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The U.S. Department of Education has proposed regulations, published today, to transition away from the so-called "2 percent rule," thus emphasizing the Department’s commitment to holding all students to high standards that better prepare them for college and career. Under the existing regulations, States have been allowed to develop alternate assessments aligned to modified academic achievement standards (AA-MAAS) for some students with disabilities and use the results of those assessments for accountability purposes under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. In making accountability determinations, States currently may count as proficient scores for up to 2 percent of students in the grades assessed using the alternate assessments based on modified academic achievement standards.

Click here to register now! What:The Council for Exception Children (CEC) invites you to join them for a premier professional development event dedicated to special and gifted education. Attending the convention, you will: Participate in the many rich opportunities to learn and engage in dialogue about the fields most important topics including: teacher effectiveness, universal design for learning, collaboration, response to intervention, evidence-based instructional strategies, common core state standards, restraint and seclusion, alternative school, autism, mental health, classroom management, and more. Network with inernationally-renowned experts in special education and discuss the latest research and most promising instructional strategies. Investigate new career opportunities with onsite recruiters and more! When:April 11-14, 2012 (Wed.- Sat.) Where:Colordado Convention Center, Denver, COFor more information visit here!

What: People diagnosed with mental health problems have significantly shorter life spans and are more likely   to have serious but preventable health conditions—including obesity, diabetes, and hypertension—compared to people who do not have mental health problems. Traditionally, the mental health field has focused primarily on a person’s psychiatric stabilization rather than taking a broader, holistic approach that looks at the wellness of the whole person—mind, body, and spirit. Recent preventive and holistic approaches along with complementary and alternative  medicines (CAMs) have shown success in improving the overall health of individuals with mental health problems which contributes to their ability to live a more full and satisfying life in the community. The SAMHSA 10x10 Wellness Campaign invites you to a free training teleconference titled “Prevention and Holistic Approaches to Wellness: A Fresh Perspective on Mental Health Recovery.” This teleconference will educate diverse stakeholders about both peer-delivered and community mental health provider-delivered alternatives to wellness that focus on building resiliency and supporting individuals to establish healthier lifestyles. It also will address how to create educational campaigns and outreach to disseminate information about complementary and alternative healing practices in the context of rigorous science.   When: Tuesday, December 7, 2010 1 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. Mountain

Catholic schools are offering programs for children with disabilities more and more, with schools serving students diagnosed with everything from Asperger’s syndrome to intellectual disability. Though traditionally out of reach for faith-based schools given the high cost of providing special education services, determined parents are fund-raising and getting grants to develop programs at Catholic schools across the country. In fact, the number of Catholic elementary schools with a resource teacher to assist students with special needs grew from 28 to 42 percent between the 2001-2002 school year and 2008-2009.

Click here to register for this webinar What: The rapid growth in adoption of "Response to Intervention" across the nation's public schools, sparked in large measure by changes to IDEA's identification procedures for specific learning disabilities, is raising issues of compliance with IDEA's Child Find mandate.   Specifically, under IDEA (2004), school districts are no longer required to use a discrepancy model when determining eligibility, but instead, may use alternative means (e.g., response-to-intervention (RTI) or processing deficit approaches) to identify students. Consequently, significant variability among states in the SLD identification criteria now exists. The implementation of new criteria - particularly RTI - may result in delay or failure to properly identify students as eligible for IDEA services.   This Webinar will present the latest information on RTI adoption across states and the use of RTI for SLD identification. It will review recent challenges, including litigation, and provide guidance on an array of practical advocacy options that can be used to capitalize on the RTI process-to help struggling students regardless of whether they are suspected of having SLD-and deal with the delay or denial of access to special education potentially posed by RTI.  Time will be provided for questions from participants. When: Wednesday, November 2, 2011  12:00pm - 1:30pm Mountain

