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Equity/Special Populations

 
There is not a one-size-fits-all approach to ensuring equity and access for all students. Some resources your district may find helpful in order to plan and implement equitable ACP practices include:

a. Promoting Excellence for All (PEFA) training and resources
Promoting Excellence for All provides information and strategies successfully used by Wisconsin educators to raise achievement of students of color, closing the gap between them and their peers. These schools represent all grade levels, urban, rural, and suburban settings.

b. DPI Civil Rights Compliance Equity and Diversity
As the state education agency responsible for assisting the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) in the accomplishment of its mission, the WDPI selects LEAs based on a target plan pre-approved by the OCR. This plan is designed to identify school divisions with the greatest potential for noncompliance with civil rights laws.

The purposes of the WDPI's Civil Rights Compliance (CRC) Program are to provide a quality education for every child by:

c. Pupil Nondiscrimination Self-Evaluation
PI 9.06, Wis. Admin. Code, requires that every school district evaluate and prepare a written report on the status of nondiscrimination and equality of educational opportunity in the school district - the School District Self-Evaluation of the Status of Pupil Nondiscrimination and Equality of Educational Opportunities - at least once every five years on a schedule determined by the state superintendent. The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) uses data from the evaluation reports to comply with reporting requirements under § 118.13(3)(a)(3), Wis. Stats.

d. LEA Title I, Part A plans
Many schools receiving Part A funding operate Schoolwide Programs, implementing overall school improvements to ensure that systems, practices, and programs are effectively aligned to reduce gaps and support every student’s achievement. Other schools use their Part A funds to operate Targeted Assistance Programs, which provide services to a subgroup of identified students.

e. Wisconsin Response to Intervention (RtI)
Wisconsin schools and districts are tasked with equipping every student with the knowledge, skills, and habits necessary for success beyond high school.

To do this, we must offer developmental, academic, behavioral, and social-emotional supports. Additionally, every learner’s needs are different, so supports must be provided at varying levels (or tiers) of intensity.

How can schools and districts set up their educational systems to meet these needs? The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction and the Wisconsin RtI Center’s vision is that schools and districts implement equitable, multi-level systems of supports.

f. The National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity (NAPE) training and resources
The National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity offers research-based, strategy-driven, practical-application-focused professional development services that equip educators with tools to address specific school needs related to equitable learning environments, student academic success and ultimately, college and career readiness.

g. Special Education
Providing leadership to improve outcomes and ensure a free appropriate public education for students protected under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

h. CTE Perkins V and Other Special Populations