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CASE
There are so many things I could write about but frankly, I have to feel a bit "inspired" to write about it. This week has been one of trying to catch up from 3 back to back trips in July. But my telephones are not ringing much — why? Well, because everyone is so busy getting school started! Outside of May, this has to be the busiest time for special education administrators. I hope all your special training is going well for your teachers and staff — with equal parts of inspiration and quality content. I hope you are making sure they know about their professional organization, CEC and the divisions that can provide specific help to them as they traverse the year! I know I received so much support from my local CEC chapter when I first moved into the field of Special Education! Do you have a local chapter? If not, why not think about starting one! The local chapter can provide many of the things research shows improves teacher retention and satisfaction like camaraderie, support from fellow teachers, professional development geared to specific needs and more. If you need help in starting a local chapter, CEC has resources and I would be delighted to help in any way I could! Can you tell I feel passionately about the local chapter? I see it as a way to develop teacher leaders and that is good for all of us! The local special education administrators are critical in the encouragement and development of our teaching corps and one of the best resources you have to accomplish that is the local CEC chapter! Another benefit of strong local chapters is how much they then assist in creating a strong state or provincial CEC unit! I know how much I gained from my leadership roles at our local chapter 878 and how very much I learned from my engagement with the GA CEC and GA CCBD organizations. Make this the year you take the leadership in strengthening or starting a local chapter — your students will have better teachers for your efforts!
Speaking of resources... Just as our teachers need encouragement, mentors, networking and new content, so do special education administrators! What better place to meet all those needs than the CASE Fall Conference?! Our PD chair and committee have been working hard to make the 2018 CASE Fall conference one of the best ever! Now is the perfect time to register for the CASE Fall conference. This is a very tentative schedule, but it shows what an amazing set of breakout sessions you will have to choose from! I have already mentioned three of our keynote speakers in past articles: Assistant Secretary Johnny Collette, Dr. John Draper, and author John O'Connor but I hope you will look at this tentative schedule and see how many sessions you are going to want to attend. The biggest decision will be which ones you want to attend but cannot be in two or three places at one time — so, maybe you should bring a couple of your staff to take up the slack! So why not register now so you can join us in Biloxi, Mississippi, on Nov. 8-10! Don't forget to also make your room reservation! You can get more information from the CASE website.
Speaking of great resources to help you with all you have on your plate... The Council for Exceptional Children has an exciting new resource that CEC contributed to developing: The High-Leverage Practices Video Series. The video series supports teacher educators and new teachers with concrete, easy-to-access examples of High-Leverage Practices in action, in real classrooms with real students. The videos and supporting resources are easily and freely accessible online, offering a practical, real-world illustration of HLPs by teachers intentionally and explicitly using the practice to meet the specific needs of students in their classrooms. HLP videos highlight research-based practices that are captured in settings that resonate with diverse contexts, subject areas, grade levels and student needs. Moreover, the videos demonstrate practices across levels of intensity.
Again, this week's poll generated a lot of responses — and we are still discussing Dispro! The question for this week was "Does your state uses a risk ratio to determine disproportionality?" First place with 64 percent was Yes. At second place with 21 percent was Don't Know. Last place with 14 percent was No. I am hoping those who answered "don't know" are retirees, consultants, or vendors! If you are a local director, I hope you will check with your colleagues in the neighboring counties, your CASE affiliate, or someone real soon to find out. Last week I told you how very important this issue is and our CASE President Wolfram has appointed an Ad Hoc committee to work on the topic. With that in mind, we are already setting up three Cracker-barrel sessions during our Fall conference to have open discussions on how this plays out differently in the various states and provinces. This is important work and we really need to hear from our members on various areas such do you think the risk ratio method works well for your district ... If you have any thoughts or examples, please share them on the CASE Facebook page or email them to our Policy Chair, Dr. Kevin Rubenstein or to Laurie VanderPloeg.
