About NH RESPONDS

NH RESPONDS - Professional Development for Excellence in Education

Purpose

To reform and improve pre-service personnel preparation and in-service professional development systems to improve knowledge and skills of general and special education teachers, early intervention personnel, related services personnel, paraprofessionals and administrators in designing, delivering and evaluating scientifically-based practices in two areas:

• Response to Intervention (RtI) systems of
  • Positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS), and
  • Literacy instruction; and
• Tertiary transition supports for students with emotional/behavioral disorders at middle and high schools

Funding

The NH-Department of Education was awarded a 5-year $3.85 million State Personnel Development Grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs. The State will receive $770,000 each year for five years. Primary partners in the initiative are the NHD Department of Education, NH CEBIS and the UNH Institute on Disability along with several institutions of higher education.

Goals

• Provide relevant and meanigful professional development activities in Response to Intervention approaches to literacy and behavior
• Promote recruitment and retention of highly qualified teachers with experience in RtI
• Improve quality of education personnel
• Reform special education and regular education teacher certification, recertification, and licensing requirements
• Assist LEAs to serve children with disabilities through development and use of intensive professional development programs

Resources for RTI