Oregon Department of Education - Oregon Achieves Together

NEWS RELEASE: Five Oregon School Districts Chosen to Participate in Grant Project

Oregon Department of Education sent this bulletin at 04/29/2021 11:06 AM PDT

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NEWS RELEASE
April 29, 2021
Media Contact: Peter J. Rudy

Five Oregon School Districts Chosen to Participate in Accessible Educational Materials Grant Project

Oregon one of seven states partnering with the National Center on Accessible Educational Materials for Learning to increase availability of accessible digital educational materials.

(Salem, Ore.) - Five school districts have been selected to participate in a four year grant project from the National Center on Accessible Educational Materials for Learning (AEM Center). By participating, the districts receive technical assistance from the National Center on AEM. The five districts selected through an application process are: Baker SD, Hood River SD, Scappoose SD, Tigard-Tualatin SD and West Linn-Wilsonville SD.

Oregon is one of seven states - along with Georgia, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma and West Virginia - selected to partner with the National Center on AEM in the four year project to increase access to accessible digital educational materials and technologies by building sustainable statewide systems.

"We are very excited that Baker 5J School District has the opportunity to participate in the AEM Cohort,” Meghan Nilsen, Special Education Coordinator at Baker School District, said. “Our team understands the importance of allowing all students to have access to the tools needed to support each individual's learning. This understanding is sometimes difficult to bring to practice with professional development and resources so far away from our rural, eastern Oregon community. Our participation in the AEM Cohort will help our students, staff and families gain the knowledge and support of how to bring these tools into our classrooms and daily lives as well as allow our district to share our unique successes and challenges due to our location."

With the National Center’s technical assistance, the Oregon AEM Cohort will develop a coordinated system for providing accessible educational materials and accessible technologies across the continuum of education services in the state. The four-year partnership between the AEM Center, the states and the districts will feature exchanging resources, sharing findings and solving common problems across state and district teams. Together, evidence-based practices for building statewide and local systems for the timely provision and effective use of accessible digital materials and technologies for all learners who need them will be implemented. Technical assistance products and services that are developed in partnership with the National AEM Cohort will be made available nationally.

If you have any questions about the Oregon AEM Cohort, please contact:

ODE Regional/Educational Specialist Linda Brown - Linda.brown@ode.state.or.us

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