Toolkit for Rebuilding Student Supports into
a Comprehensive System for
Addressing Barriers to Learning and Teaching
Section A
Brief documents clarifying the imperative for rebuilding and
providing a big picture for policy makers,
administrators, and other stakeholders
- Rationale and Responses to Frequently Asked Questions about Rebuilding Student Supports
School Improvement? . . . fully addressing barriers to learning and teaching is the next step!
Assuring No Child is Left Behind; Enhancing Our Learning Support System by Building a Comprehensive Approach that Closes the Achievement Gap and Ensures Every Student has an Equal Opportunity to Succeed at School
Two related "White Papers" with a set of talking points that can be used for brief presentations to administrators, school boards, etc.
So you Want Higher Achievement Scores? It's Time to Rethink Learning Supports.
From the Journal of the National Association of State Boards of Education.
Developing a Comprehensive System to Address Barriers to Learning and Teaching: Keeping the Big Picture in Focus
Moving Toward a Comprehensive System of Learning Supports: The Next Evolutionary Stage in School Improvement Policy and Practice
What are Learning Supports?
What is a Comprehensive Approach to Student Supports?
Powerpoint Presentations:
- Enhancing School Improvement: Addressing Barriers to Learning and Reducing the Achievement Gap
Access: https://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/presentations.htm
- Addressing Barriers to Learning and Teaching to Enhance School Improvement
Access: https://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/presentations.htm
- Academics and Beyond: Addressing Barriers to Learning and Teaching
Access: https://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/dbsimple2.asp?primary=1101&number=9950Notes for Q & A
These brief set of notes addresses five frequently asked questions that arise in discussing efforts to ensure schools have a Comprehensive Learning Supports System in place.
Why is a Comprehensive Learning Supports System an imperative?
What needs to be done to make such a component a reality?
What does such a component need to look like at a school?
What's the research-base for such a component?
What will it cost?
- All five questions are addressed in two overlapping sets of notes:
- Why a Comprehensive Learning Supports System?
- Why Address What's Missing in School Improvement Planning?
- Four other brief documents embellish the answers:
- What will it Cost? - No New Dollars!
- What's the Research-base for Moving Toward a Comprehensive System of Learning Supports?
- Data Related to the Need for New Directions for School Improvement
- Data on the Plateau or Leveling Off Effect of Achievement Test Scores
- Examples of Policy Formulations at school, district, county, and state levels
- Access: https://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/pdfdocs/studentsupport/toolkit/aida.pdf
- Frameworks for Systemic Transformation of Student and Learning Supports
- Access: https://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/pdfdocs/systemic/frameworksforsystemictransformation.pdf
- Toward Next Steps in School Improvement: Addressing Barriers to Learning and Teaching
- Access: https://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/pdfdocs/systemic/towardnextstep.pdf
- Prototypes of Guidelines and Standards
- Prototype Guidelines for a Learning Supports Component
In considering policy, this concise outline of guidelines covering the nature and scope of a learning supports component can be helpful.
There is a supporting document outlining the rationale and research behind each of the guidelines.
Overview of Standards and Accountability to Encompass a Learning Supports Component
Establishing standards is another facet of ensuring high levels of attention and support for development of comprehensive, multifaceted approaches to address barriers to learning and teaching. To illustrate a starting point in developing such a set of standards, included in this resource are:
Access: https://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/pdfdocs/studentsupport/toolkit/aidc.pdf
- the prototype guidelines for a student support component
- a set of standards with quality indicators
- the Quality Student Support Criteria and Rubrics from the Hawai`i Department of Education's document entitled: Standards Implementation Design System
- Also included is an expanded framework for school accountability to account for a learning supports component.
- A Prototype for a School District Proposal
- Access: https://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/pdfdocs/studentsupport/toolkit/aidj.pdf
- A Set of Aids for Design Teams
- Generic outline for a design document for a comprehensive system of learning supports
- Templates for preparing the following sections:
- Introduction and Imperative
- Intervention Framework
- Operational Infrastructure
- Policy Considerations
- Guidance notes for outside facilitators working with a state or district to guide a design team working on creating a comprehensive system of learning supports
- A working draft for Guide for Team Designing a Comprehensive System to Address Barriers to Learning and Teaching and Reengage Disconnected Students
- An example of a strategic Planning Guide
- Overview of the Louisiana Comprehensive Learning Supports System
- Powerpoints, Webinars, and Handouts
- Access: https://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/materials/trainingpresentation.htm#slide
Books on the topic from the Center's Co-Directors ****************************************
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