Overview and Sign Up (scroll to end)
Participation in the Summit Reading Groups on Excellence (SuRGE) is one element of professional development that the Summit Group offers to its members. These Reading Groups strive to (1) offer information on the process behind program evaluation, quality improvement, and performance management; (2) provide an opportunity to build a professional library and reference base; (3) create conversations about innovative ways to face day-to-day concerns or challenges for the improvement of state VR agencies; and (4) develop tools, examples, and/or recommendations that members can take into their organization for possible implementation.
The reading groups are comprised of two distinct groups: the Fundamental Group and the Principal Group. Fundamental Group members are current program evaluation/quality improvement practitioners in VR settings. State Administrators (CSAVR) and State Rehabilitation Council (NCSRC) leaders are active Principal Group members who serve as reviewers and contributors of input to the work completed by the Fundamental Group. The Fundamental Group members meet on monthly teleconference calls, over a period of 6-10 months, to complete the mission of the group; whereas, Principal Group members join three specific monthly calls to contribute to the work of the group. Among states that have participated in SuRGE are: Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Utah, Washington.
SuRGE comprises interested individuals who read a book which is relevant to key issues facing Vocational Rehabilitation, and exchange personal and professional input, feedback, and learning content. Additionally, these reading group members become a team who develop a Performance Management tool that all can use within state agencies. Examples of tools that past groups have created are the Quality Indicators for Customer Focus (a 5-Why Approach to Customer Satisfaction) and the Vocational Rehabilitation Performance Management: User’s Guide to Survey Design. Both of these tools can be viewed on the Summit Group website at: http://vocational-rehab.com/summit-reading-groups/project-development/. All group members are encouraged to submit a proposal to present at the annual Summit Conference on Vocational Rehabilitation Performance Management; those who are specifically interested in presenting the tool developed by the SuRGE group will do so if the proposal is accepted for the annual conference.
If you are interested in participating as a member of Fundamental or Principal Group member of SuRGE, please click below to sign up, or contact Dr. Matthew Markve at matthew.markve@vr.idaho.gov or by telephone at (208) 287-6481. For a listing of possible books that we can read, visit: http://vocational-rehab.com/summit-reading-groups/possible-books-for-future-surge/. Thank you for your consideration.
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To learn more about the evolution of SuRGE, please view this PowerPoint presentation: SuRGE Poster_2013