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In early October, Education Secretary Arne Duncan stated that Learning Disability / Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Awareness Month is an important period of awareness across our country for the one in five public school students who experience learning disabilities and attention issues. Emphasizing that supporting students with learning disabilities so that they may thrive in school is a critical responsibility each of us shares if we are to help all students achieve their dreams.
Later in the month, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitiative Services (OSERS) Assistant Secretary, Michael Yudin, issued new policy guidance clarifying that there is nothing in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) that would prohibit the use of the terms dyslexia, dyscalculia, and dysgraphia in IDEA evaluation, eligibility determinations or Individualized Education Plan (IEP) documents. [PDF available here]
On September 25, the Department released updated guidance regarding the criteria and process for demonstrating that statewide assessment systems meet the requirements of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended. The guidance recognizes State efforts to refine and improve their State-developed standards and create an assessment system that supports student learning, and is aligned to those standards as part of a broader strategy to ensure that all students graduate from high school prepared for college and careers.
The updated guidance, along with the corresponding peer review process to be conducted using panels of educators and assessment experts from outside ED, will help determine whether assessment systems meet the requirements of the ESEA. The Department will initiate peer review sessions in late January, late March, and May 2016. States are encouraged to contact their Office of State Support program officer by November 18, 2015 to express interest in the peer review of the State’s assessment system.
On October 26, President Obama issued an open
letter to parents and teachers and Facebook
video about student testing. “I’ve asked the Department of Education
to work aggressively with states and school districts to make sure that any
tests we use in our classroom meet three basic principles,” he said.
“First, our kids should only take tests that are worth taking -- tests that are
high quality, aimed at good instruction, and make sure everyone is on
track. Second, tests should not occupy too much classroom time or crowd
out teaching and learning. Third, tests should be just one source of
information, and we should use classroom work, surveys, and other key factors
to give us an all-around look at how students and schools are doing.”
Later that day, Secretary Duncan and incoming Acting Secretary King
joined a panel hosted by the Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS).
The event featured the release of “Student
Testing in America’s Great City Schools: Where Do We Go From Here?”
-- CGCS’s two-year study on the frequency of student testing. CGCS released recommendations with the
report that call for retaining current annual tests in core subjects but
eliminating tests that are either redundant or low quality (video). While asserting that schools should still have a way to assess student performance at least once per year, Secretary Duncan has acknowledged that federal policy had partially created the over-testing problem by encouraging states to evaluate teachers in part on test scores.
This push corresponds with a fact sheet released on October 23, outlining core principles for fewer and smarter assessments, Administration actions to reduce over-testing, and examples of State and local leadership in reducing over-testing and calls on Congress to reduce over-testing via reauthorization the ESEA.
“Research confirms what every parent knows: that the first five years of a child’s life matter greatly in determining what sort of adult he is likely to become…That’s why President Obama and I believe we must expand access to high-quality early childhood education.”
- Secretary Arne Duncan
The Department has ramped-up efforts in early learning with the recent joint secretarial statement released in support of inclusion, and debut of new early learning webpage. The site, which houses resources for administrators, educators, students, parents and community members, states that teachers and students deserve school environments that are safe, supportive, and conducive to teaching and learning. Creating a supportive school climate—and decreasing suspensions and expulsions—requires close attention to the social, emotional, and behavioral needs of all students.
In September, the Departments of Education and Health and Human Services released a report
showing Race to
the Top-Early Learning Challenge states are rapidly improving the quality
of early learning programs while enrolling more children, especially from low-
and moderate-income families, in the highest-quality programs. The report
comes from the annual
performance reviews for the 20 states that have received more than $1
billion in Race to the Top grants since 2011. These reviews capture the
successes achieved and obstacles overcome by states in the last year.
Other recent early learning publications include an annotated bibliography
covering early childhood suspension and expulsion is now available
on the Center On Enhancing Early Learning Outcomes website. It
identifies selected research studies and federal and state policy resources on
early childhood suspension, expulsion, and discipline and what can be done to
prevent these practices.
In the same vein, OSERS Assistant Secretary Michael Yudin expanded on the #RethinkDiscipline campaign on October 15, convening national experts for an online discussion about the use of suspensions and expulsions in early childhood settings, and local efforts to end the use of exclusionary discipline for young children.
The following notice published in the Federal Register October 9, 2015: OSERS/OSEP -- Personnel Development to Improve
Services and Results for Children with Disabilities -- Preparation of Special
Education, Early Intervention, and Related Services Leadership Personnel (CFDA
No. 84.325D).
Purpose of Program: The purposes of this program are to (1) help address State-identified needs for personnel preparation in special education, early intervention, related services, and regular education to work with children, including infants and toddlers, with disabilities; and (2) ensure that those personnel have the necessary skills and knowledge, derived from practices that have been determined through scientifically based research and experience, to be successful in serving those children.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: December 8,
2015.
The notice can be reviewed at the Federal Register
Web site.
The following notice was published in the Federal Register October 15, 2015: OSERS/OSEP -- Personnel
Development to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities --
Personnel Preparation in Special Education, Early Intervention, and Related
Services (CFDA No. 84.325K).
