|
Special Education Update
January 2022
|
|
Happy New Year & Welcome 2022!
Please note: the date for public comment to PESB is January 21, not January 22.
2022 Legislative Session
Greetings! My name is David Green, and during the upcoming Washington State Legislative Session, I will be sharing monthly updates on the progress of bills and budget provisos tracked by OSPI Special Education, notices of session cut-off dates, and other relevant legislative news.
This year’s session begins January 10. We are in a supplemental session year, which means the legislature will be adding to and revising the biennial budget written last year, as well as passing bills into law. Supplemental sessions are 60 days versus a regular session, which lasts 100 days—so session cut-offs come quickly! I look forward to keeping you updated in the coming months, so watch this space for additional legislative information.
Please do not hesitate to email me if you have questions about anything legislative.
2021 Report to the Legislature: Post-School Outcomes for Students with Disabilities
Each year, data are collected from former students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) about their post-school outcomes in their first year out of school – how they have been engaged in the workforce and/or higher education. This 2021 legislative report includes data from students who left school in the 2017–18 school year.
Letter from Secretary Cardona on Addressing Teacher and Staff Shortages
On December 16, 2021, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona issued a letter to schools and districts on addressing critical educator and staff shortages. The letter urges schools to leverage ARP funds around four key recommendations: increasing compensation, expanding availability of substitutes, focusing on educator and staff well-being, and investing in the educator pipeline. Secretary Cardona also highlighted the outsized impact of staff shortages on special education services and students with disabilities. Click here to read the full letter.
Upcoming SEAC Meeting to Discuss SPP/APR Targets
Every six years, OSPI is required to set annual targets for special education indicators for the State Performance Plan / Annual Performance Report (SPP/APR) cycle. This work is completed through collaboration with partners and consultation with the Special Education Advisory Council (SEAC). To facilitate this process, SEAC will hold a public meeting focused on SPP/APR targets.
When: Thursday, January 20, 2022, from 1:00 to 4:00 pm via Zoom. Participants must register in advance for this meeting. Registration closes at noon on January 17, 2022. Participants can request accommodations and language access supports through the registration process. Note that the meeting will be recorded.
Inclusionary Practices Training from WEA
The Washington Education Association (WEA) and Special Education Support Center (SESC) are offering online courses to support inclusionary practices, in real-time and via Zoom. Course topics include positive behavioral intervention and supports (PBIS), inclusive instructional strategies for students with significant disabilities, co-teaching strategies, and how to provide accommodations and modifications in general education settings.
Registration is open. Clock hours are available. Courses/Clock hours are free and open to all.
Learn more about all the courses offered.
|
|
Question: What data should IEP teams collect during and after school breaks to inform Extended School Year (ESY) decisions?
Find the answer here!
|
|
 |
Washington Sensory Disabilities Services (WSDS)
Our Mission: WSDS partners with districts, agencies, and families to support students who are deaf/hard of hearing, blind/low vision, or deafblind.
Find qualified staff to assist your teams with evaluations or questions. WSDS is comprised of Washington Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Youth (CDHY), Washington State School for the Blind (WSSB) and the DeafBlind Program. We work together, and we work with you. Check out the WSDS website for a portal to our services.
Request Support or ask us questions through our request form.
|
WestEd Finance Training for School and District Leaders | January 11, 2022
Join WestEd’s resource allocation specialists for a new fiscal compliance training and learn effective ways to maximize the impact of unprecedented levels of federal funding. Click here to register.
Safety Net Training Opportunities
Early Learning PD from Northwest Educational Service District 189
SLP Reconnect Conference | February 25-26, 2022
ESD 113 is excited to announce they are partnering with WSLHA and the University of Washington to provide a conference for educational Speech Language Pathologists (SLPs)! Click here to register.
|
Opportunities from SETC
The Special Education Technology Center (SETC) has many professional development opportunities available in 2022.
SETC’s Winter-Spring Webinar Series is now open for registration!
To register for events, click on the above link, login to the SETC Website, select the course you wish to attend, and register.
Once on the SETC Website, the webinar schedule can be found under the Training tab on the All Events page.
Highlights include a STEM Webinar Series
SETC Book Studies in 2022 (Free books provided to Washington state educators and parents by Center for Strengthening the Teaching Practice)
|
Social-Emotional Learning Series
Join CASEL (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning) for a series of virtual workshops where you will learn alongside fellow SEL leaders across the country.
