News and Events for March 23 through April 3, 2026

Are you an expert in math or literacy instruction?

Ready to take your coaching and support of educators to the next level?

Join our team of educational leaders!

Apply Today

DUE DATE EXTENDED!!

Nominations for 2025 R.A. Horn Outstanding Student Achievement and

Franklin B. Walter Outstanding Educator Awards

State Support Team Region 8 will continue to facilitate the nomination process for the R. A. Horn Outstanding Student Achievement and Franklin B. Walter Outstanding Special Educator Awards. Within each of the 16 State Support Teams in Ohio, the R. A. Horn award is presented to one exemplary special education student, and the Franklin B. Walter award is given to an educator or team who has made extraordinary contributions to the education of students with disabilities.

One finalist from each region in both of these award categories will be honored. Ohio Coalition for the Education of Children with Disabilities (OCECD) will host an in-person award ceremony to honor all regional finalists in June 2026. SST-8 will announce the regional finalist for both awards on the SST-8 website and share any future updates regarding a ceremony. Nominations are now due by April 3, 2026 and are submitted via Google. Click below to learn more and access forms.

Click Here for Nomination Guidlines and Forms

Student Group Accountability List Posted: Submit Improvement Plan

DEW has released the list of schools and districts who meet the criteria for student group accountability. All public schools and districts (excluding federally identified schools) that receive state funding specifically designated for serving English learners, students with disabilities, economically disadvantaged students, and/or gifted students. Schools and districts who receive state funding to serve these student groups and who fail to show satisfactory achievement and progress are required to submit an improvement plan (i.e., the One Plan).

K-3 Mathematics Diagnostics

K-3 Mathematics Diagnostics (Screeners):

The following assessments are approved as K-3 mathematics diagnostics(screeners) beginning in the 2026-2027 school year:

Star Math

Exact Path Mathematics

Aimsweb Plus

mCLASS Math

NWEA MAP Growth Math

What to Do When Students Don’t Respond:

Implementing Data-Based Individualization (DBI) to Intensify Interventions

Do you have students (on or off an IEP) who aren’t making sufficient growth? Are you unsure how to support them and intensify interventions? Attend this workshop and learn about data-based individualization (DBI), a process for identifying and supporting students with intensive and ongoing needs. Dr. Jason Harlacher, a technical assistance provider with the National Center on Intensive Intervention and the director of the MTSS Center at American Institutes for Research, provides an overview of DBI and shares user-friendly tools to develop a hypothesis for what to do when students aren’t responding well. Dr. Harlacher provides tips for gathering and analyzing progress monitoring data and hands-on activities for using diagnostic data tools that are easy and free to use!

Join us on April 24 at Summit ESC for a great learning opportunity!

Audience: District administrators, building leaders, special education staff, intervention specialists, members of multidisciplinary/IAT/MTSS/IEP teams, related service providers

2026 Ohio School Safety Summit Registration is Open

The Ohio School Safety Summit, the premier annual school safety summit hosted by the Ohio School Safety Center, is set to take place at an exciting new location: Kalahari Resorts & Conventions in Sandusky, Ohio. Dive into dynamic sessions led by top voices in school safety, and learn about what actually works in Ohio schools. Earn continuing education credits while exploring timely topics. Connect and collaborate with fellow school safety professionals and vendors from Ohio and beyond.

Stuck on Behavior?

It’s Time to Find the "Why"

When targeted interventions don't seem to improve the behaviors you're monitoring, what's the next step? You might want to check the function of that behavior. In this PBISApps Expert Instruction Podcast, Dr. Chris Borgmeier discusses functional behavior assessment (FBA). In this new episode in the Mythbuster series, you'll learn why FBA might seem like a process only meant for special education, but its elements are something you can (and should) apply schoolwide.

Tell Us What You Need

As we plan for 2026–2027, we’re gathering input to guide the next phase of our Regional Literacy Network. Our goal is to build on the strong momentum already in place — not start over. This needs assessment ensures our work stays aligned to what districts truly need.

The full network will continue focusing on IMTSS, with communities of practice providing deeper, targeted support. We’ll use your feedback to strengthen and refine our learning, prioritizing continuity and depth.

R8LL Network Needs Assessment

OCALI Resources to Support SST Work

Ohio requires that all learners have access to literacy instruction grounded in scientific research. All students benefit from explicit and systematic instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, and writing to become effective readers. The “Cued Language and Multisensory Reading” module series is designed to provide practitioners and administrators with the information they need to implement cued speech/language as an evidence-based multisensory tool to connect language and literacy for learners who are deaf or hard of hearing. For more information visit https://deafandblindoutreach.org/m/3227.

OCALI is pleased to host the Virtual Early Childhood Transition Summit Series. This series of three 90-minute sessions is a collaborative space where educators, service providers, and agency representatives can come together to learn from one another while deepening their understanding of the systems and roles that support young children and their families. Participants will share information and strategies that build connections to ensure smooth, successful transitions in early childhood. For more information visit https://ocali.org/ec-transition-summit.