AdvancED School Executive. Summary. Ohio State School for the Blind

AdvancED School Executive Summary Ohio State School for the Blind Ohio State School for Blind Mr. Gerard Marcom, Principal 5220 North High Street Columbus, OH 43214

TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 1 AdvancED School Executive Summary 2 Section 1: Introduction 2 Section 2: Student Performance 4 Section 3: Challenges and Opportunities 6 Section 4: Conclusion 8

Introduction Every school has its own story to tell. The context in which teaching and learning takes place influences the processes and procedures by which the school makes decisions around curriculum, instruction, and assessment. The context also impacts the way a school stays faithful to its vision. Many factors contribute to the overall narrative such as an identification of stakeholders, a description of stakeholder engagement, the trends and issues affecting the school, and the kinds of programs and services that a school implements to support student learning. The purpose of the Executive Summary (ES) is to provide a school with an opportunity to describe in narrative form the strengths and challenges it encounters. By doing so, the public and members of the school community will have a more complete picture of how the school perceives itself and the process of self-reflection for continuous improvement. This summary is structured for the school to reflect on how it provides teaching and learning on a day to day basis. The Executive Summary contains four sections with prompts to guide the school to write its unique story; these are suggested prompts and all do not need responses. It might be helpful to write first the narrative offline before entering the ES into the web-enabled system. Page 1

AdvancED School Executive Summary Section 1: Introduction Provide the school's mission statement. What process was used to create the mission statement? Describe how the school engaged its stakeholders to parents and community members in the development and fulfillment of the mission statement. Describe the community in which your school is located. What are the unique features and special challenges of your school community? Briefly provide demographic information with regards to both students and staff and the community at large. HISTORY: The Ohio State School for the Blind was the first state supported school for the blind and visually impaired in the United States that was established with funds appropriated by the Ohio General Assembly on July 4, 1837. The first school program, which was located in a private home in Columbus, opened its doors to five pupils and one teacher on July 4, 1837. The school was later moved to a facility located on Parsons Avenue, where it remained until 1953 when it was moved to its present site at 5220 North High Street in Columbus, Ohio. The school was assigned to the State Department of Education in 1927 with supervision of its operation under the leadership of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction. The school has maintained a national reputation and leadership role among schools of its kind, and it continues today to provide the very best in educational programs for those blind and visually impaired children and youth enrolled. MISSION: OSSB is a publicly-funded educational facility, is dedicated to the intellectual, social, physical, and emotional growth of students with visual impairments, including those with multiple disabilities. The mission of the school is to work cooperatively with students, families, and the community to provide an effective educational experience. This mission is fulfilled through the development of specialized curriculum, equipment, materials, and individualized disability-specific instruction to develop the unique potential of the students. This mission statement represents a collective vision of the school staff, parents, students and other stakeholders. Using the National Study of School Evaluation K-12 School Improvement: Focusing on student performance, a collaboration took place with all the school's stakeholders to formulate the school beliefs, which lead to the development of OSSB's mission statement. There have been periodic reviews of the mission statement through strategic planning group meeting with staff and administrators. A review of the school's mission will take place during the 2012-2013 school year. STAKEHOLDER INVOLVEMENT: The stakeholders (students, parents, teachers, local school district personnel, and local community agencies), are actively involved in the mission and education of the students in the program through the development of the Individual Educational Plan (IEP). In the IEP process each stakeholder plays active role in the development of the goals and objectives for the learning process that will take place in the teaching and learning environment at school and in the community. SCHOOL COMMUNITY: Although the school is located in an urban center in Columbus, Ohio, the school serves one school district which is the entire state of Ohio. It includes students from other urban centers, suburban and rural communities throughout the state. DEMOGRAPHICS OF STUDENTS: During the 2010-2011 school year, 133 students, K-12, who were blind and visually impaired enrolled at OSSB. At least 30% percent of students enrolled have disabilities in addition to their visual impairment and require even more specialized services and extensive resources than a typically developing visually impaired student. These 133 students represent 36 counties and approximately 70 school districts in the state of Ohio. Page 2

