Up to Date, with SST8

News and Events for March 4 Through March 15, 2024

Nominations for 2024 R.A. Horn Outstanding Student Achievement and

Franklin B. Walter Outstanding Educator Awards

State Support Team Region 8 will continue to facilitate the nomination process for the R. A. Horn Outstanding Student Achievement and Franklin B. Walter Outstanding Special Educator Awards. Within each of the 16 State Support Teams in Ohio, the R. A. Horn award is presented to one exemplary special education student, and the Franklin B. Walter award is given to an educator or team who has made extraordinary contributions to the education of students with disabilities. One finalist from each region in both of these award categories will be honored at a statewide awards ceremony on June 11, 2024. Nominations are due by April 1 and are submitted via Google. Click below to learn more and access forms.

Click Here for Guidelines and Nominations

In addition, the Ohio Coalition for the Education of Children with Disabilities awards the Margaret Burley Outstanding Parent Award to one parent in the state who demonstrates

Exceptional commitment to advocacy for their child and other children to receive quality educational services,
Leadership in local, state or national organizations,
Support for/sponsorship of initiatives to promote public awareness of issues affecting children with disabilities and their family, and/or
Creation of innovative programming to improve services for children with disabilities.

Nominations for the Margaret Burley Outstanding Parent Award are due by March 15 and can be submitted directly to OCECD through this link.

PBIS Tier 2 Open Office Hours

Is your team implementing Tier 2? Do you have questions about your Tier 2 system or targeted interventions? Join us for virtual office hours on March 6th from 7:30-8:30 am.

ELA Core Curriculum Update

It’s here…The Department’s Phase 2 of the approved list of ELA core curriculum and instructional materials was released last week. This list includes all materials that met the required criteria for prekindergarten and kindergarten-grade 5. The review process is ongoing for vendors that may have elected to appeal the Department’s Phase 2 decision.

Approved List March 2024

Family Engagement to Combat Chronic Absenteeism

Increase Family Engagement to Combat Chronic Absenteeism on March 15th. Relationships between schools and families have changed. In this session, participants look at absenteeism through the lens of family engagement. Participants will learn ways to strengthen family partnerships by addressing reasons for the disconnect and offer strategies to address barriers.

Writing for all!

If you are looking for some writing strategies that you can implement in your building or classroom. Check out our recording of the January k-12 Principals Network. We highlight a couple strategies from Writing Revolution that may be useful to help your students build strong sentences with the I do, we do, you do modeling structure!

Third Grade Reading Guarantee

New family resources about the Third Grade Reading Guarantee parent request exemption

The Department has partnered with the Ohio Statewide Family Engagement Center to produce two new resources for families related to the Third Grade Reading Guarantee Parent Request Exemption.

Ohio’s Introduction to the Science of Reading Courses Now Available

Under Section 265.330(A)(2) of House Bill 33 of the 135th General Assembly, districts and schools shall require all teachers and administrators to complete a course provided by the Department not later than June 30, 2025, except that any teacher or administrator who has previously completed similar training, as determined by the Department, shall not be required to complete the course. The Department has created multiple course pathways to meet the professional development requirements in law.

Two pathways are now available on the Department’s Learning Management System:

Pathway A: Ohio’s Introduction to the Science of Reading, Kindergarten-Grade 5
Pathway C: Ohio’s Introduction to the Science of Reading, Grades 6-12

Additional pathways will be released in the coming weeks. Districts can determine which pathway an educator may take based on the grade band they serve, their role, and whether they have previously taken 18 hours of dyslexia professional development to partially fulfill the requirements of the law.

Access the Professional Development in the Science of Reading page on the Department’s website for more information on available course pathways and access through the Learning Management System. This page also contains information on accessing and completing the Course, and Frequently Asked Questions.

Ohio’s Introduction to Dyslexia, Grades 4-12 Course Now Available

Ohio’s Introduction to Dyslexia, Grades 4-12 course is now available in the Department’s Learning Management System. This free course is one option available to educators to meet the professional development requirements of Ohio’s Dyslexia Support Laws. More information on accessing the course through the Learning Management System is available on the Department’s webpage. 

Shining a (Glaring) Light on Educational Inequities in Reading

This Reading the Room Discussion brings together a group of education stakeholders with a shared interest and expertise in improving literacy outcomes for students who are historically disadvantaged. Panelists present data illustrating some of the most glaring problems with educational inequity in reading, and discuss approaches for building educational equity through policy, partnerships, and practice. Click the picture above for more information.

Supporting Success for African American Students: The Importance of Language Development and Reading Skills

Despite the disparities in education, research has demonstrated that all students, regardless of racial, ethnic, economic, or learning differences, can meet grade-level expectations for reading achievement with systematic and explicit instruction. Click HERE for more information.

Save the Date: 7th Annual Literacy Academy

The Literacy Academy, brought to you by the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, is returning in-person on June 10-11, 2024, in Columbus! The seventh annual Literacy Academy will provide professional learning to support the use of evidence-based language and literacy practices. This event is intended for Ohio districts, schools and early care and education programs working toward raising literacy achievement. There are no registration fees to attend this event.

Registration will open in spring 2024. Please continue to check our website for additional information. Questions may be emailed to ReadOhio@education.ohio.gov.

EDSTEPS UPDATES

DEW has released a CCIP Note with EDSTEPS updates. The ED STEPS One Plan is now open for the school year 2024-2025 planning. You can access the One Plan through the ED STEPS application in the Ohio Identification (OHID) system. Educational entities in Cohort 1 must complete a three-year needs assessment and One Plan. The deadline for Cohort 1 entities to complete the ED STEPS One Needs Assessment and Plan is April 30, 2024. You can use the EDSTEPS Quality Plan review rubric to guide your One Needs Assessment and One Plan process. The EDSTEPS user manual is also a great resource that includes rubrics for each office that may be triggered to review your plan.