So, as you think about ways to help hang on to your teachers this school year, I hope you will consider how much CEC has to offer to your teachers and encourage them to join! If you want materials for your teachers, contact Judy Harrison at CEC and I am sure she will be glad to send some your way! And I guess I should say, if you are not a member of CEC and CASE, now is the perfect time to join! If you are a lapsed member, you should have gotten a special offer from CEC and CASE to rejoin so go back and look up that email and see what benefits CEC and CASE hold for you and your teachers! Here's hoping you have a great 2018-2019 school term!
Luann Purcell
Executive Director
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CASE
This regular update highlights new legal developments of major significance of special education leaders.
As a service to CASE members, this periodic legal alert provides, as a two-column table, highlights (on the left) and practical implications (on the right) of major new legal developments. The monthly update for this issue.
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University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Behavior contracting is a positive, goal-oriented method to motivate, monitor, and change student behavior. A behavior contract is a written contract between a student and a teacher or administrator specifying behavioral expectations. Expectations should be set through a collaborative meeting with necessary members (e.g., teacher(s), administrator(s), and the student). The use of positive rewards for meeting expectations is essential, and punishments for not meeting expectations should be avoided. Research on this strategy has demonstrated that it is a cost-effective, proactive intervention that serves as a positive alternative to suspension for student misbehavior.
Click on the following link for more information on Behavior Contracting: (http://k12engagement.unl.edu/behavior-contracting). Then click on the red button to download the pdf and read more. Find Strategy Briefs on over forty other topics at: http://k12engagement.unl.edu.
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Federal Register
The Department of Education is issuing a notice inviting applications for fiscal year 2018 for the School Climate Transformation Grant Program — State Educational Agency Grants, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance number 84.184F.
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Special Olympics
At the heart of every person's passion for Special Olympics is a story: a reason and a driving force for why one is so invested in inclusion. This story may be of a sibling, a child, a family member, a friend or even a complete stranger. For many teachers, that inspiring force comes from the students.
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Learning Ally
Each year, Learning Ally receives hundreds of nominations for three endowed scholarships to recognize exemplary students for their academic and personal achievements. The organization also recognizes U.S. teachers who go the extra mile to ensure that all struggling readers with learning disabilities rise to their academic potential and life pursuits through access to human-read audiobooks. Any Learning Ally student member or teacher who meets the eligibility criteria may submit an application to a national selection committee who oversees the application review process. The winners of the three award programs receive a financial scholarship and public recognition.
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The WJ IV Interpretation and Instructional Interventions Program (WIIIP) provides personalized interventions and accommodations based on an individual’s Woodcock-Johnson® IV and ECAD results. MORE
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National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges has published the Trauma-Informed Classrooms Technical Assistance Bulletin.
The impact of students' life experiences on their behavior has garnered increasing attention as schools strive to develop more supportive academic environments that address the needs of at-risk youth and facilitate continued academic engagement. Few events outside the classroom have as profound an impact on multiple domains of student development as traumatic life experiences. Traumatic events can include domestic violence, abuse and neglect, school violence, loss of loved ones, and community violence, just to name a few. The range of student responses to trauma can vary from yelling to isolation. Students who have experienced trauma often have a distorted perception of the world and sense of not being safe. Creating an environment that fosters resilience and offers support to students who may experience a traumatic life event can potentially prevent unwanted disruptive behaviors in the classroom.
This technical assistance bulletin provides a basic understanding of the impact of trauma and adverse life experiences, how those experiences can impact behavior in the classroom, learning how to recognize trauma, and strategies for creating trauma-informed classrooms.
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NCII
NCII Tools Charts Launch: New Academic and Behavior Screening Tools Charts
NCII is pleased to announce the release of new tools charts on Academic Screening and Behavior Screening! These charts represent the results of the first annual review of screening tools by the Center's Technical Review Committees. To assist educators and families in becoming informed consumers who can select screening tools that best meet their individual needs, the charts provide ratings on the technical adequacy of commercially available screening tools that can be used to identify students who require intensive intervention due to persistent academic or behavioral problems. Interested in submitting a screening tool? The next call for submissions of screening tools will open later this month. All interested vendors are encouraged to submit.
