Weekly Update 10.5.2017

TEA Information

RF Tracker

RF Tracker is open. A To the Administrator Addressed letter is being created and will be sent out. For LEAs with residential care and treatment facilities within their boundaries or jurisdiction, a due date of November 17, 2017, has been established for updating RF Tracker data to reflect the current status of each RF student and residential facility. After November 17, 2017, the RF Tracker system will remain open for data entry, and LEAs will be responsible for maintaining current and accurate records in the system.

Please note: The RF Tracker application system is moving from TEASE to TEAL. If you do not have a TEAL account. Please see the attached power point slides on how to apply and link your accounts.

If you have any questions or need assistance, please feel free to contact Jerry Klekotta, or 713.744.6393.

Nonpublic Day School and Residential Application

The opening date for the Nonpublic Day School and Residential application opening was postponed until October 5, 2017 due to server issues. The 2017-2018 Nonpublic Day School and Residential Application will open on October 5, 2017 and close on June 1, 2018. An updated PowerPoint will be posted on the TEA website when available. If you have any questions, please contact the Nonpublic/Residential team at 512-463-9414 or .

TEA has shared the following information and will post additional information:

  • In addition to a request return button, there is now a drop down menu to enter a reason that the Local Education Agency (LEA) is asking for the application to be returned. To the right of these fields, there is a circular arrow. LEAs must click on the circular arrow to submit the request for return.
  • When submitting an amendment there will be a drop down menu to select a reason.
  • Reminder the daily rate set by HHS is $277.37.
  • Contracts may be for no more than 365 days.
  • There is a link to a guidance document on the TEA website that will also be available in the online application under Help? from the upper right.
  • All students who were submitted last year will be listed and the status on all will be pending. LEAs will need to update all students listed by December 1, 2017 as to whether they are continuing or returned to the campus.
  • Initial applications need to be submitted within 30 days of the ARD meeting that determined placement.

TEA weblink:

  • Nonpublic Day and Residential Guidance
  • Nonpublic School Monitoring and Guidance Resources for Special Education

Please verify that LEA staff who will be entering information into TEAL TEASE NPDay Res Application have appropriate access accounts. Request a TEASE account at:

Special Education Data Sharing Project Timeline Extended

(Excerpt from TAA: October 5, 2017 from Justin Porter Ed.D., Executive Director, Special Populations Department.)

In June of this year, TEA announced the beginning of a process to use data from many sources and stakeholders to inform our long-term policy and programmatic goals to improve outcomes for students served by special education. Local Education Agency participation in this project is important because the data from a large sample will help to ensure that TEA creates a plan that is effective and responsive to the needs of all our students.

The initial phase of this process involves sharing Individualized Education Program (IEP) records from up to 300,000 students in Local Education Agencies (LEAs) across Texas.

  • Participating LEAs will be asked to share student IEP records and corresponding STAAR testing data for those students for the previous 3 years.
  • LEAs will receive a data sponsorship grant between $10k-$100k, commensurate with district size, in addition to an individualized LEA-level analytic report.
  • Numerous LEAs indicated interest in participation but expressed concerns with the initial timeline. Therefore, the deadline for LEAs to commit to participation has been extended to December 1st, 2017.

Districts who participated in the IEP analysis will be eligible to participate in various aspects of the second phase of the project where additional grant funds will be made available. Phase two will use the data collected, as well as other data sources, to engage in a new design-thinking process that will drive improvement of services provided to students served by special education in Texas.

TEA will be hosting a webinar on October 11th, 2017 from 9:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. (CDT)) to provide additional details and to answer any questions that you may have. We invite and encourage all to attend. Please note that prior registration is required.

Webinar Registration Link:

Webinar ID: 954-696-827

TEA is partnering with SPEDx, a national consulting group focused on improving outcomes for students served by special education, on this project to aggregate data and identify trends. They are available to answer additional questions on the process and the resulting reporting. Matt is the point of contact for the project; please do not hesitate to reach out to him. Funding for this project is provided by USED as part of the IDEA grant.

Sincerely,

TAA posted at:

Special Education Data Sharing Project Resources

SPEDx has reached out to IEP documentation vendors and has worked with TEA to create a process to retrieve data, a sample MoU Template and a FAQ document. Matt Moeller of SPEDx has shared that the process should take the district minimal time (e.g. 10-15 minutes in most cases with the time being getting signatures on the MoU) and bear no cost. Web link:

  • Webinar Slide Deck – (PDF)
  • This is the slide deck from June 27, 2017 shared on the webinar. Any LEA or region also can set up a call with Matt ().
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Interest Survey – HERE( )
  • Districts that are interested in participating my complete this online survey to express interest.
  • Data Sponsor MoU Template
  • Project Point of Contact –Please do not hesitate to reach out to Matt Moeller ().

