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AWAREness |
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Volume 4 |
August 2007 |
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This newsletter contains links to PDF files which require Adobe Acrobat Reader. To download Acrobat Reader, click here. |
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Providing parents of children with disabilities with information, training, assistance, and support
1021 Delaware Avenue Palm Harbor, FL 34683 1-888-61-AWARE |
Middle Grades Reform Act The 2004 Legislature passed SB 354, Public School Educational Instruction, and Governor Jeb Bush signed it creating the Middle Grades Reform Act. Through related funding, approximately three-quarters of Florida’s middle schools will have a reading coach, with resources being targeted at the lowest-performing middle schools first. Reading coaches provide on-site professional development for teachers and help them teach reading more effectively. The funding for these reading coaches will impact more than 285,000 students in middle schools throughout Florida by providing 282 coaches to train 2,275 middle school teachers at 342 middle schools. For more information on the Middle Grades Reform Act, click here.
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In This Issue
Middle Grades Reform Act
How Can I Get Ready for the IEP Meeting?
CFPC Events Calendar
Facilitated IEP Meetings
How are Extended School Year (ESY) Services Decided?
CFPC Message Board and Chat Room
Transition from Early Intervention (Early Steps)
Eight Ways to Share in Medical Decisions
Accommodations and Modifications |
As summer winds down, and fall is on the horizon… It’s “Back to School” time! How can I get ready for the IEP meeting?
For more IEP Tips, click here.
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Don’t forget to have a look at our online calendar to see what is happening in your community.
Do you have an upcoming event that you would like to post?
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Facilitated IEP Meetings: An Emerging Practice
To help special education planning teams reach agreements, several State Education Agencies (SEAs) provide the option of facilitated Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings. The use of externally facilitated IEP meetings is growing nationally. When relationships between parents and schools are strained, facilitated meetings may be beneficial. For more information click here.
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How is the need for ESY (Extended School Year) services determined for students with disabilities?
Determination of the need for ESY services is an IEP or family support plan team decision designed to ensure the provision of FAPE. The need for ESY services must be determined for every student with a disability, every year. If need is demonstrated in the area of academic skills (or, for pre-K students, developmentally appropriate pre-academic skills), communication, independent functioning and self-sufficiency, and/or social/emotional or behavioral skills, as they relate to critical life functions, special education or related services may be required. ESY is not intended to provide education beyond that which has been determined necessary by the IEP or family support plan team to ensure FAPE. In many cases, not all of the services specified in an individual student’s IEP or FSP for the 180-day school year need to be provided as part of ESY services. Parental requests for ESY services must be considered. However, if ESY services are requested by the parent but the IEP or family support plan team does not see the provision of the requested ESY services as necessary for the provision of FAPE, then a written informed notice of refusal must be provided. To review the entire article, click here.
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Parents! Meet & talk with other parents of children with disabilities on the CFPC message board, join in (anytime, day or night) on conversations with other parents about topics such as “IEP Experiences,” “Tell Us About Your Children,” “Words of Wisdom,” and many more. For more information about the message board and for a chat schedule, click here. |
TRANSITION from Early Steps
There are several types of transitions that are designed to meet the needs of the individual child and times when they occur. Many young children who have been receiving services from Early Steps (Part C) may be provided the opportunity to transition to school district exceptional student education (ESE) services or other community educational programs, when they reach age three. Other children enter the public school system through Child Find activities and referrals from other service providers in the community such as Head Start or child care programs. At age five, children transition again into kindergarten.
A Booklet to Help Children and Families in Moving from Early Steps at Age Three to Other Community Programs
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Eight Ways to Share in Medical Decisions It is important that you have a say in your health care. But it may be very hard to speak up when you don’t feel well or the doctor uses words that are not familiar to you. Click here to read Eight Tips to help you share in your medical decisions. |
Accommodations and Modifications
Florida Department of Education offers a booklet that is written to help parents understand two important features of special education services, accommodations and modifications.
Simply stated, accommodations are changes to the way your child is expected to learn or how he or she is tested. Modifications are changes to what your child is expected to learn.
To review the entire booklet, click here.
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"Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world" - Albert Einstein
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