This Thursday at 10 am, ED311 and TCASE will be launching
the first in a series of BONUS webinars specifically to help you address issues of
compliance during school closures due to COVID-19.

What's Happening with SPED-related Services?

As students begin online at-home learning due to the spread of COVID-19, federal and state governments are clarifying how schools provide services to students with disabilities. This is an unprecedented and evolving situation and it is critical that special education administrators know what is required and have a plan of implementation. This webinar, featuring top school lawyers in Texas, will address federal and state guidance on how to provide services to your students and comply with the law.

Presented by:

Diana Bowen of Thomas & Horton LLP,

Heather Rutland of Eichelbaum Wardell Hansen Powell & Munoz PC

& Jose Martín of Richards Lindsay & Martín

April 9th @ 10 am CST

· Essential information to help you navigate the end of an unprecedented school year.

· Log in to discover what we know now from the most recent state and federal updates.

· Live Q & A opportunities to address your specific inquiries

· Each webinar can be purchased a la carte, and group rates are available.

· These webinars are now part of the Spring Conference on Special Education Law--register now for the online conference and the bonus webinars are included!

· Join the webinar live or watch it later at your convenience.

Register Now

We know you have lots of questions.

Our expert attorneys will bring you the answers.

Other Upcoming Bonus Webinars:

SPED Evaluations During a Pandemic

with Jim Walsh, Jessica Witte & Janet Horton

April 16th @ 10 am CST

Even Harder ARDs

with David Hodgins, Merri Schneider-Vogel & Paula Maddox Roalson

April 23rd @ 10 am CST

Click here to register or learn more!

The 34th Annual Spring Conference on Special Education Law

has MOVED ONLINE for 2020!

All scheduled presentations with our expert attorneys will be available starting May 4th as a series of webinars!

· Join each webinar live. Or watch them individually and at your convenience within 30 days of each release!

· Live Q & A opportunities to address your specific concerns.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced today a new streamlined process for providing states funding flexibilities to best meet the needs of students and educators during the COVID-19 national emergency. The new flexibilities, authorized under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, allow schools to repurpose existing K-12 education funds for technology infrastructure and teacher training on distance learning, among other flexibilities to move resources to areas of highest need during the national emergency.

“Across the country, students, teachers and families are proving that learning can and does happen anywhere,” said Secretary DeVos. “By extending additional funding flexibility to schools, we are helping to ensure student learning continues and supporting teachers as they transition to virtual classrooms. Local leaders have asked for the ability to steer more resources to local needs, and these new tools will help them do just that.”

The CARES Act, signed into law by President Donald J. Trump on March 27, now allows states and school districts to devote more of their federal resources to technology infrastructure to support distance learning for students and for professional development for teachers who are teaching remotely, many for the first time. By providing a streamlined process to obtain funding flexibilities, states will be able to quickly make decisions to meet the needs of their students.

Any state may complete a brief form available at oese.ed.gov, and it will receive an initial determination within one business day. Using the form, states can receive flexibility in the use of funds and other requirements covered under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), including the Title I, Parts A-D, Title II, Title III, Part A, Title IV, Parts A-B, and Title V programs. Specifically, states may request a waiver of:

• Section 1127(b) of Title I, Part A of the ESEA to waive the 15% carryover limitation for Title I, Part A funds;
• Section 421(b) of the General Education Provisions Act (GEPA) to extend the period of availability of prior fiscal year funds, for Title I, Parts A-D, Title II, Title III, Part A, Title IV, Parts A-B, and Title V, Part B programs, and the McKinney-Vento Homeless Children and Youth program;
• Section 4106(d) of Title IV, Part A of the ESEA to waive a needs assessment to justify the use of funds;
• Section 4106(e)(2)(C), (D), and (E) of Title IV, Part A of the ESEA to waive content-specific spending requirements;
• Section 4109(b) of Title IV, Part A of the ESEA to waive spending restrictions on technology infrastructure; and
• Section 8101(42) of the ESEA to waive the definition of “professional development,” which might otherwise limit the ability to quickly train school leaders and teachers on topics like effective distance learning techniques.

This action follows the Department’s earlier announcement of a turnkey waiver process allowing states to cancel federally-mandated standardized testing, in response to widespread school closures in the wake of the declaration of a national emergency. Since that announcement, Secretary DeVos has approved waivers for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. It further builds on the Department’s actions to support states and local education leaders since the outbreak of COVID-19, including guidance on ensuring students with disabilities have access to distance learning opportunities and providing an extension for states that need additional time to develop career and technical education plans under the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V).

