Special EDition: August 2013 - Back to School, Again

From Disability Rights Education & Defense (DREDF)

School has started and those back-to-school calls are pouring in to DREDF's Parent Training & Information Center. This month we're reprising an oldie but goodie Back-to-School issue of our Special EDition. Enjoy!

The start of the school year brings anticipation and excitement for many students—and sometimes a little relief for parents and caregivers! For students with disabilities and their families, excitement about new friends and a new classroom is often tempered with apprehension:

• Will my child receive the accommodations she needs? 
• Will her new teacher understand my child's special needs? 
• Will my child continue to build on the success she achieved last year? 

In this newsletter, we offer tips for approaching the new school year to ensure a productive school year.

New School Year, New Start

• Gather Your Child's School Records 

 It's helpful to keep copies of all school records: cumulative records, grades, progress reports, tardies/absences, special education records, health records, discipline records, and any others that may be kept by the district. You'll also want copies of any assessments your child has taken and your child's IEP/504 plan.

If you don't have a good set of records, write a letter to request "any and all" records, so that your files are up to date. In California, the school district must provide records to you within five business days. For those of you who don't live in California, check with your localParent Training & Information Center.

Once you've received copies of your child's records, organize them by date. This will help you to see trends and identify which accommodations and strategies have worked for your child in the past.

When shopping for school supplies pick up a binder and anything that will help you to keep the records organized.

Read more HERE.

Your IEP Roadmap: Education Pathways for Your Child

From the National Center for Learning Disabilities

An Individualized Education Program (IEP) is the first stop on the road after determining your child’s eligibility under the IDEA 2004. That road can be hard to navigate without guidance, so we've produced a roadmap to guide you.

This thorough graphic gives a visual and easy-to-use overview of the IEP process, from intervention and evaluation to classification and planning accommodations. You'll see the different pathways you and your child can take, including developing an IEP or 504 Plan.

Read more HERE.

Ed. Dept. Finds Areas to Improve in Review of Common-Core Test Accessibility

Both of the consortia tasked with creating assessments for the Common Core State Standards have made progress but need to work on accommodations and accessibility, according to a recent technical review conducted by the U.S. Department of Education.

The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, or PARCC, should consider expanding the training it provides test-item writers in the area of accessibility and accommodations, the department review panel wrote in a recently-released memo. PARCC, which comprises 21 states and the District of Columbia, recently released the first edition of its accommodations and accessibility manual, which is meant to guide school teams in figuring out the type of test assistance that is appropriate for students with disabilities. Technical reviewers from the Education Department said they appreciated seeing the manual.

The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, made up of 25 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands, was told that it should increase the involvement of special education experts in the test development process. The consortium was praised for incorporating universal design into the item writing process.

Read more of Christina Samuels' On Special Education article HERE.

Common Core Test Group Seeks Comment on Writing-Support Accommodation

A 23-state assessment consortium is looking for feedback on another piece of the test-accommodations manual it is drafting, this time focusing on proposed policies for the use of scribes and word-prediction software.

The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, or PARCC, is one of two groups that is creating tests for the Common Core State Standards. Earlier this month, public comment closed on two other draft policies, relating to the accommodations such as human read-aloud and calculators. The policies will eventually be included in a comprehensive "accommodations manual" that will guide schools and districts in how to administer the tests.

The scribe accommodation proposal says that scribes--a human or device that records what a student dictates--should only be used for:

•A student with a physical disability that impedes the motor process of writing, or,
•A student with a disability that significantly impacts the area of written expression.

The proposal goes on to state: "For students identified with a disability that significantly impacts the area of written expression, to be eligible for the scribe accommodation, a student must also meet the following conditions: Student receives ongoing, research-based interventions for written expression, as deemed appropriate by the [individualized education program] team and indicated as a specific instructional goal in the student's IEP; and student only has access to written expression during routine instruction through the use of a scribe, outside of time spent in direct writing instruction." 

Read more of Christina Samuel's On Special Education article HERE.

Accommodations in an IEP are just as important as Services

By Dennise Goldberg from Special Education Advisor Blog

When we talk about IEP’s, many times we focus on what services a school should be providing; however, the appropriate accommodations are just as important for children with disabilities. Many of them struggle with staying on task in school, completing homework assignments, remembering to turn in homework assignments, have difficulty understanding the material, etc…and the list goes on and on. A simple accommodation in an IEP could help a child become a successful student.

For example, let’s look at what happens when a child has difficulty staying on task; basically, a short attention span. I receive phone calls about this all the time from parents and the first question I ask is “where does your child sit in class?” Some parents do not know the answer; others might say the class is quite crowded and their child sits in the back or off to the side. I cannot stress how important it is for students who struggle with focus to sit at the front of the class or close proximity to the teacher. The further away from the teacher, the greater the chance the student will not be paying attention in class. This can prevent daydreaming, doodling or any other type of distraction. If this accommodation is not written in your child’s IEP, make sure you add it….if it’s there, make sure the teacher is following it! It will make a huge difference in their ability to pay attention in class.

Read more HERE.

Educational placements from Least Restrictive to Most Restrictive

By Dennise Goldberg from Special Education Advisor

Least Restrictive Environment is defined as “In General. To the maximum extent appropriate, children with disabilities, including children in public or private institutions or other care facilities, are educated with children who are not disabled, and special classes, separate schooling, or other removal of children with disabilities from the regular educational environment occurs only when the nature or severity of the disability of a child is such that education in regular classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily” 20 U.S.C § 1412(a)(5)(A). Below is list of educational placements from least restrictive to most restrictive:

1. General Education (Only accommodations no additional services)

Students with disabilities are educated with students without disabilities, to the maximum extent possible.

Read more HERE.