DOCUMENT RESUME ED 475 570 EC 309 536 Stremel, Kathleen AUTHOR National Technical Assistance Consortium for Children and TITLE Young Adults Who Are Deaf-Blind. Final Report. National Technical Assistance Consortium for Children and INSTITUTION Young Adults Who Are Deaf-Blind, Monmouth, OR. SPONS AGENCY Special Education Programs (ED/OSERS), Washington, DC. PUB DATE 2002-00-00 235p.; See ED 449 621, EC 308 990, EC 309 428, and EC 309 537 NOTE for related documents. H025C960001 CONTRACT PUB TYPE Reports Descriptive (141) EDRS PRICE EDRS Price MF01/PC10 Plus Postage. *Deaf Blind; Early Childhood Education; *Early Intervention; DESCRIPTORS Elementary Secondary Education; Inservice Education; *Long Range Planning; Parent Workshops; Preschool Education; Professional Development; *Program Design; State Agencies; *State Programs; State School District Relationship; *Technical Assistance ABSTRACT This final report discusses the activities and outcomes of a project designed to assist states in improving the quality of existing placements and services for individuals (birth through young adulthood) who are deaf-blind, and to increase the number of children, their families, and their service providers who will benefit from these services. The project assisted states in identifying service needs across the age ranges and in developing long-range State Technical Assistance Plans. Part 1 of the report provides a brief synthesis of the overall effectiveness and major outcomes of the five-year project. Part 2 describes specific activities that met the objectives of the project to provide an array of training and technical assistance activities to meet the overall needs of the state projects and agencies that provide services for children/youth who are deaf-blind. Activities included: (1) project director meetings; (2) family workshops; (3) family specialist training; (4) topical workshops on effective practices; (5) area meetings; and (6) state-specific technical assistance. Part 3 provides project financial and budgetary information and part 4 discusses project implications for policy, practice, and research. Extensive appendices include information on long-range technical assistance plans, summaries of workshops, project assessment materials, and case examples. (CR) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. National Technical Assistance Consortium for Children and Young Adults Who are Deaf-Blind Final Report Project Director Kathleen Stremel Monitoring End: September 30, 2002 ARTMENT OF EDUCATION U.S. D Office of ucational Research and Improvement IONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION EDUC CENTER (ERIC) his document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. BEST COPY AVAILABLE 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Part I. Executive Summary 1 Project Effectiveness 1 Part II. Project Status 21 Objective 1.1 21 24 Objective 1.2 Objective 1.3 26 Objective 1.4 37 Objective 1.5 43 Objective 1.6 49 Objective 1.7 53 Objective 2 55 Objective 3 60 Objective 4 61 Part III. Budget Information 66 Part IV. Supplemental Information 68 Tables I-1. State Project/Use of NTAC Services 4 Outcome and Impact Statements 1-2. 9 Goal Attainment Scale 1-3. 19 II-1. Agency Representation at Stakeholders' Meetings 21 Types of Stakeholders' Meetings 22 11-2. Summary of Long Range Technical Assistance Plans (LRTAP) 23 11-3. Numbers of Original and New Teams and Number of Students Served 24 11-4. Training Needs Identified by Participants 25 11-5. Analysis of Action Plans 25 11-6. Content Areas Addressed in Technical Assistance Agreements (TAAs) 27 11-7. Participants in Technical Assistance Activities 28 11-8. Children/Youth Benefiting from Technical Assistance Activities 28 11-9. II-10. Range and Mean Scores of Satisfaction Evaluation Measures 29 II-11. Outcome and Impact Statements 30 Area Orientation Meeting State Representation 32 11-12. Area Meeting Descriptions 34 11-13. National Workshop Descriptions 34 11-14. Dates, Locations, and Participants in the Focus Groups 43 11-15. Results of Adult Focus Groups 45 11-16. Satisfaction Scores for Teen Seminar 47 11-17. Follow-up Data for Implementation of Action Plans 47 11-18. Activities for Creating/Using New Deaf-Blind Census Forms 50 11-19. 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS continued Page 11-20. Summary of PDM Participants and Satisfaction Scores 55 H-21. Additional Products and Publications Disseminated by NTAC 65 Figures Figure I-1. Process Type for Technical Assistance Agreements 7 Figure 1-2. Number and Content Area of Technical Assistance Provided 7 Figure 1-3. Outcomes for Technical Assistance 8 Figure 1-4. Percentage of Individuals who have Received NTAC Technical Assistance Activities 8 Figure 1-5. Total Children and Youth to Benefit 9 Figure 1-6. Results of Area Meetings 11 Figure 1-7. Results of Topical Workshops 12 Figure 1-8. Major Impacts and Results of National Family Workshops 13 Figure 1-9. Results of Family Specialist Trainings 14 Figure I-10. Census - Educational Settings 15 Figure I-11. NTAC Coordination and Collaboration 16 Figure 1-12. NTAC Products and Publication Dissemination Activities 17 Figure II-1. Participants in Teen Seminars 46 Figures 11-2-4. Census Summaries 51 Figure 11-5. Major Causes of Deaf-blindness 53 Figure 11-6. NTAC Coordination and Collaboration Activities 58 Figure III-1. Budget Summary 67 Appendices Long Range Technical Assistance Plans Appendix A. Summaries from Illinois and Nebraska from August Topical Workshop Appendix B. Outcomes and Indicators Appendix C. Matrices of Systems Change Appendix D. Case Examples Appendix E. PDM Timelines and Work Scope Appendix F. Example of Webpage TAA Appendix G. ii PART I - EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Project Effectiveness Introduction Teaching Research and Helen Keller National Center formed a consortium to respond to the Request For Proposal that directed the priorities for the National Technical Assistance Center for Deaf-Blindness (1995). A subcontract was provided to HKNC through the Teaching Research Division, Western Oregon University. Even though the project was managed across two non- related agencies, the consortium operated as a very effective partnership. Process steps, roles, responsibilities, and procedures were fully developed and implemented