Volusia County Public Schools

School Social Services / Safe & Drug Free SchoolsStaff Meeting • January 28, 2013

Gria Davison, Consultant, School Social Work ServicesFlorida Department of Education, K–12 Public SchoolsBureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services

Student Support Services Project/USF

(850) 245-7837gria.davison@fldoe.org

gdavison@usf.edu

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Overview FLDOE

Leadership ChangesEducational Performance DataKey Legislation

State Education Priorities/InitiativesMTSS – (RtI/PBS)Teacher Quality – (SSPEM, Instructional Personnel)Common Core (College/Career Readiness)

*Supports to address barriers to learning; e.g. student/family engagement; intervention programs; mental health prevention and crisis response

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Florida Educational Performance Data

•Quality Counts 2013 National Grades, Educational Performance - Florida 6th www.edweek.org/ew/qc/2013/state_report_cards.html?intc=EW-QC13-LFTNAV

•Progress in International Reading Literacy (PIRLS)4th Grade Students – Florida demonstrated significant

improvement in overall performance in reading when comparing the performance of 48 counties PIRLS 2011, http://timss.bc.edu

•National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)Above national average; one of the top states for

improvement in performance gainswww.naepnet.org

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Legislation • Uninterrupted Scholars Act / FERPA

– Signed into law by President Obama (Jan. 14th )

Allows schools to release educational records without parental consent to child welfare agencies; legally responsible for care and protection of students, including the educational stability of children in foster care

– Creates exception to requirement that parents be notified when schools disclose educational records pursuant to a court order

• School Safety and Mental Health– House Healthy Families Committee focus• DCF; DOE; DJJ; Medicaid Behavioral Health; NAMI FL;

Community Mental Health Council / Providers4

The School Social Worker’s

Viability – Visibility – Value •The capacity to – operate; be sustained under certain conditions

•The ability to – be seen; be identified

•Estimated or realized –worth; merit or importance

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FL Certified School Social Workers

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Taxonomy Profile Problem-Solving team (MTSS - Gen. Ed; ESE)Student / Family EngagementCounseling /Case Management / Referral Crisis Prevention; Intervention; Management Interagency-Foster CareHomelessness: McKinney-Vento Student Records - FERPAChild Abuse PreventionEducation For Military DependentsSection 504 / ManifestationTeenage Parent Program Transitions, Opportunities & Pathways

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The School Social Worker: Addressing Barriers to Learning

• Engaging in collaborative problem-solving at district, school, and individual levels.

• Providing culturally competent services to students, schools, and families within a multi-tier model of service delivery (MTSS)

• Developing and implementing evidence-based interventions at each tier (level of support).

• Conducting assessments that inform instruction (screening, progress monitoring, diagnostic).

• Monitoring fidelity and effectiveness of instruction and intervention.

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Student Support ServicesStudent Support Services

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Way-of-work in MTSS• The viability and value of the school social worker is

influenced strongly by the impact of our practices on student performance-particularly academic performance.

WHAT DO WE KNOW?• Academic performance of students is influenced by

social, emotional and behavioral factors.– The social, emotional and behavioral services provided

by the school social worker has a strong, evidence-based relationship with student academic performance.

• Combining evidence-based instructional strategies with evidence-based strategies to enhance student engagement results in significant student gains.– Enhancing student engagement (at all levels) is a primary

role of the school social worker.

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Enhancing the blueprint for education reform….

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MTSS (Video)

http://florida-rti.org/parentResources/videos.htm12

http://www.florida-rti.org/index.htm

Foster Care and FERPA

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Independent Living

• The Independent Living Services Advisory Council (ILSAC)

– Charged to review and report on the implementation and operation of independent living services to youth the the Florida foster care system.

• As of July 1, 2011

– 5,308 youth aged 13-17 eligible for independent living services

– 3,906 young adults (18-22), formally foster care, accessing continued Road to Independence Services.