What:Research provides strong evidence that organizations with a high degree of trust among employees are far more likely to make and sustain the kinds of changes that help them reach their goals and outcomes – than those organizations where there is little or no trust among staff. This session will describe both empirical and conceptual research related to trust types. We will explore the various types of trust as they relate to social and organizational life. In addition, we will make connections between trust, trust types, relationship, communication and increased effectiveness in mediation and ADR outcomes.  About Dr. Cathy Fromme: Dr. Fromme began her journey as an educator 32 years ago, as a first grade teacher in California. She is currently the Principal of TrustWorks. Prior to establishing TrustWorks she held district, regional ESD and state department positions in Washington. While at the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction she developed Washington’s statewide Special Education Mediation System, chaired the statewide Commission on Student Learning Accommodations and Alternate Assessment committees.Cathy was also the Diversity Manager for the Washington Department of Natural Resources where she facilitated, positive/inclusive working relationships and diversity in the workplace for 1,300 DNR employees. She has consulted, written and presented extensively in the areas of trust, change management and work force diversity in schools and organizations. She received her B.S. from UCLA, M.S. from San Jose State University, and doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy from the University of Washington. Though, her proudest achievements in life are her two grown sons. The youngest is an EMT in the US Air Force and the oldest is the owner/operator of a courier business in San Francisco.Meeting Details: To participate in this webinar you must call in and log in from your computer. Conference Number(s):  1-888-447-7153 Participant Code: 473502 To join the meeting, please click on the link below and enter as guest: http://tadnet.adobeconnect.com/cadre/When:March 14, 201212:00 pm - 1:15 pm MTContact:Marshall Peter, Director CADRE (541) 686-5060 (v) (541) 686-5063 (f) mpeter@directionservice.org www.directionservice.org/cadre

What: The print, bound book is an educational barrier for many students with print disabilities. Because these students cannot read a print book, they require books in alternative formats such as DAISY and BRF (digital Braille). Books in accessible digital formats can remove the barriers and provide access to the general curriculum. In this webinar, you will learn about digital accessible books and how to get digital textbooks from the NIMAC (National Instructional Materials Accessibility Center). You'll also learn the services and benefits Bookshare offers to educators and qualified students.

As the Technology Coach for Educational Vision Services, the program in the NYC Department of Education that serves students in our school system with visual impairments, I have been looking for a way to provide students with low-vision access to large print using the iPad. Our students are registered with Bookshare.org but it has been a stumbling block converting the DAISY formatted books into the epub format that can be read on the iPad. While there are numerous options for our students who are auditory or Braille readers, there has been a large disconnect in taking advantage of technology for our students who require large print and alternate contrast for visual reading.

What: The Division of Special Education has scheduled an All Teacher Training on the dates and locations below. The training will review the special education process and forms. All trainings will be from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Locations: September 13 September 14 September 15 Browning, September 13 Browning Public Schools Board Room Ronan, September 14 Ronan Middle School Auditorium Butte, September 15 Alternative School Auditorium (1050 S. Montana Street) Lewistown, September 13 Fergus County High School Auditorium Terry, September 14 Terry High School Hardin, September 15 Hardin Middle School Auditorium To register, please go to: http://www.opi.mt.gov/regforms/speced/

This six session series on Discovery will provide educators, adult service personnel and family members with the critical information necessary to facilitate discovery for persons with significant disabilities.  This alternative to comparative assessment addresses the essential question so often overlooked by evaluations and tests, “Who is this person?”  The sessions offer a comprehensive overview to discovery, the relationship to employment and transition from school to adult work, relevance to curricular outcomes and development of visual and written profile documents that capture the information learned during discovery. Don’t miss this useful and informative series that will provide practical strategies and the foundation for all person-centered plans.

Virginia education leaders moved this week to introduce a standardized test for students with disabilities and phase out a widely used alternative that many officials say is undermining the state's accountability system.

The Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) 2011 Webinar Series has added a new collection of live, interactive, online educational events. They cover a broad range of topics to help you enhance your knowledge of assistive technology and the skills needed to support the products and process.  ATIA has tapped into national leaders in their field to bring you this outstanding collection of webinars.  Upcoming webinars for JANUARY through JUNE - You can go to our website for complete session abstracts, learning outcomes, and speaker biographies: Don't miss our new "There's An App for That" Series with Dr. Therese Willkomm and Phyllis Watson who bring you in-depth discussions of the apps for selected functional areas.  Sign-up for all three at one time and receive a discount! AT11-WEB01:  Apps for the iPad, iTouch, & iPhone on Remembering, Prompting, Organizing, Assessing, and Increasing Productivity - REGISTER Thursday, January 13, 2011   1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. Mountain Time Overview:  Productivity at home, school and work is affected by how well we are organized and can remember essential tasks that need to be performed.  This webinar will demonstrate apps that can help with executive functioning such as reminders and prompts to completing essential tasks.  In addition, the webinar will also review various apps related to organization, time management, and online assessment tools.  - Full abstract AT11-WEB04:  Apps for the iPad, iTouch, & iPhone on Alternative and Augmentative Communication - REGISTER Thursday, February 17, 2011   1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Mountain Time Overview:  There are over 30 different apps that can benefit individuals who experience various communication impairments.  This webinar will review 20 of the most successful apps for children and adults.  In addition, apps related to sign language will also be discussed. - Full abstract AT11-WEB08:  Apps for the iPad, iTouch, & iPhone on Reading, Writing and Arithmetic - REGISTER Wednesday, March 23, 2011   1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. Mountain Time Overview:   This webinar will demonstrate apps that can assist in reading using text to speech, narration, and audio books; apps that use voice recognition or text expanders to increase writing ability and speed; flash card apps and math tutorial apps; and apps that will quiz you. - Full abstract

What: This six session series on Discovery will equip educators, adult service personnel and family members with the critical information necessary to facilitate discovery for persons with significant disabilities. This alternative to comparative assessment addresses the essential question so often overlooked by evaluations and tests, "Who is this person?" The sessions offer a comprehensive overview to discovery, the relationship to employment and transition from school to adult work, relevance to curricular outcomes and development of visual and written profile documents that capture the information learned during discovery.  When: April 4, 11, 18, 25 and May 2, 9  1-2:30 p.m. Mountain More Details Download Registration Form Register Online

In relation to new state licensure requirements, we will be offering supervision training for experienced Class 6 School Psychologists in the Spring of 2011. Successful applicants will have at least three years full-time experience and be willing to offer supervision to Class 5 school psychologists holding an alternative license who are completing their formal internships within districts. Training will be provided with the support of the Office of Public Instruction and two applicants from each CSPD region will be welcome to attend. The two-day course will be based on an NASP format and taught by staff from the University of Montana, Missoula, and members of the MASP Competency Review Board. Training will be held in Helena on March 18 and April 15, 2011,  and will include both group work and independent study.  A small stipend will be offered to psychologists who plan to offer supervision within their region. Office of Public Instruction recertification credit will be available or one continuing education credit from the University of Montana, based on a minimum of 15 hours attendance. For more details and an application form, please contact Ann Verploegen by e-mail at annsnp@yahoo.com.

RCT Demonstrates the Efficacy of the LEAP Model of Early Intervention for Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Research on Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and the development of interventions for children with autism have expanded greatly in recent years, though most comprehensive interventions have not received systematic, scientific evaluation. One of the few exceptions is LEAP (Learning Experiences�An Alternative Program for Preschoolers and Parents), a comprehensive intervention for preschool children with autism, developed by Phillip Strain in 1981, that uses a variety of science-based learning techniques. Although LEAP had been shown to improve child outcomes in a prior evaluation, the developers recently implemented a new experimental evaluation comparing full LEAP implementation to a reduced model based only on access to materials. With funding from the National Center for Special Education Research, principal investigator Phillip Strain and his research team conducted a randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing classroom implementation of LEAP with training and mentoring by LEAP staff to classrooms in which teachers were only provided with the usual LEAP training manuals and materials. They found that providing preschool teachers with LEAP training and mentoring resulted in greater fidelity of implementation and more positive child outcomes when compared to teachers who were only given the training manuals and materials.