Special Education Data Sharing Project Stakeholder Input

In addition to the quantitative data from student IEPs, SPEDx is gathering qualitative data from interviews. The design vision to get a sense of the current experience of stakeholdersregarding their school(s) from students, parents, teachers, principals, special education directors, superintendents. Following is information from a September 4, 2017 Dear Colleague Letter from Justin Porter, Executive Director, Special Populations, TEA:

As you may know, the TEA is partnering with an organization called SPEDx to help us all improve outcomes for students served by special education. SPEDx is partnering directly with LEAs across the state to provide an in-depth analysis of their IEPs that will offer the LEA new insights, trends, and patterns that can inform future planning. Additionally, they are partnering with us on strategic planning for the state to create a climate that supports innovation and leads to improved outcomes for students. One of the critical pieces of this work is to hear from key stakeholders about their experiences related to Special Education; we will spend time in September and October collecting individual stories that will inform our work as we move forward. Specifically, we plan to speak with district and regional SPED directors, superintendents, principals, teachers, students and parents. This is where we need your help! We would be grateful for your participation in two key ways:

1. Schedule a 30-minute phone interview to share your experiences with Special Education with one of our interviewers.

2. Recommend people in any of the groups listed above you think would be willing to participate in an interview as well.

Please note that the interviews will be anonymous. The interviewer will know the name of the person s/he is interviewing, but will not share your name with others. Instead, stories will be collected and shared in a summary document, with names removed. The only information that will be shared is what group (student, parent, teacher, principal, SPED Director, etc.) and what region the story came from. To participate, or recommend someone to participate, please reach out to Matt Moeller. Matt is the project manager for this work, and works for SPEDx. He can be reached at or 202.669.7756.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Justin Porter or to Ann Jacobson, Assistant Director, .

STAAR Accessibility Training

The final STAAR Accessibility training from TEA held September 12, 2017 is posted at
(scroll down to Trainings and Presentations).

The Accessibility Resources are at the following link:
Link correction from previous Weekly Updates:

  • 2017 policies are effective through December 2017
  • 2018 policies are effective January – December 2018
  • All policies for 2018 are posted. Changes are highlighted in the PowerPoint presentation referenced above.

The new e-mail for TEA Student Assessment, Special Populations:

Note: Region 4 ESC Special Education Solutions is providing a professional development session titledUpdates on State Assessment for Students with Disabilities

  • November 29, 2017 – Session ID: 1348408
  • February 27, 2018 – Session ID: 1338461

For more details about this session, see the professional development section at the end of the weekly update.

For more information please contact Cynthia Barrett, Ph.D. at r 713-744-6343 or Kirsten Omelan, Ph.D. at or 713-744-6361.

For Your Information

Help a Fellow Director! Please complete the Facilitators for the IEP Process Survey (2017–2018)

IIn order to help Local Education Agencies in Facilitating the IEP Process, Region 4 needs information to compile an updated list of person’s districts and charters are utilizing asindependent/neutral Facilitators. Please go to

and help us by providing information on people that you have used asindependent/neutral Facilitators.

The survey will go to Linda De Zell Hall, Ph.D.She will contact the peopleto verify that they want to be included on the list. The list will be available to district and charter directors of special education upon request.Being on the listis not an endorsement of the person nor is it a recommendation from any other district or charter. Any districtor charter will need to review the person’s credentials, experience, vita/resume, documented training, level of experience in working with ARD/IEP Teams on consensus, and other information. Rates of reimbursement will also need to be reviewed by the district or charter. If you have questions, please contact Dr. Hall at 713.744.6399 or . We appreciate your help and sharing of information.

DON’T MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY! Ingrid Bens Facilitation Tutor Online Special Education Director Nomination Survey (2017–2018)

In order to help Local Education Agencies in Facilitating the IEP Process, Region 4 has collaborated with Ingrid Bens, National Facilitation Expert, to utilize IDEA funds to provide access to the online Facilitation Tutor at no additional cost for a limited number of participants. The Facilitation Tutor Core Skills Program has been designed to teach the essential skills needed to become an effective group facilitator. The course is organized into ten lessons demonstrating core skills. Each lesson is supported by downloadable workbook pages. Each participant will have access to the online course for six months. Good news you say? How do I sign me or my staff up? Please complete the online survey at

with information on you as Director and information on participants. Please note that only Directors of Special Education may nominate staff. Region 4 will provide login information to you via email.

If you have questions, please contact Linda De Zell Hall, Ph.D. at 713.744.6399 or . We appreciate your participation in this capacity building opportunity.

IEP Goal Development in Texas Online Training 2017-2018

The IEP Development in Texas online training is now available through Connect20. The attached flyer provides information about the training, how to register, and the new workshop number.

This free online training module, a joint project of the Progress in the General Curriculum Statewide Network and Texas Education Agency, focuses on the portion of the ARD process related to developing a student's Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance (PLAAFP), using the PLAAFP to create enrolled grade level measurable annual academic goals, and progress monitoring.

If you have questions, please contact Ashley Jackson at 713-744-6579 or .

STAAR Accessibility

Training

The final STAAR Accessibility training

from TEA held September 12, 2017

is

posted at

sment_Overview/Accommodation_

Resources/2018_Accessibility/

(scroll down to

Trainings and Presentations

.

The Accessibility Resources

are at the following link:

2017 p

olicies are effective through December 2017

2018 policies are effective January

–

December 2018

o

All policies for 2018 are posted. Changes are highlighted in the

PowerPoint presentation referenced above.

