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REGISTER HERE TO GET ACCESS DETAILS FOR THIS #FREE EVENT!👇 https://link.brightideaco.com/widget/form/YQIAhhh3SNSP0CQbxq2u 🔗 About this event... From March-June, we will meet on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of each month at 7:00 pm ET. Mark your calendar to save ALL the dates. 🗓️ This event is for parents with children of all ages. It is sponsored by @elchillsborough Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County & @BrightIDEAed Consulting!💡🤝 ✅All are welcome! ✅It's live! ✅It's virtual! ✅It's free & NO SALES! ✅Get giveaways at each session! 🌟Already an ELCHC parent? Attend all sessions & get paid!🤑 Register here to get all the details & Share the link👇 https://link.brightideaco.com/widget/form/YQIAhhh3SNSP0CQbxq2u 🔗 ⏰Save your seat now...We go live in just a few hours!😲 . . . #preschool #education #specialeducation #disabilities #specialneedskids #specialneedsparents #specialneeds #specialneedsawareness #collaborativeadvocacy #advocacy #inclusion #diversity #equity #accessibility #brightideaco #brightideaed #InclusionMatters #share #bringafriend

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You asked...so we delivered! Enjoy this short video with special education news you can use. Today’s Bright IDEA Minute Clinic topic is LRE.

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1-Public Funds for Private Education?

Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, its not...School Choice its a real thing and its been around for years!! So why haven’t we heard more about it? We weren’t asking!

Since COVID school closures, more and more parents are exercising their “School Choice” options. Parents, especially those who have children with disabilities, are using public school funds to pay for their child to attend schools of their choosing! School Choice includes public schools, but it also includes Charters, Magnets, Private Schools, Homeschooling, and other Customized Learning options. This can be for the entire school day or any portion of the school day. Schools will use the dollars awarded to them - for the purpose of educating your child - to pay you or your school of your choice (See Education FTE or “proportionate share”). In other words, the local school district will pay your child’s education costs if you choose to send him/her elsewhere to receive an education. These payments typically come in the form of scholarships, vouchers, tax-credits, or educational savings accounts. Payments are usually sent directly to the choice schools or the parent in the case of a homeschooler. 

While School Choice is available across the US, parents must apply. Eligibility requirements and specific types of funding vary from state to state, so be sure to do your research. For more information and to explore your child’s eligibility for School Choice education options, contact your the local school district’s headquarter office or search for "School Choice" on your state’s Department of Education (DOE) website. 

Meanwhile...Keep on learning!!

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📣New Podcast Feature!!📣 EdCuration & #BrightIDEACo discuss the importance of Collaborative #Advocacy - #teachers & #parents of #children with #special #needs working together for #student #success ♿🎓🤝🏆#education #DEI # inclusion #diversity #equity #accessibility https://www.instagram.com/p/CR5CYOWHvhb/?utm_medium=tumblr

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����Happy Thursday 🙌 Today, we are thankful for YOU! 🌟 The Masterclass was an AWESOME event! 😟Missed it? Don't worry! GET THE REPLAY HERE: brightideaco.ac-page.com/replay-8-essentials #parents #specialeducation #advocacy #disabilities #childrenwithdisability #childrenwithdisabilities #BrightIDEACo https://www.instagram.com/p/CNaOmziinik/?igshid=189v5btoadvcx

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FREE MASTERCLASS!! REGISTRATION LINK: https://brightideaco.ac-page.com/parents-8-essentials See you in 3 Days! #specialeducation #advocacy #parents #childrenwithdisabilities #BrightIDEACo https://www.instagram.com/p/CNNOz6oicZs/?igshid=16zq88rru8z56

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Bright IDEA has a new Minute Clinic! Dr. Fabien is talking about the rights of children with disabilities. Click this link to watch! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZRuYHPigrI #BrightIDEACo #specialeducation #advocacy #disabilityrights #parents #children #education #inclusion #diversity #equity #accessibility https://www.instagram.com/p/CNAnZ_Ch6bn/?igshid=he488ax30rxq

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ESSA Overview: What Everybody Needs To Know and Why It’s Important 

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Education is important because a student will have better knowledge, which will likely be useful in the real world. Special Education allows students to enjoy learning and developing without being excluded or secluded. In December 2015, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was signed into law by former President Barack Obama. It replaced the No Child Left Behind (NCLB), an amendment to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act for disadvantaged students. This law is known as the nation's primary educational law for public schools. ESSA strives to provide equal opportunities for students who receive special education services and ensures schools are held accountable for how students learn.

