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The math and
reading scores for students with disabilities on the National Assessment of
Educational Progress showed little movement between 2015 and the last time the
test was administered two years ago. Considering the NAEP score decreases seen
for the overall student population, holding steady could be seen as a neutral
or even positive result, especially because more students with disabilities
took the test this year. Exclusion rates from the test, also known as the
"nation's report card," have dropped significantly over the past two
test administrations. But the lack of movement on scores means that students
with disabilities gained no ground on closing the wide achievement gap between
themselves and students who do not have disabilities. READ MORE…
In schools, the act of drawing is often
pigeonholed to specific areas of academics and instruction. It is observed in
lower elementary grades as a constant, but less and less as students progress
through higher level grades. As writing begins, drawing use is often reduced as
the printed word takes the place of the illustrated word. However, drawing
needs to be emphasized in instructional methods, and drawing is an important
tool for students with learning disabilities. READ MORE…
Teaching children about the world requires
access to a vast and varied resource bank. Prior to the digital age, teachers
like me relied on limited primary source and dated secondary source materials.
By the time a social science textbook arrived at the classroom, it was
outdated. Open educational resources, however, changes the landscape of the
classroom as teachers can access rich current materials of varied genres for
students of all ages and abilities. READ MORE…
There is perhaps no more critical question for a
disadvantaged student entering an advanced class, none more likely to rattle in
the back of even the most gifted student's brain. And when coming from a
teacher or student, it's also just one example of a
"microaggression," an incident of everyday discrimination that
students encounter that may contribute to lower performance and disengagement.
But educators and researchers are fighting back, with efforts to both curb
microaggressions and buffer students against them and help them cope. READ MORE…
Faced with
mounting and bipartisan opposition to increased and often high-stakes testing
in the nation's public schools, the Obama administration declared Saturday that
the push had gone too far, acknowledged its own role in the proliferation of
tests, and urged schools to step back and make exams less onerous and more
purposeful. Specifically, the administration called for a cap on assessment so
that no child would spend more than 2 percent of classroom instruction time
taking tests. It called on Congress to "reduce over-testing" as it
reauthorizes the federal legislation governing the nation's public elementary
and secondary schools. READ MORE…
A strict requirement that schools keep up their
spending on special education year to year may have unintended consequences,
federal investigators say. Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act, states and schools in most cases must maintain or increase their funding
for special education services each year. Those that do not meet the spending
requirement known as maintenance of effort without obtaining an exemption from
the U.S. Department of Education can lose out on federal dollars. The mandate
has been in the spotlight in recent years as states struggled during the
recession to keep up with their commitments from prior years. READ
MORE…
Many students with learning disabilities have
attention and sensory processing issues that can be assisted and improved by
occupational therapy. Occupational therapy focuses on functioning in daily
life. In the school, the focus is on attention and performance of skills in the
classroom. Educators have begun to realize the importance of the services
offered by the therapist to assist a child in being ready to learn and remain
on task. READ
MORE…
Michael Yudin, the assistant secretary for
Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, writes: "Last year I
learned about Jade, a dynamic 8th grader who struggled to learn to read when
she was in elementary school. In recalling her challenges, Jade described
trouble recognizing letters and difficulty linking them together to form
sounds. She just couldn't read. The worst feeling in the world, Jade said, was
starting to believe the names her classmates called her. For a long time Jade
kept her struggle to herself, feeling alone, and like she had to find her own
way to deal and cope with this challenge. Fortunately, Jade's family and
teachers stepped in to help her get special education services." READ
MORE…
States and districts should not feel reluctant
to use the terms dyslexia, dyscalculia or dysgraphia when describing a
particular child's learning needs, says guidance by the U.S. Department of
Education. For those outside of the special education field, such guidance may
seem obvious. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act names dyslexia as
an example of a disability that would be included in the broader term
"specific learning disabilities." About 40 percent of the students
who are covered under the IDEA are classified as having a specific learning
disability. READ
MORE…
On the first day of the new school year, the
schools chancellor, Carmen Fariña, stood in an elementary school classroom in Queens beaming at a hushed room full of fourth-grade
children sitting cross-legged on the floor. "Please let your eyes
close," said a small boy named Davinder, from his spot on the linoleum.
Davinder gently struck a shallow bronze bowl. Gong! "Take three mindful
breaths," he said, and the room fell silent. "Do you do personal
visits?" Fariña asked after the exercise was over. "Like to
offices?" In schools in New York
City
In the classroom, subjects are often presented
as settled and complete. Teachers lecture students on the causes of World War
I, say, or the nature of matter, as if no further questioning is needed because
all the answers have been found. In turn, students regurgitate what they've
been told, confident they've learned all the facts and unaware of the mysteries
that remain unexplored. Without insight into the holes in our knowledge,
students mistakenly believe that some subjects are closed. They lose humility
and curiosity in the face of this conceit. READ
MORE…
The pending departure of Rep. John Boehner,
R-Ohio, the speaker of the House, seems to have lit a fire under negotiations
on reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. In fact, U.S.
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said Monday that it could actually
"help" ESEA's chances if Boehner stuck around for a few more weeks.
Aides for all four of the lawmakers that will be involved in crafting a
"conference report" (that's Congress-speak for a compromise bill
developed after both the House and Senate have passed competing versions) have
been working very, very hard behind the scenes to reach agreement. The key
lawmakers here are: Sens. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and Patty Murray, D-Wash.,
and Reps. John Kline, R-Minn., and Bobby Scott, D-Va. READ
MORE…
Although most states mandate the use of
individual learning plans for their high school students, according to a new
study, school personnel in charge of ILPs don't get the training they need to
optimize those efforts, and few schools track what happened to the student upon
graduation to understand whether or not the ILP was effective. The survey was
undertaken by the National Association for College Admission Counseling and
Hobsons, a company that sells Naviance, a "college and career
readiness" application. Similar studies were done by Hobsons in 2009 and
2011. READ
MORE…
If your child has been diagnosed with attention
deficit disorder, one of your top priorities is finding a school that matches
his learning style. It may seem like a scavenger hunt, but armed with the right
tools, you can find the prize: a school that understands ADHD. The key to
finding the right school is to start early and to do your research. If you know
what to look for in a school — and the right questions to ask — you'll be up to
the challenge. Here, we tell you everything you need to know to find the right
school for your ADHD child. Consider it a little help with your homework. READ
MORE…
The U.S. Department of Education announced that
it has given 17 additional states the greenlight on plans to bolster teacher
quality and make sure that low-income kids get their fair share of effective
teachers. The states are: Alaska , Alabama , Arizona , California , Georgia ,
Kansas , Maryland ,
Michigan , Nebraska ,
New Hampshire , New Jersey ,
North Dakota , Tennessee ,
Virginia , Vermont ,
Washington , West Virginia
and the District of Columbia
Other Interesting News from AASEP:
ADHD May Have Different Effects on Brains of Boys and Girls
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Attention-deficit/hyperactivity
disorder (ADHD) manifests itself differently in the brains of girls than in
the brains of boys, new research suggests. The results may help
scientists better understand how ADHD affects boys and girls in unique ways,
the researchers said. "The findings showed differences in the white
matter microstructure between boys and girls," said study co-author Lisa
Jacobson, a pediatric neuropsychologist at the Kennedy Krieger Institute, in
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