Reading disability, DOE’s pilot funding program, and the new Gerber Baby spokesbaby in This Week’s AcceliBEAT
February 9, 2018
This week’s featured article explores cutting-edge research that calls for more comprehensive tests to support students with reading disabilities. In education policy the DOE launched a pilot program that will allow districts to blend federal, state and local funding sources to prioritize funding based on student need. And while this flexible funding system is garnering positive attention, what happens at the state level is a different story. For example, the Utah Board of Education recently requested an exception to state testing that may put $123M in federal funding for low-income and special education students at risk. More on that below. In other news, for the first time in the company’s history, a young boy with Down Syndrome has been selected to be the “Gerber Baby,” and Tennessee’s RTI program is having a dramatic effect on disproportionality in the state’s special education population. All this and more in this week’s AcceliBEAT.
Cutting-Edge Research to Support Students with Reading Disabilities
Although it’s important to assess for phonological abilities, that alone should not determine whether one has dyslexia.
Ed Dept Pilot Will Allow Flexibility to Blend Funding
Up to 50 school districts will be able to blend federal, state and local funding sources to create a “student-centered funding” system under the DOE’s pilot program.
Utah Board of Education Flirts with Turning Away up to $123 Million a Year over Letting Parents Opt Their Kids out of Testing
The Utah Board of Education voted Thursday to request a special exception to federal laws that require public-school students to participate in year-end testing.
Boy with Down Syndrome Named Gerber Baby
In a first, this year’s Gerber baby is a young boy with Down syndrome.
Researchers Develop 2-Minute Autism Screening Tool
New research suggests that a quick questionnaire may be highly accurate at flagging children for autism.
Tennessee’s Special Education Population is Changing Under its New Academic Intervention Program
Just five years ago, Tennessee students who were poor, minority, or male were disproportionately labeled as having a learning disability that would stick with them through their school career.
Feds Disclose Schools Under Investigation for Disability Discrimination
The U.S. Department of Education is making it easier to find out when a school is under investigation for violating the civil rights of students with disabilities.
Government Seeks Delay of Obama Rule on Race in Special Ed
Department Press Secretary Liz Hill told The Associated Press Monday that the agency wants to postpone the rule by two years.
Evanston Runner with Disability Loses Appeal in IHSA Lawsuit, but Legal Battle May Continue
Evanston Township High School senior Aaron Holzmueller’s long quest to establish a place for para-ambulatory athletes at the state track meet suffered another setback last week.
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