An important reason for making sure your child’s IEP goals and objectives are measurable is to hold the school accountable for how they are working with your child. It is very difficult to establish that the child has not made progress with vague wording. When the goals are specific, observable and measurable, the parents have a system of keeping up with their child’s progress. The IEP must also list how the child’s parents will be informed of their child’s progress toward the annual goals. Use this checklist to build a good IEP for your child.

I.E.P. Checklist:

·         You have a copy of all evaluations and other related documents prior to the IEP

·         Evaluation data was discussed. Was the data for the following areas written: academic skills, nonacademic skills, communication skills, social/behavior skills, assistive technology

·         Measurable and observable annual goals

·         Measurable short-term objectives or benchmarks were written. Goals and objectives were based on your child’s individual educational needs. A method for measuring your child’s progress (at least as often as nondisabled peers) was established.

·         A target date for the completion of each objective was established.

·         A statement described the special education and related services to be provided.

·         Modifications, and supplementary aids and services were specified (so your child can participate in the general curriculum with his/her nondisabled peers).

·         Time your child will receive each instructional service and related service was noted. This includes minutes per session and frequency of sessions. This also includes related aids the

·         teacher will need to enable the child to participate in the general curriculum.

·         Date when all services will begin was established.

·         Person responsible for implementing each service in the IEP was identified.

·         Placement was based on goals, objectives, supplementary aids and services.

·         A statement describing how your child will be educated and participate with other children with and without disabilities.

·         Your child’s participation in statewide testing was clarified. Transition, if appropriate, was discussed.

·         Get a signed copy of the IEP minutes prior to leaving the meeting.                 

If you have not every taken the time the read the Procedural Safeguards or if has been a while since you last read it, please read it.  It contains a wealth of information parents need to maintain a clear understanding of what your rights are as parent and the rights of your child.  This equals EMPOWERMENT!

Visit ed.gov or tea.gov for all the latest in education information

Early Childhood Education

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  • Zero to Five Plan: The Obama-Biden comprehensive “Zero to Five” plan will provide critical support to young children and their parents. Unlike other early childhood education plans, the Obama-Biden plan places key emphasis at early care and education for infants, which is essential for children to be ready to enter kindergarten. Obama and Biden will create Early Learning Challenge Grants to promote state Zero to Five efforts and help states move toward voluntary, universal pre-school.
  • Expand Early Head Start and Head Start: Obama and Biden will quadruple Early Head Start, increase Head Start funding, and improve quality for both.
  • Provide affordable, High-Quality Child Care: Obama and Biden will also increase access to affordable and high-quality child care to ease the burden on working families.

K-12

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  • Reform No Child Left Behind: Obama and Biden will reform NCLB, which starts by funding the law. Obama and Biden believe teachers should not be forced to spend the academic year preparing students to fill in bubbles on standardized tests. They will improve the assessments used to track student progress to measure readiness for college and the workplace and improve student learning in a timely, individualized manner. Obama and Biden will also improve NCLB’s accountability system so that we are supporting schools that need improvement, rather than punishing them.
  • Support High-Quality Schools and Close Low-Performing Charter Schools: Barack Obama and Joe Biden will double funding for the Federal Charter School Program to support the creation of more successful charter schools. The Obama-Biden administration will provide this expanded charter school funding only to states that improve accountability for charter schools, allow for interventions in struggling charter schools and have a clear process for closing down chronically underperforming charter schools. Obama and Biden will also prioritize supporting states that help the most successful charter schools to expand to serve more students.
  • Make Math and Science Education a National Priority: Obama and Biden will recruit math and science degree graduates to the teaching profession and will support efforts to help these teachers learn from professionals in the field. They will also work to ensure that all children have access to a strong science curriculum at all grade levels.
  • Address the Dropout Crisis: Obama and Biden will address the dropout crisis by passing legislation to provide funding to school districts to invest in intervention strategies in middle school — strategies such as personal academic plans, teaching teams, parent involvement, mentoring, intensive reading and math instruction, and extended learning time.
  • Expand High-Quality Afterschool Opportunities: Obama and Biden will double funding for the main federal support for afterschool programs, the 21st Century Learning Centers program, to serve one million more children.
  • Support College Outreach Programs: Obama and Biden support outreach programs like GEAR UP, TRIO and Upward Bound to encourage more young people from low-income families to consider and prepare for college.
  • Support College Credit Initiatives: Barack Obama and Joe Biden will create a national “Make College A Reality” initiative that has a bold goal to increase students taking AP or college-level classes nationwide 50 percent by 2016, and will build on Obama’s bipartisan proposal in the U.S. Senate to provide grants for students seeking college level credit at community colleges if their school does not provide those resources.
  • Support English Language Learners: Obama and Biden support transitional bilingual education and will help Limited English Proficient students get ahead by holding schools accountable for making sure these students complete school.
  • Recruit Teachers: Obama and Biden will create new Teacher Service Scholarships that will cover four years of undergraduate or two years of graduate teacher education, including high-quality alternative programs for mid-career recruits in exchange for teaching for at least four years in a high-need field or location.
  • Prepare Teachers: Obama and Biden will require all schools of education to be accredited. Obama and Biden will also create a voluntary national performance assessment so we can be sure that every new educator is trained and ready to walk into the classroom and start teaching effectively. Obama and Biden will also create Teacher Residency Programs that will supply 30,000 exceptionally well-prepared recruits to high-need schools.
  • Retain Teachers: To support our teachers, the Obama-Biden plan will expand mentoring programs that pair experienced teachers with new recruits. They will also provide incentives to give teachers paid common planning time so they can collaborate to share best practices.
  • Reward Teachers: Obama and Biden will promote new and innovative ways to increase teacher pay that are developed with teachers, not imposed on them. Districts will be able to design programs that reward with a salary increase accomplished educators who serve as a mentors to new teachers. Districts can reward teachers who work in underserved places like rural areas and inner cities. And if teachers consistently excel in the classroom, that work can be valued and rewarded as well.

