Up to Date, with SST8

News and Events for April 7 through April 18, 2025

Stronger Together: A Unified Approach for Educating

Students with Disabilities (NEW DATE)

Calling all Curriculum and Special Education Director teams (1 person representing special education, 1 person representing curriculum at a minimum)! It's time to think differently about supporting the academic needs of students with disabilities.

Morning Session: Focus on Literacy. How can general education, intervention specialists, and speech language pathologists all play a role in helping students with disabilities achieve reading proficiency? Join us for a dynamic learning session on the intersection of literacy practices for students with disabilities, the necessity of collaboration across departments. Together, we will explore how high-quality assessment and evidence-based literacy instruction/ intervention come together to support students with disabilities.

Working Lunch: Lunch will be provided and we invite you to engage in a focus group discussion around designing successful literacy learning for students with disabilities, identifying what support from SST8 is needed to overcome barriers to implementation. We will use your feedback to help inform our work for the 2025-2026 school year.

Afternoon Session: Focus on Graduation. In the afternoon, we will dive into strategies for monitoring students' progress towards graduation, identifying those at-risk for not graduating via state-approved graduation pathway, and assigning targeted or intensive interventions. We will provide an overview of the ODDEX Progress Toward Graduation (PTG) module, and Akron Public Schools will share an internal tool for monitoring completion of graduation requirements.

EDSTEPS Deadlines:

One Plans due April 30th

Attention Cohort 2 districts! As part of the EDSTEPS process, your One Needs Assessment and One Plan must be completed by April 30th. If you have any questions, please reach out to your SST8 consultants for support.

Got Special Ed Questions?

Keep Calm & Join Dee Dee & Helen’s SpEd Office Hours!

Join us for updates & insights on hot topics and frequently asked questions in the world of special education. Participants can email questions ahead of time or ask “in the moment.”

When: April 16th

Time: 9:00 am

Who: Special Educator Administrators, Leads

🎙️AI and Educational Leadership: Transforming Schools🎙️

AI is changing the game in education—but how can it empower educational leaders? In this episode of 8 with 8, Dr. Jenine Sansosti chats with Corey Hoynacke, former Director of Curriculum and Instruction at Summit ESC, about how administrators can use AI to enhance leadership effectiveness and innovation.

From practical strategies to big-picture insights, this conversation dives into leveraging AI beyond the classroom to foster meaningful change at the leadership level.

🎧 Don’t miss this forward-thinking episode! Listen now to discover how AI can drive impactful decisions for schools and communities.

R8LL SOR Network Meetings

8:45-9:45 am on Zoom

Thank you for those that joined us for R8LL. We are excited to continue our collaboration community improvement network with the Region 8 Literacy Leaders Network with SST8, Summit ESC, Medina ESC, focusing on the Science of Reading. This initiative allows professional development to come alive in the classroom as educators share practical applications. Attendees will also have the opportunity to discuss challenges and solutions with colleagues, enhancing their ability to apply the Science of Reading knowledge effectively.

If you would like to give us some feedback on what you would like to see in this network next year, please use this link to take a quick survey.

The remaining meetings for this year will be offered on Zoom at 8:45-9:45am.

May 16th: Implementing Vocabulary and Fluency

Simplify & Strengthen Your PD with SST8’s Ready-Made Resources

The SST8 PD Resource Brochure is an invaluable tool for school districts and buildings looking to conduct in-house professional development. It provides a curated selection of high-quality, research-based training opportunities tailored to meet the diverse needs of educators and support staff. With a focus on improving instructional practices, student outcomes, and school climate, the brochure offers flexible and customizable options that align with district goals and priorities. Check out all the options and topics!

Improving Student Outcomes Through Restorative Practices

Did you know that restorative practices — which build a strong sense of community in schools, teach interpersonal skills, repair harm when conflict occurs, and proactively meet students’ needs — are an evidence-based practice? Sean Darling-Hammond (2003) found that the more students experienced restorative practices, the more student behavior, student mental health, and disciplinary outcomes improved. Additionally, exposure to restorative practices improved school safety and academic outcomes for all groups of students, with stronger effects for Black and Latino/a students, suggesting that the use of restorative practices can reduce achievement gaps. Check out this downloadable fact sheet from the Learning Policy Institute for more information.

Thank you to over a dozen districts, community schools, and career centers from Region 8 and beyond for joining us on April 1st for Tools for Transformation: Restorative Practices to Enrich Classroom Communities. If you weren't able to join us - don't worry, we aren't through with this important topic. Reach out to Heidi Kerchenski (HeidiK@sst8.org) to let her know you're interested in joining us for our next session in Fall 2025!

Restorative-Practices-Fact-Sheet-Fig01 image

Coming Soon: EDSTEPS One Funding Application (OFA)

It's finally here! The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (DEW) is replacing the Comprehensive Continuous Improvement Process (CCIP) with the EDSTEPS One Funding Application (OFA). This new system will streamline grant applications and award reimbursements into a single platform.

OFA launches in Spring 2025 and will house grant applications for State Fiscal Year 2026.
The transition to OFA will take about a year, with CCIP retiring in Summer 2026.
Any active applications within CCIP will remain available through the Final Expenditure Process for State Fiscal Year 2025.

Find information about webinars and training sessions that are offered by DEW here.