ESSA aims to ensure public schools are providing quality education to every student, including students with disadvantages. The law defines disadvantaged students as those who may fall into at least one of these four categories:

Minority students - students of any race or ethnicity that are not Caucasian (ex: African American or Hispanic individuals)

Impoverished students

Students who need special education services

Students who lack proficiency in English

ESSA still enforces some NCLB laws. However, the new law requires public schools nationwide to be held accountable for students' success in their academic careers. Therefore, educators must understand ESSA guidelines and how it affects them.

Because states are accountable for the way students learn, ESSA requires schools to create an accountability plan to identify schools with insufficient performance levels. It also features alternative approaches on how every special needs student can progress.

ESSA supports various measures of success. Under the ESSA, every school must practice these four measures: academic progress, academic achievements, proficiency in English, and high school graduation rates. Additionally, the fifth measure is requiring schools to measure student success. For instance, some ways to measure student success are:

College preparation

Graduation rates from high school

Kindergarten preparation

Discipline rates

"Chronic absenteeism" (Student absences are chronic when they miss more than 10% of the school year. Absences are an issue because chronically missing school may result in a student falling behind and increase the incidence of grade retention).

Under ESSA, annual standardized testing will still take place, but states will have more flexibility. Students with disabilities have not performed well on standardized tests historically. Furthermore, most students lack essential reading and math skills by eighth grade. Under NCLB, high-stakes testing became an issue for teachers and students. They were mandatory tests students had to take every year. Passing a test would result in benefits such as a diploma, scholarships, and other certifications.

Moreover, there were other disadvantages like "adequate yearly progress." Adequate yearly progress is the annual improvement schools were expected to make, compared to their previous school year. ESSA removed these consequences to reduce pressure on standardized testing for teachers and students. Although every student must take these tests, schools have to provide accommodations to students with disabilities and apply them to their IEP or 504 plans.

Teaching qualifications will vary in each state, but removing evaluations means better professional development for special education teachers. ESSA has gained its focus on developing successful teachers and leaders. “In the 2013-14 academic school year, in more than 45 states, there was an enormous amount of school districts who lacked special education teachers.” Under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, ESSA has removed a section expressing teachers have to be "highly qualified." Additionally, the law requires states to offer programs to assist teachers in meeting students' needs with disabilities. These programs may include clinical practices and mentoring. Teachers will still need specific certifications to teach special education.

Increasing learning opportunities benefit students with disabilities. One of the most effective learning opportunities is Positive Behavioral Intentions and Supports (PBIS). PBIS prevents the exclusion of special needs students, develops educational outcomes, and addresses behavioral support. PBIS aims to make an impact on special education by providing incentives and executing early reading programs.

As previously mentioned, ESSA requires states to identify struggling schools. There are two categories for struggling schools:

Targeted Support and Improvement - a specific group of continually underperforming student.

Comprehensive Support and Improvement - schools with the lowest performance percentage in the state

 ESSA provides resources to the Local Education Agency (LEA) on how to generate student achievements. Publishing report cards is an important law for schools to implicate how schools are doing. Other factors include test score results, school fundings, graduation rates, and teacher qualifications. If a state finds a struggling school or “subgroup,” they must notify the parents. This is an important factor for students with disabilities. It helps parents understand how well or poorly a school is performing.

 Parents can make a difference by helping schools raise awareness for special needs students. Under the ESSA, parents are encouraged to voice their opinion about the school's accountability while engaging in their child's education. This engagement has promoted progress in many states as more parents are supporting disadvantaged and struggling students. Their input will impact how students can become successful by promoting fairness in the classroom. (For more information, reach out to your state’s Department of Education or the National Center for Learning Disabilities on how you can get involved.)

 Overall, ESSA continues to pave the way for all students. It provides children with equal opportunities to engage in high-quality education and reduce educational gaps. Although some NCLB rules still apply, ESSA places the states in control of setting standards for student education and the consequences for struggling schools.

References

Special education degrees in states with teacher shortages. (2015, July 17). Retrieved March 10, 2021, from http://www.specialeducationguide.com/teacher-certification/teaching-in-states-with-shortages/

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IDEA’s 13 SPECIAL EDUCATION DISABILITY CATEGORIES

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The individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is the federal law that supports special education and related services for children with special needs from the age of 3 to 21. This act is legislated to ensure that children with disabilities receive a free appropriate public education (FAPE) that help them progress and learn in the least restrictive environment (LRE). However, for the children to receive an individualized education program (IEP), they must be evaluated. The student goes through a battery of assessments to ensure he or she needs special services. According to the IDEA, there are 13 special education disability categories. Any eligible child would likely benefit from a special education program. Parents must know that not every disability can receive IEP. Furthermore, IDEA has defined the 13 disability categories (34 CFR 300.8). They are as follows:

