Many of you were able to join us for two amazing webinars with Dave Kilpatrick, professor at New York University in Cortland, researcher and school psychologist. I walked away challenged and with knowledge of specific research that will help me to explain why many of our students despite learning how to decode, never become fluent readers. While I am not at liberty to share a recording of these sessions, I am able to share two articles for your review.
Chapter 8 of Reading Development and Difficulties Bridging the Gap Between Research and Practice
Effective Prevention and Intervention for Word-Level Reading Difficulties
By David A. Kilpatrick and Shawn O’Brien
Perspectives, IDA publication article,
How the Phonology of Speech Is Foundational for Instant Word Recognition
Virtual Lunch and Learn Series
Dates and Topics Coming SOON!
The Virtual Lunch and Learn sessions will be offered from 11:30-1:30 and will cover a variety of topics critical to your success as an evaluator and will include interactive activities and group discussions. Attendees may opt to participate during the live session or asynchronously during the week following the live session.
2/14/2024- Session ID: 2657905 Integrating Multiple Sources of Data in the FIE
4/17/2024- Session ID: 2657723 Legal Updates with Taylor Montgomery from Thompson & Horton
ON Demand TEA Course: Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) Committee Manager Training
Click HERE to register for this course.
This professional development session is a self-paced, online course that is intended to provide participants with best practices to ARD committee managers for local education agencies (LEAs) that choose to use this model. This course is intended to provide information, guidance, and best practice for successfully achieving the expectations, roles, and responsibilities of an ARD committee manager, including scheduling ARD committee meetings, preparing and finalizing required ARD committee paperwork, facilitating the ARD committee meeting, and supporting families and school personnel with the ARD committee processes. Participants who complete the course will receive 12 hours of professional learning credits.
Standards-Based Individualized Education Program (IEP) Process Training
On-Demand Standards-Based Individualized Education Program (IEP) Process Training Course
Virtual Lunch and Learn Series for ARD Managers
The Virtual Lunch and Learn sessions will be offered from 11:30-1:30 and will cover a variety of topics critical to your success as an ARD Manager and will include interactive activities and group discussions. Attendees may opt to participate during the live session or asynchronously during the week following the live session.
1/31/2024- Session ID: 2657904 Oh the Places you WIll Go! Using the Transition Supplement to Build the Bridge to Life Beyond High School
3/20/2024- Session ID: 2658084 Keep Clam and Carry On: TIps for Managing Difficult ARD Meetings
Texas Sped Support
The Child Find Process for Parentally Placed Private School Children with Disabilities Quick Guide highlights key points and important resources for local education agencies (LEAs) to consider for children with disabilities enrolled by their parents/guardians in private, including religious, elementary schools, and secondary schools located in the LEA.
TEA Updates
Dyslexia: Proposed Updates to Texas Administrative Code 74.28 and the Texas Dyslexia Handbook
The first draft of the updated handbook is posted on the SBOE website and here is the link.
Scroll to the bottom of the page to find the Draft- Texas Dyslexia and Dysgraphia Handbook. Also, there were updates to 19 TAC Chapter 74, Curriculum Requirements, Subchapter C, Other Provisions, §74.28, Students with Dyslexia and Related Disorders
Please review the proposed changes to both the handbook and 74.28.
* The public comment period begins on March 1, 2024, and ends at 5:00 p.m. on April 1, 2024.
REPRINTED FROM JIM WALSH’S “DAILY DAWG” WITH PERMISSION FROM THE WALSH GALLEGOS LAW FIRM.
THE PRIME DIRECTIVE
When I was in law school I studied Star Trek more than the law. Every day in the afternoon there was a Star Trek re-run. I watched them all. One thing I remember from all that is The Prime Directive. Starfleet crew were to avoid interfering with the normal development of any society. Captain Kirk often explained the tough decisions he made because of The Prime Directive.
There is a Prime Directive in special education law also. It came to mind when I saw this quote in a court case from New Jersey:
I further FIND that in order to accommodate the desires of the parents, and perhaps avoid litigation, the District lost sight of its obligation to provide an IEP which provided [the student] with a meaningful educational benefit.
Keeping the parents happy is a worthy goal. Avoiding litigation is a good idea. But neither of those are The Prime Directive in special education.
The Prime Directive is to serve the student well, to offer an IEP that will provide FAPE. In this case the district’s failure to abide by The Prime Directive was costly. The court awarded tuition reimbursement to the parents based on the district’s failure to provide FAPE. Key factors: Though eligible for special education, the student was not re-evaluated from 2008 to 2018; there was no waiver from the parents of the evaluations; the student’s grades ranged from C to F and she failed to meet many of her goals and objectives but was passed “to the next school level each year.” The school pointed out that the parents refused to consent to evaluations and declined to agree to some IEP services because they were providing those services privately. The court disregarded that. The Prime Directive drove this decision.
It's East Brunswick Township BOE v. D.S., decided by the federal court in New Jersey on July 28, 2023. It’s cited at 123 LRP 22741 and 2023 WL 4841833..
DAWG BONE: LET’S REMEMBER THE PRIME DIRECTIVE.
Got a question or comment for the Dawg? Let me hear from you at jwalsh@wabsa.com.
Amy Smith, Evaluation Consultant
Email: amy.smith@region10.org
Website: https://www.region10.org/programs/evaluation-special-education/overview/
Location: Region 10 Education Service Center, East Spring Valley Road, Richardson, TX, USA
Phone: 972-348-1784