This Community of Practice is a collaborative, 8-session learning experience for Washington school psychologists to examine current evaluation practices, connect MTSS/RTI, intervention data, and evaluation, and develop strategies to strengthen district systems for SLD identification and eligibility.

SESSION 1 AGENDA — Launching the Conversation
Wednesday, October 14, 2026 | 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Hybrid

9:00 – 9:15 | Welcome & Community Norms
Introductions, purpose and vision of the CoP, establishing shared expectations and norms for the year.

9:15 – 9:45 | Where We Are, Where We're Headed
Overview of Washington's movement away from the severe discrepancy model — the rationale for the change and its intended impact on evaluation practice.

9:45 – 10:30 | Why This Change Matters
Facilitated discussion: Why is this happening? What could it mean for students? What will districts need to do differently?

10:30 – 10:40 | Break

10:40 – 11:30 | District Reflection
Small-group work — participants reflect on their own district context: current evaluation practices, strengths/needs, questions or concerns, readiness and barriers, and individual learning goals.

11:30 – 11:50 | Share-Out & Shaping the CoP
Whole-group share-out; priorities and questions surfaced here will shape the direction of future sessions.

11:50 – 12:00 | Closing & Next Steps
Preview of Session 2 (November 12): From Intervention to Evidence.

SESSION 2 AGENDA — From Intervention to Evidence: Using Data to Guide Evaluation Decisions
Thursday, November 12, 2026 | 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Hybrid

9:00 – 9:15 | Welcome & Recap
Brief recap of Session 1 themes and connection to today's focus on intervention data.

9:15 – 10:15 | What Makes Intervention Data Credible
Presentation and discussion: what makes an intervention appropriate, credible, and defensible; what to consider when selecting interventions for individual students; what progress-monitoring information should be collected and how often.

10:15 – 10:25 | Break

10:25 – 11:30 | From Data to Decisions
Small-group work: examining sample progress-monitoring data sets, identifying patterns and limitations, and practicing the question "What does this data actually tell us about the student's response to intervention?"

11:30 – 11:50 | Share-Out: Strengthening Data Practices in Our Districts
Whole-group discussion on how school psychologists can support teams in making thoughtful, data-informed decisions; identify current practices and gaps.

11:50 – 12:00 | Closing & Next Steps
Preview of Session 3 (December 9): From Referral to Evaluation.

SESSION 3 AGENDA — From Referral to Evaluation: Building a Clear Path Forward
Wednesday, December 9, 2026 | 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Hybrid

9:00 – 9:15 | Welcome & Recap
Recap of Session 2: connecting intervention data to the referral and evaluation-planning process.

9:15 – 10:15 | From Referral Concern to Disability Hypothesis
Presentation: moving from a broad referral concern to a clearly defined instructional problem; developing a disability hypothesis to guide assessment selection.

10:15 – 10:25 | Break

10:25 – 11:30 | Building a Purposeful Evaluation Plan
Small-group case work: reviewing existing data, identifying exclusionary factors, and determining which assessment tools and sources of information best answer the evaluation questions at hand.

11:30 – 11:50 | Share-Out: Distinguishing What Matters
Whole-group discussion: distinguishing information that is important to consider from information that truly changes the evaluation plan.

11:50 – 12:00 | Closing & Next Steps
Preview of Session 4 (January 13): Looking Beyond the Data.