 1.    Autism (ASD):

Autism (or Autism Spectrum Disorder) refers to a group of complex neurodevelopment disorders characterized by repetitive thought and behavior patterns. Repetitive behavior might look like hand flapping, rocking, jumping, or twirling. It affects verbal and nonverbal communication and social interactions. A child with ASD may be susceptible to environmental change or change in daily routines and rituals, even slightly. Moreover, the child can be sensitive to touch, light, and sound. He can demonstrate a constant and hyperactive movement. A child on the spectrum can be impulsive, aggressive with himself and others; his eating habits can be fussy. He may have a lack of coordination and a short attention span. These characteristics can affect a child’s educational performance and support the need for a special education program.

 2.    Deaf-Blindness (DB) :

Deaf-Blindness means concomitant hearing and visual impairments. It is a disability in which an individual has both a hearing and visual impairment. Characteristics of this disability may differ from one person to another because the expression of the impairments will likely have varying degrees. A child with DB may need increased volume or ask you to speak louder or slower due to difficulty following a conversation. You may notice a child with DB holding books very close, sitting close to the television, or having difficultly moving around unfamiliar places. All these difficulties can also impact the child’s ability to communicate or make educational progress.

 3.    Deafness/Hard of Hearing (DHH):

Deafness is a type of hearing impairment, but it is believed to be genetic or congenital because of prenatal viral infections, birth trauma, or other reasons. This impairment prevents the child from processing verbal information through hearing, no matter how amplified the sound is. This negatively affects the child’s educational performance.

 4.    Emotional Disturbance (ED):

Emotional Disturbance is a condition in which the child demonstrates specific emotional or behavioral characteristics over a long period. An emotionally disturbed child’s learning and social skill development are impacted for reasons that may not be specific. She struggles to maintain good relationships with others. He may exhibit behaviors of immaturity, withdrawal, and aggression. The behavior can also look like inappropriate crying, severe temper tantrums, excessive acting out,  or fighting.

5.    Hearing Impairment (HI):

There are different degrees of hearing impairment. A child may have a mild, moderate, or severe impairment. Again, deafness is a form of hearing impairment; still, a hearing-impaired person does not meet the characteristics of a person who is deaf.

 6.    Intellectual Disability (ID) :

Intellectual Disability is a general impairment of cognitive or intellectual functioning, social skills, and adaptive behavior.  ID is usually apparent during the child’s developmental years and may look like a child having difficulty understanding social rules or solving fundamental problems. They have trouble remembering things and seeing the results of their actions. You might also see delays with talking or walking in comparison to other children.

 7.    Multiple Disabilities (MD):

The child with MD will have a couple or a few disabilities at once. For example, a child with MD might have an intellectual disability and blindness or intellectual disability and orthopedic impairment. Remember, Deaf-Blindness is its own category, so it is not included under MD.

8.    Orthopedic Impairment (OI):

Orthopedic Impairments may result from polio, bone tuberculosis, cerebral palsy, amputations, fractures, or burns that cause contractures. The condition varies from case to case, but Orthopedic Impairments involve physical disabilities, affecting the educational process. Examples include the student’s inability to access transportation, maneuver around the classroom, and difficulty navigating school hallways without additional services or supports.

9.    Other Health Impairment (OHI):

Other Health Impairment is having chronic or acute health problems, like, asthma, attention deficit disorder or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, diabetes, epilepsy, etc. All these chronic health problems can adversely affect child performance in school. Each condition has its own traits and causes different limitations, so an IEP will address the student’s specific needs related to their situations.

 10. Specific Learning Disability (SLD):

Specific Learning Disability is various disorders that limit the child from learning. It is an umbrella term that can describe many different types of learning issues. The child can have difficulty concentrating, processing, listening, thinking, speaking, reading, writing, spelling, and performing math calculations. The learning disabilities include dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, minimal brain dysfunction, developmental aphasia, perceptual disabilities, etc.

 11. Speech or Language Impairment (S/LI):

We can find various kinds of speech and language disorders. Articulation is a Speech Impairment where the child produces sounds incorrectly. Fluency is where a child’s flow of speech is disrupted by sounds, syllables, and repeated words. Voice or inflection is where the child’s voice has an abnormal quality to its pitch, resonance, or loudness. Language Impairments where the child has problems expressing needs, ideas, information, and/or understanding what others say. More common speech and language disorders are stuttering, and language impairment can also impact children’s learning and communication abilities.

