• Performance Measure 2b: Increasing scientific or evidence-based core message T/TA provided by 25 Regional Leadership host sites and 53 Leadership Sites; and
• Performance Measure 2c: At least 80% of professional development T/TA will be based on scientific/evidence-based instructional/behavioral and systems change GE/SE collaboration practices.

Outcome 3: Professional development activities are improving the knowledge and skills of personnel in delivering scientific or evidence-based instructional and behavioral practices

Objective 3: To provide professional development activities/training based on scientific/evidence-based practices, specifically ERIA (Effective Reading Intervention Academy), improving personnel knowledge and skills, as demonstrated by:

• Performance Measure 3a: Increasing the knowledge/skills of ERIA instructional/behavioral practices among training participants by at least 35%;
• Performance Measure 3b: Increasing the knowledge/skills of personnel in delivering instructional/behavioral practices as measured by at least 50% of ERIA training participants repeatedly implementing what they have learned; and
• Performance Measure 3c: Increasing to 75% the sites implementing ERIA in which personnel are observed implementing learned practices with fidelity.

Outcome 4: Personnel knowledge and skills in scientific or evidence-based practices are supported and sustained through ongoing comprehensive practices

Objective 4: To implement strategies and practices that sustain the knowledge and skills of personnel in the implementation of scientific/evidence-based practices, as demonstrated by:

• Performance Measure 4a: Personnel from at least 80% of the schools implementing ERIA will access 3 or more sustaining activities after 2 years in the program;
• Performance Measure 4b: At least 95% of professional development training activities in ERIA will be sustained through ongoing and comprehensive practices;
• Performance Measure 4c: At least 60% of school sites accessing supporting and sustaining activities will implement ERIA with fidelity within three years;
• Performance Measure 4d: The percentage of all students and students with disabilities who score proficient or advanced on the California Standards Test will increase by at least 5 percentage points in at least 70% of ERIA school sites implementing with fidelity;
• Performance Measure 4e: The project will develop and/or disseminate at least 2 tools or instruments for supporting and sustaining improved practice or system change.

Outcome 5: Parents are involved with schools and the broader educational system

Objective 5: To facilitate parent/family involvement with schools and the educational system as a means of improving services/results for children with disabilities, as demonstrated by:

• Performance Measure 5a: 70% of Family Participation Fund stipends will go to parent/families reporting annual household incomes of less than $30,000; and
• Performance Measure 5b: At least 70% of school site teams attending the State Leadership Institute will include the participation of parents/family members.

Outcome 6: Special Education teacher recruitment and retention is improving

Objective 6: To improve the recruitment/retention of quality SE teachers as demonstrated by:

• Performance Measure 6a: The number of total visitors to the teachcalifornia.org website will increase 10% per year after outreach in year one;
• Performance Measure 6b: The education specialist candidate enrollment in the CSULA Special Education Intern Program will increase by at least 25%; and
• Performance Measure 6c: 90% of CSULA education specialist intern program graduates will be employed in public schools for at least three years after program completion.