Learning and Leadership
SSW ACTION PLAN for 2009-2010
Region Profile: Data sets will be provided for your region/discipline. Complete the chart below and use the convergence of data to answer
questions about your region/discipline.
Summary of Data Analyzed:
Student Performance
Data
X State Performance Plan
Social/Emotional/
Behavior Data
X Iowa Youth Survey
Needs Assessment Data
Other Data
X AEA Staff Needs
Assessment
X IIP
___
___ On-line Assessment
(Reading/Math/
Science)
Patterns of
Implementation
X Learning & Leadership
Team Needs Assessment
1. What do you notice when you look at these data? What are you comfortable saying about student and staff performance
based on these results?
State Performance Plan data – five out of seven grades reported are below 2007 state target for Reading. Four out of seven grades are
below 2007 state target for Math.
I-Plan Summary – The number of I-Plan related to behavior seems to average between 9-14% in the AEA. Then number of I-Plans for
academics averages around 55-60%.
Iowa Youth Survey 2005 Summary – Sample data:
23% of students report social pressure to use substances.
49% of students report being bullied.
54% of students report that there were no school personnel they could report concerns to.
Learning and Leadership
SSW ACTION PLAN for 2009-2010
SSW Professional Development Needs survey, May 2009 Summary
Following three areas were indicated as highest priority by SSW staff for training in 2008-09:
1. Need to be increase level of knowledge of community, state, and University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics supports which are
available to assist families and children who are experiencing events which create barriers to learning and negatively impact
student achievement.
2. Improve knowledge and skills needed to assist district staff in identifying research-based or best practice strategies and
supports to be delivered in core, supplemental or intensive instruction for students with behavioral needs.
3. Improve skills to allow SSWs should play a leadership role in helping districts or buildings identify activities, practices, and
information to assist schools in providing a safe, healthy, and caring learning environment
Agency Learning and Leadership Team in October, 2008 identified the area of Learning Supports as one of top three areas identified for
professional development in Region Learning and Leadership Action Plans for 2008-09.
2. What additional questions do these data generate?
No questions, but reinforce the importance of the Agency’s focus this year on assisting AEA staff and districts with identifying sources of data
and how to analyze it and professional development and research-based strategies related to academic and social/emotional/behavioral needs
of students.
3. What staff needs can be inferred from the data?
SSW staff need to:
1. Identify and develop and deliver Professional development for their colleagues related to knowledge and skills needed by SSWs to effectively
work with families and schools.
2. Instruction for students with academic or behavioral needs.
3. Have the skills and knowledge they need to play leadership role in assisting school districts in identifying student needs related to the area of
Learning Supports. Thus will include additional training on agency supported initiatives such as TeenScreen, which will be new program
offered in 2009-10 and continuing work on how to access student data from available district, community, AEA, and stare sources.
4. What do the results and their implications mean for your region/discipline professional development plans?
There needs to be a much focused professional development (PD) plan for SSWs that address each of the three areas identified by the staff
survey as well as supported by the other sources cited. Need for planning between RA and SSW Chairs as well as SSW staff on how to
effectively and efficiently deliver this PD. In 2008-09 none of the PD was developed by the SSW staff and very little of it involved SSWs
delivering the PD. Our intent is to change that pattern for 2009-10. Even with increased involvement of SSW staff in 2009-10 RA and Chairs
also will need to seek AEA staff or others who have expertise in each of these areas to assist with this PD in SSW meetings for some portions
of the PD in 2009-10.
Learning and Leadership
SSW ACTION PLAN for 2009-2010
Type of Plan
□ Agency
□ Region (please identify)
x Discipline: School Social Work
Person(s) Responsible for Implementing and Monitoring Plan : Paul Kiburz, Regional Administrator and SSW Link; Kim Malcolm, SSW CoChair; Julie Barnd, SSW Co-Chair; and Terry Arons, SSW Co-chair
Description of the Ideal State: SSW staff should assist with identifying and developing and delivering Professional development for their
colleagues related to knowledge and skills needed by SSWs to effectively work with families and schools. To this end SSWs need to be
confident in their knowledge of community, state, and University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics supports which are available to assist
families and children who are experiencing events which create barriers to learning and negatively impact student achievement. SSWs
should be viewed as a primary resource for information on these kinds of supports by district and AEA staff, as well as by parents and
students alike. This knowledge should include the ability to determine which of the available supports are most appropriate for a family’s
situation and an understanding of the referral process for each service. SSWs should also have the knowledge and skills needed to assist
district staff in identifying research-based or best practice strategies and supports to be delivered in core, supplemental or intensive
instruction for students with behavioral needs. In addition, SSWs should play a leadership role in helping districts or buildings identify
activities, practices, and information to assist schools in providing a safe, healthy, and caring learning environment.