 12. Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI):

A traumatic injury is a physical injury that occurs suddenly, with a certain degree of severity. A traumatic brain injury can affect problem-solving skills, sensory, perceptual, and motor abilities; psychosocial behavior; physical functions; information processing; and speech. Special Education services support the student’s altered learning capabilities.

  13. Visual Impairment (VI):

 Visual Impairment refers to any kind of vision loss, whether the child cannot see at all or has partial vision loss. Some people are completely blind, but many others have what is called legal blindness. Special Education services help students who are VI learn needed skills to access their curriculum and learning environment.

Before closing, please note IDEA also references Developmentally Delayed as a special education category. It is often counted as a minor category because it is a category that can only be assigned to students under the age of 9 (in most states). At a certain point, your child will need to be reevaluated for continued eligibility determined by your state. He/she must qualify under at least one of the 13 primary categories to continue receiving special education services and supports. According to the IDEA, only students who meet these specific categories’ criteria can benefit from an individualized education program.

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Special Education IEPs

     Special Education is a service provided to children with a disability to ensure their right to receive a free and appropriate public education (FAPE). It provides students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) designed to meet their unique learning needs. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a law that ensures children with disabilities have access to education. It mandates schools provide special education services and supports to these children in the least restrictive environment possible. Meaning, whenever possible, children with disabilities will be taught in general education classrooms. However, there are times when the necessary special education services are more easily obtained in the special education classroom. In such cases, students received educational services and supports in a resource or separate special education setting. Though rare, another option for a special education setting is the student’s home or in a community-based setting (ex: preschool or daycare). Many students who receive education services via an IEP spend at least a portion of their day in a special education setting as part of their individualized instruction plan. The IEP is essentially a script or prescription for how a student receives special education services.

     Each student evaluated for special education eligibility must meet IDEA criteria for at least one of these categories to qualify for an IEP:

IDEA Disability categories (34 CFR § 300.8): 

1.       Autism

2.       Deafness

3.       Deafness/Blindness

4.       Emotional Disturbance

5.       Visual Impairment

6.       Speech/Language Impairment

7.       Orthopedic Impairments

8.       Hearing Impairment

9.       Intellectual Disability

10.   Multiple Disabilities

11.   Traumatic Brain Injury

12.   Other Health Impairment

13.   Specific Learning Disability

14.   Developmental Delay*

     The IEP is the cornerstone of the student’s special education services. Every child is different and therefore has different needs, so the IEP is tailored accordingly. There are many parts to an IEP, and most educators agree the plan must meet these basic requirements for the student to benefit educationally:

A.     Present Levels: This section is a data summary. It includes the results of the comprehensive educational evaluation, the student’s current functional performance. It lists the student strengths and points of weakness. (Note: Functional performance includes academic, social/behavioral/emotional, adaptive, motor, and communication skills.)

B.      Goals and Objectives: G/O uses the information regarding the student’s strengths and weaknesses to make a list of learning targets for the student. The team agrees to select the weaknesses or needs to target, based on which will provide the most educational benefit. The team creates benchmarks (based on the targeted goals) and focuses special education services on supports in these areas. Goals and Objectives are specific, measurable, and times so the service providers, parents, and students can track educational progress.

C.      Services: This is the heart of the special education prescription or plan. It includes the types and settings for the delivery of special education services and supports. This section details the services and supports' specifics, including how much, how often, and how long.

D.     Accommodations: Per LRE, students with disabilities can receive services across the entire educational environment (ex: transportation, cafeteria, recess). Accommodations are a list of changes the staff can make to the environment, curriculum, and assessment to allow the student better educational access. The student’s accommodations follow them in general and special education settings because the accommodations also ensure inclusion and equity.

        IDEA requires an annual review of the student’s IEP. An IEP team must meet at least once a year to review the student’s progress and develop a new plan for the next upcoming year. The IEP team includes the parents, a local representative, teachers, other services providers, and the student, if appropriate. The team measures student performance to assess how well the plan is working. The team discusses the student’s performance on the goals, areas where the student is doing well, and areas where the student needs improvement. The team will consider appropriate placement and services for the child based on his performance and achievement. If the student’s goals are met, the IEP team will set higher expectations for next year. On the contrary, if the student did not achieve the goals in the IEP, the team will reconsider the placements, goals, services. After reviewing the data, the team will agree on more appropriate goals, services, supports, and accommodations.  The team will monitor the student’s progress; IEP meetings and plan changes will continue as needed until student performance improves.

