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January 20, 2012: New Publication: NASDSE is pleased to announce the publication of A National Update of Case Law 1998 to the Present under the IDEA and Section 504/A.D.A. by noted legal expert Perry Zirkel. This compendium of litigation will be helpful for anyone looking for the legal history of the case law under these three important civil rights laws with respect to educating children and youth with disabilities. To download a copy of this publication, click here.

Impartial Hearings under the IDEA Legal Issues and Answers by Perry Zirkel, University Professor of Education and Law at Lehigh University, has been revised and updated. To review and download a copy, click here.

NASDSE Comments on Proposed Changes to the SPP/APR Indicators - To view NASDSE's comments, click here.

Moving Sale

In preparation for our move to new headquarters at the end of March, NASDSE is having a publications moving sale. Hard copies of all NASDSE publications will be half-off now through March 15th. This is an excellent opportunity to purchase print copies of popular NASDSE publications—some of which are not available for free downloading. Among the books on sale are our best selling publications on Response to Intervention:

Response to Intervention: Policy Considerations and Implementation
District and School Building Level Response to Intervention Blueprints
Response to Intervention: Research for Practice

Also on sale is Meeting the Needs of Students Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing as well as a number of older, but still very valuable publications.

JUST PUBLISHED - State Blueprint for RtI - NASDSE has just released the final volume in a series of three Blueprints for Implementation of Response to Intervention. The latest guide, Response to Intervention — State Level, provides a step-by-step approach for implementing RtI at the state level and taking implementation down to the local district and school building levels. The guide includes a self-assessment tool to help guide state efforts. This document is available for free downloading. Click here to read on-line or to download a copy. The three-volume set of Blueprints is now complete. To download the District Level Blueprint, click here. To download the School Building Level Blueprint, click here. Print copies of the District Level and School Building Level Blueprints are also available for purchase. To purchase either of these documents, click here.

Presentations from the NASDSE's 74th Annual Conference are now posted on our website. Click here to access them.

NASDSE' President-Elect and Members-at-Large Elected - At NASDSE’s just concluded 74^th Annual Conference and Business Meeting, Peg Brown-Clark, Director of Special Education for the Wyoming Department of Education, was sworn in as NASDSE President for 2011-12. Stephanie Petska, Director of Special Education for the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction continues in her position as Secretary-Treasurer and Mary Watson, Director of the Exceptional Children Division for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, will stay on the Board as NASDSE’s most recent Past President serving as a state director of special education.

Colleen Riley, Director of Special Education for the Kansas Department of Education, was elected President-Elect. NASDSE members also elected the following individuals to serve on the Board as Members-at-Large:

Arthur Albert, Chief, Division of Special Services, Federated States of Micronesia
Fred Balcom, Director of Special Education, California Department of Education
Richard Henderson, Director of Special Education, Idaho Department of Education
Ann Moore, Associate State Superintendent, Mississippi Department of Education

NASDSE Works! - NASDSE has just released the latest edition of NASDSE Works!, our quarterly e-newsletter. To read or download a copy, click here.

NASDSE's 2011-12 Professional Development Series - Information and registration is now available for NASDSE's 2011-12 Professional Development Series. While only state education agencies can register for the series, once a state is registered, it can make webcasts available to anyone in their states. All states are encouraged to register for the series. For more information, click here.

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN FOR NASDSE'S 74th ANNUAL CONFERENCE - Registration is now open for NASDSE's 74th Annual Conference, which will take place in Chicago, October 16-18. State directors, please plan to arrive in Chicago in time to attend the business meeting for NASDSE members on Saturday, October 15th, starting at noon (CDT). To access the Conference agenda and registration material, please click here.

NASDSE Opposes the Military Voucher Program for Students with Special Needs - NASDSE sent a letter opposing Amendment #94 to the National Authorization Act for FY 12 for the military voucher program for students with special needs. To read the letter, click here.

NASDSE Supports H.R. 2218 - NASDSE sent a letter in support of H.R. 2218, the “Empowering Parents Through Quality Charter Schools Act.” To read the letter, click here.

NASDSE Opposes H.R. 2445 - NASDSE sent a letter opposing H.R. 2445, the “State and Local Flexibility Act.” To read the letter, click here.

NASDSE Supports IDEA FULL FUNDING - NASDSE sent a letter in support of the IDEA Full Funding Act, S. 1403, that was introduced by Senator Harkin. To read the letter, click here.

NASDSE Opposes S. 1250 - NASDSE sent a letter opposing S. 1250,the GREAT Teachers and Principals Act, that would provide grants to states for teacher preparation for alternate certification but fails to acknowledge the special skills that teachers who teach students with disabilities need. To read the letter, click here.

