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D.C. Schools Trying New Approach to Spec. Ed. Cases
Education Week
After tangling in litigation for close to a decade, the District of Columbia school system agreed in 2006 to work quickly to pare down a backlog of cases related to special education services it had failed to provide to students with disabilities. Two years after the decision in the class action, the backlog of cases is still large, and growing. But school officials and lawyers representing the plaintiffs are renewing efforts to work together to fix the mess.
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Alexandria Gazette Packet (VA)
A newspaper investigation of standardized test scores found that none of the schools in Alexandria met the federal standard for special-education students last year. Yet because a class size of 50 students is required to calculate adequate yearly progress, none of these schools were punished for failing to achieve the annual measurable objective of a 73 percent pass rate for students with disabilities.
Parents Need to Prep for Annual IEP Reviews
Medill Reports (IL)
Parents have an absolute right to participate in the IEP process from start to finish. With annual reviews taking place this time of year, Medill Reports — a news outlet of Northwestern University's graduate school of journalism — spoke with Mary Mulae, special education litigation attorney and parent of a child with learning disabilities.
Soul Fan's Obsession Proves a Real Hit Mix
Hemel Gazette (U.K.)
Reg Stickings book about soul music in the North of England in the 60's sold out its first print run before publishers had even advertised it. The 54-year-old says he has always had trouble with literacy, but was determined to finish the book. "Apparently people who can't read and write well have really good memories to compensate, which I think is why I have been able to recall everything for the book. And because I had to dictate it, it's written how I speak."
Riordan Reaching Out to His Readers
Houston Chronicle
Author Rick Riordan is on the road to promote his popular children’s book The Battle of the Labyrinth, the fourth novel in his best-selling series Percy Jackson and the Olympians. In all, the first three titles have sold 1.6 million copies in 15 countries. Riordan's ability to appeal to pre–teen boys — a demographic frequently identified as "reluctant readers" — is especially unusual. While his main character Percy may be a son of the Greek god Poseidon, he also has dyslexia and attention–deficit hyperactivity disorder. So does one of Riordan's two sons.
MO School District Plans to Expand Educational Program
Southeast Missourian
Next year, more Cape Girardeau, Missouri students with disabilities will be placed in traditional classrooms, under the expansion of a pilot program aimed at "mainstreaming." Students who previously were educated in a "self-contained" classroom have been attending class with traditional students this year in certain classes at Central Junior High and Central High School. The model, known as CWC, for class within a class, has been in place for years at several surrounding districts, including Jackson.
Special Ed Costs Drive Schools Deficit in CT School District
New Haven Register (CT)
If New Haven, Connecticut residents don't appropriate $250,000 to cover a pending deficit in the special education budget, there will be immediate layoffs and program eliminations in the schools, Superintendent Sara–Jane R. Querfeld says. Querfeld said the money, which would be tapped from the unappropriated fund balance, will cover educational costs for nine special education students who have been placed by the state Department of Children and Families, the court system or a hospital.
California Man Takes Guesswork Out of His Life by Learning How to Read
The Modesto Bee (CA)
Walter Woodley worked for the city of Modesto, California for 33 years, rising to become the chief groundskeeper at John Thurman Field. The secret to his success, however, couldn't possibly match the secret he kept from most of his co–workers and even his children for decades: He could not read. Now, after masking his deficiency for so many years, Woodley, 59, is willing to tell his story, to write it and read it, too.
200 City Students Take Alternative to SOL Test
Daily News Record (VA)
This year, more than 200 Harrisonburg students are taking the Virginia Grade Level Alternative, an alternative form of the Standards of Learning test. It's a better assessment for some students who are unable to participate in the traditional SOL testing because of a disability or limited English proficiency. But it also costs more and creates more work for teachers.
District Activities Mark Special EducationWeek
The Independent (NJ)
The Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District will provide plenty of activities for students to appreciate one another during this year's Special EducationWeek. "Really, this event is to raise awareness and promote the benefits of special education for kids with learning disabilities to make them a part of the community both inside of school and out," said Laura Porter, a member of the board of directors for Parents of Special People.
Overcoming Learning Disabilities will be Focus of Program at Cibola
Yuma Sun (AZ)
The stories of eight high school students who overcame learning disabilities will be featured Thursday in a program that is open to the public. "Transition to Post Secondary Learning," the fifth in a series of special education training programs, will be held at the Cibola High School library.
Ministry Looks to Expand Facilities for Gifted, Special Needs Students
The Jordan Times (Jordan)
Educational authorities are moving ahead with plans to improve and expand facilities for both gifted and special needs students in the Kingdom in order to ensure their needs are fully met.
Together at Last: Special Ed and Student Information Systems
T.H.E. Journal
No one can say with real certainty why it happened, but when K–12 school districts began implementing the first student information systems during the 1990s, special education was largely left out of the process. The two systems evolved as separate entities, technologically speaking, and in the handling of individualized education programs, paper remained the dominant storage medium long after other student records had made the digital transition. School districts now need to integrate their general education and special education systems, because, among other reasons, they're both part of a larger process.
Some of California's Most Gifted Students Are Being Ignored, Advocates Say
Los Angeles Times
With schools under intense pressure from state and federal mandates such as No Child Left Behind to raise test scores of low-achieving pupils, the educational needs of gifted students — who usually perform well on standardized tests — too often are ignored, advocates say. Nationally, about 3 million kindergarten through 12th–grade students are identified as gifted, but 80% of them do not receive specialized instruction, experts say.
PA Schools Team up For College–Prep Program
Intelligencer Journal (PA)
Students who have earned a high school diploma can enroll in the Foundation of Learning Independence through Education program wherein they will attend classes at both the Harrisburg Area Community College's Lancaster campus and the Janus School to build the skills necessarily for college coursework. Janus is a privately owned and operated school for students with attention deficit disorder/attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, dyslexia and Asperger's syndrome.
Canadian Cambrian College Hosts Annual Learning Disabilities Conference
Northern Life (Canada)
Cambrian College's Glenn Crombie Centre for disability services, in partnership with Nipissing University's Counseling and Disability Services, is hosting its annual Learning Disabilities Conference. The two–day conference will take place on Thursday, May 22 and Friday, May 23 at the Barrydowne campus, with separate pathways for parents, educators, and secondary school students.
Va. Seeks to Identify the Learning Disabled
Richmond Times-Dispatch (Va)
The Virginia Department of Education will start a new program this fall to identify students with learning disabilities. "We are concerned that a lot of young people, especially those with reading difficulties, end up in special education when we know lots of reading problems can be remedied within the general education environment," said H. Douglas Cox, assistant superintendent in the division of special education.
Cape Plans To Expand Educational Program
Southeast Missourian
Students with disabilities who previously were educated in a "self-contained" classroom have been attending class with traditional students this year. The model, known as CWC, for class within a class, is gaining momentum in Cape Girardeau.
'I Did Want to be Held Back, but I also Wanted to Move On with My Friends'
Arizona Daily Star
One student's perspective about social promotion. Academics and educators agree the transition points in education, especially from eighth grade to high school, are periods marked by higher rates of failure and thus necessary points for stronger intervention and student support. Richard Llamas has attention-deficit disorder and says he can't keep pace with his classmates. The lack of support for her son infuriates Llamas' mother.
Hattiesburg American (MS)
Malinda Wiklund, 34, overcame learning problems as she persistently worked four years to gain her associate degree at Jones County Junior College. Wiklund had to deal with dyslexia and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder learning disabilities as she worked toward her degree in criminal justice. On Friday, she was among 523 students receiving their diplomas.
