Time transcripts of Symposium_Zion[00:00:00:00]	Hello this is Dr. Shelley Zion [00:00:04:00]	formally of the National Center for Culturally Responsive Educational System.[00:00:08:00]	The tool that I'll be talking about today is the NCREST Tool[00:00:12:00]	For Assessment and Strategic Planing.[00:00:16:00]	It assists district teams in look at processes, policies, and practices within[00:00:20:00]	a district to prevent disproportionate representation of students of color in [00:00:24:00]	special education. In this tool we look at policy [00:00:28:00]	procedures and practices in both general education and special[00:00:32:00]	education to look broadly at where the causes and[00:00:36:00]	core origins of disproportionality or occurring within the districts.[00:00:40:00]	The tools starts with core functions of the district and[00:00:44:00]	looking really at the question of whether equitable educational opportunities are[00:00:48:00]	available to and accessed by all students. Then it moves to [00:00:52:00]	look at instructional services and really looking at the learning environments that[00:00:56:00]	are present and the ways that those support achievement for diverse learners.[00:01:00:00]	Then we move into individualized education[00:01:04:00]	and really looking at what resources, supports, and processes are in place to ensure [00:01:08:00]	that students with disabilities have access to the general education curriculum,[00:01:12:00]	and finally in this tool you would look at accountability [00:01:16:00]	issues and how accountability data is kind of supporting the[00:01:20:00]	evidence you find as you look at the tool. [00:01:24:00]	This tool does require a really time intensive process and also[00:01:28:00]	assumes that the district team has already committed[00:01:32:00]	to doing deep work around disproportionality, understands[00:01:36:00]	where the disproportionality is occurring in terms of[00:01:40:00]	identification referrals, or placement, and it does require that[00:01:44:00]	you really dig deep into evidence around policies or in practices[00:01:48:00]	around the perceptions of varying stakeholders.[00:01:52:00]	The biggest challenge to this is that you do already[00:01:56:00]	need to be a district that is committed to working on disproportionality, not just[00:02:00:00]	at those kind of beginning stages of understanding what disproportionality is.[00:02:04:00]	You do have to be committed to working across departments,[00:02:08:00]	and really beginning with a look at general education practices, and then[00:02:12:00]	moving to special education practices. This is not a tool that can be used[00:02:16:00]	in isolation by a special education department to provide a prescription.[00:02:20:00]	The focus of this tool, while on disproportionality, [00:02:24:00]	goes a little bit then that to look at the opportunities to learn[00:02:28:00]	that all kids are provided. One of the advantages of this tool is[00:02:32:00]	that it's a rubric. So it does provide examples[00:02:36:00]	of what each of the standards looks at in the rubric at beginning,[00:02:40:00]	developing, and proficient level. It does provide[00:02:44:00]	guidelines around the evidence that one would look at to support the[00:02:48:00]	ratings that you might provide. It does require[00:02:52:00]	a lot of time. It does require buy-in from a lot of different[00:02:56:00]	people and departments, and not just special education again, but general education,[00:03:00:00]	ELA learner services, the asessement or accountability[00:03:04:00]	group as well. It also does require some[00:03:08:00]	real commitment to understanding terms, to really deepening understanding[00:03:12:00]	to pushing some of the harder conversations, and it does include[00:03:16:00]	some planning activities. So, [00:03:20:00]	in short, this is really a good tool for districts who have already[00:03:24:00]	committed to some deep work around disproportionality, understand the key[00:03:28:00]	issues related to disproportionality, who have the capacity to[00:03:32:00]	get general education practitioners to the table as well, [00:03:36:00]	who can commit aggressive time and personnel to the effort, [00:03:40:00]	and who are really committed to looking at the origin of [00:03:44:00]	equity issues in their schools and classrooms rather than just [00:03:48:00]	outdated. Thank you and I hope you enjoy.