8 with 8

We're kicking off Season 10 with a focus on chronic absenteeism, a topic that has garnered increasing attention and concern over the past few years. Today, SST8’s own Frank Gant will talk to Zach Miley, Wellness Initiatives Coordinator at Summit ESC - two regional leaders working individually and collaboratively to help area districts identify the barriers to attendance as well as the strategies and partnerships necessary to get more kids in school more often. Resources: Men Who Talk Heal - Zach's podcast Ohio's Whole Child Framework Ohio Attendance Task Force Recommendations Report

As we wind down the school year, we know that folks have been giving it their all for a very long time and may be feeling tired - or even, a bit uninspired. But when we at SST8 look around, we see no shortage of inspiration in the creative and innovative ways our local colleagues are tackling today’s challenges and opportunities in education. So this season, we are bringing you another series of interviews - still talking to educators across the region, for the most part - but this time thinking about how we can shake things up to improve education in our community. We’ll answer questions about things you might never have thought to ask, like: How can Starbucks help a district implement PBIS? How are police officers helping a district promote early literacy? How did chronic absenteeism become a public health crisis and what  How do you get 48 schools on the same page about implementation? How can educational leaders use artificial intelligence to move their districts and schools forward? And many other exciting topics to come. So get ready for a new season of 8 with 8 - Eight Great Educational Innovations - coming to Anchor and all other podcast platforms on Friday, April 12. See you soon!

This week we wind down our season of co-teaching chronicles, exploring the myriad types of partnerships and collaborations that can best support students with and without disabilities in the general education setting. Tracy and Mike talk to two of Kent City Schools’ co-teachers from Stanton Middle School in Kent Ohio, which is a 6th through 8th grade building. The two teams we meet today are Ashley Ford, Intervention Specialist, and Kimberley White, 6th grade English Language Arts teacher. They describe their partnership as a beautiful friendship verging on sisterhood, and once again, we get to hear how these partners lean into their personal strengths and skill sets in order to maximize impact for all students, using a variety of different teaching strategies. There is no “one size fits all” going on here - which requires a lot of work but helps students get what they need. Co-Hosts: Mike Kaschak and Tracy Mail, SST8 Educational Consultants

Co-teaching in a preschool setting is not a common configuration, but one that is extremely powerful when attempting to meet the needs of a classroom that spans many ages and developmental needs. As there has been a push toward serving young children with disabilities in typical early learning environments, rather than special education classrooms, co-teaching has become an increasingly important strategy for ensuring a full continuum of services for preschoolers with disabilities. Today, we’re thrilled to speak with two educators in Barberton City Schools about how to make co-teaching magic in early childhood: Sheila McGhee, Barberton Preschool Director, and Raetina Giovanini, Barberton Preschool Intervention Specialist. Co-Hosts: Mike Kaschak and Tracy Mail, SST8 Educational Consultants

In this episode we meet Amber Smith & Paula Funfgeld - a co-teaching team at Cloverleaf Elementary School in Medina County. They are joined by building principal Karen Martin. This team, and their fearless leader, share with our listeners their journey in co-teaching, and how they leverage each others’ strengths. One of the best compliments to co-teachers is when a classroom visitor can’t tell who is the general educator and who is the special educator, because this shows a true integration of their roles. Paula and Amber are a great example of this! Co-Hosts: Mike Kaschak and Tracy Mail, SST8 Educational Consultants

Medina High School's award-winning co-teaching team has been recognized by the district for the great work they are doing. Anne Fortney and Kelly Miller are the the two stars of the this dynamic duo, sometimes referred to by their colleagues as the Wonder Twins. They share with us what their superpowers look like in the co-taught classroom. They are joined by Ronda French, Medina City Schools' Assistant Director of Pupil Services and Katie Hartung Coordinator of Special Education. SST8 Co-Hosts: Mike Kaschak and Tracy Mail, Educational Consultants

