Weekly Update 2.26.2015
TEA Information
CTE Representative in the IEP Team Meeting: TEA Clarification
At the ESC/TEA meeting last week in Autin, an issue was clarified regarding whether another member of the IEP team could also serve in the capacity of the CTE representative. The answer is below:
The CTE teacher can also be the general education teacher in the IEP team meeting. However, the CTE representative should not be the administrator. The purpose of the CTE teacher being in the meeting is to be able to explain the requirements of the program and to provide input about what the student would need in order to be successful in the class.
This clarification was provided by Keith Swink, Division of Federal and State Education Policy.
Important Schedule Alert for ISDs: ICRP Negotiations Scheduled for March 2015
ISDs interested in receiving a federal indirect cost rate for the 2015–2016 school year must complete and submit an Indirect Cost Rate Proposal (ICRP) by February 27, 2015.
TEA extended the ICRP deadline in response to ISDs that needed more time to complete the submission. To meet USDE timelines regarding the issuance of federal indirect cost rates, TEA must review and negotiate all submitted ICRPs by the end of March 2015.
TEA staff will negotiate all required revisions to your ICRP via email from . TEA’s schedule allows no more than three business days for the negotiation of each ICRP. Please be prepared to revise your ICRP as required within three business days of receiving a negotiation email. Negotiations not completed within three business days may prevent TEA from issuing the district an indirect cost rate for 2015–2016.
TEA is aware that March is Spring Break month. It is impossible for the agency to schedule negotiations around Spring Break. You must be ready to complete any required revisions to your ICRP within three business days of receipt, regardless of whether the negotiation email is sent during Spring Break.
To assist you with completing the ICRP Excel workbook, please review the supplementalinstructions posted to the Indirect Cost Rates page of the TEA website.
With any questions, please email .
This message is sent only to subscribers to this topic. To unsubscribe from this topic, please click on the unsubscribe button below this message.
Free Online Pre-k Learning Platform Available
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) and the Children’s Learning Institute (CLI) at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) have launched a new, innovative online platform, known as CLI Engage. This online platform is now available at no cost to all Texas public school districts, charter schools, and Head Start programs.
School districts and Head Start programs that register for CLI Engage will be able to access Texas School Ready!child progress monitoring assessments that reliably identify children at risk for school failure. Based on the results of these assessments, participating prekindergarten and Head Start teachers will be directed to supplementary lessons that target improvement of children’s least developed skill areas.
In addition, the platform houses professional development courses that feature expert commentary and video demonstrations filmed in real classrooms, as well as classroom observation tools to measure teacher interactions and the classroom environment. All of these resources are aimed at enhancing young children’s learning environment.
"The task of closing the achievement gap among our students begins early, but educators must have the tools in hand to accomplish that goal" said Commissioner of Education Michael Williams. "TEA is proud to partner with the Children’s Learning Institute to offer these valuable resources to early education teachers across our state."
Funded by TEA, a pilot version of CLI Engage was launched in three major Texas independent school districts (Dallas, Fort Worth, and Houston) in October 2014. The pilot program has a total enrollment of more than 2,450 teachers and 48,000 children and is currently assessing students in important developmental milestones such as language and literacy, mathematics, and social and emotional development. The first sets of assessments, administered in both English and Spanish, were completed in November. The results of these assessments are now being used to help shape specialized instruction and to improve student skills.
"We know that the best thing we can do for at-risk children is to provide quality early learning experiences that target their least-developed skills areas," said Susan Landry, Ph.D., founder and director of the Children’s Learning Institute at UTHealth. "CLI Engage provides the tools for teachers to incorporate these instructional strategies in their classrooms. Our goal is to disseminate these resources in a way that is cost effective for the state and for local districts."
Since 2003, CLI has implemented the Texas School Ready! Project (TSR) in local communities across Texas. Through its partnership with TEA, the research-based resources developed to improve preschool instruction in TSR classrooms will soon be available for free to all preschool teachers at Texas public schools, charter schools, and Head Start programs on the CLI Engage platform.
Texas school districts, charter schools and Head Start programs can begin registering for these free, validated, research-based resources. Teachers can receive access to the resources beginning in March 2015, including the online professional development and child progress monitoring tools.
To sign up, visit and click on the button that says "Sign Up for Access." Following the launch of the CLI Engage platform in public schools and Head Start programs, licensed child care programs participating in the Texas Rising Star program will gain access to these Texas School Ready!resources.
For more information on CLI Engage, visit or email .