Higher Education

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  • Create the American Opportunity Tax Credit: Obama and Biden will make college affordable for all Americans by creating a new American Opportunity Tax Credit. This universal and fully refundable credit will ensure that the first $4,000 of a college education is completely free for most Americans, and will cover two-thirds the cost of tuition at the average public college or university and make community college tuition completely free for most students. Recipients of the credit will be required to conduct 100 hours of community service.
  • Simplify the Application Process for Financial Aid: Obama and Biden will streamline the financial aid process by eliminating the current federal financial aid application and enabling families to apply simply by checking a box on their tax form, authorizing their tax information to be used, and eliminating the need for a separate application.

Students with Disabilities
Obama and Biden will work to ensure the academic success of students with disabilities by increasing funding and effectively enforcing the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and by holding schools accountable for providing students with disabilities the services and supports they need to reach their potential. Obama and Biden will also support Early Intervention services for infants and toddlers, and will work to improve college opportunities for high school graduates with disabilities.

This summary was adapted from the Council for Exceptional Children’s January 16^th Policy Insider.

This week U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Chairman David Obey (D-WI) introduced the $825 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which includes unprecedented increases for IDEA Grants to States (Part B) and Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities Program (Part C).  

Specifically, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act seeks to increase funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act - Grants to States (IDEA Part B) by $13 billion over two years, which would more than double the current federal investment of $10.9 billion. If passed, the federal share of IDEA would jump from 17 percent to a historic high of 27 percent.  While still far from Congress’ 34-year promise to fund 40 percent of the additional cost of educating students with disabilities, this unprecedented increase in funding will have a dramatic impact on states and school districts, many of which are confronting fiscal crises impacting students, and personnel. 
 
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act also provides $600 million over two years for IDEA’s Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities Program (Part C), more than doubling the current federal investment of $435 million. This funding will assist states in providing critical services for children with disabilities and their families which are vital to their developmental, academic, and social development and success. 
 
Additionally, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act includes a two-year, $79 billion State Fiscal Stabilization Fund which would require states to use at least 61 percent to support elementary, secondary and postsecondary education and up to 39 percent for public safety and other government services, which may include education assistance. All parts of IDEA are an allowable use within the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund.  While the priority is to restore state elementary, secondary and postsecondary education funding to 2008 levels, the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund also allows subgrants to local education agencies which may focus on achieving equity in teacher distribution; improving data collection and use of longitudinal data systems; and enhancing the quality of assessments specifically for students with disabilities and English language learners. 

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act also extended the current moratorium on certain Medicaid regulations to October 1, 2009.  These regulations seek to eliminate reimbursement for administrative claiming and transportation costs for school based and early intervention services; restrict the scope of case management services and targeted case management; restrict the scope of rehabilitation services that are eligible for federal Medicaid matching payments and eliminate coverage for day habilitation services for people with developmental disabilities. 

 Other programs supported by CEC in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act include:

¨         $13 billion for Title I
¨         $20 billion for School Construction
¨         $2 billion for the Child Care Development Block Grant
¨         $1 billion for Education Technology
¨         $66 million for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth

-         $300 million for Improving Teacher Quality
¨         $2.1 billion for Head Start & Early Head Start  

• What’s New with IDEA and NCLB
• Bullying In Public Schools
• Positive Behavior Support
• Understanding Procedural Safeguards
• Transition; Building Capacity

The training schedule for 2010 is in progress and will be posted as the dates become available.

        UPCOMING TRAININGS:

• January 29, 2010 ” So! My Child Has Special Needs!” and “A is for Advocacy”   Location: Moody Gardens Spa and Convention Center, Galveston, TX. 77554  Time : 10 AM to 4PM.     

Here are some regular parent meetings that also provide information and support to our families.

Family Support Meetings are every 2nd Wednesday of the month from 7 to 8pm at the SKI office, 2600 S. Loop W., Houston, TX, 77054.  If you plan to attend this meeting call the SKI office at 713-734-5355  by Monday of the 2nd week to RSVP.

SKI in Public Schools (SIPS): This family support meeting and mini training sessions are held in public schools throughout the city. 

 The next meeting dates:

~To be announced~

We realize that it is a special effort to support our work and we want you to know we really appreciate what you do for families of children with disabilities in our community.

The Community Parent Resource Center grant was approved for funding by the Dept. of Special Ed for 2008-2011. We have been awarded $100,000 to service families of children with disabilities in Houston and surrounding areas.

A special thanks to Congressmen Gene Green, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, Congressman Nick Lampson, Congresswoman Kay Bailey Hutchison, Congressman Al Green, State Rep. Garnet Coleman, Senators, Mayor Bill and City of Houston Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities, White, Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, Exceptional Children’s Assistance Center, Houston Independent School District, Partners Resource Network, Inc, Pacer Center, and last but certainly not least the Beach Center.   Your support was instrumental in allowing us to continue working with families of children with disabilities in our community.  THANK YOU!!!