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Foster Care & Student Success
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Foster Care & Education Summit 2024
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Please save the date and plan to join us for the 2nd Foster Care and Education Summit in San Angelo, TX September 26-27, 2024. The Foster Care & Education Summit is a collaboration with the Texas Education Agency, The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, and the Supreme Court of Texas Children's Commission. The purpose of this training is to provide guidance, resources, and best practices to assist local education agencies and child welfare organizations with addressing the educational needs and requirements of students in foster care, as required by the Every Student Succeeds Act (2016). Topics covered are transportation, school of origin determination, education decision-making, and other education-focused foster care content. Thank you to Education Service Center 15 and Angelo State University for hosting and assisting with the planning of the summit. This Summit will be for two days.
Save The Date:
September 26-27, 2024
Angelo State University
San Angelo, Texas
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May is National Foster Care Month. LEA leaders are encouraged to participate in this month and promote awareness about the education of students in foster care during this time. For resources, visit National Foster Care Month Outreach Toolkit.
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is a form completed by current and prospective college students to determine their eligibility for student financial aid. The information specific to students in foster care is number 5 - Student Personal Circumstances. The question states to select "at any time since the student turned 13, they were in foster care." Please visit the FAFSA website to gain more information regarding assisting students in foster care.
Additionally, in the Transition Assistance Rule, students in substitute care must be provided with postsecondary counseling. Also, in the Foster Care & Student Success Guide, Chapter 13, foster care liaisons must ensure students in grades 11 or 12 are given information about postsecondary opportunities, including information about the higher education tuition and fees waiver
Please ensure the success of our students in foster care by supporting them in their post-secondary goals. Please see the TEA website for more information about the Financial Aid graduation requirement.
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Fee Waiver for Testing
Students in foster care may be eligible for a fee waiver for ACT or SAT testing. For the ACT fee waiver program, students who are in DFPS Managing Conservatorship may be eligible for a fee waiver. Please see your LEA school counselor to determine eligibility. The student can receive up to four fee waivers to take the ACT for free and will receive free learning resources. For SAT fee waiver, the student may receive up to two registration fees, unlimited score reports, and waived application fees at participating colleges.
School counselors, please ensure that students who are in foster care are participating in these fee waivers for academic testing opportunities within your school.
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Other Special Populations (OSP) Self-Assessment: Foster Care Program
The Self-Assessment process is intended to assist LEA leadership teams in evaluating and improving their OSP programs. The foster care programs are monitored through the Results Driven Accountability (RDA) process. These OSP tools are available and beneficial for all LEAs. Specifically, there is an LEA Self-Assessment and related tools available that allows LEAs to self-reflect on all aspects of program implementation for McKinney-Vento, Military and Foster Care programs. Similarly, there is an LEA self-assessment rubric that assists leadership team who has previously completed the OSP self-assessment to address specific areas of continuous improvement related to RDA indicator(s) performance level(s) and the self-assessment process.
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“Misty Gann's actions indicate to us that she cares about our children in KISD and is willing to go beyond what is expected in her position. She takes her time to work with our staff assisting our 30-plus children who attend KISD schools, even visiting our campus when needed. She is quick to respond to our needs and communicates. Ms. Gann attends training we offer for the community, willing to learn more about foster care and our campus model."
-Vivian Dorsett, PhD.
College & Career Readiness Program Manager
Christ’s Haven for Children
“Leigh Cook, Foster Care Liaison for Keller ISD, works endlessly to ensure the success of students in foster care and those experiencing homelessness in our district. She continuously advocates and implements best practices for student success. It is under her leadership that our students receive attentive and continuous support to meet their unique needs.” – Misty Gann, Keller ISD
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If you would like to highlight a deserving foster care liaison,
please submit all nominations to fostercareliaison@tea.texas.gov.
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The Texas Education Agency will improve outcomes for all public school students in the state by providing leadership, guidance, and support to school systems.
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