The Department continues to update www.ed.gov/coronavirus with information for students, parents, educators and local leaders about how to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

For more information about COVID-19, please visit the following websites: coronavirus.gov, cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html, and usa.gov/coronavirus

Dear Colleague,

We hope you’re staying safe and want to let you know our thoughts continue to be with you and your school communities through this difficult time.

Considering the evolving nature of the coronavirus, we’re hosting two brand-new webinars to keep you up to date on changes related to our programs so you can support your students and families:

AP® Program and COVID-19: The Essentials for School Counselors
April 3, 1 p.m. ET

SAT® Program and COVID-19: The Essentials for School Counselors
April 9, 1 p.m. ET

Both webinars will provide attendees with the latest program updates and the opportunity to ask questions. You’ll also be eligible to earn CEU credit after completing a short quiz at the conclusion of each event. We fully understand if you’re unable to attend the live broadcasts. Each webinar will be recorded and available on-demand for viewing at your convenience.

We remain committed to supporting you and your students during this unprecedented time. We wish you the best and hope to see you on the webinars!

Sincerely,

Lorraine Hastings
Vice President, Counselor Community Engagement
College Board

This newsletter compiles weekly information from Region 10 and TEA, as well as timely reminders. Read and Share.

As a result of the window extension, reporting dates have also been extended. See the table below for all dates that have been adjusted.

For questions and assistance regarding the information in this communication, contact the Customer Service Center using the live chat feature, the Pearson Customer Support Form, or by calling 800-627-0225.

Good afternoon, Performance Reporting bulletin members.

Have a coworker who needs to sign up? Bulletin subscriptions can be managed on TEA’s website at https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/TXTEA/subscriber/new.

What’s New in Performance Reporting

A–F Accountability

ESSA Waiver Approval and 2020 State Accountability Ratings

The agency received approval from U.S. Department of Education on March 30, 2020, to waive statewide assessment and accountability requirements under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as amended by ESSA, for the 2019–20 school year.

Additionally, for 2020 state academic accountability, all districts and campuses will receive a label of Not Rated: Declared State of Disaster.

For additional details, view the To the Administrator Addressed letter.

Assessment Scoring and Reporting

Raw score to scale score conversion tables for all state assessments are posted here.

Parents can access their child’s assessment results in the Student Portal. Teachers and other authorized personnel can access student-level assessment results in the Teacher Portal. Assessment results at the campus/district/region/state level can be viewed in the Analytic Portal.

For questions or help with accessing and interpreting STAAR, STAAR Alternate 2, TELPAS, and TELPAS Alternate results, please email assessment.reporting@tea.texas.gov or call (512) 463-9704.

Accountability Winter/Spring Learning Webinars

The upcoming webinar on Understanding the College, Career, or Military Readiness (CCMR) Outcomes Bonus scheduled for May 8, 2020 at 1:00 pm has been postponed due to protentional district closures. A new date will be announced later this spring.

If you were unable to participate in a webinar, you can view archived recordings at this link.

Employment Opportunities in Performance Reporting

The Performance Reporting Division is looking for someone to join our team. Interested and qualified candidates can apply for the following positions:

Education Specialist III

The Education Specialist III for Performance-Based Monitoring (PBM) will conduct complex consultative and technical assistance work with moderate latitude for the use of initiative and independent judgment in the annual design, development, implementation, and maintenance of systems within Performance-Based Monitoring (which include monitoring reports and data analyses).

Contact Information
Texas Education Agency
Performance Reporting Division
(512) 463-9704
performance.reporting@tea.texas.gov

The following new Texas Education Agency Correspondence has been posted at the TEA website:

Date/ Title/ Division

2020-04-06 Instructional Continuity Grant for districts with Targeted Support and Improvement campuses Commissioner

2020-04-02 Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Waiver Approval & 2020 State Academic Accountability Commissioner

We appreciate you! Thank you for all you are doing for your districts, teachers, and students. Keep moving forward, one day at a time. Let us know how we can help.

Need Direct Services, Consultations or Specialized PD?

Please click this link: bit.ly/R10PDRequestForm

Teaching and Learning Consultant

Email: melissa.shaw@region10.org
Phone: 972-348-1210

Teaching and Learning Consultant

Email: staci.barker@region10.org
Phone: 972-348-1068

Teaching and Learning Consultant

Email: jennifer.hood@region10.org
Phone: 972-348-1404