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SST3 News

Congratulations to the 2022 Excellence in Education Awardees!


State Support Team – Region 3 in collaboration with the Educational Service Center of Northeast Ohio recognizes students with disabilities, peers, and educators with the annual Excellence in Education Awards.  Because of COVID-19, the annual recognition brunch has not been held in person in the past three years, but a video has been created to celebrate and honor these incredible individuals, along with the great things that are happening in special education in Northeast Ohio.   Recipients this year also received a yard sign and certificate.  CLICK HERE to watch the video tribute.  

In this year’s video presentation, Jim “Basketball” Jones shared an inspirational message to the award recipients.  The message was meant to encourage both the educators and students to take ownership of their efforts, be willing to learn from others, and believe in themselves in order to reach their full potential. Jim believes in the power of a positive mindset and that while we all learn at our own pace, we can all find success if we persevere and never stop learning. Jim struggled at an early age with dyslexia and spoke of his personal journey of how those around him contributed to his success. He shared how he found his talent and how he used his talent to give back to the community that spent so much time helping him. Jim has spoken at over 8,000 assemblies over the past 25 years at schools across the country and continues to adapt to circumstances like the pandemic by using video to spread his message. 


  • The Outstanding Student Achievement Award acknowledges the achievements 
    of school-age children and youth with disabilities in Northeast Ohio. 

  • The Outstanding Peer Achievement Award recognizes student peers who have 
    established positive relationships and have assisted other students with disabilities, 
    serving as exemplary role models. 

  • The Outstanding Educator Achievement Award honors educators who are 
    exemplars in designing instructional strategies and programs.


The 2022 R.A. Horn Outstanding Achievement Award Recipient from SST Region 3 is Kellyn Donahoe from Lakewood High School in the Lakewood City School District. This award is presented to one exemplary student receiving special education services and support from each of Ohio’s 16 State Support Team regions. The award was established more than 25 years ago by the Ohio Department of Education. 


The 2022 Franklin B. Walter Outstanding Educator Award Recipient from SST Region 3 area is Brittany Troyer from North Royalton Elementary School in the North Royalton City School District.  This award is presented to one educator from each of Ohio’s 16 State Support Team regions, who have made extraordinary contributions to the education of students with disabilities.


Once again congratulations to all!  

Ohio’s Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Recognition System

Ohio’s Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Recognition System provides an opportunity for schools and districts to be recognized for creating school environments that are positive, predictable, safe and equitable.
 
Materials have been released for this year’s PBIS Recognition System. You can find these materials here, including the applications for District and Building/Program recognition. Scoring rubrics are also available to assist your teams with reviewing all required elements of the application. 
 
Each year, the Ohio Department of Education and the PBIS Network recognize schools and districts for their quality and fidelity of PBIS implementation. Schools are eligible to receive awards at the bronze, silver, or gold levels of distinction. We look forward to helping you become one of those award-winning schools this year!

SST3 will be holding Office Hours to support teams through the 2022 PBIS recognition process.  Click here to register 

The 2022 Summer and Beyond Directory is Now LIVE


The 2022 Summer and Beyond Directory is online.  There is also a PDF form that lists more resources. Click here.

State Support Team Region 3 (SST3) offers the 2022 Summer and Beyond Directory as a resource to parents, family members, and school district/community school personnel about extended opportunities around the Cuyahoga County area.   Each school year SST3 collaborates with local agencies, camps, and community partners around summer activities for students with disabilities.  Many of those agencies and organizations offer continued academic skill-building, therapeutic and social-emotional supports throughout the year to assist students with disabilities to become independent and self-sufficient. 

New Surrogate Parent Training Modules are Live!

New Surrogate Parent Online Training Modules are available.  Click here  ODE has recently released the updated surrogate parent training modules. There are 7 modules that include video presentations explaining key concepts and resources, methods of applying the information learned, resources, and reflection opportunities. Quizzes are embedded and a certificate of successful completion is available.

New webinar - InspirEd Virtual Learning Session - Surrogate Parent for a Child With a Disability.   A surrogate parent and representatives from the Ohio Department of Education’s Office for Exceptional Children, Ohio’s State Support Teams, and OCALI have collaborated to create this webinar on the role of the surrogate parent, the requirements for serving as a surrogate parent, the statewide systems in place or resources needed to build the capacity for the surrogate parent’s role, and the recently launched online training, which was designed to equip surrogate parents in their roles. 

AASCD Overview Zoom Webinar/Video


Ohio’s Alternate Assessment for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities (AASCD) is aligned to Ohio’s Learning Standards–Extended (OLS-E) and designed to allow students with significant cognitive disabilities to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in an appropriately rigorous assessment. The AASCD will be administered by grade level. Students in grades 3, 4, 6, and 7 will be assessed in English language arts and mathematics. Students in grades 5 and 8 will be assessed in English language arts, mathematics, and science. Students taking the HS-AASCD will be assessed in English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies.
 
To guide and support individualized education program (IEP) teams in determining whether a student is most appropriately assessed with an alternate assessment, the Ohio Department of Education, in consultation with parents, teachers, administrators, and other stakeholders, has developed a new Alternate Assessment Participation Decision-Making Tool. 

This narrated Powerpoint presentation is provided to give teams an overview of the new Alternate Assessment Participation Decision-Making Tool and emphasizes the importance of the IEP team’s review of the data in making the decision regarding whether or not a student would participate in the Alternate Assessment.

Updates: Restraints and Seclusion Rule Revision


June 24, 2021, the rule for the Standards for the Implementation of Positive Behavior Intervention Supports (PBIS) and Use of Restraint and Seclusion was revised. Revisions to the rule include updates about the use of restraint and seclusion, new professional development and training requirements, and a formal complaint process for parents. Additional information and resources can be found on the Department’s PBIS webpage and restraint and seclusion webpage.

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SST3 Newsletters


Welcome to the SST3 newsletter! Each month SST3 will share updates, educational topics that might be of interest to you, and upcoming professional development. We encourage you to review this information, share it with others and explore our website for additional information.