Data Points

March/April 2024

Hello, Data Points Readers!

I want to give a special shout out to all the Educational Diagnosticians out there! I am so thankful to be part of such an amazing group of professionals. I want you to know that I see you and admire and appreciate what you do to take care of students, parents and staff every single day! I know the challenges continue as you work to stay up-to-date with the legal requirements, district expectations and all the while assure you are doing what is right for each individual student you assess. I hope you have a fabulous Spring Break and I look forward to seeing many of you at TEDA in Irving or our Region 10 and 11 ICE Symposium on March 26th.

Amy

Check out these upcoming Beyond the Score FREE webinars being offered Spring 2024!

Evaluator's Tool Kit Series

REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!

Ask the Expert Series

This year we are going to try a new series to support you in your work. Have you ever thought, I would really love to sit down with someone like Dr. Schultz or Dr. Cheramie to review a case, so they can provide me guidance based on their expertise in the field of evaluation?

During each session, we will have 2 of our favorite experts including a bilingual evaluation expert on the panel to review your cases. These 2-hour sessions will be set up to allow attendees to submit cases for review by experts in evaluation.

Registered participants will be contacted a few weeks before each session, so that case information can be submitted to the experts as they prepare for the session. You can submit data from a previous evaluation or one you are currently working to complete. District/ charter and student information will be kept confidential. Our goal is to review one monolingual student case and one bilingual case during each session. Additionally, the experts will provide feedback regardless of the PSW model being applied and cases are not limited to SLD.

4/23/2024 (Dr. Ed Schultz and Dr. Sarah Holman) Session ID: 2656543

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.

4/17/2024- Session ID: 2657723 Legal Updates with Taylor Montgomery from Thompson & Horton

TEA Frequently Asked Questions: Career and Technical Education (CTE) and Special Education

This document addresses common questions received by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) relating to CTE and students served by special education. All students should have equitable access to CTE courses, with supports as specified in the IEP. The content of this document provides clarification for the following categories:

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.

3/20/2024- Session ID: 2658084 Keep Clam and Carry On: TIps for Managing Difficult ARD Meetings

Leaving a Clear Trail 4/17/2024

Session ID: 2652980

Earning a diploma signifies the completion of one’s education, but it is the Academic Achievement Record that tells the whole story. Participants will receive an overview of the relationship between state and district requirements for graduation, special education graduation options, rules for coding courses on the AAR, and documentation needed to accurately reflect a student’s high school education. Participants are encouraged to bring a copy of their district's course description guide.

Time to Register for Aligned 2024! You don't want to miss this amazing virtual conference hosted by the Child Find Evaluation and ARD Supports Network. The conference includes two full days of live presentations as well as multiple pre-recorded presentations on topics critical to evaluators, ARD managers and administrators.

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

* The public comment period began March 1, 2024, and ends at 5:00 p.m. on April 1, 2024.

Texas Sped Support Website: Feedback Survey- As you may or may not know in August of 2024 TEA migrated all of the resources found on various network websites to one central location called Texas Sped Support. If you have spent time looking for or using the resources or tools now available at this location, TEA would love your FEEDBACK! To take this survey, click on this LINK.

If you need training or technical support with child find, evaluations or ARDs, please reach out!

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