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Today, the Obama Administration outlined how states can get relief from provisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act – or No Child Left Behind (NCLB) – in exchange for serious state-led efforts to close achievement gaps, promote rigorous accountability, and ensure that all students are on track to graduate college- and career-ready. “To help states, districts and schools that are ready to move forward with education reform, our administration will provide flexibility from the law in exchange for a real commitment to undertake change. The purpose is not to give states and districts a reprieve from accountability, but rather to unleash energy to improve our schools at the local level,” President Obama said. What this means for you:   For Teachers: A collaborative learning culture where teachers can target instruction towards the needs of students and offer a well-rounded curriculum. Fair and responsible evaluations that are based on multiple measures including peer review, principal observation, and classroom work.  For Principals: Greater flexibility to tailor solutions to the unique educational challenges of their students and recognition for progress and performance.  For Parents: Accurate and descriptive information about their children’s progress and honest accountability that recognizes and rewards success – where schools fall short – targeted and focused strategies for the students most at risk.  For Students: A system that measures student growth and critical thinking to inspire better teaching and greater student engagement across a well-rounded curriculum. For more information on how this flexibility package may affect you, read our blog post: What NCLB Flexibility Means for You

A major organizational change this week at the federal level could give significantly more voice to those working on developmental disability issues. The shift announced Monday creates a new Administration for Community Living within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The new entity will join together three existing bodies — the Administration on Developmental Disabilities, the Office on Disability and the Administration on Aging — under one umbrella to serve seniors and those with disabilities.

Click here to register for this event What: This three hour training is designed for counselor/administrator teams to work together to learn the basic principles of the Montana School Counseling Program Model.  The training will include roles and responsibilities of counselors and administrators within the program and steps for implementation of the Model.  Participants will have an outline of an implementation plan and be able to begin the implementation process. The goal is to provide high-quality, Level I training for Montana school counselors and administrators. Participants will learn the tools to: establish a school counseling program as an integral component of the school?s academic missions; ensure students have access to counseling services; identify and deliver the knowledge and skills acquired in the Academic, Career, and personal/Social Domains; promote specific guidelines and strategies to engage culturally different students/parents in counseling and the educational process; and, sponsor a culturally appropriate approach to counseling that is aligned with the spirit and intent of IEFA. Where: Montana State University - Billings College of Education Building, Room 122 Billings, MT Scheduled Trainings: March 11, 2011 9:00am-12:00pm April 1, 2011 9:00am-12:00pm April 13, 2011 9:00am-12:00pm Cost: http://www.msubillings.edu/smart/training/schoolcounseling.htm There are no fees for this training but registration is required.  Mileage reimbursement will be paid for those outside of the Billings area.

Click here to download the full flyer and registration for this event (PDF) Free training for: Elementary teachers, Special education teachers, Administrators, Paraprofessionals and parents This workshop is designed for a variety of individuals: Schools just beginning to think about Response to Instruction (RtI) Support staff in schools already implementing RtI (speech therapists, school psychologists, occupational and physical therapist, tutors, etc.) New administrators or teachers in schools already implementing RtI New members on established RtI teams Participants will be provided: An overview of the Montana RtI model--both the “big picture” and the eight essential implementation components Practical strategies and possible next steps they might take to “power up and move forward” with RtI implementation efforts Discussion of how their specific positions and roles “fit in” with RtI structures and procedures. When: October 4, 2011 8:00am - 3:30pm Mountain Where: Robins Administration Building 425 6th Street Upstairs Conference Room Havre, MT

The Obama administration moved forward today to implement provisions in the health care law that would make it illegal for insurance companies to discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions. The provisions of the Affordable Care Act also would make it easier for consumers to compare health plans and employers to promote and encourage employee wellness.