Department News
The Texas Statewide Leadership for Autism Training (TSLAT) has three mentoring guides on their website. These guides are designed to provide mentors of teachers with easy-to-follow course tracks and resources to facilitate the professional development of teachers. The three mentor guides include:
- Onboarding Special Education Teachers
- Onboarding General Education Teachers
- Behavioral Guide
Each guide provides the mentor with a suggested course scope and sequence, discussion questions, vocabulary, key points, and a "for the mentor" section that will help facilitate meaningful mentoring sessions with teaching staff.
This webinar describes evaluation procedures for dyslexia as a specific learning disability under federal and state law. New evaluators are encouraged to view this recorded webinar. Veteran evaluators may also want to review this information as a refresher.
A newly posted document, Required Annual Dissemination, can be found under the State Guidance section on TEA's Sensory Impairments webpage. This document outlines the responsibility of the local education agency (LEA) to provide, annually, in writing to each parent or legal guardian of an eligible student with visual or auditory impairments, information about the Texas School for the Deaf (TSD) or Texas School for the Blind And Visually Impaired (TSBVI) before considering the student's placement for special education services. Students who are deafblind should receive information from both schools.
This newly posted document was created to share information about how LEAs can access funds to support on-the-job training for transition services for students with disabilities. This document and other resources can be found under the Related Content section on TEA's Secondary Transition Guidance webpage.
This network assists LEAs with building capacity to develop and appropriately implement instructional programs that provide meaningful access to inclusive environments and grade-level standards, where appropriate. TEA's Inclusion in Texas network provides a variety of FREE resources on a variety of topics including, but not limited to, Specially Designed Instruction (SDI), Universal Design for Learning (UDL), Inclusive Practices in Reading and Math, Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE), Assistive Technology, and Tier 1 Supports.
As America’s kids get back to school and continue to recover from the challenges of the pandemic, ensuring that all families have access to affordable high-speed internet is more important than ever. That’s why we are writing to make sure you know about a new federal program available to the kids and families you serve: Millions of families can now get free, high-speed internet through the Affordable Connectivity Program by signing up at GetInternet.gov.
Here is the U.S. Department of Education’s Affordable Connectivity Program “Back to School” Toolkit, which provides actionable recommendations – and a ready-to-use Backpack Flyer – that schools and community partners can use to help students and their families sign up.
The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) provides eligible households up to $30/month off internet bills (or $75/month on Tribal lands), as well as a one-time $100 discount off a laptop, tablet, or computer. To further lower costs, the Biden-Harris Administration secured commitments from internet service providers across the country to offer high-speed plans that are fully covered by the ACP – meaning millions of working families can now get high-speed internet without paying a dime.
Nearly 40% of U.S. households qualify for ACP, but millions of families have yet to claim their benefit. Households are eligible if they make up to 200% of the federal poverty level ($55,500 for a family of four), and are also eligible, regardless of income, if they participate in certain federal programs. Critically, households qualify for ACP – without regard to income – if any member of the household:
- participates in the Free and Reduced-Price School Lunch or Breakfast program, including a child who attends one of the over 33,000 Community Eligibility Provision schools; or
- is receiving a Pell Grant this school year.
Families also qualify if someone in the household participates in Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, WIC, Supplemental Security Income, and other programs.
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