Critical Element: Vision + Skills + Incentives + Resources + Action Plan = Change
Goal #1: Create three SSW committees to assist in identifying activities, practices, presenters and information related to three priority areas
identified in the SSW staff needs assessment and from other sources of data, which will assist schools and families in providing a safe,
healthy, and caring learning environment.
Action Steps to Be Taken
Person(s)
Responsible
Resources
Timeline
Bi-Annual Progress Updates
Each SSW staff person will sign up for a
committee involved with one of three areas of
professional development to be offered to SSWs
in the 2009-10 year. As a member of these
committees they will be responsible for
developing, and delivering a half-day
professional development activity for their
colleagues at a fall, winter, or spring SSW
meeting.
RA Link, SSW
Co-Chairs, SSW
staff.
None
June, 2009
Completed
Learning and Leadership
SSW ACTION PLAN for 2009-2010
Goal #2: SSWs should be viewed as a primary resource by schools and other AEA staff for information on community, state, and
U. Of I. Hospitals and Clinics resources available to support families or children who are experiencing events which negatively
impact student learning.
Action Steps to Be Taken
Person(s)
Responsible
Resources
Timeline
Half-day professional development activity
related to better educating SSWs about
community, state, and University of Iowa
Hospitals and Clinics resources available to
assist families and students who are experiencing
an event(s) which impacts student learning. To
be planned by a group of SSWs who have
expressed an interest in developing a PD activity
related to this topic for their colleagues. The
planning session for this activity will occur in
September, 2009.
RA Link, SSW
Co-Chairs, and a
committee
comprised of
SSW staff.
Presenters from
selected
community
agencies.
September, 2009;
fall, winter or
spring SSW
meeting
Bi-Annual Progress Updates
Goal #3: SSWs will have the knowledge and skills necessary to assist district staff in identifying research-based or best practice strategies
and supports for instruction for students with academic or behavioral needs.
Action Steps to Be Taken
A SSW committee will meet in September of
2009 to design a half-day professional
development activity to improve SSWs
knowledge and skills necessary to assist
district staff in identifying research-based or
best practice strategies and supports for
instruction for students with academic or
behavioral needs.
Person(s)
Responsible
RA, SSW CoChairs, SSW staff
Resources
Timeline
SSWs and other
AEA staff with
expertise in
instructional
strategies related
to students with
academic or
behavioral needs
September, 2009;
fall, winter or
spring SSW
meeting
Bi-Annual Progress Updates
Learning and Leadership
SSW ACTION PLAN for 2009-2010
Goal #4: SSWs will have the skills and knowledge they need to play a leadership role in assisting school districts in identifying student needs
related to the area of Learning Supports. Thus will include additional training on agency supported initiatives such as TeenScreen, which
will be a new program offered to 19 high schools by Grant Wood in 2009-10, and continuing work on how to access student data from
available district, community, AEA, and state sources.
Action Steps to Be Taken
Person(s)
Responsible
Resources
Timeline
A SSW committee will meet in September of
2009 to design a half-day professional
development activity to improve SSWs
knowledge and skills in identifying student
needs related to the area of Learning Supports.
Thus will include additional training on agency
supported initiatives such as TeenScreen, which
will be a new program offered in 2009-10 and
continued work o improving skills related to
how to access student data from available
district, community, AEA, and state sources.
RA Link, SSW
Co-Chairs, SSW
staff.
SSW Staff, Anne
Taylor, Tammy
Beener, Teresa
Grider-Baker
September, 2009;
fall, winter or
spring SSW
meeting
Bi-Annual Progress Updates
Implications for Agency Professional Development
 Agency staff working with schools in general need to improve their working knowledge of research-based strategies related t
knowledge and skills necessary to assist district staff in identifying research-based or best practice strategies and supports for instruction
for students with academic and social/emotional/behavioral needs.



