Special Education Administrators Submit Amicus Briefs Challenging “Stay Put” Brief

 

The Education Week (7/30, Samuels) reports the National Association of State Directors of Special Education and the National School Boards Association filed an amicus brief on July 28 in the M.R. et al v. Ridley School District urging the Supreme Court to review the “stay Put” ruling. The current case challenges the law, which says that students in special education disputes can stay in private school at the cost of the school district while their cases move through the judicial system. The amicus brief argues that the stay put law puts a significant financial burden on school districts and provides incentives for parents to draw out cases as long as possible.

Special Education Students’ Ability To Meet Common Core Standards Debated

 

A Hechinger Report (7/30) article describes the EngageNY curriculum developed by the New York State Education Department to coordinate with the Common Core Standards, and profiles a special-needs teacher who initially opposed the Common Core because she worried that her fourth-grade students, “whose reading is two to three levels below others their age, would be unable to handle the increased rigor along with a scripted approach to teaching and learning.” The piece describes how teachers have had to “modify” the materials to “meet the diverse needs” of their students. The article says that it is uncertain “whether students with disabilities can meet these new, more rigorous standards.”

Fewer States Meeting ED’s New Special Education Standards

 

Education Week (7/9) reports that under ED’s new standards for assessing states’ special education programs, “fewer states are fully meeting federal requirements.” The piece explains that under the new system, ED “is focusing less on state compliance with voluminous special education rules and more on how well those students are being taught.” The piece notes that the number of states in the “meets requirements” category fell from 38 in 2013 to 15 this year. When the findings were announced in June, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said that the move “is an important shift away from ‘complacency,’” and the article quotes him saying, “That complacency is not in our students’ best interest. In too many states, the outcomes for students with disabilities are simply too low.”

Teacher Questions The Effects Of Value Added Model On Special Education

 

The Idaho Press Tribune (6/3, Cavener) reports that the Value Added Model being discussed by the Idaho Governor’s Education Task Force may cause special education teachers to flee “away from the students who need the most talented instructors.” The author questions “will teachers be eager” to teach a student population of low performing students when their pay is tied to their performance under the value added plan? The author also worries that the new plan may cause teachers to leave the special education area in favor of regular education jobs where the likelihood they earn the possible $20,000 bonus under the Value Added Model is more likely.

Special Needs Inclusion Slow To Spread

NPR’s All Things Considered (4/28) broadcast a segment on the push for more classroom integration of students with special needs, noting that “even champions of an inclusive model can have difficulty balancing students’ varying needs.” The piece focuses on the slow adoption of the practice and the challenges educators face in blending learning styles.

ED Grant To Improve California Special Education Instruction

EdSource Today (3/20, Adams) reports that ED’s Office for Special Education has given a $200,000 grant to the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing as part of its $25 million, five-year mission to “improve instruction for children with” disabilities by implementing “reforms in 20 states, including this newly announced effort in California.” The California effort will focus on “curricula at the colleges of education, credentialing standards for teachers and administrators in both general and special education, and measurements of successful educator training programs.”