Services currently offered in South Carolina include:
School Performance Initiative (School Improvement)
Consultant works side-by-side with the principal in the school approximately two days/week. Consultation is based on four critical research-driven elements: implementation of a guaranteed curriculum, increasing student academic learning rates, improving school climate, and frequent monitoring of student achievement. The project liaison also provides project management and on-site consultation as needed.
Administrative Coaching Initiative
Highly qualified administrative coach provides on-site consultation and one-on-one embedded professional development for principals or superintendents, focusing on leadership strategies to for the implementation of a guaranteed curriculum, increasing student academic learning rates, improving school climate, and frequent monitoring of student achievement.
Special Education Initiative
Specialists provide on-site district and/or school consultation and support with focus on classroom instruction, monitoring of student academic progress and quality educational programming. Services include but are not limited to: classroom observation & mentoring, review of referral process, development of appropriate IEPs, effective inclusion practices, and managing AYP issues.
Inclusion Services
Improving academic performance of students with disabilities requires school districts to focus on increasing students’ access to regular education settings. Effective inclusion leads to quality instruction for all students when regular and special education teachers are well prepared to work collaboratively. Services include scheduling teachers and students, preparing students for grade-level benchmark assessment, differentiating instruction, implementing accommodations and modifications, implementing co-teaching practices, monitoring progress, and grading student performance.
Federal Programs Assistance
Specialists provide on-site technical assistance in implementing NCLB Act of 2001, help in identifying federal funding sources, assistance with program evaluation and federal/state liaison services.
Academic Review & Analysis
An audit team comprised of successful educational leaders trained in the audit process will conduct personnel interviews, classroom observations, review and analysis of documents to examine school leadership, instructional practices and curricula impacting student achievement. A detailed report outlining specific findings and recommendations is provided upon completion of the audit.
Struggling Learners Initiative
Support is provided to schools and staff to identify, understand, address, and close the achievement gap. A Specialist provides an evaluation of student deficiencies and helps teachers design and implement intervention strategies for struggling learners in order to receive full benefit from any school services (tutoring, after school, classroom intervention, etc.) targeting struggling learners.
Professional Development
Individualized professional development for teachers and administrators can be designed and delivered. Most sessions are available for continuing education credits.
South Carolina's Professional Development Catalog
TESA Training
Teacher Expectations for Student Achievement is designed to modify the way teachers interact with students through heightened awareness of how perceptions affect their expectations. Results of classroom research shows that use of TESA interactions improves student academic performance, gender and diversity awareness, attendance, classroom climate and reduces student discipline problems.
TESA Manuals for each participant and five 3-hour training/monitoring sessions are provided.
Teacher Coaching Initiative
Highly qualified teacher coaches provide on-site consultation and one-on-one embedded professional development, including modeling and mentoring of best practices, for classroom teachers. Available in all content areas for both primary and secondary schools.
Middle Grades Reading Initiative: Mentoring & Materials (6th-9th grades)
Standards-Based Instruction
Reading specialists have identified effective reading strategies for adolescents who can call words but who struggle with comprehension. Reading coaches mentor teachers on applying these strategies with reading teachers and/or teachers of other subject areas. Materials include non-fiction and fiction resources as well as coaching for applying strategies to any text. We recommend no less than 11 days of coaching for a small school with only 2 Reading teachers and 0 non-Reading teachers. We recommend no less than 21 days for an average school with 2 Reading teachers and 4 non-Reading teachers.
ACT* Up
The ACT*Up materials and teacher support are designed to increase student scores in multiple areas of the ACTÒ in order to broaden their choices in the next level of their education. Materials include hands-on classroom activities and lesson planning guides focused on content found on the ACTÒ. This program goes beyond traditional ACTÒ preparation through a scheduled class for which students can receive Carnegie Units in certain states.
