MDUSD Community Advisory Committee for Special Education Meeting- Tuesday May 1st

CAC Meeting
Tuesday Night
May 1st at 7 p.m.
Dent Center
1936 Carlotta Dr., Concord
All welcomed! Bring a friend!

Top Ten Common Questions About Special Education

By Dennise Goldberg from Special Education Advisor

1. What is the special education law that can help my child with a disability?

The foundation of today’s special education law was passed in 1975 and enacted in 1977. This was Public Law 94-142, The Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975. In 1990 EHA was renamed to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act or IDEA. IDEA was most recently reauthorized in 2004. The Purpose of IDEA is to ensure that all children with disabilities have available to them a free appropriate public education or FAPE that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs and prepare them for further education, employment and independent living.

It’s important to note that the law only guarantees an appropriate education and not the best education. Best is a four letter word and Parents should learn to replace it with the word appropriate when discussing their child’s special education needs.

With regard to IDEA a free appropriate public education means an education at public expense, under public supervision, that meets the state’s education standards and complies with the Child’s IEP.

Read more HERE.

Peer-Reviewed Research & Research Based Instruction

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) when reauthorized in 2004 introduced the concept of Research Based Instruction. This was done in order to align the regulations with the No Child Left Behind Act and to hold Schools more accountable for the lack of progress children with disabilities were making in their classrooms.

Congress, in their findings, determined, “the implementation of this title (IDEA) has been impeded by low expectations, and an insufficient focus on applying replicable research on proven methods of teaching and learning for children with disabilities.”

With these findings in mind congress added to IDEA that all Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) must include, “a statement of the special education and related services and supplementary aids and services, based on peer-reviewed research to the extent practicable, to be provided to the child, or on behalf of the child, and a statement of the program modifications or supports for school personnel that will be provided for the child”

The first problem with this addition was IDEA did not define the term “peer-reviewed research” anywhere in the regulations. This created a number of requests for clarification which was addressed in the Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 156 Page 46664:

“Peer-reviewed research” generally refers to research that is reviewed by qualified and independent reviewers to ensure that the quality of the information meets the standards of the field before the research is published. However, there is no single definition of ‘‘peer reviewed research’’ because the review process varies depending on the type of information to be reviewed. We believe it is beyond the scope of these regulations to include a specific definition of ‘‘peer-reviewed research’’ and the various processes used for peer reviews.

Read more of Doug Goldberg's Special Education Advisor article HERE.

Highly Qualified Teacher in Special Education

By Dennise Goldberg from Special Education Advisor Blog

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 2004 added a qualification requirement for special education teachers to be “highly qualified” to align with The Elementary and Secondary Education Act, also known as No Child Left Behind. Every Parent should understand what it means to be “highly qualified” and has the right to request the qualifications of any of your child’s Teachers.

Based on the U.S. Department of Education Fact Sheet on Highly Qualified Teachers under the Know Child Left Behind Act:

• Highly Qualified Teachers: To be deemed highly qualified, teachers must have: 1) a bachelor’s degree, 2) full state certification or licensure, and 3) prove that they know each subject they teach.

• State Requirements: NCLB requires states to 1) measure the extent to which all students have highly qualified teachers, particularly minority and disadvantaged students, 2) adopt goals and plans to ensure all teachers are highly qualified and, 3) publicly report plans and progress in meeting teacher quality goals.

• Demonstration of Competency: Teachers (in middle and high school) must prove that they know the subject they teach with: 1) a major in the subject they teach, 2) credits equivalent to a major in the subject, 3) passage of a state-developed test, 4) HOUSSE (for current teachers only, see below), 5) an advanced certification from the state, or 6) a graduate degree.

• High, Objective, Uniform State Standard of Evaluation (HOUSSE): NCLB allows states to develop an additional way for current teachers to demonstrate subject-matter competency and meet highly qualified teacher requirements. Proof may consist of a combination of teaching experience, professional development, and knowledge in the subject garnered over time in the profession.

IDEA defines highly qualified to mean:

(A) In General. For any special education teacher, the term ‘highly qualified’ has the meaning given the term in Section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, except that such term also-

(i) includes the requirements described in subparagraph (B); and

(ii) includes the option for teachers to meet the requirements of Section 9101 of such Act by meeting the requirements of subparagraph (C) or (D).

Read complete article HERE.

Inclusive Approach For Special Students Pays Off For All At Hub Elementary

At the Henderson school, where up to 35 percent of the 228 students have a disability, there are two certified teachers in every classroom — one in general, elementary education and one in special education. The school’s academic philosophy is that “it’s not the students who are disabled, but the curriculum,’’ and that it is the job of teachers and administrators to help students learn through digital textbook readers, visual arts, or movement.

