TOPIC/RESOURCES



339090-808990R4R4TOPICRESOURCESSIGNIFICANT POINTSNOTESAnnouncements/InformationWelcome and IntroductionsResources:Quick Reference Guides (Set) *Inclusive Strategies for Diverse Learners *Discipline Flow Charts *Pocket Guide to Behavior Strategies *Reevaluation Flow Chart *IDEA and Private School Children with Disabilities Private School Support Manual for Districts *Ben and Buzzy's Busy Book *Ben and Buzzy's Busy Days *Literature-Based Activities: A Surprise for Penni*New R4 Staff:District/Charter RetireesNew DirectorsReportsTCASECyndi Short, Ed.D., TCASE House of Delegates Representative, Clear Creek ISDGCASELoree Bruton, GCASE President, Alvin ISDKendra Wiggins, Ed.D., President-Elect, Magnolia ISDSpecial Education CACLaurie Goforth Rodriguez, Texas Special Education Continuing Advisory Committee stakeholder, Dickinson ISDResources Provided to DistrictsResources Provided to DistrictsThroughout the 2016-2017 school year, resources have been provided to districts to support the provision of services to students with disabilities.To date, more than $683,670 in resources have been distributed to Region 4 districts!This Just In – Hot TopicsDocument:Commissioner's Rules Concerning Truancy Prevention Measures and Sanctions*We will discuss topic that are “hot off the press.”Support for Students with DisabilitiesRegion 4 ESC would like to support the districts and charters by providing a promo code for Special Education staff to attend General Education trainings at Region 4. General Education departments do not have the advantage of grant funds to help underwrite the cost of their offerings. Therefore, their fees are often higher than the traditional $35/day of Special Education trainings. The promo code will bring the fee for the General Education training down to $35/day.We feel that it is important to ensure that our Special Education staff have mastery of the instructional content in order to support the progress of students with disabilities, including access to the general curriculum.Promo code=SPEDAGC2017 Please share with us the positive impact for students with disabilities as a result of the vouchers and promo-codes to Dr. Ginger Gates at ginger.gates@ .For further information, contact Dr. Ginger Gates, ginger.gates@ or 713.744.6586Director to DirectorNonpublic Day Renewal ReviewNonpublic School Monitoring and Guidance including a list of Nonpublic Schools approved for contracting purposes available at of our districts participated in the TEA onsite review of Bayes Achievement Center in October, 2016. We will review “lessons learned”.Legislative/Governmental Awareness38th Annual Report to Congress on the Implementation of IDEA 2016Access the 38th Annual Report to Congress on the Implementation of IDEA 2016 (October 2016) at Developed by Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), U.S. Department of Education, and delivered to Congress, this report (October, 2016) describes our nation’s progress in (1) providing a free appropriate public education (FAPE) for children with disabilities under IDEA, Part B and early intervention services to infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families under IDEA, Part C, (2) ensuring that the rights of these children with disabilities and their parents are protected, (3) assisting states and localities in providing for the education of all children with disabilities, and (4) assessing the effectiveness of efforts to educate children with disabilities. The report focuses on the children and students with disabilities being served under IDEA, Part C or B, nationally and at the state level. In particular, Part C of IDEA provides funds to states to assist them in developing and implementing statewide, comprehensive, coordinated, multidisciplinary interagency systems to make early intervention services available to all eligible children from birth through age 2 with disabilities and their families, whereas Part B of IDEA provides funds to states to assist them in making FAPE available to eligible children ages 3 through 21 with disabilities.Key findings are outlined in the report on page xxi. In 2014, a total of 5,944,241students ages 6 through 21 were served under IDEA, Part B. Of these students, 5,825,505 were served in the 49 states for which data were available, the District of Columbia, and BIE schools. This number represented 8.7 percent of the resident population ages 6 through 21.The total number of students ages 6 through 21 served under IDEA, Part B, in 2005 was 6,109,569. In each year between 2005 through 2011, the number of students served was less than in the previous year. However, more students were served under Part B in 2012 and in each subsequent year through 2014. In 2005, 9 percent of the resident population ages 6 through 21 were served under Part B. Between 2005 and 2010, the percentage of the population served gradually decreased to 8.4 percent. The percentage served remained at 8.4 percent until 