PAIU Special Education Directors
November 2L,2OL4
State {Jpdates
INSIDE TH¡S ISSUE
State Updatês
1_
National Updates
4
Upcoming Conferences
and Statewide Training
7
Acting Secretary of Education Announces Website to Provide
Opportunity for Public lnput on Pennsylvania Standards
Acting Secretary of Education Carolyn
Dumaresq announced a website
designed to provide the public with
the opportun¡ty to review and provide
feedback on the Pennsylvania
Standards. The site is available by
visiting www.paacadem icreview.org.
"Governor Corbett and I are focused
on ensuring that students, parents,
educators, and taxpayers have a
comprehensive understanding of what
is expected of our students at each
grade level," Dumaresq said. "l
encourage the public to take the
opportunity to visit this website, share
their thoughts, and provide
suggestions about the Pennsylvania
Sta ndards."
The site is currently populated with
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"l encourage Pennsylvania educators
to use this website to share their
thoughts and ideas regarding
Pennsylvania's eligible content," said
Dr. Linda Hippert, executive director of
Allegheny lntermediate Unit. "The
website is a user-friendly resource that
will provide the department and the
State Board with quality information
as they complete this review process."
Pennsylvania's standards do not
mandate curriculum, teaching
methods, materials or instructional
strategies to be used in the classroom,
nor does the Department of Education
and the State Board of Education
mandate specific textbooks or reading
materials. These decisions are made
by local school officials in consultation
with parents and the community.
the eligible content in English
language arts and mathematics for
grade three. By mid-November, the
site will be updated to include the
eligíble content in English language
arts and mathematics for grades four
to eight and Algebra I and Literature at
the secondary level.
The review website can also be
The website includes interactive
accessed by visiting the department's
website at www.education.state.pa.us
features that allow visitors to provide
feedback and suggestions as well as
víew sample questions from the state
tests so they can see examples of what
is being presented to and asked of
students.
Once the website is fully populated
with the eligible content for grades
three to eight and Algebra land
Literature, it will remain available for
public review until mid-January 2015
and clicking on the "Pennsylvania
Standards: Eligible Content Review"
graphic.
PDE news releose: October 23, 2074
Bureau of Special Education Report
Page2
State lJpdates continued
Dyslexia lntervention Pilot Program
Act 69 of 20t4, (24
P.S. SI7-170Lthe Dyslexia Screening and
Early lntervention Pilot Program,
became effective on June 26,2OL4.
This Act requires the Pennsylvania
Department of Education (PDE) to
pctahlich a drrclovir rnd oarlrr
literacy intervention pilot program.
These pilots are to provide
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evidence-based early screening
and multi-tier support systems,
using evidence-based intervention
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risk factors for early reading
deficiencies and dyslexia, such as
low phonemic awareness, low
letter and symbol naming, and an
inability to remember sequences.
As part of the Act
geographic regions as well as all
student enrollments into the pilot
program.
to be considered
eligible for the pilot program, a
school district must enroll 3,000 to
15,000 students and oror¡ide fu!lday kindergarten. Currently there
are only l-78 out of the 500
districts eligible for consideration
for the pilot. Consequently, PDE
has decided to include three
Please contact Lynn Dell, Assistant
Director of the Bureau of Special
Fr{rrrefinn rt lrrdoll¡â)nr onr¡ far
additional information. Additional
information on the pilot can also
be found at
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school population up to 3,000
students. We welcome
The link to Act 69 of 2014 is
http: //ti nvu rl.com/dvslexia-a ct-69
participation representing a ll
Penn*
Li nk:
October 8, 20L4
Alternate Assessment Update
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puf pose of
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update you on the status ofthe
Pennsvlvania Alternate System of
Assessment (PASA)for
Reading/English Language Arts and
Math, and Scienee. The
Pennsylvania Department of
Education (PDE) will continue to
contract with the University of
Pittsburgh to develop the alternate
assessments for Reading/English
Language Arts and Math, and
I
however, there wiii be no
significant changes to the format
of the test or test administration
proceciures.
lf you are the designated PASA
coordinator for your LEA and have
not yet received an information
packet about enrollment, please
contact the PASA team at
[email protected] to request the
information.