across fiscal resources, technical assistance delivery, staff development, dissemination and all other activities so that the project functioned effectively and efficiently. The management of the project was coordinated between both agencies utilizing a management team with staff from both organizations. Staff participated on work groups across the project objectives so that everyone had opportunities to participate in all grant activities. Additionally, all staff participated in the provision of Technical Assistance both at the state and the national level. Accomplishments and Effectiveness the Executive Summary provides the reader with a brief synthesis of the overall Part I effectiveness and major outcomes of the five-year project. Seven major objectives have been developed, implemented, and evaluated. The accomplishments in meeting each objective are important, but the project feels that it is critical to discuss the effectiveness or impact of each of the critical objectives as they relate to changes in practices and child/youth results. Very little implementation or child change data were available from collaborative NTAC and state Technical Assistance Activities during the first four years of the project. One of the strongest outcomes of the NTAC project during the final years of the project was getting states interested and motivated to begin to examine strategies to collect system's change, implementation of best practices, and child/youth outcome data. Many of the no-cost extension year activities have been directed to the development and beginning implementation of the Outcome and Performance Indicator systems in order to better document and report effectiveness and impact. NTAC's performance using the GPRA program performance indicators will be addressed within the relevant objectives. Site Review Outcomes and Recommendations The National Technical Assistance Consortium for Infants, Children, and Youth Who Are Deaf- Blind (NTAC) participated in a Site Review during the second year of the project. The Site Review report stated that NTAC was meeting each of the grant's objectives in an effective and timely manner. At the time of the review, the reviewers also developed recommendations for OSEP and for the project. In summary, the major recommendations included in the report were: Develop a Mission Statement 1. Increase the capacity building activities with states 2. Maintain a flexible needs assessment and TA delivery process 3. 1 4. New state RFPs must have an alignment of workscope and expectations more in line with those of the NTAC priorities 5. NTAC should take a leadership role in training projects on "Assessment" Increase the coordination and networking capacities of the projects. 6. NTAC's responsiveness to the Site Review recommendations will be discussed as they pertain to the individual objectives that are summarized. Mission Statement The NTAC mission statement was developed cooperatively with the Advisory Committee. The NTAC mission is to link effective practices to states, early intervention systems, school systems, adult services, and families in order to assist local programs and families in the provision of high quality education for children and young adults who are deaf-blind. NTAC assists states to improve results for children and youth who are deaf-blind so that they meet challenging standards and are prepared for employment and independent living. This mission is carried out by providing technical assistance families, teachers, coordinated that and accessible information to and is administrators, early intervention personnel, related personnel, paraprofessionals, and transition personnel and results in improved practices. NTAC promotes the need for a federal presence in meeting the unique and diverse needs of the population by collaboratively increasing national, local, state, family, and consumer capacity to meet those needs. Objective Summary Objective 1.1: Needs Identification and Development of Long Range Plans What we did. The first year of the project was spent completing no-cost extension activities with TRACES and TAC. Regional Orientation meetings were sponsored by NTAC to promote Initially a formalized on-site process collaboration for the states' Needs Assessment process. was developed by NTAC. Based upon the feedback from the Site Review and the state projects, NTAC developed a more flexible approach in which seven different options were available to states. It was the intent of NTAC to examine child, service provider, practices, and service needs across multiple agencies to promote collaboration and system's change. What difference did it make? The large majority of states Few states seerried:t&use utilized multiple agencies to determine statewide needs. Many of the critical child nee& for needs showed a lack of service provider competencies to meet the their Needs Assessment.. Process. diverse needs of children with deaf-blindness. The Long Range Plans did correspond directly with the specific technical assistance that was provided for 86% of the There were only a few occasions when new needs were identified at a later point. states. Overall, training to increase service provider competencies in the areas of transition and communication were judged high as training needs. The status of each state's LRP and the status of achieving the outcome are presented in Appendix A. 6 2 LIE DIE211° COPY AVARLA NTAC is Changes made based on outcomes. currently !States indicated that the facilitating an increased use of the census to assist states to determine Stakeholder process_ More specific child/youth needs critical child needs (GPRA 1.1). facilitated the were used in the last year of the project as states were required to be !collaboration and partnerships among involved in systemic change. :many agencies. Objective 1.2: State-Local Team Partnerships What we did. Nine states were included in the initial State-Local Team Partnership training. These states had been working with the TAC project, so the same strategies were used. During the first year, eleven states attended a Cohort training. All of the State-Local Team training was directed to benefit young adults (not younger children). During the second year of the project, the staff determined that any specific technical assistance to states should be based on the