Region 4 Upcoming Professional Development

Life Skills Institute

Critical issues covered in this 9-day series are classroom management, positive behavior supports, community-based/referenced instruction, working with paraprofessionals, instructional strategies, writing measurable IEPs, and teaching standards-based and grade-linked instruction to students with significant intellectual disabilities.

Elementary

Session ID: 1313249

Time: 9 AM – 4 PM

Dates: October 10 (new reschedule date), October 23, November 28, and December 13, 2017; and January 11, February 8, March 9, April 24, and May 16, 2017

Registration Fee: $315

Location: Region 4 ESC

Secondary

Session ID 1313261

Time: 9 AM – 4 PM

Dates: October 10 (new reschedule date), October 23, November 28, and December 13, 2017; and January 12, February 8, March 9, April 24, and May 16, 2017

Registration Fee: $315

Location: Region 4 ESC

For more information pleae contact Susan Parker at or 713-744-6398

Transformational Special Education Leadership Series 2017–2018

In a leadership position for Special Education in schools in the state of Texas? Or want to be? Join us for the Transformational Special Education Leadership series. Topics are targeted to build capacity for current and aspiring leaders and will include:

  • Transformational leadership skills
  • Developing outstanding staff and working with the educational community
  • Parents as partners
  • Fiscal management and budgeting
  • Crucial conversation, accountability and influencerskills
  • Instructional leadership
  • Program supervision
  • Key components to take the next step in leading for the future

This session is designed for current and future leaders of special education including Directors, Assistant Directors, Administrators, Coordinators, Supervisors, Senior Specialists, Leads, and ARD/IEP Facilitators. Participants will be encouraged to operationalize leadership by identifying and focusing on a personal leadership application and sharing out information. Topic specific resources for each day will be provided during the series. Attendance and participation during each respective session is mandatory for receipt of training materials for that day. This series will be provided throughout the 2017-18 school year. Registration is limited to 50 participants. Registration fee will not be prorated. Session and materials are partially or fully funded by state or federal grants.

Session ID: 1275200

Dates:

  • October 4, 2017 Cancelled Date
  • November 7, 2017 – New Start Date
  • November 8, 2017
  • November 29, 2017
  • December 5, 2017
  • February 7, 2018
  • *February 23, 2018 (Possible Date)
  • March 21, 2018

Time: 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Location: Region 4

Fee $350

Contact: Linda De Zell Hall, Ph.D., 713-744-6399 or

Literacy for Students with Significant Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Actively involve students in meaningful and exciting literacy instruction, which includes both reading and writing skills. This session will focus on easy-to-implement strategies for students in elementary and secondary programs. (Note: This session is a repeat of content included in the Life Skills Institute.)

Session ID: 1332728

Time: 9 AM – 4 PM

Dates: October 17, 2017

Registration Fee: $35

Location: Region 4 ESC

For more information please contact Susan Parker at or 713-744-6398

Social Skills and Social Communication Activities for Children on the Autism Spectrum

This session aims to equip teachers, speech-language pathologists, and mental health professionals with abundant, ready-to-use social skills and social communication lessons, activities, and games to be used immediately with children on the autism spectrum.

Session ID: 1313774

Dates: October 20, 2017

Time: 8:30 – 3:30

Fee: $35

Contact information: Gayla Lutz, , 713.744.8138 or Cathy Williams, , 713.744.6801

Nonviolent Crisis Intervention (CPI) Trainer of Trainers

This training is for those who will be providing Nonviolent Crisis Intervention Training (CPI) within their district. Current trainers in need of certification renewal may also attend this event. Districts may only register 2 participants for this training. $1,850.00 of the $2,850 per participant cost will be funded through Region 4 Special Education Solutions. The district will be responsible for the remaining balance of $1,000.00 per participant.

Before registering, please email your request to to receive the promo code. Please note that attendance on all days is mandatory in order to obtain certification.

Dates: October 24th – 27th, 2017

Time: 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Location: Hilton Garden Inn Houston NW America Plaza

14919 Northwest Fwy

Houston, TX 77040

Fee $1,000.00 (with promo code)

Contact: Catherine Landry, 713.744.6555 or

Structured Teaching: It’s More Than Just Work Systems, A 3-Day Series

Join this 3-day series to gain in-depth information on creating a structured classroom to support the learning and behavior of students with autism and other disabilities. Participants will learn 1) the principles and research base for structured teaching; 2) how to apply structured teaching principles to support students of varying ages and ability levels; 3) how to implement structured teaching in a variety of settings including special education classrooms, general education classrooms, and the community; 4) how to teach students to use structured teaching components; and 5) how to “re-structure” systems when students are not responding positively.

Session ID: 1301685

Dates: October 31, November 14, and December 5, 2017

Time: 9:00 – 4:00

Fee: $105

Contact information: Cathy Williams, , 713.744.6801

Standards-Based IEP Process

During this two day session, participants will understand the importance of the Full Individual Evaluation (FIE), Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance (PLAAFP) development, and writing goals and objectives and how their alignment results in a well-developed program for students with disabilities.

Session ID: 1313664