2013, when it increased to 8.5 percent. In 2014, the percentage increased to 8.7 percent (Exhibit 18). Exhibit 58 Percentage of the population ages 6 through 21 served under IDEA, Part B, by year and state: Fall 2008 and fall 2014 on page 121-122. Check out the notes also:In 2014, 8.8 percent of the resident population ages 6 through 21 in the 51 states (“All states” – note Puerto Rico, Washington DC, Bureau of Indian Education among others are listed among the state data making the count over 50 on some tables) for which data were available were served under IDEA, Part B. The percentages observed for the individual states, ranged from 6.2 percent to 14.9 percent. In the following six states, the percentage was larger than 11 percent: Puerto Rico (14.9 percent), New Jersey (11.7 percent), Maine (11.5 percent), Oklahoma (11.4 percent), West Virginia (11.2 percent), and Massachusetts (11.1 percent). In the following three states, less than 7 percent of the resident population was served: Idaho (6.6 percent), Texas (6.5 percent), and Hawaii (6.2 percent).In 2008, 8.6 percent of the resident population ages 6 through 21 in the 51 states (“All states”) for which data were available were served under IDEA, Part B.In 30 of the 50 individual states for which data were available for both 2008 and 2014, the percentage of the resident population ages 6 through 21 served under IDEA, Part B, increased between the two years. In 17 of the 50 individual states for which data were available for both 2008 and 2014, the percentage of the population ages 6 through 21 served decreased between the two years. Exhibit 60 (page 128) helps visualize the increase in the number of students service as a student with autism under IDEA. Over the past 6 years, 50 or the 51 states experienced an increase in the number of students identified in the eligibility category of autism. Exhibit 62 (page 134) reviews data on students with specific learning disabilities between 2008-2014. The percentage of students reported under the category of specific learning disabilities was larger in 2008 than in 2014 in 40 of the 51 states for which data were available for both time periods. Update on the 85th Legislative Session After each legislative session, the Texas Education Agency produces a briefing book that describes new laws that impact public education. The following are links to briefing books from recent legislative sessions.Texas Legislature Online at Legiscan (private legislative tracking online access) TEA Legislative Briefing Book at GuideHandout:A Transition Guide to Postsecondary Education and Employment for Students and Youth with Disabilities*The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) is pleased to publish A Transition Guide to Postsecondary Education and Employment for Students and Youth with Disabilities.?? This guide is being issued by OSERS, the Rehabilitation Services Administration, and the Office of Special Education Programs to advance efforts in ensuring that all students and youth with disabilities are equipped with the skills and knowledge to be engaged in the 21st century workforce.?This transition guide addresses the following topics to facilitate a seamless transition from school to post-school activities:Transition planning: opportunities and programs;Transition services and requirements, as authorized by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the Rehabilitation Act;Education and employment options for students and youth with disabilities after leaving secondary school; andSupporting decisions made by students and youth with disabilities.This guide was developed to assist students and youth with disabilities and their families in developing and pursuing their goals for adult life. ?Additionally, this transition guide will help students and youth with disabilities and their families to better understand how State educational agencies, local educational agencies, and State Vocational Rehabilitation agencies work together to facilitate improved outcomes for students and youth with disabilities.FundingNonpublic Day and Residential/ High Cost Funds Application and Noneducational Community-based FundsSpecial Education Funding TEA Guidance posted at includingApplication for Residential PlacementHigh Cost Fund Noneducational Community-Based ServicesNonpublic School Monitoring and Guidance available at The program authority for noned funds can be found at Texas Education Code Chapter 29.013 at Special Education in Nonpublic Schools TEA Guidance at Nonpublic Day and Residential ApplicationsFor LEAs that submitted Nonpublic Day and Residential Applications through the secure TEASE Nonpublic/High Cost Funds online application, there will be a table posted to the online access for LEAs by the end of January to review the status of their approval for funding request. TEA will no longer send out approval letters to LEAs. The secure TEASE Nonpublic/High Cost Funds online application will remain open