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Judy B. Engelhard, CAN Coordinator for the Division for Learning Disabilities, provides brief reports for TeachingLD.org so that visitors can keep informed about important developments in policies affecting students with learning disabilities and their teachers. TeachingLD.org is pleased to offer this page as a place for people concerned with learning disabilities to keep up to date.
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17 March 2007
NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND (NCLB) REAUTHORIZATION UPDATE
January 8, 2007 marked the 5th anniversary of NCLB and increased activity related to the reauthorization scheduled for this year. Following are some of the events and activities related to NCLB.
DIVISION FOR LEARNING DISABILITIES (DLD) ACTIVITIES:
DLD is working with several groups involved in developing legislative language and policy recommendations for improving NCLB. Representatives from DLD are working with the policy and advocacy arm of our parent organization, the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC); recommendations from CEC will be posted here once they are released. We also have representatives who are participating with members of the Forum for Educational Accountability (see below) and with workgroups of the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD).
Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD)
Current Education Task Force workgroups of CCD are addressing the use of Growth
Models to measure student achievement and the role that Response to Intervention
(RTI) may play in school-wide practices. DLD will seek active representation
on other workgroups of CCD as they are established.
Forum for Educational Accountability (FEA)
The Forum on Educational Accountability (FEA) report, Redefining Accountability:
Improving Student Learning by Building Capacity, provides recommendations
for the reauthorization of NCLB that are based on the principles of the Joint
Organizational Statement on the NCLB Act, now signed by over 100 groups,
one of which is the Division
for Learning Disabilities (DLD). The FEA
report summary includes nearly two dozen "fundamental reforms" in
professional development, family involvement and accountability. The "Joint
Organizational Statement" and a current list of its signers are available
at the FEA website.
View the full
report.
NCLB Commission
On February 13, 2007 former Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson
and former Georgia Governor Roy Barnes, Co-Chairs of the Commission on No
Child Left Behind, released its final recommendations for the reauthorization
of the No Child Left Behind Act. The Report focuses on how to improve NCLB.
The commission report and webcast of their recommendations can be viewed here.
The Commission's full
report, as well as individual sections of the report, can be downloaded
in PDF Format.
Summary of NCLB Commission Recommendations Affecting
Students with Disabilities
Candace Cortiella, Director of The Advocacy Institute, prepared a summary of
the NCLB Commission recommendations that affect students with disabilities
for the National Center for Learning Disabilities. See her summary of several
issues here.
IDEA 2004 RESOURCES
The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) in the U.S. Department of Education continues to add resources to assist in the implementation of IDEA. In addition to the website devoted to IDEA 2004, the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) recently launched a Web site, which includes the materials in a Parent Tool Kit. The Web site will continue to be updated with additional materials as they become available.
RECEIVE POLICY UPDATES FROM CEC
If you wish to receive weekly updates on policy and advocacy issues from CEC, please email me at can@teachingLD.org and put "policy updates" in the subject line.
Judy B. Engelhard
DLD/CAN Coordinator