A Special Education Resources Development Specialist at WestEd, Silvia DeRuvo works with schools and districts to improve instructional practices and programs for students with disabilities.

DeRuvo's work focuses primarily on the implementation of Response to Intervention (RtI) models of schoolwide instructional and behavioral support and collaborative service delivery models of special education.

A member of WestEd's Center for Prevention & Early Intervention, DeRuvo develops materials, resources, training, and technical assistance as well as coaching for a variety of projects including the Least Restrictive Environment Resources Project with the California Department of Education; the Windward District (Hawaii) Achievement4All Special Education Restructuring Project; and the Hayward District Assistance Intervention Team (DAIT) project.

DeRuvo also has worked with schools in California's Ontario Montclair District and Union Elementary School District. She often helps school staff implement effective instructional programs and practices that support the needs of students with disabilities and other at-risk populations in integrated schoolwide programs.

Also a member of WestEd's California Comprehensive Center (CA CC), DeRuvo works primarily with the California Department of Education (CDE), Special Education Division to support its efforts on the statewide implementation of standards-based Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) and collaborative special education instructional models. The products developed on these topics have been highlighted in several WestEd SchoolsMovingUp webinars and as online training tools.

In her role in the CA CC, DeRuvo represents the state of California in several national communities of practice focused on state implementation of RtI and helps develop resources and information briefs for CDE on Response to Instruction and Intervention — RtI2. She has also facilitated a SchoolsMovingUp webinar series on RtI models in the state of California across grade levels and helped facilitate and plan CDE's Determining Specific Learning Disability Eligibility Using Response to Instruction and Intervention (RtI2). This product provides guidance to schools and districts on the use of RtI2 instructional practices in the determination of specific learning disabilities.

Also working for WestEd's Comprehensive School Assistance Program (CSAP), DeRuvo works with the Lennox DAIT team in the implementation of RtI as a districtwide improvement initiative. She also serves as an English Learner Professional Development trainer for CSAP's English Learners and the Language Arts (ELLA) project.

Prior to joining WestEd, DeRuvo was an elementary special educator for nearly 20 years, and an instructor and supervisor for special education and secondary interns for California State University, Sacramento, the San Joaquin County Office of Education, and the Northern California Project Pipeline. Her work with these interns allowed her to support the implementation of inclusive special education and general education instructional models, including successful co-teaching and the successful integration of students with behavioral disorders into general education classrooms.

She has coauthored Teaching Young Children With ADHD: Successful Strategies and Practical Interventions for PreK-3 (2007), a book on successful classroom strategies for students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in preschool and elementary settings; and The School Counselor's Guide to ADHD: What to Know and What to Do to Help Your Students (2009), a book intended to support school counselors in their work with young clients with ADHD. She also authored Strategies for Teaching Adolescents with ADHD: Effective Classroom Techniques Across the Content Areas.

DeRuvo is past President of the California Association of Resource Specialists & Special Educators. She also served as the liaison to several state task forces at the California Department of Education, including the Partnership Committee on Special Education; the Least Restrictive Environment Task Force; and the Task Force on Recruitment, Preparation, and Retention of Special Education Teachers. In addition, DeRuvo has served as a national speaker for the Bureau of Education and Research, speaking on topics in relation to RtI implementation practices and standards-based IEPs.

In 2007, DeRuvo received the Award for Exceptional Contribution to the WestEd Community for building bridges between special education and regular education, between programs and teams within the agency, and between WestEd staff and external clients.

She received a BA and MA in communicative disorders from California State University, Fresno. She also holds California credentials in elementary multiple subjects and received certification as a Special Education Specialist, Resource Specialist, and in the areas of communications handicaps and special designed academic instruction in English.