New Project Forum Document: State Performance Plan Process and Indicators - A Policy Forum - This policy forum proceedings document begins with an executive summary. The document provides a synopsis of the participants’ input on the positives and concerns about the SPP/APR system and their suggestions for changes. No attempt was made to develop consensus recommendations and all input was accepted and documented. Click here to download the document.

New Project Forum Document: Neuroscience and Special Education - This brief policy analysis provides an overview of how findings from neuroscience are being applied to special education, describes outcomes from the research bridging the two fields and discusses how institutions of higher education and others are creating interdisciplinary links between the two. The second section of the document profiles three programs currently serving students with disabilities that base their curriculum in part on findings from the field of neuroscience. Brief concluding remarks include the need for successful collaborations between neuroscientists and special education researchers; the need for leaders in the field of special education to possess an understanding of brain development across the lifespan and of research in these bridged fields. Click here to download the document.

NASDSE's Personnel Improvement Center Practice Briefs - NASDSE's Personnel Improvement Center has produced a series of practice briefs that highlight innovative strategies for recruiting and retaining personnel as well as examine existing data on personnel needs at the state and national levels. Find them on the PIC website @ http://.personnelcenter.org/practicebriefs.cfm.

NEW Products Available from NASDSE's Personnel Improvement Center - NASDSE's Personnel Improvement Center has several high quality recruitment products, such as posters, brochures and recruitment videos that will assist you in implementing successful recruitment initiatives in your state, region or locale. Email us and let us know how many you would like. These products and materials are free of charge!

New Project Forum Document: Performance-based Compensation: Focus on Special Education Teachers - This brief policy analysis describes teacher evaluation and some specific evaluation challenges for special education teachers. Data was collected through a survey of states and results are provided regarding the number of states that have a system; that have a system that addresses special educators specifically; the states’ stages of development and implementation; the adoption of a definition for teacher of record; how the systems are funded; and plans for states that have not yet included special educators in their performance-based compensation system. Brief concluding remarks are included. Click here to download the document.

NASDSE and the National Title I Association (NTIA) releases "Recommendations for Improved Coordination Between Title I and IDEA" - Title I and the IDEA are US-ED's two large-scale investments for helping states provide services for students with special needs. Because there is often confusion regarding the overlapping language, requirements and accountability for implementing these laws, NASDSE and NTIA established the Title I/IDEA Workgroup with members from both organizations to develop recommendations for improved coordination. Click here for a copy of the June 2011 report.

NEW Project Forum Document: Recruiting and Retaining Qualified Special Education Personnel - Approaches from Eight State Education Agencies -This in-depth policy analysis based on interview methodology is a follow-up to the survey document on the same topic. The interview addressed 10 recruitment and retention strategies that were chosen based on the Personnel Improvement Center at NASDSE work with states, analysis of existing literature regarding best practices in the field, and survey responses. State level infrastructures, recruitment to the field, recruitment to specific jobs, retention, barriers and recommendations are discussed. An appendix that delineates state-level approaches to recruitment and retention about which the eight states were interviewed is provided. Click here to download the document.

NEW Project Forum Document: Virtual K-12 Public School Programs and Students with Disabilities: Issues and Recommendations: A Policy Proceedings Document - This policy forum proceedings document contains a short introduction section that describes the current status of virtual public school programs in general and special education programs in particular. Next, this document provides a state-of-the-nation report that describes the exponential growth these programs and the evolving policy issues for students with disabilities, including access, funding and quality. The next section document is a description of what has been found to work in the area of virtual special education from the federal, state, rural, parent and related service provider perspectives. Findings from the policy forum are discussed as key issues and recommendations. The major points emphasized during the forum concern personnel quality and preparation; accessibility for students with disabilities; accountability, preparing and implementing quality IEPs; roles and responsibilities; and financial issues. Click here to download the document.

NASDSE Transportation Resources - We are launching a new page on our website - Transportation Resources. In recognition of the transportation issues that many individuals with disabilities face with access to transportation, including young people who are transitioning out of high school to a postsecondary job or higher eduction. We thought it would be helpful to add a new section to our website with information on transportation resources. Check out the new page by clicking here.

NASDSE's Personnel Improvement Center New Home Page -NASDSE's Personnel Improvement Center (PIC) has launched a new home page and added additional pages to its interactive, state of the art website. Find information on state practices for recruiting and retaining personnel, links to a state database of special education teacher licensure structure and categories, as well as the latest research and reports on personnel data management practices. Sign up for the PIC's bi-monthly newsletter to stay informed of all the latest information available on the PIC website.