            During an IEP meeting, a person from the team will take notes or minutes of the meeting. The minutes will include a summary of the team’s discussions and decisions. Copies of the notes are attached to the IEP, and the district gives the parent a full revised copy new document. The parents will closely review the new IEP for accuracy and sign it if the information is captured correctly.  If the information is not correct, the parents can still sign the paper but with an exception. The parents would attach a letter to the original signed IEP or write corrections through the original document. The IEP is a legal and binding document, so the local representative will store signed or marked copies in a secured location. The child’s information is kept confidential and made available only to those who need to know what is in the IEP. The team will use the IEP in the cycle of meeting the student's needs and tracking progress.

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Congrats to our Founder/CEO, Dr. Rolanda Fabien, on being featured as an up & coming entrepreneur!!

https://bitgog.com/success-stories/entrepreneur/women/inclusive-diverse-equitable-accessible-the-mission-of-bright-idea-consulting-by-dr-rolanda-fabien-for-students-with-special-needs/

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If you have questions regarding your special education rights or your student’s special education services, please consider collaborating with your child’s school. If you need further support, Bright IDEA Consulting offers courses, consultation, and services designed to train and empower parents, educators, and organizations in the art of Collaborative Advocacy. Collaborative Advocates guide teams through working together, so people with special needs are equipped with the tools required to live with integrity and be contributing members of our greater society. Schedule a free information session with one of our Collaborative Advocates today at www.calendly.com/infobrightideaco.

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The Importance of LRE for Children with Disabilities

    Parents are always looking for better options for their children. Education is the key to making progress. Though not every child has a disability, every child is an individual with unique needs.

Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) is a phrase that describes the law’s (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act-IDEA) parameters for how children with disabilities are to be educated. LRE means that students with disabilities should be educated in the regular education classroom to the “fullest extent appropriate” (34 CFR 300.114 (a)). LRE is one of the pillars in IDEA.

IDEA outlines regulations that protect the rights of students with disabilities and their parents. According to IDEA, students with disabilities may be placed in general education settings, special education settings, or have a schedule that has a combination of the two learning environments. Regardless of where students with disabilities are taught, it is most important their services and supports are appropriate for addressing the student’s unique needs.

LRE placement decisions are not a random process. Before deciding what environment, services, and supports are appropriate for the child, the Individual Education Program (or Plan), commonly known as the IEP Team, will gather information about the child from different sources. The information is reviewed to identify the student’s strengths and challenges. The parents, educational professionals, and sometimes community partners will create a plan to prescribe the appropriate placement, services, and supports for him/her based on the child’s areas of need. The student, parents, teachers, and other service providers should be aware of the student’s IEP or plan, and the IEP must be implemented to ensure the student receives a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE).

LRE applies to both academic and non-academic stings, so understanding the levels of LRE is essential for determining the appropriate educational placement. The primary aim of LRE provision is to ensure that the child is receiving an inclusive, yet a specialized education. As previously mentioned, the IEP team decides what LRE is appropriate for each child, but here are a few of the most common LRE options:

��         General Education Setting with or without Support (defined as 80% or more of the school day): the student spends majority of the day in general education classrooms and receives necessary supports and services within that setting.

·         Resource/Both General & Special Educational Settings (defined as 40%-79% of the school day): the student spends part of the day in a general education classrooms and part of the day in special education classrooms and receives necessary supports and services within each setting.

·         Special Education Setting (defined as less than 40% of the school day): the student spends majority of the day in special education classrooms and receives necessary supports and services within that setting. This would also include specialty schools and facilities separate from the school or district.

The choice of the perfect environment for a child with special needs is a pivotal decision. For instance, if the environment, services, or supports are not appropriate for the child, this can hinder the child’s academic progress. For that reason, the environment needs to accommodate the child‘s specific needs.

COVID has not changed the LRE requirements for schools that receive public funds to educate students with disabilities. Schools have always had to be highly creative when providing special education services in the LRE. Virtual and Blended learning platforms are not new, but they have become more popular because of COVID. Virtual and Blended learning is recognized as a valid way to educate students with disabilities, pending these options are appropriate for the child and allow the student to receive all needed educational services and supports. The law continues to recognize that an inclusive environment fostered by LRE is extremely important in shaping the cognitive, social-emotional, language, adaptive, and motor development of a child. Therefore, every school must continue to offer educational options along the continuum of educational environments.

If you have questions regarding your special education rights or your student’s special education services, please consider collaborating with your child’s school. If you need further support, Bright IDEA offers courses, consultation, and services designed to train and empower parents, educators, and organizations in the art of Collaborative Advocacy. Collaborative Advocates guide teams through working together, so people with special needs are equipped with the tools required to live with integrity and be contributing members of our greater society. Schedule a free information session with one of our Collaborative Advocates today at www.calendly.com/infobrightideaco.

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