Socio-economic, racial/ethnic and disabilities: 52% of OSSB students qualified for free and reduced lunch compensation for the school during 2010-2011. The racial/ethnic background of OSSB students in the 2010-2011 school year were 73% White, 20% Black/African American, 5% Asian, 1.5% Multi-Racial and 1% Hispanic. 56% were male, while 44% were female. Students who are blind or visually impaired make up a heterogeneous population of students. In 2010-2011, 70% of students at OSSB met the eligibility requirements for visually impaired, 26% met the eligibility requirements for multi-disabled, 5% traumatic brain injury and 1.5% deaf/blind. CHALLENGES: OSSB is a specialized educational facility for students ages 5 through 21 who are blind or visually impaired including those with multiple disabilities living in the state of Ohio. Students coming from outside the central Ohio area communities are provided with residential housing which are commonly referred to as cottages. The students are assigned to cottages on the basis of age and sex. Staff designated as youth leaders provide structured activities for all residential students during non-classroom hours, Monday through Thursday, with students returning home for weekends and holidays. Presently there are 45 students taking part in this service. The school provides room, board, laundry, general medical care, and educational and specialized equipment for learning in the classroom at no cost to parents or local school district. Parents are responsible for providing spending money, clothing and major medical care. Local school districts are responsible for the provision of transportation for the students to and from school daily, or weekends and vacations. The school is in session 36 weeks, from August to June. The school follows a typical school year calendar with traditional holiday vacations. The operation of the school is primarily supported with appropriations from the General Assembly, and supplemental funds from a variety of federal sources. The school does not receive operational funds from a local taxing base as do local school districts. Therefore, the major challenge of the school is to operate the school programs and services on fixed sources of income that are received in the 2 year budgets that are provided by the General Assembly, meet the ever changing and unique needs of the special population that is served at OSSB. This is extremely difficult when the cost of the operation is influenced by increased cost of food, gas, water and other utilities continuing to increase while more intense services for students have been identified in their IEP. Page 3

Section 2: Student Performance Give a brief description of your school's vision about students and their performance. Provide a brief summary of student performance in your school. What are your goals and how will you know you have achieved them? Describe the variety of your school's student performance assessments. How does your staff engage in meaningful analysis of student work in order to modify instruction? Describe the school's student support programs and services. In what ways does your school ensure community/parent involvement in the life of the school? SCHOOL VISION STATEMENT: OSSB's Strategic Plan continues to focus on improving achievement & progress in meeting the goals & objectives of the student's IEP's developed by the stakeholders. Increase student achievement in the school program & residential program, is one of the 4 goals stated in the 2006-2010 Strategic Plan & was implemented at the beginning of the 2007-2008 school year. This plan provides a framework for staff development, building improvement plans & professional development plans. The school Strategic Plan focuses on stakeholder and employee groups to meet the needs of the students and continue the consistent improvement in student achievement. STUDENTS AND THEIR PERFORMANCE: We believe all students are capable of learning, achieving, and growing, socially, emotionally, and academically, given the resources to succeed. We expect our students to graduate, take part in state proficiency testing, be life-long learners and be productive citizens of their communities. Our goal is to empower students to better their lives through education and service to the community. We want the students to have access to technology for the 21st Century of learning & work force areas. Each student receives services that meet his/her IEP stated needs and class work that follows Ohio's academic content standards. Teachers and educational staff deliver an appropriate & challenging education for each child. OSSB modifies instruction based on individual needs that have been identified in the IEP accessing regular curriculum as much as possible. Student performance is assessed at the school and state level to ascertain if the goals & objectives are being achieved on the students IEP and in school curriculum. IEP goals are evaluated quarterly & yearly and content areas in the curriculum at the end of each section of the school texts in the areas of math, social studies, reading and science and tests that have been developed by the staff using text books, state academic standards & standardized tests in areas that have been stated. At the state level, students are tested with state achievement test (OAA) in reading, math, social studies and science in grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and Ohio Graduation Tests (OGT) in 10th grade. The OGT is expanded to writing in addition to the four core subjects. In OAA testing in the fall of 2010, OSSB students scored higher than state average for students in local school districts. Students with multiple disabilities take part in Alternative Assessments for Students with Disabilities, (AASWD), which is designed to evaluate the performance of students with disabilities for whom general assessments are not appropriate. These alternative assessments allow a collection of student work (Collection of Evidence) to be submitted as evidence of student performance on instructional applications that are aligned with Ohio's Academic Content Standards. In the spring of 2010, 5 students took the OGTAASWD. All students scored 100% proficient and above in each subject tested: Reading/Writing, Math, Science & Social Studies. School staff uses information from school & statewide achievement tests to evaluate student progress and to develop strategies to develop positive teaching and learning environment. SCHOOL'S SUPPORT PROGRAMS AND SERVICES: OSSB offers blind & visually impaired and multiple disabled students an environment where instruction is focused on students individual needs. An IEP is developed based upon a student's educational needs as identified through Evaluation Team Reports, State Assessments, classroom and Related Service evaluations. Parents provide Vision Page 4