Staff need to know where to locate national, state, community, AEA, district, and state data related to Learning Supports and school
culture and climate data and be able to assist districts and the AEA in analyzing such data.
Staff need to have the skills and knowledge they need to play a leadership role in assisting school districts in identifying student needs
related to the area of Learning Supports. Thus will include additional training on agency supported initiatives such as TeenScreen, which
will be new program offered in 2009-10.
There would not be perceived need for other agency staff groups to have the same level of knowledge required by SSWs related to
supports for families and children.
Learning and Leadership
SSW ACTION PLAN for 2009-2010
These issues are addressed monthly in the Learning Supports committee work that involves the RA Link for Learning Supports, a
Program Service Administrator, and two full-time contracted staff supporting our work in the area PBIS, Olweus, and Family Life
Education as well as a part-time person who is coordinating our work in the area of TeenScreen.
Dues to the high level of interest in additional information related to Learning Supports in Region PD plans the need for developing a
module related to Learning Supports that can be delivered in a Region context needs to be explored.
Professional development Office should continue to seek opportunities to bring presenters into our agency that can provide additional
information related to Learning Supports and barriers to student learning, especially in the area of children’s mental health..
Implications for LEA Involvement
Continued efforts by Agency to assist districts in using student data to make decision regarding what strategies or activities are most appropriate to
improve school culture and climate though more effective use of Learning Supports activities. Well-educated SSWs will play leadership role in
providing this assistance.
Agency three-year plan for Learning Supports also addresses several steps that will be taken to assist districts in improving their ability to improve
student achievement though using research-based Learning Supports strategies.
Evidence of Success (How will you know you are making progress? What are your benchmarks?)
Following benchmarks will be used:
 75% or more of SSWs will receive PD in the three goal areas in 2008-09.
 September, 2009; fall, winter or spring SSW meeting
 A planning meeting will be held in September, 2009 where SSW staff will begin the planning process to deliver PD in three areas
identified in goals #2, #3, and #4.
 Each SSW will participate as member of a committee which will be developing one of three PD activities for SSWs in 2009-10.
 Four SSW meetings will be held; one in September, 2009; fall; winter; and spring. Each meeting will address one of the three PD topics
identified in this plan.
 Active participation by all SSWs attending in individual, small, and large group activities which are part of training sessions
 Survey competed at end of 2099-10 asking SSWs to indicate if PD increased their level of knowledge in three areas of PD for 2009-10.
Evaluation Process (How will you determine that your goal has been reached? What are your measures?)
We would use the following methods to document that the three goals have been reached:
 Number of SSWs actually serving on District or building leadership teams addressing one of the following areas: academics, behavior, or
Learning Supports.
 Record number of SSWs who attend a meeting in September, 2009 to plan one of three PD activities for SSWs in 2009-10.
 Documentation that four SSW meetings occurred in 2009-10, three of which covered the topics identified in goals #2, #3, and #4.


Learning and Leadership
SSW ACTION PLAN for 2009-2010
Record of actual attendance at SSW meetings in 2009-10 to determine if goal of %75 attendance was reached.
Each SSW will be asked to complete a survey at spring SSW meeting asking if three PD sessions increased their level of knowledge in the
three areas of PD for 2009-10.
The following Agency Directed travel needs have been identified to support the region/discipline professional development needs:
None
To accomplish the needs of the discipline, added days may be requested by discipline leads. Identify the number of additional days
needed, and outline on a separate page the plan for use of that time.
TQ funds have been used to support the development of PD training in SSW meetings this year and to develop the SSW Learning and Leadership
Plan. 32 hours were available in 2008-09. SSW co-chairs have used approximately 27 of those hours. An additional 48 hours are available in
2009-10. It estimated they will use the same or more number of hours in 2009-210 as in 2008-09. Meeting, which are held outside regular work
hours, are for overall planning and coordination with presenters for PD needs, scheduling and planning of agendas for SSW meetings related to
PD, and to develop the SSW Learning and Leadership Action Plan annually.
SSW Chairs may use a portion or all of the seven added days available to them for other activities related to their role. Most notably application
screening or interviews held outside the normal 190 day calendar year. It is anticipated that SSW co-chairs will be involved in SSW interviews in
the summer of 2009.