results of the state's Long Range Plans and not based on previous TA. What difference did it make. Outcomes showed that many of the IC is employed rriakirig Teams built states expanded the numbers of teams in their states. air mask .devieeS:fOr capacity in conducting person-centered planning and in their ability to Boeing. He has many train others in the transition process. No individual student results for job choices and enjoys those states who originally participated in the State-Local Teams were socializing. shared with NTAC if the student change data were obtained by the state. B's life was impacted Case studies for four youth who participated in system's change in the by new technology Samples of outcomes are area of transition to work were collected. provided in the sidebars. Those states whose needs assessment indicated Changes made based on outcomes. transition as a major need followed the same Long Range Plan-Technical Assistance Agreement (TAA) process as all other TAAs. It was decided that there was no rational for working with individual states and having different criteria for developing outcomes based on needs. Individualized logic models were then used to develop strategies and system's change initiatives It was felt that national Cohort meetings would not be effective to obtain specifically for a state. student outcomes. No State-Local Partnerships around younger children were developed or requested as TA during the first years of the project. Objective 1.3: An Array of Technical Assistance to State Projects and Agencies What we did in state specific technical assistance. An array of Statewide'tiainirig \Vas c-ondUbted across the activities was developed and assistance training technical and state of LouisianahY the delivered in order to meet the overall needs of the state projects and SEA.as part of their state agencies who provided service for children/youth who are deaf-blind. CSPD system. NTAC This array of activities included: (a) PDM, (b) Family workshops, (c) collaborated with-the (d) Topical workshops on effective Family Specialist trainings, StateDP grant to provide practices, (e) Area meetings and (f) state specific TA. The summary direct follow;-alotig TA on Site across. 3 regional of overall "use" of NTAC services is provided in Table I-1. Technical sites across the state. Assistance Activities were defined as (a) formal, (b) semiformal, and Overall, these sites had (c) informal. 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Formal activities consisted of short term trainings, long term trainings, and initiatives. More of an emphasis on capacity building and systemic initiatives has occurred only in the past two years when the state priorities were aligned with the NTAC priorities (Site review recommendations). Additionally, the number of TAAs that target capacity building and system's change have increased over the past two years. Perceived Evidence of GPRA 2.1 - DB-LINK served as a critical collaborative partner to Increasing Effective: assist NTAC and the states to use high quality methods and materials. Practices: State Sdinple NTAC documented the TA strategies that are used in each formal families used the "child TAA. NTAC will continue to promote the use of "effective practices" reports" to plan for IFSPs/IEPs from the field of deaf-blindness and severe disabilities, as well as from teams were able to the literature on Technical Assistance, Professional Development, and implement the strategies Adult Learning. teams agreed that there was a high impact on children What difference did it make. The number of state specific TAAs teams agreed that there' that were implemented ranged from 0 to 13 across the four active was also an impact on years of TA delivery. These data show that each state was provided other children There was impact on some level of Technical Assistance across the project (Table 1-1). other disciplines/teams States were not obligated to accept Technical Assistance if they did who weren't included in not need the TA. However, only a few states (4%) did not request training there was a positive individual TAAs during the 5-year period. The types of TAAs across impact on families the project are provided in Figure I-1. These data show that well over administration reported half of the agreements included short term activities. The majority of that teams/families were these activities were 1-2 day trainings. The number and content areas collaborating to increase more appropriate of technical assistance provided is provided in Figure 1-2. State educational programs projects completed an evaluation concerning the specific outcomes teams in one district are from all of the major NTAC activities. A summary of the outcomes ready to serve as trainers. and some impacts are provided below: ObservedEvideince:Of Areas of training. The states felt that NTAC provided the most 1. Increased Effective. of inservice transitioning assistance the training, areas in Practices processes, and general support (Figure 1-3). More specific results tretriendous team. collaboration, planntng, included increases in Usher's screenings, person-centered planning implementation and child and model development. Appendix A provides a summary of each evaluation for 6 out of 7 state's Long Range Plan, outcomes to meet the identified needs, teams. Communication Maps and the level of accomplishment through the provision of NTAC completed on each child; Documentation of numbers of TAAs, technical assistance. Maps used by teams for satisfaction, change in knowledge, and other sources of data are planning and decision-. making provided in the Goal Attainment Scale. three new young- children were identifies as being deaf-blind Training participants. The major participants who benefited from 2. increased active the NTAC TAA included teachers service related (22%); engagement. personnel (19%), family members (17%), and adult service increased IEP planning and participation providers (13%) see Figure 1-4. increased the child's Comprehension GPRA 3.2 NTAC provided a direct link between research results increased expressive communication and practitioners' use of those results, especially in the areas of increased consultant transition, communication/language, assessment, team collaboration. time with the children. 6 1 0 3ZST COPY AVALBLA ILI& 1.;