We are continuing to capture the ups, downs, ins, and outs of co-teaching… and we’re back today with two co-teaching teams from Wadsworth High School, “living the co-teaching dream” as our co-host Tracy Mail says, to support math and science. This week’s episode really highlights the alchemy of co-teaching. Personality dynamics, curriculum, student needs, and educator skills and preferences all have to come together to make something almost magical. And despite how challenging that sounds to come together, one of the Wadsworth co-teaching pairs has been a team for over 40 years - how is that even possible? Take a listen and find out. Co-Hosts: Tracy Mail and Mike Kaschak, Educational Consultants

Today we’re getting a window into what co-teaching is like at a career center - specifically Portage Lakes Career Center. This pair of teachers, Diane Forrest (from General Ed) and Nikki Weigand (intervention specialist) work together to teach English Language Arts for 11th and 12th grade students. They are joined by Tina Saley, PLCC's assistant principal, in talking about how support for students with disabilities has grown and become more robust over the years. This fluid partnership, which they characterize as a marriage, has been the work of 20 years and our three guests offer great suggestions for newer co-teaching pairs just starting out on this journey. Co-Hosts: Tracy Mail and Mike Kaschak, SST8 Educational Consultants

SST8 has been doing a lot of work to support co-teachers over the past two years, and we have met some incredible educators with great stories and insights into co-teaching. Today's episode features Towpath Trail High School, a dropout recovery and prevention community school located in Akron. Their team is creative and dedicated bunch that go above and beyond to meet their students’ where they are at and then help them get to where they need to be. Listen and learn how, despite the challenges they face, students at Towpath Trail get that “warm cookie straight out of the oven” feeling. SST8 Co-Hosts: Tracy Mail and Mike Kaschak, Educational Consultants

Welcome to the 9th season of the 8 with 8 podcast: The Co-Teaching Chronicles. The big idea behind co-teaching is that when general and special educators pair up to co-plan, co-instruct, and co-assess their students, it should provide instruction and support that is substantively better than what each teacher could provide on their own. But, like many collaborative endeavors, co-teaching is HARD to do well. So SST8 has been working like crazy over the last two years to create a range of supports for co-teachers in our region. In doing so, we have met dozens of teachers and leaders throughout our region with inspiring stories and unique angles on the art and science of co-teaching. In this season of 8 with 8, you’ll hear from teachers in a variety of settings and circumstances - from traditional districts to community schools to career centers - and across all grade levels. Regardless of what role and position in education YOU listen from, we’re confident that this season will bring you stories that ring true and ideas that will inspire.  So get ready for a new season of 8 with 8 - The Co-Teaching Chronicles - coming to Anchor and all other podcast platforms on Friday, December 1. See you soon! SST8 Online Co-Teaching Resources: The Why of Co-Teaching (video | 28 min) The What of Co-Teaching  (video | 24 min) The How of Co-Teaching, Step 1  (video | 27 min) The How of Co-Teaching, Step 2  (video | 12 min) The How of Co-Teaching, Step 3  (video | 12 min) The How of Co-Teaching, Step 4  (video | 14 min)

As we wrap up this season’s exploration of the essential questions we should ALL be asking about special education, based on Ohio’s Special Education Profile, we have a great conversation for you with one of our favorite colleagues at the Ohio Department of Education, Amy Szymanski. Amy is the Secondary Transition and Workforce Development Consultant in the Office for Exceptional Children. In the decade-plus that we’ve known Amy, she has always been a tireless advocate for students with disabilities - with a particular focus on what we can all do to help SWD be more likely to transition successfully into the workforce, post-secondary education, or the military. Join us as we discuss with Amy the increased focus on graduation in Ohio - what has brought that on, what the research suggests we should be looking at, and Ohio’s big plans for helping districts close the graduation gap for students with disabilities. Co-Hosts: Helen Brophy, SST8 Educational Consultant, and Stacia Kaschak, SST7-8 Career-Technical Education Consultant About our Guest: Amy Szymanski, Workforce Development Consultant in the Ohio Department of Education Office for Exceptional Children Additional Resources Ohio High School Graduation Requirements: Class of 2023 and Beyond (PDF flier) Ohio's Each Child on Track Project Overview (website)

