eNotes
January 16, 2015In this Issue:
- Tools and Resources for Identifying All English Learners Source: U.S. Departments of Education and Justice - January 7, 2015
- 2014 Survey Results from the IDEA Infant and Toddler Coordinators Association Source: IDEA Infant and Toddler Coordinators Association - Retrieved January 15, 2015
- Guidance on Meeting the Communication Needs of Students with Hearing, Vision, or Speech Disabilities Source: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs - Retrieved January 15, 2015
1. Tools and Resources for Identifying All English Learners
The U.S. Department of Education's Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA) recently published Tools and Resources for Identifying All English Learners (January 2015) to help state and local education agencies in meeting their obligations to English Learners (ELs), including preschool-age children. The toolkit is meant to be used in conjunction with new joint guidance from Ed's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) reminding states, school districts and schools of their legal obligations to English learners under civil rights laws and other federal requirements. The guidance includes information on evaluating English learners for special education services.
2. 2014 Survey Results from the IDEA Infant and Toddler Coordinators Association
The IDEA Infant and Toddler Coordinators Association (ITCA) recently posted the results of two 2014 surveys related to Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) online:
- 2014 ITCA Tipping Points Survey - Part C Implementation: State Challenges and Responses - This survey is used to help track emerging issues and state responses related to eligibility, finance and decisions regarding continued participation in the Early Intervention Program for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities (Part C of IDEA). Forty‐eight of the fifty-six states and jurisdictions responded to the survey and forty‐seven (97.9%) completed the survey.
- 2014 ITCA Finance Survey - This survey was designed to identify several key components of Part C financing, including: (1) federal, state and local funds being used by states to support their total Part C system; (2) the total amount of revenue that is generated by each fund source; (3) the total amount of revenue at federal, state and local levels; and (4) the percentage of each federal, state and local fund source contributing to the total cost of the system, with a close look at the percentage represented by Part C federal funds.
3. Guidance on Meeting the Communication Needs of Students with Hearing, Vision, or Speech Disabilities
The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) has updated their online collection of Memos and Dear Colleague Letters to include guidance dated November 12, 2014 on meeting the communication needs of students with hearing, vision, or speech disabilities.