Read Akilah Johnson's Boston Globe article HERE

Advisory Commission on Special Education (ACSE) Meeting Agenda From CDE

The next scheduled meeting is March 24th at 10 a.m.
Find agendas and link to live coverage HERE.

Comments on Gov. Brown's Budget

Here are some sites for coverage and commentary regarding Gov. Brown's Budget:

Contra Costa Times: The governor's promise to spare K-12 education from cuts in his budget places a heavy burden on schools because it is contingent on a tax extension that isn't guaranteed.

San Jose Mercury News

California School Boards Association: Under this proposal, mental health services for special education students that are mandated by AB 3632 would be paid with Proposition 63 funds in 2011-12. After that, they would be funded from the Local Revenue Fund and the state General Fund.

MDUSD Board of Education Member, Sherry Whitmarsh's Blog

What are your thoughts?

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson Issued Statement on Gov. Brown's Proposed Budget for the 2011-12 Fiscal Year

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson issued the following statement today on Governor Brown's proposed budget for the 2011-12 fiscal year:
"The Governor made good on his word to make tough decisions. Unfortunately, this budget extends the financial emergency facing California's schools.

Read more HERE

Governor Jerry Brown Presents Proposed Budget

Governor Jerry Brown released a balanced state budget today that slashes spending by $12.5 billion, including an eight to 10 percent cut in take-home pay for most state employees, and proposes a “vast and historic” restructuring of government operations.
See more at CA.Gov HERE
See budget HERE
See video of the presentation HERE

National Centre For Excellence Supporting Young People With Autism

The Pears National Centre for Autism Education was developed over several years with parent-founded charity, The Tree House Trust, and is the first of its kind in the UK offering not only an 80 place school, but a national training centre and administrative workspace for the Trust which aims to increase the nationwide quantity and quality of autism education provision.

Read more HERE.

East Bay Business/Education Leadership Summit

East Bay Business/Education Leadership Summit:
Education, Innovation & East Bay's Economy
January 11, 2011
Hilton Concord
7:15 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
More details HERE

Reminder: CAC Meeting - Monday Evening (Tonight)

Community Advisory Committee (CAC) Meeting

When: January 3, 2011 at 7 p.m.
Where: Dent Center Board Room, 1936 Carlotta Drive, Concord, CA 94519

All welcomed. Bring a friend!

Newspaper Examines Special Education Funding

The Asbury Park Press, in New Jersey, recently published an article that took a good, overall look at how school districts are struggling to reduce special education costs.

Read Christina Samuels’ article in On Special Education HERE

DREDF Special EDition - Online Resources

This article provides information about online sources on special education. Read HERE.

Twice-Exceptional Resource Manual

How should teachers and parents tend to the unique needs of a student who has a disability AND is gifted? How do you even identify such children? The Colorado Department of Education has produced a 118-page handbook (pdf) with information on these children, often referred to as "twice-exceptional," or "2e" for short. The audience for this handbook appears to be teachers and parents. (See Christina Samuel’s On Special Education article Here )

Join the California Special Education Advisory Committee

Did you know that there is a Special Education Advisory Committee that advises the California Department of Education's Office of Administrative Hearing? The committee provides non-binding recommendations to the Office of Administrative Hearings for improvements to the special education hearing and mediation process. Examples of areas the committee advises on are: revisions to the OAH website, forms, documents, scheduling procedures, staff training, training materials, the parent procedure manual, the consumer brochure, outreach to families, and proposed revisions to laws and rules.

The Office of Administrative Hearings is now accepting applications to join the Advisory Committee. Membership on the committee is voluntary and each committee member serves a one year term. New applications are accepted each May. To apply for Advisory Committee membership, please submit the completed and signed application, as well as a statement of interest outlining your experience and other reasons why you wish to serve as a member of the Advisory Committee. Applications are due by the close of business on May 28, 2010.

The Advisory Committee is composed of two regions, the Southern California Region and the Northern California Region and meets twice per year. One meeting is held in each region in October and April. Advisory Committee members are expected to attend their regional meeting in October and April and may be consulted between meetings. All meetings are open to the public and a period of public comment will be included at each meeting. Our regions' meetings are held held in Sacramento at the California Department of Education, 1430 N Street, Room 1101.

Further information on the role of the Advisory Committee is contained in the Scope of Work between the California Department of Education and the Office of Administrative Hearings. Information on past activities of the committee can be found HERE. Meetings are also broadcast by live webcast.