Special Programs & Services

The January Special Programs & Services Newsletter contains information about upcoming events, ARD parent survey, STAAR accommodations, age of majority, everyday math, and community resources.

We're excited to announce the spring dates for our Family Workshops! Each Family Workshop will have morning and evening sessions that repeat. The morning sessions will run from 11:00 am - 12:30pm on zoom and in person at Support Services (1900 Cougar Country Dr., Cedar Park, TX). The evening sessions will run from 6:00 - 7:30pm on zoom only.

The themes for each workshop sessions are as follows:

• January 31st - Supporting Neurodiversity at Home
• February 21st -Moving on Up! Prepare your child for the transition to elementary, middle, high school or 18+
• March 27th - The Power of Self Advocacy
• April 24th - Community Connections

After every Admission, Review, & Dismissal Committee (ARD) meeting, families are sent the ARD Parent Survey to complete. When you receive this survey, we are requesting your help in filling them out as it will show us areas in which we can celebrate as well as improve our practices. The results are reviewed by the Special Education Administration and are kept anonymous to campus staff. If you do not receive the link after your child’s ARD, please reach out to your ARD specialist.

We wanted to inform you about recent updates from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) regarding changes to the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) that might impact your child's 504 or Individualized Education Program (IEP). TEA has implemented adjustments affecting the administration of STAAR assessments, necessitating adjustments in certain accommodations outlined in your child's plan. These changes have been made to ensure fairness and accessibility to all students.

Key changes include:

• Extended Time: Extra time is now available for all students taking the STAAR assessments.
  
• Writing Accommodations: Accommodations previously designated for "writing" will now be incorporated into the Reading/Language Arts (RLA) section. Writing elements are integrated into various parts of the assessment.
  
• Word Prediction: Previously only provided in permissive mode, word prediction is now considered an embedded support during the assessment.
  
• Removal of spelling assistance for Math/Algebra as there is no constructed response in this subject.

These changes might require clerical adjustments to your child's 504 or IEP to align with the updated STAAR guidelines. Your child's team will be reviewing and making the necessary changes to your child's plan to reflect these updates. Our team is dedicated to ensuring that your child's assessment experience is as supportive and effective as possible. Should you have any questions or need further clarification regarding these changes or their implications on your child's plan, please don't hesitate to reach out to your student’s campus case manager.

Families with a student approaching the age of 18 will want to prepare by reading about Transfer of Rights at Age of Majority to understand what changes when a person with a disability becomes an adult. Student involvement in learning about the concepts of Age of Majority is essential as the person gets older. Guardianship or a guardianship alternative may be beneficial for your student for Visit the ARC to learn about the various reasons that a person may need decision making help.

Parents can help build on their child's everyday experiences with math at home by finding ways to count everything, mathematizing books, mathematizing board games and practicing math facts. Building a positive mindset around math can be a very powerful way to help children feel empowered and build confidence. Our math team recommends these resources for students at the elementary level:

• Math at Home
• NCTM Family Resources
• Bedtime Math

For our older students, they recommend looking into the following:

• NRICH Maths
• Youcubed
• Desmos

You can also click here to view the Supporting Children’s Mathematical Thinking parent presentation.

Since the Supplemental Special Education Services (SSES) grant program started, over 125,000 Texas students and their families have taken advantage of the program, allowing each to receive $1,500 worth of goods and/or services to enhance their child's education. Additionally, the SSES+ Medically Fragile program has assisted nearly 1,400 students and their families, providing them with $5,000 worth of goods and/or services. The SSES program is a one-time only grant that can be used for tutoring, educational services, textbooks, curriculum, or technology devices. We want you to be aware that the The SSES application will close for the 23-24 school year on March 15, 2024. The SSES+ Medically Fragile Grant Program is ending on December 6, 2024. To learn more about the grants and apply visit https://sses.tea.texas.gov/. If you have already submitted an SSES or SSES+ application you will not be able to apply again.

The Center on Disability and Development at Texas A&M University is offering training at no cost to Texas parents and caregivers of children up to age 22 with core features of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Parents and caregivers will learn how to improve their child's communication skills.

The training includes a 1-hour self-paced webinar that teaches behavioral strategies to increase communication use in children with ASD. Once complete, parents can choose to be paired with a coach for a more intensive 12-week training specific to their child’s communication needs (at no cost) to parents. Coaching is offered in English, Spanish and Thai. Click here to learn more about the program and sign up.

Website: Leander Special Programs & Services
X (formerly Twitter): @LISD_SPROG

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