throughout the year for LEAs to submit new applications and amendments. Reminders:New ApplicationsSchool districts must notify TEA of its intent to contract and of any changes within the school year with that contract with a nonpublic facility through the secure TEASE Nonpublic/High Cost Funds online application. For 2016 – 2017, applications received after December 1, 2016 approval of funding is based onDate of placement if the application is received at the TEA within 30 school days of ARD decision; orDate of TEA receipt if received more than 30 school days after the ARD decisionAmendmentsTEA is not accepting amendments at this time. Districts will be notified when the opportunity is available again.When to amend and submit through the online system?Change of placementChange of servicesAmendments are due within 45 school days of the date of the ARD and/or prior to the application close date for the funding yearHigh Cost FundsLEAs who submitted Nonpublic Day and Residential Applications through the secure TEASE Nonpublic/High Cost Funds online application and wish to submit for High Cost funds will be able to click a button within the online application and the NPDay and Res data may be submitted for HCF consideration. The date for submission has been projected to change to 1st Friday in May. TEA plans to send an email and possibly a letter to LEAs letting them know to access information about approvals posted in the table in the application and also about the HCF application “button” to copy NPDay and Res to HCF tab. If you need assistance completing the Nonpublic/High Cost Funds application, please contact Linda De Zell Hall, Ph.D. at 713-744-6399 or lhall@ or Jerry Klekotta at 713-744-6393 or gklekotta@, or contact the Division of IDEA Support at npdayandres@tea. or (512) 463-9414.Noneducational Community-Based Support Services The 74th Texas Legislative appropriated funds for families of certain students with disabilities. This money is non-educational community-based support services help them care for their children and to help them better cope with having an individual with a disability at home.The current support services include the following:?Attendant Care ?Psychiatric and Psychological Consultation ?Management of Leisure Time ?Peer Support Group?Parent Support Group?Socialization Training?Individual Support?Family Support?Family Dynamics Training?Respite Care?Transportation to access approved non-educational services?Generalization TrainingThe Texas Education Agency no longer provide or require an application to request use of these funds. Parents wishing to access services should contact their child’s school and request a meeting to discuss the need for non-educational services. The decision to provide noned funds is solely with the LEA. School districts and charter schools that choose to provide non-educational funds should contact their Regional Education Service Center who provides fiscal agent, flow-through management of the funds from TEA to the LEA. Region 4 requests information from the LEA as required by TEA (e.g. student name, area of eligibility, noned service, amount requested) through a spreadsheet provided by Region 4 to capture data. Please contact Linda De Zell Hall, Ph.D. at lhall@ if you need the spreadsheet to request funds. If funds are available, the LEA is notified through email. Region 4 does not send a letter of approval and does not flow funds through a grant process. Funds are provided on a reimbursement basis to the LEA upon documentation submitted to Region 4. If you need assistance with Noned Funds application, please contact Linda De Zell Hall, Ph.D. at 713-744-6399 or lhall@..Accountability/ComplianceTimeline for IEP for Transfer Students: Clarification from MonitoringClarification provided from Keith Swink, TEA Monitoring at January, 2017 TEA-ESC F2F. For students who enroll:during the summer (before the first day of academic year class):the LEA has to ensure an IEP is in place on the first day of the school academic year, implemented in full. The students are not considered a transfer student if they come in the summer; they are considered a newly enrolled student. on or after the first day of academic year class are considered a transfer student and the LEA follows procedures for transfer students.If you need assistance, contact Kara Zwolinski at kara.zwolinski@ or 713-744-6562.State Assessment UpdatesHandout:PowerPoint slides 63-64 from 2017 ESC Testing Coordinators Training PresentationComplete 2017 ESC Testing Coordinators Training Presentation located at to the 2017 ESC Testing Coordinator Training (slide 64):New for the 2017 administration: an eligible student may use a speech-to-text application on a tablet as an allowable type of Basic Transcribing or Spelling Assistance if he or she is routinely using this assistance in class. To maintain test security, the device must be set to kiosk mode and an individual administration is encouraged. A test