DEPARTMENT NEWS
TEA has provided funding for all K-12 public and open enrollment schools to support struggling readers with the Learning Ally Audiobook Solution.
This September, Learning Ally will be rolling out two new incentives designed to help maximize the power of the Audiobook Solution - at no cost to your school or district!
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Learning Ally’s Texas Student Orientation: provides students with hands-on knowledge of how to use the Learning Ally Audiobook Solution. Students will explore how to search for age-appropriate books, add them to bookshelves, set reading goals, and begin reading.
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Learning Ally’s Educator Rapid Coaching Session: A 30-minute educator support class, a Learning Ally Coach will guide educators in a workshop-style environment through setting up educator dashboards, assigning books to students, and monitoring progress. Educators will have the opportunity to ask questions and get support. Limit 20 educators per session.
Level the playing field for your students at NO INCREMENTAL COST to your school or district.
OSEP Releases Updated Guidance on State General Supervision Responsibilities under Parts B and C of the IDEA
OSEP Releases Updated Guidance on State General Supervision Responsibilities under Parts B and C of the IDEA
On July 24, 2023, OSEP released a Dear Colleague Letter and Guidance on State General Supervision Responsibilities under Parts B and C of the IDEA. This guidance is a component of OSEP’s Results Driven Accountability system, emphasizing improved outcomes for infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities. OSEP is committed to supporting states in improving educational results and functional outcomes for all children with disabilities and enhancing the development of infants and toddlers with disabilities.
A robust general supervision system is necessary to ensure full implementation of IDEA. A state’s investment in establishing and implementing a comprehensive general supervision system should result in infants and toddlers having access to developmental opportunities and children with disabilities receiving appropriate education services that are necessary to prepare them for further education, employment, and independent living.
OSEP appreciates states’ efforts to improve early childhood, educational, and employment outcomes and to raise expectations for all people with disabilities, their families, their communities, and the nation.
New Practitioner Resources from IRIS are Available at the Expect, Engage, Empower Website
Secondary Transition: Helping Students with Disabilities Plan for Post-High School Settings This self-paced module focuses on the transition process from high school to post-secondary settings. Among other topics, it discusses IEP planning, engaging students in the process to become better advocates for their own needs, and partnering with outside agencies such as vocational rehabilitation.
Secondary Transition: Student-Centered Transition Planning This self-paced module helps users better understand the benefits of student-centered transition planning, identify ways to involve students in collecting assessment information and developing goals, and be better able to prepare students to actively participate in their own IEP meetings.
Secondary Transition: Interagency Collaboration This self-paced module defines and discusses the purpose of interagency collaboration and addresses the importance of partnering with agencies to improve outcomes for students with disabilities who are transitioning from high school.
Making Sound Preschool LRE Decisions Guidance Document
The Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (ECTA) has developed the Making Sound Preschool LRE Decisions guidance webpage, which lists important actions in the IEP process that inform placement decisions. Organized by important actions within the IEP process, Making Sound Preschool LRE Decisions references corresponding IDEA rules and regulations to each action.
Listed within each action is a guiding principle followed by additional guidance and resources. Most of the principles in the document are from ECTA’s Center's Key Principles and Key Practices Underlying the IEP Process. States and local programs can adapt this document by adding their own strategies, resources, and guidance.
New Module: Early Intervention for Children Who Are Deafblind
The National Center on Deaf-Blindness (NCDB) has just released ”Early Intervention for Children Who Are Deafblind,” the second module in the series Teaching Children Who Are Deafblind: Professional Development for Educators. The module provides much-needed practical information that’s essential for working with infants and toddlers. It can be incorporated into professional training platforms and accessed free on the NCDB website. Please share this important new training resource with educators and colleagues in your state. See the module trailer for a quick overview.
TEA’s State Performance Plan/Annual Performance Report (SPP/APR) includes an SSIP that is a comprehensive, ambitious, yet achievable multi-year plan for improving results for children with disabilities. The SSIP includes baseline data, targets, and updated data around the following goal: increase the reading proficiency rate for all children with disabilities in grades 4, 8, and HS against grade level and alternate achievement standards, with or without accommodations. The SSIP includes a Theory of Action framework, which contains four improvement strategies to build capacity at the state, regional, LEA, campus, and teacher levels to increase reading proficiency for students in special education. Recently, all 20 Education Service Centers (ESCs) and TEA came together to coordinate a statewide collective effort tied to the SSIP goal for reading proficiency and will be strategically aligned on these improvement strategies to support LEAs and communities throughout the year. Stay tuned for more information in upcoming Special Education Newsletters about the SSIP and our aligned work. More information about the SSIP and the Theory of Action framework can be found HERE.
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