Upcoming Webinar, July 25: The Taxonomy of Intervention Intensity: A Case Example for Building Intervention Intensity in Reading
Interested in learning more about how to systematically intensify intervention supports for students struggling with reading? Join Meagan Walsh, M.Ed., and Lynn Fuchs, Ph.D., July 25 from 3-4:15 p.m. ET for the second webinar focused on Taxonomy of Intervention Intensity. In this webinar, they will provide a brief overview of the dimensions for evaluating and building intervention intensity and share a detailed case study illustrating how a teacher used the taxonomy to deliver data-based individualized instruction in reading comprehension. Click here to register. An archived version of the webinar will be available on the website, along with the first webinar in the Taxonomy series focused on math.
New Teaming Resource: NCII and PBIS Release New Resource to Ensure IEP Teams Provide the Most Intensive Support
NCII and the Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports recently released a new resource focused on teaming. Teams are a vital part of multi-tiered system of supports and special education. Despite this, many educators struggle to conceptualize the connections across various teams. This new resource discusses how DBI can be used to ensure IEP implementation and presents a table illustrating examples of teaming structures across the tiers of an MTSS framework as well as for IEP teams. View the resource.
Voices from the Field
Q&A with University of Central Florida's Project Bridges Leaders
Ensuring educators have the knowledge, competencies, and skills to implement intensive intervention is essential! In this two-part question and answer series, Drs. Mary Little, Cynthia Pearl, and Dena Salanda share their experiences and lessons learned from the University of Central Florida's Project Bridges. Project Bridges is an Office of Special Education Programs-funded personnel preparation grant with the goal of recruiting high-quality graduate students to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to meet the academic and behavioral needs of students with severe and/or persistent learning or behavioral challenges.
What's Special about Special Education? Ask Bristol Warren Regional School District
On May 30, 2018, special educators from the Bristol Warren Regional School District in Rhode Island were recognized for completing a two-year pilot of four rigorous courses delivered with innovative technology focused on implementing intensive intervention using DBI in reading, math, and behavior. The pilot — a collaboration between the school district, the University of Connecticut, and NCII, with support from the Rhode Island Department of Education — has not only led to improved special education services, but has also helped students to close the achievement gap. In one school year, 78 percent of students receiving intervention reached ambitious growth goals set using national norms. Additionally, by implementing more efficient, data-driven process within response to intervention and DBI, 30 percent of students were exited from any kind of intervention! Leslie Anderson, Director of Pupil Personnel Services for the District, stated, "Our special educators' focus on intensive intervention has made them better teachers. They unanimously agree!" Stay tuned to learn more about the pilot and the roll out of the intensive intervention courses.
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NCII
The National Center on Intensive Intervention (NCII) is excited to announce that they have recently released an updated version of intensiveintervention.org. The website changes are intended to help users more easily find tools and resources to learn about and support the implementation of intensive intervention. The website includes:
- A new interactive section "What is Intensive Intervention" designed to walk through the steps of the data-based individualization (DBI) process,
- Pages specific to different audiences including state and local leaders, trainers and coaches, educators and higher education faculty.
- Revised pages that highlight sample lessons and activities for literacy, math, and behavior and spotlight implementation tools to guide fidelity, readiness, coaching, engaging with parents and families and more.
- A new feature "Voices from The Field" sharing lessons from research and implementation.
- An improved search that includes filtering and keyword search.
If you have questions or difficulty finding resources, have suggestions for resources that would help you to support implementation, or would like to be featured as part of voices from the field, contact NCII at ncii@air.org or @TheNCII.