administrator may be responsible for monitoring at one time no more than 5 students each using a speech-to-text application. A test administrator must be able to monitor a student’s use of the device at all times. Accessibility Resources:(Posted on Accommodations Resources Page unless noted otherwise ):Coming Soon:Updated Oral Administration Guidelines (2017 manual will be posted: )Font and Point Sizes Matrices for STAAR, STAAR Spanish, TELPAS, and TASK Transcribing Griddable Questions Training Document and Student DocumentsPosted (*denotes recent posting):* Classroom Accommodations and the Link to Language and Vocabulary Supports and Content Supports (Educator Guide to Accessibility within the STAAR Program)*General Instructions for Administering Large-Print State Assessments *General Instructions for Administering State Assessments to Students Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing *General Instructions for Administering Braille State AssessmentsReleased Tests ((STAAR)/STAAR_Released_Test_Questions/ - scroll down to online administration.Per TEA ESC Testing Coordinator Training (slide 76), teachers and students should become familiar with the online test prior to testing. Test administrator directions have been written with the assumption that all students taking an online STAAR test have accessed the tutorials and practice questions and are familiar with the online system. STAAR Accommodations Update PowerPointAccommodation Policy DocumentsSupplemental Aids PowerPoint (reflecting 2017 policy)Contacts: Kirsten Omelan, Ph.D.?komelan@ or 713.744.6361; Cynthia Barrett, Ph.D. at?cynthia.barrett@ or 713.744.6343. ?For STAAR-Alt 2, contact Susan Parker at?sparker@ or 713.744.6398Legal FrameworkUpdatesLink:If you have explored the Legal Framework website lately, you most likely noticed some changes. The Side-by-Side (Special Education Rules and Regulations) revised in September; and the Maintenance of Effort Framework revised in October are indicated as such on the Updates tab.The templates for the model Operating Guidelines were updated in the late fall. There is a template for each framework listed on the Framework Menu. As TEA updates or changes sites, the links are updated in these templates (and our publications), frequently and as recently as yesterday. These templates are available to special education directors within their authoring accounts. They are easily understood, easy to use, and available at no cost to the LEAs.Revisions to the Glossary and the Resources are not noted on the Updates tab. However, the Glossary (revised in December) and the Resources (revised in January) have been reorganized and redesigned to speak to users with one voice and in friendlier terms. Posted in January, the Decision Tree Timeline is in pdf version on the Documents tab. This document evolved into a powerpoint from a request to make the one-page timeline more understandable for users not familiar with the special education process. A living document, the Decision Tree Timeline, continues to become even more helpful as suggestions from stakeholders are incorporated into the publication. Special Education Instruction and Services Preschool Programs for Children with Disabilities UpdatesHandouts:Dear Colleague Letter regarding LRE for Preschoolers with Disabilities * Final Regulations: Assistance to States for the Education of Children With Disabilities; Preschool Grants for Children With Disabilities*Vision and Hearing Screening must be a part of the evaluation. School nurses are encouraged by the TDHS to screen all children younger that 4 years of age who can reliably respond to the screening tests. The availability of these tests cannot delay the timelines for the evaluation. Region 4 will host a professional development on April 20 to discuss smooth transitions between ECI and LEAs. New federal regulations do not require the reporting of significant disproportionality in placement of 3-5 year olds. Stay tuned for how this may change PBMAS Indicator #5. There is a new Dear Colleague Letter regarding LRE for preschoolers with disabilities. This letter updates the February 29, 2012 letter. The language has changed from a “strong preference for educating students with disabilities in regular classes with appropriate aids and supports” to “should have access to inclusive high-quality early childhood programs.” Additionally the letter addresses services to students who are currently participating in regular classroom programs. The placement team must consider any potential harmful effect on the child and on the quality of services before removing the child from the regular ical Issue BriefsDocuments:Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders*Lead Exposure*Opiods*The Intervention IDEAs brief series describes interventions based on evidence, for practitioners and parents that address the academic, developmental and behavioral domains of infants and toddlers as well as school-aged children and