Goalbook

“We have so many things to be proud of,” David said. “I think this is a good example of the success of Goalbook in our county.”

“It’s not just students in Michigan — it’s students everywhere across the nation that Goalbook Toolkit can help. It’s not a one-size-fits-all. It’s something that can really benefit all educators and all learners.”

“We’ve worked with a number of companies before, and we haven’t always gotten the return on investment. That’s not the feeling I have here. We’ve definitely gotten the return on investment, not only with the program, but with the program moving forward. So other people need to hear that. If there’s something that’s positive, we should definitely share it with each other.”

“My students are getting targeted interventions based on specific goals and objectives. I am better able to monitor their progress or lack thereof to realign instruction and targeted skills practice .”

“Goalbook has made me more conscientious about writing strong PLAAFP statements with evidence/data. It has also helped me write “SMART”er goals and objectives .”

“Goalbook has really established themselves as an important piece in a lot of people’s development … Whether they hear about it at a MAASE conference or from their peers, we’ve had a number of times when it’s not even us reaching out. That’s really generated a lot of interest across the county.”

“Once our teachers and itinerant staff embed Goalbook Toolkit into their practice, they can be more self-sufficient than they ever were before.”

“We contract with Goalbook, but it’s not just that. It’s a partnership.”

“We keep setting goals every year,” said Mary, “and Goalbook always meets and exceeds them.”

“Naturally, no matter where you got your teaching license, when you start a new position anywhere, there is going to be a transition,” explained Allison Miller, Special Education Regional Coordinator for the Office of Specially Designed Services. “Goalbook is a part of the retention piece. If we can better retain our teachers, all the beautiful things fall in line for student outcomes to happen.”

“I feel more supported and confident in my job,”

“We really want kids to be in the general education classroom 80% or more of the time,” Mary emphasized. “So anytime we can actually give general education teachers more to understand a student, it’s greatly impactful.”

“When you sit at a meeting and talk to a parent about the fact that their child has met one or two goals, it does have an impact on parents, too. They’re leaving a meeting feeling good and seeing some success, whereas that hasn’t always been the case before.”

“The confidence in teachers who utilize Goalbook is so much stronger in meetings,” said Dan Juve, Upper Valley Special Education Director. “Teachers know what they’re talking about, and it makes the IEP meeting more of a conversation instead of solely reading the paperwork word for word. They can explain student progress better.”

“Directors feel like they’ve been heard now,” Director of the Office of Specially Designed Services Mary shared. “They love Goalbook Toolkit.”

“I often refer to Goalbook as your personalized instructional coach. Wherever you have access to a computer, you have access to that instructional coach. Helping people view it from that angle is going to help them grow in the profession and dive into practical strategies. It helps teachers be clear about why they are using a particular strategy with a goal.”

“I think Goalbook honestly takes some pressure off of us in terms of what we are going to do for professional development,” noted Heidi Budeau, Special Education Director for James River Special Education Cooperative. “It actually gives teachers hands-on, practical learning—something that they can use as a resource that helps them be successful.”

“It gives teachers a better direction of where they’re supposed to go,” said Mary. “It helps to align instruction to our standards, and teachers truly understand what they need to do with an IEP.”

“We designed specialized training for both the School for the Blind and the School for the Deaf,” said Dr. Long. “It felt really special that it was so targeted and focused, because low-incidence populations are sometimes misunderstood or overlooked.”

“I’ve worked with other contractors,” Mary added. “A lot of the time, you have to babysit them to make sure they’re getting their stuff done. Goalbook actually does what they say they’re going to do .”

“Goalbook’s rollout was easy. They took the planning and coordinating off our plate,”

“Goalbook allows us to reach every teacher, and we wouldn’t have been able to do that in any other way.”

“One Plaquemines Parish special educator said, “Goalbook gives me all of the tools I need to write high-quality IEPs, and makes sure that I meet all of the compliance criteria that’s mandated by the Louisiana Department of Education.””

“A good reason we’ve moved up is because we’re writing better IEPs.”

“Goalbook is the reason we’re not in CAP anymore,”