SEIS Program Impact

Significant progress has been made over the past five years toward three main program goals.

The first goal is to provide high quality education to all SEIS students.

To that end, instruction in all facilities is now aligned with the Massachusetts 2011 Frameworks, and complies with all state and federal special education laws. SEIS teachers are annually provided with high quality professional development, aligned with the Standards and Indicators for Effective Teaching, and supported by onsite technical assistance from instructional coaches. Curriculum resources, including instructional guides, have been designed to meet the unique needs of the institutional settings. Program-based Professional Learning Teams have been implemented for the last 3 years in DYS and DMH programs across the state. A mentoring and induction program has been developed to support new teachers.

The second goal is to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of educational services.

CES has worked to implement a new student information system. The old system relied on student records being loaded on an encrypted flash drive and physically transported from teacher to supervisor to the sending school district. Now, staff can access student records in real time, and communication with school districts is more efficient and effective. Student data reports have been designed which allow better allocation of teaching staff to meet program needs, and provide quicker indications of trends.

The third goal is to promote collaboration between host agencies and SEIS Programs.

One of the program’s biggest accomplishments is progress toward the program’s third goal. With the establishment of advisory groups in each host agency, the SEIS Programs work collaboratively to align the vision and goals of each agency in a way that better meets the needs of their clients. These interagency advisory meetings have created an important structure for regular communication and collaboration on program improvement efforts.

Our full five-year report, which describes the initiatives and outcomes associated with each goal, is now available. Click here to download the report.