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Engagement, Attendance or WHAT? Implications for Policy and Practice

•School Success = H.S. completion and + outcomes… •Active participants in the learning process and school environment - LOOK FOR:– Positive school climate– Family/community connectedness– Student-focused activities / programs / strategies

Then… •ENGAGEMENT = school, family & community partnerships dedicated to completion for every studentevery student•Role of attendance in the BROADER context

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Mental Health Needs• Response to districts with MH resources• National data– 1 in 5 children experience signs of a MH problem– ~ 2.7 million FL public school students– ~ ½ million children to have a MH problem/need

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All

Som

e

Few

System of Supports for School-Based Mental Health Services

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Mental Health Services in Schools

House Healthy Families Committee – January 24, 2013• Panel to present and dialog, cross-agency and with

subcommittee • Offer recommendations for building and sustaining a

better system of response to MH needs of children and adolescents

Florida Children and Youth Cabinet – January 31, 2013• Mental Health and School Violence Panel

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What Are The Numbers?

•2.7 million children in Florida•20% Prevalence •½ million with serious mental disorder; impairment•352,000 SWD in Florida

21,000 EBD22,000 ASD23,000 OHI = Total = ~ 65,000

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Related Services

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Section 504 District Implementation Guide

• Revised 2011 with ADA amendments included• Expanded the definition of disability– Includes attention to mitigating factors– Disabilities that are in remission or episodic

• Three key decision points– Is there a disability?– Does it substantially limit a major life activity?– Is a plan required in order to provide FAPE?

http://www.sss.usf.edu/resources/topic/section504/index.html

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There’s a Better Way

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Effective Partnerships BetweenFamilies and Schools

The outcomes cannot be overstated• Greater parent involvement results in– Higher student achievement– Improved student attendance– Higher aspirations for post secondary education‐and career development– Improved social competence– Lower rates of at risk behavior for adolescents‐

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A Collaborative Culture:Parent Engagement

Our work is best when we are able to build strong,collaborative partnerships with parents.

WHAT DOES THIS LOOK LIKE IN PRACTICE? • Focus on points of agreement•Work with parents as partners•Involve parents versus informing parents•Recognize the valuable information we need from parents to help identify the best strategies to support their children

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High Quality Performance

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http://www.sss.usf.edu/resources/professions/sspem/index.html

Fundamental Principles• Fundamental Purpose: Improve academic and

behavioral outcomes for students • Reflect a Multi-tiered System of Support framework• Align with evidence-based practices professional

standards linked to positive student outcomes• Integrate common practice standards across student

services professions • Support professional growth and continuous

improvement.• Offer a state-approved evaluation framework that is

flexible & fluid; complies with the Student Success Act, for districts to adopt, adapt, or use as a guide.

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Conceptual Model• Domains (5 Domains) – broad categories used to

organize professional practices and help structure the evaluation.

• Practices (25 Practices) – standards of practice within a a domain related to a specific area of professional skill.

• Indicators (4 for each practice) – continuum of descriptive statements that assist in differentiating levels of performance for each practice (Highly Effective, Effective, Emerging, Ineffective).

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Domains of Practice

• Data-based Decision Making and Evaluation• Instruction/Intervention Planning & Design• Instruction/Intervention Delivery &

Facilitation• Learning Environment• Professional Learning, Responsibility, &

Ethics

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Evaluation Rubric

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Common Core States www.corestandards.org/

Florida’s Common Core State Standards (CCSS) Implementation

Plan

http://www.fldoe.org/bii/

Other Resources Individual Health Care Plans/Sec 504 White Paper Guiding principles for Section 504 Committees on students with Individual Health Care Plans (IHCP) as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendment Act of 2008 (ADAAA). (April 2012) http://sss.usf.edu/resources/format/pdf/Individual_Health_Care_Plans_Section_504_final.pdf

(National Center School Engagement/NCSE http://www.schoolengagement.org

Web-based Course on Child Abuse Reportinghttp://www3.fl-dcf.com/rcaan/ or http://www.myflfamilies.com/service-programs/abuse-hotline

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THANK YOU!

Questions

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