What does the movie Grease have to do with the Special Education Profile? Today’s essential question about special education focuses on students’ readiness for life beyond school: Are youth with disabilities prepared for life, work, and postsecondary education? From the perspective of Ohio's Special Education Profile, this essential question covers Indicators 1, 2, 13, and 14. In other words, at what rates are students with disabilities graduating by regular education standards, how often do they drop out, do they have a transition plan in place to guide their final years of schooling, and do they enroll in college or vocational training, enlist in the military, or obtain employment once they graduate? These are the required data points that the federal government and Ohio monitor - however, we know that there is so much more that predicts post-school success for our students. Joining us today are Helen Brophy, SST8 consultant and transition guru, and Stacia Kaschak, Career-Technical Education consultant for SST regions 7 and 8. Grab your Pink Ladies/T-Birds jacket and take a listen as we "tell you more" about what it really means to be successful beyond school, and what to focus on to promote positive post-school success. Co-Hosts: Mike Kaschak and Helen Brophy, SST8 Educational Consultants, and Stacia Kaschak, SST7 and 8 Career-Technical Education Consultant Additional Resources Ohio Age-Appropriate Transition Assessment (AATA) Library ODE's Secondary Transition and Workforce Development for Students with Disabilities Resource Page

“Dispro” is a term familiar to seasoned special education leaders, but may not ring a bell for other educators. It refers to disproportionality, or significant disparities in our data regarding how we identify, serve, and discipline student with disabilities from various racial and ethnic groups. From the perspective of the Special Education Profile, it would seem pretty clear - you either have this phenomenon happening, or you don’t.  But as we tackle this week’s essential question - Are children with disabilities receiving equitable services and supports? - we will talk about ways that hidden disparities could be lurking in your data, and what you can do about them. Co-Hosts: Jenine Sansosti, SST8 Director and Rachel Undercoffer, SST8 Educational Consultant Additional Resources Equity in Special Education (ODE Fact Sheet) Addressing Significant Disproportionality in Special Education (ODE resource page) Solving Disproportionality and Achieving Equity: A Leader′s Guide to Using Data to Change Hearts and Minds (Fergus, 2016 | book) Ten Commitments for Equity Literate Educators (webpage) PBIS Cultural Responsiveness Field Guide

Welcome back to our season focused on critical questions we all need to be asking about special education. Today we are focusing on an essential  question that actually gets a lot of attention because it focuses on compliance. However, in today's episode we will bring to light the REAL reason why dotting our i’s and crossing our t’s in special education is so critical - and spoiler alert, it’s NOT about trying to stay out of trouble with the state. Co-Hosts: Dee Dee Howes and Stacey Smith, SST8 Educational Consultants Additional Resources Ohio's Special Education Profile and Essential Questions Ohio's Annual Performance Report to USDOE https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/osep/index.html

We’re really enjoying this opportunity to dig into the most essential questions of special education - and we’re loving the feedback we’ve gotten from our colleagues and across the state who have found these episodes helpful! Today’s essential question, taken from Ohio’s Special Education Profile, is this: To what extent do students with disabilities have access to the general education environment? This is a question that educators consider for both individual students and for their buildings and districts overall, on a regular basis. But we want to really tackle this question from a different angle. It starts with the words “to what extent” - which makes me wonder how meaningful students’ participation in general education is. SST8 consultants Tracy Mail and Dee Dee Howes might word this question another way: Is it enough just to be invited to the party? If you’re wondering what this has to do with Least Restrictive Environment (LRE), this episode is for you! Co-Hosts: Tracy Mail and Dee Dee Howes, SST8 Educational Consultants Additional Resources Creating Communities of Belonging for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities (article and self-reflection tool for teams) Ohio UDL Center - OCALI UDL Guidelines - CAST