youth with or at risk of disabilities. The briefs are designed to highlight practices and provide links to Federally supported resources. Each brief includes a description of the issue, examples of practices associated with the interventions, quality indicators, or measures of the positive impacts that may occur as a result of the intervention, and links to additional resources.Intervention IDEAs Briefs:Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD)Lead ExposureOpioidsManifestation DeterminationManifestation DeterminationHandouts:Discipline Flowchart*Manifestation Determination Implications*Guidelines for Manifestation Determination*Manifestation Determination Standards*Manifestation Determination Review: Timeline Chart*Discipline for students with disabilities can be a complicated process. Region 4 would like to share with LEAs documents that will assist with the process of conducting manifestation determinations.It is important to remind our administrators that IDEA allows school personnel to consider any unique circumstances on a case-by-case basis when determining the disciplinary consequences for students with disabilities. If the disciplinary consequence does not constitute a change of placement, then NO manifestation determination review is necessary!We will review critical issues in discipline for students with disabilities.Universal Design for Learning ProjectUniversal Design for Learning Project (UDL)Representatives from HISD’s Chavez High School will discuss their experience with UDL implementation.Working LunchDiscussionPlease discuss the following issues and be ready to present to the group:What has been the impact of the Houston Chronicle article and the USDE Listening Sessions to your district/charter?What can Region 4 do to assist you as you deal with the impact?Crucial ConversationsCrucial Conversations for the Special Education DirectorResources:Crucial Conversation Tool Kit*Special education staff are often in a position where they have opportunities for such conversations. Materials to support LEAs will be provided. For Your InformationNew Director Training Modules The 20 Regional Service Center Directors of Special Education have created New Director Training Modules that have open access with no passcode.Viewers will have video only access and are asked to follow the usage statement. Region 10 ESC will be maintaining the site. Region 4 Autism Symposium Promo CodesOn August 1, 2, & 3, 2017, Region 4 ESC will host a 3-day symposium and provide the most recent information on autism research and issues related to autism from birth to transition. Keynote speaker, Temple Grandin, Ph.D., will share her personal experiences as an individual with autism. Additionally, leaders in the field, Celine Saulnier, Ph.D., Paula Kluth, Ph.D., and Peter Gerhardt, Ed.D., will provide information regarding research on the etiology and early identification of autism, strategies to support students with autism in the classroom, and issues related to adolescence and early adulthood. Participants will receive a set of four books authored by the presenters.Promotional codes that reduce the registration fee from $200 to $150 as well as the number of registrants who are able to use this promo code were sent via email to Special Education Directors. Please contact Cathy Williams, Ph.D., with any questions: cathy.williams@, 713.744.6801.TEA Special Education Dispute Resolution Handbook Updated (October, 2016)Weblink: TEA designed the Special Education Dispute Resolution Handbook to assist parents, school officials, and other interested parties with understanding TEA's special education dispute resolution system. The handbook is not intended to be legal advice. If you need legal advice about a special education matter you should contact a private attorney. TEA cannot provide legal advice. The Special Education Dispute Resolution Handbook is also available in Spanish.Contents includeTerminology used in the dispute resolution processIndividualized Education Program FacilitationSpecial Education MediationSpecial Education Complaint ResolutionSpecial Education Due Process HearingsContact informationFor questions about the complaint investigation process or state IEP facilitation project, please contact:TEA Division of IDEA Support 1701 North Congress Avenue Austin, Texas 78701Telephone: (512) 463-9414Fax: (512) 463-9560For questions about mediation services or due process hearings, please contact:TEA Office of Legal Services1701 North Congress Avenue Austin, Texas 78701Telephone: (512) 463-9720Fax: (512) 463-6027If you need information about special education issues, you may call the Special Education Information Center at 1-855-SPEDTEX (1-855-773-3839). If you reach voice mail, please leave a message and someone will return your call during normal business hours.Professional Development Opportunities—See attached DATES TO REMEMBER* ................
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