Bio: 

Dr. Jodie Soracco is the Director of the Virginia Tiered System of Supports, Research and Implementation Center. In her role as Director, she assists with building state and division-level capacity for supporting the sustained and broad-scale implementation of MTSS across the Commonwealth of Virginia. Dr. Soracco’s professional background includes a dual degree in elementary and special education as well as a master's in special education emphasizing serious emotional/behavior disorders: moderate to intense needs. She has experience teaching in both general and special education. Dr. Soracco’s professional roles have also included serving as Training Coordinator of family behavioral services and serving as State Coordinator and the Research, Development, and Evaluation Director in the Nevada PBIS Technical Assistance Center. Throughout her 18-year professional career in education, 15 of which have supported work in PBS/MTSS, she has become well-versed in various MTSS applications. These include home, school, community, mental health integration, rural communities, and interdisciplinary interests. Dr. Soracco has conducted research in the areas of individual and group well-being, fidelity, and school absenteeism. Dr. Soracco is also a board-certified behavior analyst and licensed behavior analyst in Virginia.

Professional Experience:

• Director, Virginia Tiered Systems of Supports-Research and Implementation Center, Partnership for People with Disabilities, School of Education, Virginia Commonwealth University (2020- Present)
• Research, Development, & Evaluation Director, Nevada MTSS Project, Nevada PBIS Technical Assistance Center, Nevada Center for Excellence in Disabilities (2018-2020)
• School Climate Transformation Project State Coordinator, Nevada PBIS Technical Assistance Center, Nevada Center for Excellence in Disabilities (2014-2018)
• State School-wide Positive Behavior Support Coordinator & Northwest Family and Community Training Coordinator, Positive Behavior Support-Nevada, Nevada Center for Excellence in Disabilities (2012-2014)
• Trainer, Positive Behavior Support-Nevada, Nevada Center for Excellence in Disabilities (2011-2012)
• Social Resource Special Education Teacher (Pilot Program), Washoe County School District in Reno, NV (2007-2008)
• General Education Teacher, Washoe County School District in Reno, NV (2007-2008)
• Social Intervention Program Teacher, Washoe County School District in Reno, NV (2006-2007)

Partnership Projects:

As the Director of the Virginia Tiered Systems of Support—Research and Implementation Center (VTSS-RIC), I oversee the coordination of systems coaches/coaching, training, and technical assistance for over 50 school divisions. I also serve as a Co-Principal Investigator of the MERC Breakthrough Project, where we seek to enhance the assessment of MTSS fidelity and effectiveness for K-12 student mental health support in VA schools.

Expertise Areas:

Areas of expertise in the Disability Field: Serious Emotional and Behavioral Disorders: Moderate to Intense Needs, Mutli-tiered Systems of Support, Special Education. Additional areas of Professional Interest: Positive Behavior Support; Applied Behavior Analysis; Systems change for schools and educational organizations (MTSS), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy/Training, Psychological Flexibility, Individual and Group Well-being

Education:

• B.S. in Elementary and Special Education (Dual Degree) and a Minor in Human Development and Family Studies, University of Nevada, Reno
• M.Ed. in Special Education: Serious Emotional/Behavioral Disorders: Moderate to Intense Needs, University of Nevada, Reno
• Ph.D. in Special Education, University of Nevada, Reno

Certifications and Licensure:

• Board Certified Behavior Analyst, 2015-current
• Licensed Behavior Analyst, VA, 2021-current
• Prosocial Facilitators Course (Americas); Serial No. cert_fp24b63k, received 8/3/2019

Research Interests:

• Systems change for schools and educational organizations (MTSS)
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy/Training, Psychological Flexibility
• Individual and Group Well-being
• Positive Behavior Support

Accomplishments:

• Primary collaborative partner in writing and receiving primary and sub-recipient awards from the Virginia Department of Education and the US Department of Education totaling approximately over $3.1 million per year across six grants:
• State Personnel Development Grant: grant writing support and sub-recipient for coaching and training (2023-2028)
• Personnel Development Grant: grant writing support and sub-recipient for coaching and training to support special education teacher retention (2021-2026 approximately)
• School-Based Mental Health Grant: Sub-recipient for coaching, training, technical assistance, and coordination and alignment of resources to include mental wellness and intervention by expanding the professional learning scope and sequence, creating alignment across MTSS (2022-2027).
• 611 IDEA and General Assembly funds primary recipient (Biennial budget).
• ESSER: primary recipient to develop data and problem-solving modules for division teams (2022-2024)

Awards:

• N-CITE: Nevada's Collaborative Investment in Teaching Excellence Scholar Recipient, 2015-2021
• Marshall R. Matley Distinguished Scholar in Special Education Scholarship, 2011

Publications:

• Soracco, J. (2021). Examining individual and group well-being in elementary school settings (Accession No. 28499522) [Doctoral dissertation, University of Nevada, Reno]. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.
• Bleak, K., Goldrup, S., Grumstrup, B., Lee, J., Locquiao, J., Maximoff, N., Messina, O., Nehrkorn, A., & Soracco, J. (2017). The importance of being there: Examining Absenteeism in WCSD. A collaboration between Washoe County School District and the University of Nevada, Reno. Author names are listed in alphabetical order.

Guidance Documents & Handbooks:

• Soracco, J., & Reid, A. (2020). Investing in sustainable funding for MTSS in Nevada schools. Prepared for the Nevada Department of Education.
• Soracco, J., & Greenwald, A. (2020). Restorative practices support document for Nevada. Prepared for the Nevada Department of Education.
• Madden-Dent, T., Greenwald, A., Fleetwood, K., Soracco, J., Reid, A., & McGill, C. (2018). Nevada’s framework for equitable integrated system of student supports. Prepared for the Nevada Department of Education.
• Jackson, D. A., Greenwald, A. E., Fleetwood, K., Roose, K. M., Seniuk, H. A., Soracco, J. (2018). Nevada’s Handbook for Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports for Schools and Teachers: Created in Response to NRS 388.473-515 and the 2017 Enactment of Assembly Bill 275. For use by the Nevada Department of Education and Nevada schools

Professional Affiliations:

• VTSS State Leadership Team member (2020-current)
• APBS Board Member (2022-Current)
• President, Positive Behavior Support SIG, Association for Behavior Analysis International (2018-current)
• Secretary/Treasurer, Nevada Association for Behavior Analysis (2017-2019)
• Member of the Association for Contextual Behavior Science (2016-current)
• Member of the Association for Behavior Analysis International (2015-current)
• Association for Positive Behavior Support Member (2013-current)
• President, Nevada Association for Positive Behavior Support (2011-2014)

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