April Newsletter

Please plan to join us Tuesday, April 25, 2006 at 2 PM Eastern Daylight Time for a webinar on Differentiated Instruction, presented by Dr. Melissa Storm of the Access Center and Lori Centerbar from Frederick H. Tuttle Middle School in Vermont. The Access Center is pleased to unveil new and improved technology, featuring greater accessibility, and we look forward to your participation. We will be providing more information in the coming weeks about log-in instructions so look for more details over email and on the webinar portion of the website.

The Access Center is collaborating with the Vermont Department of Education (VT DOE) to support two school districts that will be piloting district-wide differentiated instruction during the 2006-07 school year.  These activities will take place through the Creating Responsive Schools (CRS) project, which will provideprofessional development and mentoring for administrators and teachers in the pilot districts throughout the spring and summer of 2006 and into the next school year. Access Center staff serves on the CRS planning committee, will be involved with a week-long summer academy for teachers in August, and will provide support to the VT DOE and districts throughout the pilot school year.

Web-Based Resources for Science, Technology, and Engineering: Tools and Activities for Teaching and Learning
CAST, a valuable Access Center partner, has developed this directory of free online tools and activities in the areas of science, technology, and engineering.  Educators and students with disabilities can both benefit from this new resource.  This comprehensive directory includes an easy-to-use resource matrix and provides general and subject-specific resources for almost all grade levels.  Please visit our website to view this new directory by clicking here.

NICHCY’s New Research Center is Live!
NICHCY, the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities, has launched its new Research Center!  The Center is designed to connect you with the research evidence on a wide range of educational practices.

From the Capital to the Classroom: Year 4 of the No Child Left Behind Act 
The Center on Education Policy has released its fourth annual report on the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act.  The report analyzes how the law is being implemented by the federal government, states, and school districts, as well as the opportunities and challenges that it has presented for states and districts. 

OSEP Names Dr. Alexa Posny as New Director
Dr. Alexa Posny has been named Director of the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) effective April 17, 2006. Dr. Posny will be filling the Director vacancy that had been temporarily filled by Dr. Troy Justesen.

ED Issues FAQ on Parentally Placed Students in Private Schools under IDEA
The U.S. Department of Education has issued several frequently asked questions regarding the obligation states and local education agencies have under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) when providing special education services to children with disabilities enrolled by their parents in private elementary schools and secondary schools.  The 2004 reauthorization of IDEA contained a significant policy change from previous versions of the law:  the LEA…must now conduct a thorough and complete child find process to determine the number of parentally-placed children with disabilities attending private schools located in the LEA.

NCLB Commission Holds Hearing on Teacher Quality The Commission on No Child Left Behind, led by former Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson and former Georgia Governor Ray Barnes, will hold the first in a series of nationwide hearings on NCLB. This hearing, to be held on April 11, will focus on teacher quality, recruitment, retention and distribution. The Commission will report its findings to Congress and the Administration in preparation for the NCLB reauthorization in 2007.