For Your Information
Public School Nursing and Special Education
Many students with disabilities receive school nursing services as a Related Service. Attached are several documents that provide information on school nursing and students with disabilities. Attached please find the following; Texas Nurse Practice Act; Texas Guide to School Health Programs Module 7: Treatment and Care Plans (Texas Department of State Health Services); Related Service Q & A document (Texas Education Agency)
For questions please contact Susan Parker at or 713-744-6398.
March 2-5, 2015 is Educational Diagnosticians Week
Governor Greg Abbot has proclaimed March 2-5, 2015 as Educational Diagnosticians Week. In his proclamation, the governor states, “Through specialized training, Educational Diagnosticians use assessment methods to isolate factors that could enhance student’s performance in the classroom. By developing and recommending teaching strategies and materials, these professionals help provide our next generation of leaders with the knowledge and skills fundamental for lifelong excellence.” Please join Region 4 in thanking Educational Diagnosticians for their work to support student learning. (See attachment).
Committee on Education and the Workforce Passes the Student Success Act on February 11, 2015
The U.S. House of Representatives Education and the Workforce Committee has passed a bill to reauthorize No Child Left Behind Act. The bill, dubbed the Student Success Act, passed committee and the bill is expected to move to the House floor in less than two weeks.
Weblinks:
- USDOE ESEA
- Committee on Education and the Workforce
WIN GREEN FOR BEING GREEN:Reuse, Refuel, Win
Two awards will recognize teachers and students who care about the environment. ThePresidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educatorsrecognizes teachers who use innovative approaches for environmental education. Teacher awardees may receive up to $2500. Their local education agency will also receive an award to fund environmental activities and programs. Learnmoreand apply byMarch 13deadline.
Curious young people who promote environmental stewardship through projects they develop may be eligible to receive thePresident’s Environmental Youth Award(PEYA). The PEYA program encourages youth to see what difference they can make for the environment with an award-winning project. Learnmore. Apply byDecember 2015.
Every Kid in a Park Initiative
President Obama is committed to giving every kid the chance to explore America’s great outdoors and unique history. That’s why today he launched theEvery Kid in a Park initiative, whichcalls on each of our agencies to help get all children to visit and enjoy the outdoors and inspire a new generation of Americans to experience their country’s unrivaled public lands and waters. Starting in September, every fourth-grader in the nation will receive an “Every Kid in a Park” pass that’s good for free admission to all of America’s federal lands and waters -- for them and their families -- for a full year.
Region 4 Upcoming Professional Development
PODD Communication- Multi-modal Communication Strategies for Children who have Complex Communication Needs
This course will demonstrate the use of a Pragmatic Organization Dynamic Display (PODD) approach developed by Gayle Porter (Melbourne, Australia). Generic templates for multi-page "light tech" communication books have been carefully designed to support genuine communication for a variety of functions throughout the day. These templates may be customized for a range of access methods and other individual needs. Session and materials costs are partially funded through state or federal grants.
Session ID: 1081926
Time: 8:30AM -4:30PM
Date: May 7-8, 2015
Registration Fee: $100.00
Location: Region 4 ESC
Contact Information: Angela Standridge at or 713-744-6831
The Journey from Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) to Intervention
Join this workshop to actively participate in an in-depth examination of the intervention process….the journey from functional behavior assessment to intervention development. During this two-day training, participants will 1) learn and practice a variety of data collection methods, 2) practice completing and interpreting a functional behavior assessment, 3) identify replacement behaviors, 4) write behavior goals, and 5) select research-based interventions. Participants are also encouraged to bring examples of behavior goals they have written and interventions they have developed to use as examples and receive feedback.
Session ID: 1077423 Dates: TBA Time: 9:00 – 4:00 Fee: $90 Contact information: Cathy Williams, , 713 744 6801
Social Communication: Linking Assessment and Interventions
Evaluating the social communication skills of students with autism and addressing needs in this area can be a challenge. Join this 2-day training to gain insight into how to assess social communication deficits and implement interventions to support students with autism in the classroom. During this training, participants will learn more about 1) evaluating social communication deficits in students with autism using formal and informal assessments, 2) identifying academic issues that students with autism face, and 3) addressing these issues in the classroom setting.
Session ID: 1082910
Dates: April 29 & 30, 2015
Time: 9:00 – 4:00
Fee: $90
Contact information: Cathy Williams, , 713 744 6801
Special Education Webinar - The Role of Executive Functions in Learning and Using Written Expression and Mathematics
Presented by: George Mc Closkey, Ph.D.