PASA Science
Arts and Math
The adoption of the Pennsylvania
Core Standards on March 1,2014,
means that PASA must undergo
changes to align to the new
standards and alternate eligible
content for assessments. PDE
began the process of aligning the
PASA Reading/English La nguage
Arts and Math by incorporating
some new test items this year;
Stay tuned to the future Penn*Link
announcements and periodic PASA
Science.
PASA Reading/English Language
anci ReaciingiEngiish La nguage Arts
will be changed in the 2015-16
qchool vpar ln order tn nrênârê
teacheis and students for these
changes, PASA test administrators
will be receiving supplemental
assessments to pilot new items
and administration procedures as
part of this year's PASA
administration.
For the 2OI4-75 school year, the
format, administration, and scoring
of the PASA Science will remain the
same as in the past. Students in
grades 4, 8, and 11 enrolled in
Reading/English Language Arts and
Math will automatically be
enrolled in PASA Science.
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Please note:The item format, test
PASA digital website,
https://pasadieital.com/. and the
newly developed PASA Science
website, which is currently under
construction. lnformation about
enrollment, the enrollment
window, the test window, and any
other PASA Science-related
questions may be directed to
PASAscirô pitt.edu.
structure, and test admínistration
procedures of PASA Science, Math
Penn*Link: October 9, 2014
Bureau of Special Education Report
Page 3
State IJpdates continued
Governor Corbett Announces More Than S9.8 Mill¡on in Pre-Kindergarten, Early Learning
Grants
Governor Tom Corbett announced
that more than S9.8 million has
been awarded to 32 early
education providers in 27 counties
across the state through the
Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts
living in families earning up to 300
percent of the federal poverty level
(567,050 for a family of four); and
who may be English language
learners or have disabilities or
developmental delays.
Early lntervention - an increase of
Sg.S m¡llion, or 4.2 percent, and
Governor Corbett is committed to
ensuring that parents have access
to high-quality early learning
programs for their children, which
is why this year's budget invests a
total of 5374 million into early
education programs - an increase
of S1-9.5 million, or 5.5 percent,
over last year.
investment in early learning
programs from $302 million to
Sgz¿ million - an increas e of 572
million, or 24 percent.
program.
ln.luly, Corbett signed into law the
state budget that increased state
funding for Pre-K Counts by S10
million to 597.3 million - a t2
percent increase.
Pre-K Counts provides half-day and
full-day pre-kinderga rten services
to Pennsylvania children who are:
between age three and the
beginning age of kindergarten; at
risk of facing challenges in school;
ln addition to the 5gZ.¡ million for
Pre-K Counts, this year's budget
also provides Sz¡z.s million for
539.2 million forthe Head Start
Supplemental Assistance Program.
Since taking office, Governor
Corbett has increased the state's
A list of Pre-K Counts grantees and
award amount is available at
http: //tinvu rl.com/p rekco u ntsgra ntees
PDE news release: October, T, 2074
Corbett Administration Awards SZ.Z lVl¡ll¡on in Early Childhood Education Community
lnnovation Zone Grants
The Corbett Administration is
awarding nearly 52.7 million in
Early Childhood Education
Community I nnovation Zone
Grants to 12 communities to
expand local programs that help
bridge the achievement gap for atrisk young children.
universities, social services
agencies, foundations and early
childhood education programs.
and schools.
Grantees include: school districts,
nonprofit orga nizations,
builds upon Pennsylvania's
to provide high-quality
early learning opportunities to
close the achievement gap for atrisk children such as those in lowincome families, English language
learners, children with disabilities
and developmental delays, and
children experiencing
successes
Each grant recipient
will partner
with other schools, early childhood
and community orga nizations
serving children, and families near
the target elementary school.
The grants will target innovations
on individual at-risk communities
serving select elementary schools.
Grantees will receive up to 575,000
annually to build upon and expand
successful programs to connect
early childhood providers, families,
201.3, Pennsylvania was awarded
the 551;7 million grant. This grant
"What's unique about these grants
is their laser focus on individual atrisk elementary schools,"
Department of Public Welfare
Secretary Bev Mackereth said. The
Early Childhood Education
Community lnnovation Zone
Grants are part of Pennsylvania's
Race to the Top Early Learning
Challenge Grant. ln December
homelessness.