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CEC Policy Insider
CEC's Policy Insider will be on hiatus for the month of August. We will be back in your inbox Sept. 12.
| | HOT TOPIC: SUBJECT LINE FEATURED STORY |
Disability Scoop
Federal officials say that fewer than half of states are adequately meeting their obligations to serve students with disabilities under special education law. Just 21 states received the "meets requirements" designation in an annual compliance review conducted by the U.S. Department of Education. The remaining states were labeled "needs assistance" with the exception of Michigan and Washington, D.C. which were classified in the more dire category of "needs intervention."
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U.S. News & World Report
Poor school systems across the country are being left to wither as wealthier districts shut the door on their cash-strapped neighbors, and states are doing little to stop it, a new report finds. Because schools are funded in large part by local property taxes, they are vulnerable to the same economic swings as the communities in which they are located. When things go south, many states do little to ensure the struggling districts that can no longer afford to operate schools are absorbed by their more well-heeled neighboring districts.
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THE Journal
A mammoth report by RAND and the American Institutes for Research laid out in excruciating detail the mix of outcomes for the "Intensive Partnerships for Effective Teaching" initiative, designed and funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. There was no discernible change in the effectiveness of newly hired teachers; low-income and minority students didn't gain greater access to effective teachers; and there were no improvements in student outcomes, such as increased graduation rates.
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Education Week (commentary)
Christina Samuels, a contributor for Education Week, writes: "A year ago, I wrote about a project designed to show what special education teachers should know and be able to do. The Council for Exceptional Children and the federally-supported Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability and Reform, also known as CEEDAR, came up with 22 "high-leverage practices" spread across four domains that should be mastered by newly-minted special education teachers."
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By: Susan Winebrenner (commentary)
 You have undoubtedly noticed that only some of your students enthusiastically dig in to their schoolwork and seem motivated to get their work done. Learning standards are actually not written for specific grade levels! They are aimed at the perceived learning abilities of the students in the middle of achievement expectations for typical learners of a certain age in a targeted grade. So, the truth is that the students who are not being productive are "located" at both ends of the learning continuum. Those kids who are "not doing or handing in their work" are the target groups for this article.
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NPR
Have you ever paid your kid for good grades? Have you driven to school to drop off a forgotten assignment? Have you done a college student's laundry? What about coming along to Junior's first job interview? These examples are drawn from two bestselling books — "How to Raise an Adult" by Julie Lythcott-Haims and "The Gift of Failure" by Jessica Lahey. Both are by women writing from their experiences as parents and as educators.
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Education World
Looking for a way to calm those first-day-of-school jitters — for your students and yourself? Why not try an "icebreaker"? Icebreakers, fun activities to help students get to know one another and their teachers, can ease those first-day nerves and get the school year off to a great start. Some teachers prefer to jump right into classroom rules and instruction. Icebreakers, they say, are a waste of good instructional time. Most teachers recognize the potential of icebreakers, though. Icebreakers can help teachers get to know their students. They can reveal who the class leaders might be, what skills and special abilities students possess, and how well students might work together.
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eSchool News
Excused absences, unexcused absences, suspensions — all contribute to chronic absenteeism, which is defined as missing 10 percent or more school days per year. While the causes vary, chronic absenteeism is now viewed as a warning sign that something within a school or student's life needs to be addressed to keep learning on track.
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NPR
Rates of anxiety and depression among teens in the U.S. have been rising for years. According to one study, nearly one in three adolescents (ages 13-18) now meets the criteria for an anxiety disorder, and in the latest results from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 32 percent of teens reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness. And there's more bad news, grown-ups: The authors of two new parenting books believe you're part of the problem.
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Education World
Visualizing text is a proven way to improve reading comprehension. It is a technique that can be taught using this simple, step-by-step strategy from literacy consultant Cathy Puett Miller. Included: Tips and resources for developing students' comprehension skills.
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Education Week
The overrepresentation of women in the teaching workforce is likely not negatively affecting boys' achievement, argues a new brief from the Brookings Institution's Brown Center on Education Policy. The brief is part of a series examining teacher diversity in the United States, with a specific focus on underrepresentation of teachers of color. Research has long demonstrated that the lack of racial diversity in the teaching force hurts students of color.
