The Arkansas Department of Education (ADE), Special Education Unit (SEU) has received a five-year State Personnel Development Grant (SPDG) with a beginning date of October 1, 2009. The overall purpose of the Arkansas SPDG is to improve outcomes in literacy, mathematics and behavior for students with disabilities through the delivery of high quality instruction and, when needed, the implementation of Tier II and Tier III supports and interventions.
Specific to the area of mathematical interventions and supports, the Arkansas SPDG is currently recruiting topnotch professionals with particular expertise in the field of mathematics to serve on a K-12 Blue Ribbon Committee for Math Interventions. This committee will be charged with identifying; (a) the critical math skills and concepts for particular grade spans or math content areas, (b) the point at which some students begin to fall behind in the skills and concepts, (c) a series of probes to assist in isolating the root cause of the identified gaps, and (d) the Tier II and Tier III interventions needed to address the reasons students are not mastering the critical math skills and concepts.
Candidates being recruited to serve on the Arkansas Committee for Math Interventions include exemplary state, district, and building level math instructional specialists at the elementary, middle, and high school levels who have demonstrated the ability to successfully support colleagues in meeting the needs of students struggling with math curriculum. General and special education math teachers at the elementary, middle, and high school levels, and special education teachers who work in co-taught settings are also needed. Building principals, Directors of Special Education, and University Instructors in the field of Teacher Education with particular expertise in the field of mathematics are being sought as well. All candidates should have experience in providing effective instruction to students who struggle with mathematics curriculum.
If an individual meeting the above specifications would like to be considered for the Arkansas K-12 Blue Ribbon Committee for Math Interventions or would like to nominate another professional to be a part of this important work, please send contact information to Ms. Lisa Haley, Goal 2 Coordinator for the Arkansas SPDG at lisa.haley@arkansas.gov.