Statements related to their educational goals for their child. Students are integrated into their IEP development as appropriate leading to full participation through the Transition Process. These IEP's are comprised of individualized goals & objectives which address educational and related service needs along with the accommodations & modifications allowing access and participation in educational programs. Progress on these goals is monitored regularly and reported to stake holders quarterly. To support OSSB's Vision & lead students toward achievement of their individualized IEP goals the school is actively engaged in the following: 1) Instruction in the appropriate reading & writing medium including braille, large print & electronic formats. 2) Provision of prescribed optical devices to make standard print accessible for students with low vision including, magnifiers and hand held telescopes. 3) Use of appropriate adaptive aids, special devices, and assistive technology including, electronic notetakers, refreshable Braille displays, Closed-Circuit Television, computers with screen readers & screen enlargement software, electronic recording devices, scanners & GPS Systems. 4) Appropriate assessment and instruction in orientation & mobility by certified personal. 5) Student counseling (School Psychologist) and parent support (Parent Mentor). 6) Instruction in appropriate social skills and competencies. 7) Instruction in daily living skills and techniques. 8) Opportunities for career exploration and vocational instruction. 9) Instruction in and strategies for participation in recreational and social activities of the school and community. 10) Instruction in study and organizational skills. 11) Additional services include; Adaptive Physical Education, Physical Therapy, Speech, Hearing and Language Therapy and Occupational Therapy. 12) Inclusion opportunities include enrollment in local school districts, academic and vocational programming and community college courses. PARENT & COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: OSSB ensures the involvement of students, parents, local school districts & community agencies through the IEP process. The IEP assigns responsibility to each participant in the development of the IEP. This participation continues until the student graduates from OSSB or returns to the local school district. Page 5

Section 3: Challenges and Opportunities What are the major challenges your school has faced in the last 3 years and how have you addressed those challenges? CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNTIES: In addition to the educational programs and services that are offered at OSSB, the school has the responsibility to provide technical assistance, professional development, materials and resources to families and local school districts serving children who are blind and visually impaired including those with multiple disabilities. This mandate and challenge was directed by the Ohio Department of Education, through the Superintendent of Public Instruction during the 2006-2007 school year. To meet the challenge the school developed the OSSB Outreach Program and Services program that serves the state of Ohio. The Outreach Program includes the following components: Educational Assessment Clinic, Infant/Preschool Outreach Service, School Age Outreach Assessment, and Parent Mentor, Center for Instructional Supports and Accessible Materials (CISAM), Braille Production Center & Summer Enrichment Camps. EDUCATIONAL ASSESSMENT CLINIC: A multidisciplinary team conducts weekly educational assessments at OSSB for children with visual impairments, ages three through twenty-one. The evaluation is free of charge and will provide assessment information and suggestions for interventions regarding the student's educational placement. The evaluation process is done in cooperation with students, family and school district representatives who initiate the request for assistance. INFANT/PRESCHOOL OUTREACH SERVICES: The Infant/Preschool Outreach Service is designed to support families and their early intervention/preschool teams throughout Ohio. The staff person has been licensed in early childhood, visual impairment, orientation and mobility and multiple disabilities. The following vision related services have been provided at no cost to families or programs: Information on visual impairments and early development, identification of resources for visually impairment and area service providers, functional assessments in mobility, orientation, and developmental assessments, and staff in-service training on visual impairments and related topics. SCHOOL AGE OUTREACH ASSESSMENT: A team of evaluators with expertise in the field of visual impairment will travel to local school districts to provide assistance free of charge. The team consists of teachers of the visually impaired with dual certification in orientation and mobility, and/or school psychologist. PARENT MENTOR: Is a parent of a child with a disability, who provides support and resources to families of children with disabilities and the professionals who serve them state-wide. All services are provided free of charge to the families and local school districts. CENTER FOR INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORTS AND ASSESSIBLE MATERIALS (CISAM): CISAM assists school personnel in trying to locate large print and Braille textbooks, audio and digital textbooks (publisher's files/nimas files). Instructional aids and tools, and specialized equipment for students with visual impairments, and print disabilities in the state of Ohio. CISAM also conducts the annual Federal Quota Registration of Blind Students for Ohio. During the 2009-2010 over 1,490 students received services from the Center. Funds generated are placed in an account at the American Printing House for the Blind inc. (APH), which CISAM uses to order materials for eligible students based on requests. CISAM provides free technical assistance to school districts relating to hardware and software needs of students with visual impairments. The Center also provides staff development training to school district in such areas of instructional materials and Braille. BRAILLE PRODUCTION CENTER: The Braille Production Center works cooperatively with CISAM to locate textbooks in Braille, large print, audio and digital text for students who are blind and visually impaired or have a print disability. The center will access publisher files for textbooks published after summer 2006, from the National Instructional Materials Access Center (NIMAC) at the American Page 6