Part 1 of this presentation will discuss how executive functions are involved in directing and coordinating the use of multiple cognitive capacities to write letters, words, and passages, discuss assessment approaches for identifying executive function-related written expression problems, and discuss teaching strategies for helping students compensate for the effects of executive function difficulties.
Part 2 of this presentation will discuss how executive functions are involved in directing and coordinating the use of multiple cognitive capacities to quantify, calculate, and problem-solve using mathematics, discuss assessment approaches for identifying executive function-related calculation and problem solving difficulties, and discuss teaching strategies for helping students compensate for the effects of executive function difficulties.
Session ID: 1075081
Date: March 3, 2015Time: 10:00AM-12:00PM
Fee: $No Charge
Contact: Kara Zwolinski at or 713-744-6562
Counseling as a Related Service-Past to Present
Attend this session to develop a better understanding of the purpose of counseling as a related service. Participants will review federal and state laws and state guidance applicable to related services and annual goal development. This session will focus on the importance of the PLAAFP in determining a student’s critical area of need and how to develop annual goals that measure a special education student’s access to the general education curriculum. This session is not designed to provide participants with counseling techniques or activities to be used during counseling sessions. Session and materials costs are partially funded through state or federal grants.
Session ID: 1063894
Date: March 6, 2015Time: 9:00AM-4:00PM
Fee: $45
Contact: Kara Zwolinski at or 713-744-6562
Special Education Webinar - Practical Strategies for Differentiating Language Differences from Impairments in English Language Learners – Webinar 2
Presented by: Celeste Roseberry-McKibbin, Ph.D.
There is an increasing number of culturally and linguistically diverse students who are English Language Learners (ELLs) in America’s schools. This workshop addresses nonbiased assessment strategies and materials that can be used to differentiate language differences from language impairments in ELL students from any linguistic background. Objectives: 1) Provide a rationale for the use informal, non-standardized methods and materials for differentiating between language differences and language impairments in ELL students. 2) Summarize research supporting the use of dynamic assessment and information processing techniques. 3) Explain components of a practical “tool kit” to be for assessment of ELLs from any language background. 4) Identify strategies for using interpreters
Session ID: 1075082
Date: April 14, 2015Time: 10:00AM-12:00PM
Fee: $No Charge
Contact: Kara Zwolinski at or 713-744-6562
Special Education Webinar - Does the Data Indicate Dyslexia?
Presented by: Virginia Gonzalez, M.Ed., LDT, CALT - State Dyslexia Consultant
Dyslexia, a core deficit in word recognition and spelling, occurs in students with very different profiles. Evaluations depend on much more than standard scores. We will discuss the importance of the student’s history as well as interpreting the student’s error patterns in both informal and formal data.
Session ID: 1075083
Date: May 12, 2015Time: 10:00AM-12:00PM
Fee: $No Charge
Contact: Kara Zwolinski at or 713-744-6562
Using the WISC-V for LD Identification: Case Study Approach
Attend this workshop to learn how to utilize the new WISC-V in a processing approach for the identification of learning disabilities. Presenters will use real-life case studies and scenarios to illustrate LD identification. The KTEA-3 and WIAT-III will be used to provide information on achievement. The application of WISC-V scores in CHC Cross-battery Assessment will be discussed.
Session ID: 1075482
Date: May 14, 2015Time: 9:00AM-4:00PM
Fee: $45
Contact: Kara Zwolinski at or 713-744-6562
Summer Evaluation Institute 2015
Attend this institute to acquire the latest information regarding student evaluation processes and linking the assessment and data to recommendations and interventions for a comprehensive and individual evaluation.
Session and materials costs are partially funded through state or federal grants.
Keynote Speakers include:
- Dr. Dawn Flanagan and Dr. Jennifer Mascola on Selecting and Tailoring Interventions
Featured Speakers include:
- Dr. Jon Lasser on Assessing When Behaviors Are Challenging and Linking Behavior Assessment to Interventions
- Dr. Gail Cheramie on Reviewing Evaluations with Parents and Staff
- Paula Maddox Roalson on Legal Updates related to assessment and report writing
- Dr. Loretta Allen on Cultural Diversity related to assessment
- Dr. Jennifer Schroeder on Ethics related to assessment
- Linda De Zell Hall, Ph.D. and Gayla Jordan Lutz, M.A., CCC-SLP on Functional Evaluation
Session ID: 973046
Date: June 2-3, 2015Time: 9:00AM-4:00PM
Fee: $125
Contact: Kara Zwolinski at or 713-744-6562