For more information, visit
www.dpw.state.pa.us or call 1800-692-7462.
PDE news release:
October,6,2074
Bureau of Special Eciucation Report
Page 4
Ìr{ational Updates
lnvesting in Evidence: Funding Game-Changing Evaluations
Whot mojor evaluotions could hove
the biggest impact on preschool
through Grade 12 (P-L2)
edu
cati o n
- p rovi d i n g i nfo r m oti o n
that could drive significont
rnpr uvetítent ln tne woys tnat
te oche rs, pri nci pols, a nd
policymakers provide educøtion to
Americon students?
The U.S. Department of Education
is committeci to heiping schools,
districts, states, and the federal
government use funds as wisely as
possible - which means in ways
that yield better results for
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working to build evidence of
effective practice - and one of the
ways we cio that is through
conducting evaluations that offer
useful suiclance for futrrre
investments. We are looking to the
field to help figure out what
evaluations are most useful.
The Congressiona lly enacted
Consolidated Appropriations Act of
2014 allows the Department to
Specifically, we are asking your
help to identify what the most
signiiicant im provements in
education. Our goal is to support
the development of findings that
have the rigor and power to inform
significant improvements in how
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What are the most criticai
L2 questions that are still
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unanswered?
2.
How could answering these
quest¡ons provide
ínformation that could be
used by schools, districts, and
states to improve student
outcomes for all students
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students?
programs. This makes it possible to
3.
practices, poiicies, anci
programs by name if
possible.
Submissions can be posted èither
publicly through the comment
section of the biog or by email to
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ov by
Monday, December 7,2Ot4. Any
evaluations funded with pooled
money should be relevant to P-12
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All opinions, ideas, suggestions and
comments are considered informal
input. As such, the Department will
not provide formal responses to
services to students. We are
seeking pubiic input on the
following questions:
7.
What implications would
these findings have for
existing practices, policies,
and federal programs? Please
mention the specific
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fund rigorous evaluations of
individual Federal education
programs that currently lack
sufficient evaluation dollars, and to
evaluate the impact of various
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practice questions are and how
answering them could provide
needed information to educators,
parents, and local, state, and
federal governments to enable
resources across Elementary ond
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strengthen the impact of our
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strategies that cut across a wide
range of ESEA programs.
What type of study could
answer these questions and
produce findings that are
reliable and generalizable?
ideas submitted and subrnissions
may or may not be reflected in the
final decisions. lf including
additional information beyond the
above four questions, this
information should be accessible
to all individuals, including
individuals with disabilities, and
should not include links to
advertisements or endorsements.
Any advertisements and/ or
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enoorsemenls wilt oe oeteTeo
before submissions are posted.
U.S. Deportment of Education blog
post: October 29, 2074
Eureau of Special Education Report
National IJpdates
Page 5
continued
Bullying of Students with Disabilities Addressed in Guidance to America's Schools
As part of National Bullying
Prevention Awareness Month, the
U.S. Education Department's Office
for Civil Rights (OCR) issued
guidance to schools reminding
them that bullying is wrong and
must not be tolerated-including
against America's 6.5 million
students with disabilit¡es.
student is limited in his or her
ability to participate in and benefit
from all that our educational
programs have to offer."
explained that bullying based on
disability may violate civil rights
laws enforced by OCR as well as
interfere with a student's receipt
of special education under the
Since 2009, OCR has received more
than 2,000 complaints regarding
lndivid ua ls with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA).
the bullying of students with
disabilities in the nation's public
elementary and secondary schools.
The Department issued guidance in
the form of a letter to educators
detailing public schools'
responsibilities under Section 504
of the Rehabilitation Act and Title ll
of the Americans with Disabilities
Act regarding the bullying of
students with disabilities. lf a
student with a disability is being
bullied, federal law requires
schools to take immediate and
appropriate action to investigate
the issue and, as necessary, take
steps to stop the bullying and
prevent it from recurring.
"While there is broad consensus
that bullying cannot be tolerated,
the sad reality is that bullying
persists in our schools today,
especially for students with
disabilities," said Catherine E.