Ohio currently ranks 31st in the country with regard to education of our young people and one has to wonder, "why? What can we be doing differently to improve the academic outcomes of our students?" Join us as SST8 consultants interview Bernadette Laughlin, Education Program Specialist with the Office for Exceptional Children, to discuss state, district, and classroom level practices that can influence all students systemically, not just those with neurodiverse needs. Co-Hosts: Tracy Mail and Rachel Undercoffer, SST8 Consultants About Our Guest: Bernadette Laughlin is a Related Services Program Specialist at the Ohio Department of Education where she oversees all areas of related services in special education and provides professional development and training throughout the state to educators. Bernadette has a wide range of previous professional experience as a due process coordinator, education consultant, pupil services department facilitator, speech language pathologist, and as a lawyer. She completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Education-Speech Pathology and Masters of Arts in Education Policy & Leadership from The Ohio State University. She then attended Capital University Law School where she graduated Magna Cum Laude. Bernadette has been working for the Ohio Department of Education since 2010, with 26 years of previous experience at Westerville City Schools. Additional Resources: Each Child Means Each Child

Welcome back to our 8th season, which was inspired by Ohio’s Special Education Profile, a tool that helps districts know how their students are faring on key indicators - these indicators are aligned to six essential questions that we ALL should be asking about special education. If you missed last week’s episode, you may want to go back and take a listen so you can get an overview of the profile and the essential questions it poses. Today, SST8’s Stacey Smith and Dee Dee Howes will talk us through the first essential question of Ohio’s Special Education Profile, focused on how we’re supporting our youngest learners. Co-Hosts: Stacey Smith and Dee Dee Howes, Educational Consultants, SST8 Additional Resources: Reimagining School Readiness: A position paper with key findings Preschool Inclusion: Ohio’s Guidance

This week we're kicking off a new season where we dig into some critical questions about how students with disabilities are really doing - questions that come from Ohio’s Special Education Profile. But our goal is to go much bigger than just the monitoring compliance implications of the Profile, and really get into what our goals are for students with disabilities, and what are some key considerations that we should be focusing on. Take a listen to get a handle on the six questions that EVERY educator should be asking for students with disabilities. Co-Hosts: Stacey Smith, SST8 Educational Consultant and Jenine Sansosti, SST8 Director Additional Resources:  Ohio's Special Education Profiles (website) Ohio's 20-21 Annual Performance Report to USDOE (PDF; most recent data available)

We're gearing up for our great-8th season of 8 with 8! In the weeks to come, we’re going to be taking a closer look at the state of special education in Ohio - what we know from the data, what the research is pointing us to, and some examples of outstanding practices that allow districts to help students with disabilities reach their fullest potential. SST8’s special education team is going to take you on 8 brief but powerful explorations of all major areas of special education. And we’re going do it through the lens of a specific tool in Ohio that many of us have come to know well: the Special Education Profile. The data points of the Profile are aligned to six essential questions: the most powerful things we can be asking about our support for students with disabilities. And THAT is what we really want to talk about this season - we’re going to spend each of our upcoming episodes asking an important question, examining the current state of affairs, and seeing where we go from here. So get ready for "Special Education in Ohio: We’ve Got Questions," 8 with 8’s 8th season - coming to your favorite podcast app or the Anchor website, starting next Friday, January 13th. 

We’re bringing our season on PBIS connections to a close… but not before we talk about what is most important of all: the people who do this work. How do we build a sense of collective responsibility and shared ownership across all educators in a building, so that everyone is contributing to a safe, predictable, and positive learning environment? Join us as we spend a few minutes summarizing some effective ways to get everyone involved in building and sustaining PBIS across the system. Co-Hosts: Heidi Kerchenski and Mike Kaschak, Educational Consultants Additional Resources Your Foolproof Plan to Create Staff Buy-In That Sticks  High School PBIS Implementation: Staff Buy-In