Purpose of Program: The purposes of this program are to (1) help address State-identified needs for personnel preparation in special education, early intervention, related services, and regular education to work with children, including infants and toddlers, with disabilities; and (2) ensure that those personnel have the necessary skills and knowledge, derived from practices that have been determined through scientifically based research and experience, to be successful in serving those children.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: December
14, 2015.
The notice can be reviewed at the Federal
Register Web site.
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Dear Leaders,
October was a busy month here at the Department of Education. We reflected on progress made to improve outcomes for children and youth with disabilities and their families, recognizing Learning Disabilities and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (LD/ADHD) Awareness Month, and working with the White House to strengthen and increase accessibility to resources for families of students with disabilities. I am consistently inspired by those affected by LD/ADHD and was able to capture some incredible perspectives on life as a "different thinker" in my most recent post to the OSERS blog.
We also learned that US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will be stepping down from his post this year. My very best wishes and sincerest gratitude go out to Arne for his leadership and service to our nation's youth these many years. I'm also very excited for our Deputy Secretary, lifelong teacher Dr. John King to take up the mantle. We are certainly in good hands!
This month is shaping up to be just as exciting as the last. On November 16-17, OSERS will celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Keep your eye on the OSERS website, blog and twitter for details on streaming the IDEA 40th events, and your chance to take part in our celebration of inclusion, equity, and opportunity since the law's enactment.
Finally, please mark your calendars for another event this month, the Federal Partners in Transition Webinar. The
event will focus on post-secondary transition
activities for students and youth with disabilities, and is designed to help prepare youth for careers. Educational practices, career development and employment strategies, and benefits
counseling will be presented, illuminating a wide variety of federally funded resources. Please join us on November 10 for this collaborative event. You can register here through November 9.
Keep up the great work and stay cozy!
Best,
Melody
In the ongoing effort focusing on the services, needs and outcomes of children and youth with disabilities and their families, the OSERS transition team has developed the 2015 Transition Data Fact Sheet as a quick reference to inform OSERS staff and the transition community about critical data areas related to the transition of youth with disabilities from school activities to post-school activities. Here, “transition” is defined as the passage from secondary education to participating in postsecondary education, training or both, engaging in meaningful employment, living within one’s community, exercising self-determination, and contributing to society as productive citizens.
The Center on Great Teachers and Leaders (GTL) is a Technical Assistance & Dissemination Center jointly funded and co-managed by the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Office of Special Education Programs and the Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education. The Center has released several new resources that can help regional comprehensive centers
and states provide better supports to school leaders, and support states with their Equitable Access Plan implementation.
New Professional Learning
Module: Recruit,
Select, and Support: Turnaround Leader Competencies.
Leading a school turnaround is complex work; but
research shows that there are specific competencies that school leaders need
for successful turnaround efforts. Use this material to learn how to use these
competencies to recruit, select, and provide ongoing support to school
principals working in a turnaround context. The
material was developed through a partnership among four organizations: The Center on Great Teachers and Leaders, The
Center on School Turnaround, Public Impact,
and University
of Virginia Darden/Curry Partnership for Leaders in Education.
New Online Tool: National School
Leadership Standards Map. Each State has
professional leadership standards that communicate what principals should know
and do to improve schools and student learning. With funding from The Wallace
Foundation, we developed an interactive online map to quickly and easily locate
information about school leadership standards in all 50 States. Explore how
leadership standards have been adopted, adapted, and used by States to support
principals, as well as how these policies change over time.
The Department also co-hosted ConnectEd Educators Month with GTL and other partners in October, encouraging collaboration and professional development with activities using technology and social media.
On October 26, ED hosted its first ever ParentCampUSA at ED headquarters in Washington, DC. Learn more about this "un-conference" and how it brings together parents, caregivers, community leaders, educators, and
children to have conversations about how to best support students, on the Parent Camp website.
Appearing jointly, Secretary
Duncan and his Senior Advisor, incoming Secretary King, joined U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Chris
Murphy (D-CT), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) in hosting a roundtable discussion
with students, educators, and civil rights and community leaders on the need
for a strong reauthorization of the ESEA that lives up to its legacy of advancing equity and providing
opportunity for every child. The leaders called for a new law that
ensures high expectations for all students and expects that, where schools or
students are not making progress, actions will be taken to improve outcomes for
those schools and students. The House and Senate have each passed their
version of ESEA reauthorization, and they are working together to approve a
final bill that can be signed by the President.
Hispanic Heritage Month spanned September 15- October 15 this year, and spurred many new initiatives for improving outcomes for minorities in the US education system. On September 21, U.S. Departments of Education (ED) and Justice (DOJ) announced the completion of the English Learner (EL) Tool Kit to support states, districts and schools in meeting their legal obligations to ELs and ensuring access to quality education.
Continuing to celebrate National
Hispanic Heritage Month the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for
Hispanics
released a Federal Agencies Investing in Hispanic
Education report and set of Federal Agency Data Plans that highlight the Administration’s
contributions to education, announced Federal Agency Commitments to Action which invest in Hispanic
education and workforce opportunities, and launched its online #LatinosTeach campaign -- featuring a video with Dr. Jill Biden and Erica Castro, both
of whom are educators -- calling on more Latinos to enter the teaching
profession.
ED released a resource guide to help teachers better support undocumented youth. The guide includes information about the rights of undocumented students, scholarship opportunities, and tips for educators about how to provide academic and social support for undocumented youth.
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