January 25-February 16, 2022
Choose 4 Live Virtual or 8 On-Demand sessions for $250.
|
|
 |
Upcoming MTSS Events
Check out the OSPI MTSS Events page to stay up-to-date on the statewide MTSS PLC and future conference opportunities. The next MTSS PLC on Friday January 7, 2022 will focus on Planning for Professional Development.
Future MTSS PLC topics are determined by group needs. You can register for each month at the following links:
|
Gate Equity Webinar: Mentoring that Makes an Impact
|
|
OSPI Assessment and Student Information
Try Out Speech-to-Text is a new resource from OSPI Assessment and Student Information. The resource gives a short introduction to the speech-to-text tool that is embedded in the online testing platform for English-language arts (ELA), math, and science tests. It also provides step-by-step directions to try the tool to help decide if the tool will work for a student before including it as an accommodation in a student’s IEP/504 testing plan. We encourage IEP teams and educators to utilize the document to learn about the tool.
Washington Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR)
 DVR’s Transition Self-Assessment Tool (TSAT) Open Now through February 2022
Learn more about the transition survey being conducted with transition service experts at every secondary school across Washington state.
|
Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB)
PESB to Review Special Education Dual Endorsement Requirement
On Friday, January 21, 2022, at 12:20 pm, the PESB Board will review the special education dual endorsement requirement, discuss the policy’s impact on special education teacher retention, and consider potential alternatives. The draft agenda for the Board meeting is available here. OSPI Special Education appreciates the Board revisiting the dual endorsement policy and looks forward to collaborating with PESB staff to identify alternative policy approaches that support educator retention and improved student outcomes. In line with Secretary Cardona’s December 16, 2021 letter on addressing teacher shortages and the findings of a 2021 study on special educator retention in Washington state by Theobald, Goldhaber, Naito, and Stein, we support policy approaches that incentivize special educator retention, minimize administrative burden on special educators, and provide mentorship supports for preservice special educators.
How Partners Can Take Action on Dual Endorsement: The PESB Board will accept Public Comment on Friday, January 21, 2022, at 8:35 am. To provide live oral public comment at a board meeting, you must also provide a written copy of your statement. You can either bring a copy to the meeting or email a copy to the PESB office the day before the meeting.
PESB Offers $5000 Grants to Expand Computer Science for Educators
Grant funds available to purchase computer science tools and resources for use by elementary educators and students. Grantees will also receive free professional development and information about earning computer science credentials. An informational webinar will be held on January 13, 2022 at 4:00, and more information is available on our website. Tribal compact schools, Title 1 schools, and schools using funds to support P-6 students from underserved populations are strongly encouraged to apply.
|
49th Annual Superintendent's High School Art Show
This annual event sponsored by OSPI celebrates the arts and showcases artistic excellence demonstrated by high school students in Washington. Artworks submitted by all nine of the state's educational service districts (ESDs) are entered into the Superintendent’s High School Art Show. We encourage all students, including students with disabilities, to submit artwork and participate in the event.
Download the event flyer for more information!
|
|
2021–22 OSPI Special Education State Design Team Recommendations
As part of the 2021–22 State Design Team efforts, OSPI Special Education has been engaging partners across education. We are honored that WestEd’s National Center for Systemic Improvement (NCSI) continues to support our team in co-designing a systemic equity review throughout this process. Our joint priorities are to center partner voice, racial equity, inclusionary practices, and impact for students across all special education activities. Focus groups have been meeting between October and December 2021, and the next statewide State Design Team meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 11, 2022, from 3:30 to 5 pm PT. This session will summarize the recommendations from the focus groups and provide an update on the systemic equity review with NCSI. We will post the recorded session. Click here to register for the January 11 session. Please contact OSPI Special Education at 360-725-6075 or the WISM team with questions.
Summary of Key Updates to WAC 392-172A
Want to know more about the updates to WAC 392-172A? See our Summary of Key Updates for more information.
Questions? Contact the OSPI Special Education Office.
News from OSPI Assessment and Student Information
Read below for important updates on differences in the design of the online versus paper-pencil versions of the Spring 2022 Smarter Balanced Assessment, including the recommendation to utilize the Print on Demand feature.
|
|
|
|
ALL STUDENTS PREPARED FOR POST-SECONDARY PATHWAYS, CAREERS, AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT.
Led by State Superintendent Chris Reykdal, OSPI oversees K-12 public education in Washington state. Our mission is to provide funding, resources, tools, data and technical assistance that enable educators to ensure students succeed in our public schools, are prepared to access post-secondary training and education, and are equipped to thrive in their careers and lives.
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