Lhamon, Assistant Secretary for
Civil Rights. "Basic decency and
respect demand that our schools
ensure that all their students learn
in a safe environment. I look
forward to continuing our work
with schools to address and reduce
incidents of bullying so that no
This guidance builds upon antibullying guidance the Department
has issued in recent years
concerning schools' lega I
obligations to fix the problem,
including:
A 2013 dear colleague letter and
enclosure by the Office of Special
Education and Rehabilitative
Services (OSERS) clarifying that
when bullying of a student with a
disability results in the student not
receiving meaningful educationa
benefit under IDEA, the school
must remedy the problem,
regardless of whether the bullying
was based on the student's
disability.
I
A 2010 dear colleague letter by
the OCR, which elaborated on
potential violations when bullying
and harassment ¡s based on race,
color, national origin, sex, or
disability.
A 2000 dear colleague letter by
the OCR and OSERS, which
The latest letter makes clear that
the protections for students with
disabilities who are bullied on any
basis extend to the roughly three
quarters of a million students who
are not eligible for IDEA services
but are entitled to services under
the broader Section 504 ofthe
Rehabilitation Act of 1973. That
law bars discrimination on the
basis of disability in all programs or
activities that receive federal
financialassistance.
Seeking help from OCR? The office
investigates complaints of
disability discrimination at schools.
To learn more about federal civil
rights laws or how to file a
complaint, contact OCR at 800-
427-348I (TDD: 800-877-83391, or
[email protected]. OCR's Web site is
www.ed.gov/ocr.
To fill out a complaint form online,
go to
www.ed.gov/ocrlcom plaíntintro.ht
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U.S. Department of Educotion press
re
Ie
ose
: Octobe r 2 7, 20L4
Bureau of Special Education Report
Page 6
National {Jpdates continued
SfZf Million Awarded in Grants to Help lmprove Outcomes of lndividuals with
Disabilities
The U.S. Department of
Education's Office of Special
Ed ucation and Rehabilitative
Education Programs (OSEP) to
support research, demonstrations,
technica I assistance, technology,
Services (OSERS) announced more
than Ç1?1 millinn in øranfc to hpln
personnel development, and
improve the outcomes of
centers. The OSEP grants include
S8.7 m¡llion to WestED in San
Francisco to create a Center for
Systemic lmprovement (CSl). The
Sg.Z m¡llion grant becomes the
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investment ever funded by OSERS.
The focus of this national center
individua ls with disabilities-from
cradle through career. The
investments are aimed at
promoting inclusion, equity, and
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adults with disabilities to help
ensure their economic selfsufficiency, independent living, and
full comm unity participation.
"These investments are significant
in assisting individuals with
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potential," said U.S. Secretary of
Education Arne Duncan. "We want
all individuals with disabilities to
succeed and these investments
symbolize our values and
commítment as a nation toward
achieving excellence for all."
Among the grants is 55+ million
from OSERS'Office of Special
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will be to provide assistance to
states to help build their capacity
to support loeal sehooldistriets
and early intervention services
programs in improving educational
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for children with disabilities. CSI
will help states implement the
Department's Results Driven
Accountability framework by
strategically delivering the
assistance necessary to implement
bold, innovative, and systemic
reforms that raise expectations for
academic achievement a nd
improve outcomes.
Besides special education, OSERS'
Reha bilitation Services
Administration (RSA) awarded S47
million to fund its comprehensive
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vocationa I rehabilitation,
supported employment and
independent living for individuals
with disabilities. And, OSERS'
National lnstitute on Disability and
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distributed S19 m¡ll¡on to
institutions of higher education
and private and non-profit
organizations for innovative,
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U.S. Department of Educotion press
releøse : October 8, 2074
Bureau of Special Education Report
PageT
Upconring Conferences and Stater,vide Training
Youth Mentsl Health First Aid
Youth mental health first aid is an 8-hour training designed to teach people methods of assisting a young person who
may be in the early stages of developing a mental health problem or in a mental health crisis. This training event is
being offered to school and/or agency teams to ensure ample support is available to students. Prior to the training,
teams will be required to watch an introductory webinar. lnformation pertaining to the recorded webinar will be
provided upon registration.
November 24 2074 PaTTAN KÍng of Prussia
Devel o pi ng M dthe moticd I Fl u e n cy
This webinar will provide information about the definition of mathematicalfluency and highlight several instructional
techniques and strategies that support a student's fluency development.