Printing House for the Blind, and will use these files to assist in the production of textbooks and other core print instructional materials in multiple formats for eligible students in Ohio. OTHER CHALLENGES: Other challenges that the school faces is the development and upgrading of the physical plant. The present school building and residential cottages were built in 1953 and have been in continuous use since then. Plans for building a new school and residential building began in the 2005-2006 school year with the request for funds from the General Assembly for $42 million dollars. Since the original request market factors have caused the need for reduction in square footage for both the School for the Blind and the School for the Deaf. This has required the two schools to adjust the thinking of what the new school building could provide and how the existing buildings could be reused now and in the future. Reduced funding for the educational programs at the schools has required the consolidation of the operational services of the two programs. Such service areas as maintenance, business office, security, human resources, food service, building and grounds have been consolidated by reducing duplication of personnel and the cutting of cost. Reduction in these areas has enabled the school to maintain the instructional programs and related services without cutting vital educational services to the students. Page 7

Section 4: Conclusion What is your school most proud of and why? Is there any other information you would like to share with the public and the school community? WE ARE PROUD: Since the last visit of the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement Team Validation visit in July of 2007, the Ohio State School for the Blind has significant strides to improve the programming, services and physical plant of the school program and services for the students and families who attend OSSB. This forward movement has been accomplished in difficult fiscal times by working harder and smarter with the resources available to the operation of the school. Some of this has been accomplished with the consolidation of the operational services of both the School for the Deaf and the Ohio State School for the Blind. Departments such as the Business Office, Human Resources, Security, Food Services, Nursing and Buildings and Grounds have been streamlined to work more efficiently and effectively with fewer staff positions, which has enabled the two schools to use the resources available for the instruction and support of the students. The past five years have been highlighted with the expansion of existing programs and services and the inclusion of several new programs and projects that have added to the improvement of both the instructional programs and the physical plant of OSSB. These accomplishments are as follows: The establishment of the Ohio State School for the Blind Outreach Program and Services by appointing 2 full-time specialists to the program. The inclusion of the Center for Instructional Support and Accessible Materials (CISAM) into the Outreach Program of OSSB. The establishment of the Braille Production Center at OSSB for the state of Ohio. The establishment of the National Instructional Materials Access Center (NIMAC) by the Ohio Department of Education at OSSB. The establishment of the position of Reading Specialist for high school students at OSSB. The expansion of the Outreach Program with the employment of the Infant/Preschool Specialist that serves the local school districts in Ohio. The collaboration with the Ohio Rehabilitation Service Commission, Bureau of Services for the Blind and the employment of a Transition Specialist to provide an eight week Residential Summer Work Experience Program for students attending local school districts and OSSB which has been in operation since 2008. The awarding of the VRP3 contract through the Ohio Rehabilitation Service Commission, Bureau of Services for the Visually Impaired, in cooperation with 6 statewide service centers across the state to coordinate services for blind and visually school age students in the state of Ohio. The participation of the Ohio State School for the Blind Marching Band in the 2010 Tournament of Roses Parade. The first blind band in the United States to perform in this parade. The beginning of the construction of new residential facilities that will be completed in June of 2012. The beginning of the construction of the new school building that will be completed in June of 2014. CONCLUSION: The Ohio State School for the Blind educational community is proud of the progress that the students have made in reaching the goals and objectives that have been developed in their IEP's, their participation in the state OAA and OGT testing program and the improvement of their proficiency in Math, Writing, Science and Social Studies, as well as the number of students that are going onto post-secondary educational and training opportunities. OSSB is extremely proud of the fact that we can provide the students with a wide variety of specialized equipment that has enabled the students to open doors of learning both at the school and in the community. The technology exposure and training has leveled the playing field of learning so that blind and visually impaired students can participate in educational opportunities outside the walls of the Page 8

Ohio School for the Blind. OSSB is proud of our dedicated teaching and support staff who provide learning experiences for the wide diversity of abilities in the population of the school program. Teachers have created safe learning environments that promote acceptance, appreciation, and the value of differences. The students and community members are made rich by the experiences that they share in the classroom, the marching fields, tracks, work experience settings and through the many activities that the students and staff take part in throughout the school year. Our students are better prepared to face the challenges of the real world. Our learning community has grown to appreciate, values and celebrates the richness of diversity that the children and staff bring to the classroom. To truly understand the OSSB's learning community, you must be immersed in the culture of commitment and compassion that makes the school such a special place. OSSB is confident you will experience a learning community that demonstrates a commitment to students and achievement that is delivered in a caring, nurturing and understanding way that far exceeds that of most learning communities. Page 9