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Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP)
Name: Applications for New Awards; Educational Technology, Media, and Materials for Individuals With Disabilities--Center on Early Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Learning for Young Children With Disabilities
Type: Applications for New Awards
Summary: The Department of Education (Department) is issuing a notice inviting applications for a new award for fiscal year (FY) 2018 for Educational Technology, Media, and Materials for Individuals with Disabilities—Center on Early Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Learning for Young Children with Disabilities, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number 84.327G.
Date: Applications Available: June 29, 2018.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 30, 2018.
FR Link: https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2018-14083
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Name: Applications for New Awards; Educational Technology, Media, and Materials for Individuals with Disabilities-Center on Technology Systems in Local Educational Agencies
Type: Applications for New Awards
Summary:
The Department of Education (Department) is issuing a notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2018 for Educational Technology, Media, and Materials for Individuals with Disabilities—Center on Technology Systems in Local Educational Agencies, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number 84.327T.
Date:
Applications Available: July 10, 2018
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: August 9, 2018
FR Link: https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2018-14692
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Name: Applications for New Awards; Personnel Development to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities-Associate Degree Preservice Program Improvement Grants to Support Personnel Working with Young Children with Disabilities
Type: Applications for New Awards
Summary:
The Department of Education is issuing a notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2018 for Personnel Development to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities—Associate Degree Preservice Program Improvement Grants to Support Personnel Working with Young Children with Disabilities, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number 84.325N.
Date:
Applications Available: July 13, 2018
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: August 13, 2018
FR Link: https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2018-15055
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Name: Applications for New Awards; Technical Assistance and Dissemination To Improve Services and Results for Children With Disabilities-Model Demonstration Projects To Improve Academic Outcomes of Students With Intellectual Disabilities in Elementary and Middle School
Type: Applications for New Awards
Summary:
The Department of Education is issuing a notice inviting applications for a new award for fiscal year (FY) 2018 for Technical Assistance and Dissemination to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities—Model Demonstration Projects to Improve Academic Outcomes of Students with Intellectual Disabilities in Elementary and Middle School, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number 84.326M.
Date:
Applications Available: July 13, 2018
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: August 13, 2018
FR Link: https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2018-15054
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Name: Applications for New Awards; Training and Information for Parents of Children With Disabilities-Technical Assistance for Parent Centers
Type: Applications for New Awards
Summary: The Department of Education (Department) is issuing a notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2018 for Training and Information for Parents of Children with Disabilities—Technical Assistance for Parent Centers, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number 84.328R.
Date:
Applications Available: July 24, 2018
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: August 23, 2018
FR Link: https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2018-15832
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Name: Applications for New Awards; Personnel Development to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities-Preparation of Special Education, Early Intervention, and Related Services Leadership Personnel
Type: Applications for New Awards
Summary: The Department of Education is issuing a notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2018 for Personnel Development to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities—Preparation of Special Education, Early Intervention, and Related Services Leadership Personnel, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number 84.325D.
Date:
Applications Available: June 13, 2018
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 30, 2018
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: September 26, 2018
FR Link: https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2018-12717
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Name: Applications for New Awards; Personnel Development To Improve Services and Results for Children With Disabilities-Interdisciplinary Preparation in Special Education, Early Intervention, and Related Services for Personnel Serving Children With Disabilities Who Have High-Intensity Needs
Type: Applications for New Awards
Summary: The Department of Education (Department) is issuing a notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2018 for Personnel Development to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities—Interdisciplinary Preparation in Special Education, Early Intervention, and Related Services for Personnel Serving Children with Disabilities who have High-Intensity Needs, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number 84.325K.
Date:
Applications Available: June 13, 2018
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 30, 2018
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: September 26, 2018
FR Link: https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2018-12718
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