November 25, 2074 - 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Løngudge Acquisition through Motor Planning (LAMP)
LAMP is an augmentative alternative communication (AAC) approach designed to provide a means of independent
and spontaneous expression through a speech generating device. This course will cover the components of LAMP:
readiness to learn, engaging the learner through joint engagement, and learning language through a unique and
consistent motor plan paired with an auditory signal and a natural consequence. Discussion will include how this
approach addresses the core language deficits of autism, device features that are beneficial to teaching language,
and how to use those features to implement LAMP components.
December 3, 2074 - PITTAN - Harrisburg, PITTAN King of Plussid, PaTTAN Pittsburgh, Northwest TriCounty tntermediate lJnit 5, Centrol Intermediøte llnit 70, and Luzerne Intermed¡øte Unit 78
Enhance Tedm Functioning through Facilitation Skills, PLC and Multi-Tíered Systems of Support (Rtll)
This one-day tra¡ning, presented four times, will be devoted to the enhancement of team functioning through expert
facilitation skills and the establishment of a professional learning community (PLC). Conceptual and practical
connections to Rtll implementation will be made and high quality resources for sustaining the aforementioned
efforts will be provided.
PoTTAN Horrisburg:
December 4, 2074
Februøry 77,2075 (Snow Døte: February 72,2015)
April T,2075
Core ESL lnstruction in Multi-tíered Systems of Support
This workshop will address the use of formative assessment tools to develop a plan to monitor student progress
through data analysis. lt will examine the process of developing intensive interventions for ELLs during ESL
instruction.
December 5,2074 ot PoTTAN Pìttsburgh
tanuary 8,2075 at PaTTAN Harrîsburg
lanuary 22,2075 at PøTTAN King of Prussio
Page 8
Bureau of Special Education Report
{Jpcoming Conferences end Stater,vide Trai*i*g
continued
Concrete-Representationdl-Abstrsct (CRA) Ðoy: Multiplicotíon and Divísion
Participants will be able to: describe and model the components of the CRA sequence of instruction for
multiplication and divísion; understand/represent the connection between multiplicat¡on and division usíng area
models; and, develop skills necessary to ¡nstruct students on multiplication and dívision using a CRA sequence of
instruction.
January
I and 26,2075 - PaTTAN Horrisburg
January 23,2075 - PITTAN Pittsburgh
Jønuory 23,2075 - PaTTAN King of Prussía
The Socrstic Seminar
for Special Educotíon Teachers: Facilitdting High Level Thinkíng and Ðíscussion
The Socratic seminar ís a collaborative, intellectual dialogue facilitated with open-ended quest¡ons about a text. The
seminar, a literacy strategy for all content areas, is designed to increase understand¡ng of textual ideas and values as
well as an understanding of self and others. As a primary tool for the rigorous examination and analysis of complex
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powerful tools for the development and practice of the Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening skills emphasized in
the
PA Core Standards.
PaTTAN Pittsburgh
Døy 7: lanuory 26,2075
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2: Mdrch 9,2075
PDE Conference 2075 Making ø Dîfference: Educøtionøl Proctices Thot Work!
http i/ii nvu ri.co m i pcj eco nfe re nce
This annual, statewide conference highlights national presenters discussing a range of effective interventions to
meet the edueational needs of all students. eonferenee Highlights: Digital Literaeies, Rtll, Leadership, Behavior,
Reading, Writing, Mathematics, Secondary Transition, Legal lssues, Parent Ëngagement, Gifted Education, Autism,
Meeting Facilitation, and Curriculum Mapping. Keynote Presenters: Heidi Hayes Jacobs, Robert Tate, Yong Zhao
February 4- 6, 20Xs
:
crete - Re p re se ntatio n a I -Abstra ct (CRA) D øy : F ra cti on s
Participants will be able to: describe & model the components of the CRA sequence of instruction for operations with
fractions; understand the progression of fractions across grade levels; and, develop skills necessary to instruct
students on fractions using a CRA sequence of instruction.
Mdreh 78, 2075, 8:30 AM .3:30 PM - PaTTAN Harrisburg
March 27, 2075, 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM - PaTTAN Pittsburgh
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