Immediate Attention! Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA/NCLB)

ESEA released today, over 1000 pages long; Congress to vote in two days

 

#STOPESEA 

 

Lawmakers on the U.S. Senate education committee and more than a dozen House members voted Thursday (11/25) 39-1 to approve a bicameral, bipartisan compromise measure that would scale back the federal role in education in the underlying Elementary and Secondary Education Act {ESEA) for the first time since the early 1980s.

 

http://edworkforce.house.gov/uploadedfiles/every_student_succeeds_act_-_conference_report.pdf

Worst case of fraud in any US government program - Outsourcing to SourceAmerica

At ADA rally, calls to overhaul AbilityOne program for disabled people

The AbilityOne program and the nonprofit agency that manages it, SourceAmerica, are being investigated by the Department of Justice and at least four separate inspectors general offices for allegations of illegal operations, financial fraud and mismanagement, corruption and "contract steering," sources tell CNN.  By Curt Devine, CNN Investigations

disabled-work-program

Business as Usual: Transcript #2, phone, Audio #2.2

The SourceAmerica Tapes

Today, 16 November 2015 8:30 am EST, WikiLeaks publishes the 30 hours of secret tapes and transcripts at the heart of the AbilityOne/SourceAmerica scandal.
Thirteen Presidential Appointees (ten Obama, three Bush) are embroiled in a multi-billion dollar corruption scandal being probed by the US Department of Justice and four Inspector Generals. The appointees oversee the federal government's $3billion a year "AbilityOne" program which is meant to pay for the employment of more than 50,000 disabled people--the largest such program in the United States. Most of that money, $2.3 billion a year, is funneled through the non-profit SourceAmerica to more than 1000 other designated partner organizations. This subsidised disabled labour is then placed (for a fee) with government and industry. Most of the labour is pushed to the military sector, including the DoD, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin & Boeing--who are also "patrons" of SourceAmerica. It is alleged that nearly half of the $2.3billion a year does not go to the severely disabled, but is rorted by pushing the money to corruptly favoured placement organisations that recruit the able bodied or the mildly disabled instead of the mandated 75% severely disabled. The result is billions in tax payer funded labour subsidies and increased profits for the placement organizations.
The 26 tapes are recorded conversations between Jean Robinson (Lead Counsel of SourceAmerica) and Ruben Lopez (CEO of Bona Fide Conglomerate Inc., one of the placement organizations) that discuss the alleged corruption.
Read more background information here.


https://wikileaks.org/sourceamerica-tapes/

“Please, he thought, don’t call on me…”

Nate slinked lower in his chair and pulled his hat tight.  “Please, he thought, don’t call on me to read out loud. The other kids already think I am so stupid.”  Nate was in the 6^th grade, but reading at a 2^nd grade level.  As a result, learning was hard and Nate was miserable.
The school district had been providing many hours a week of special education and related services for Nate since kindergarten, but he had made minimal progress.  School officials said this was to be expected, after all, “Nate has dyslexia.”  

Nate’s parents hated to see their son suffer and decided to call an educational advocate, who recommended a comprehensive reading evaluation.  After the evaluation was complete, Nate’s Individualized Education Program team (IEP team) not only received new recommendations for effective programming, they agreed to place Nate in a specialized school for students with dyslexia.  After just a few short months Nate’s reading level jumped up a grade.  His progress has been remarkable over the past year, and he is finally and quickly closing the gap.   Nate looks forward to school now and he is confidently participating in class.

We are so thankful for you - and for the quality representation and knowledgeable support you provide for students just like Nate all across the country. Support from a member of this unparalleled peer-to-peer network makes a difference and enables students with disabilities to attend school, graduate, and go to college, get a job, and live the American Dream.

Our impact is greater with your support.  Please make a year-end contribution to COPAA today.

 

 

You can make a one-time or recurring donation online.  Please consider encouraging your colleagues and clients to donate to COPAA today.   

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Department of Education - Information Security Review

Department of Education - Information Security Review

43:26 "I want to help clarify this data base center issue? You have 184 information systems? Correct? Correct. You have 120 contractors that house that information? Correct? Correct. So how many data centers do you have? Three, Sir. So, if a contractor is housing information is that not a Department of Education data center?   - Mr. Gaffetz, Department of Education Information Security Review

 

1:16.40 "...[Department of Education] here they are managing a trillion dollars in assets, liability to the United States, it's basically the size of Citibank....almost half the population of the United States of America has their personal information sitting in this data base which is not secure by any standard or score card...."   - Mr. Gaffetz, Department of Education Information Security Review

 

The question is, in the Age of Query, is any information secure? Is the internet not a request for information from a database? "Security is mostly a superstition," Helen Keller said. But we could ask if the 120 or so contractors are outsourcing to countries outside the U.S?


Dept. of Ed - Information Security Review

At-Risk Students and the Study of Foreign Language in School

What might the foreign language teacher do to assist students with mild to moderate foreign language learning difficulties?

A systematic multisensory structured language (MSL) approach that benefits students who struggle to learn to read and spell in their native language also benefits students who have difficulties learning a foreign language. The following recommendations are based on the key principles of the multisensory approach:

• Provide opportunities for students to practice and review a concept frequently (repetitive principle).
• Teach language concepts in a logical progression and help students to categorize concepts; also organize these language concepts from simple to complex (structured, sequential principles).
• Build on what students already know, and make the connection between the known and the new information explicit (cumulative principle).
• Systematically and explicitly teach the phonemes or speech sounds of the foreign language.
• Directly teach students the sounds of the letters in the foreign language and the letter(s) the sounds represent (alphabetic/phonetic principle).
• Show students how to think about a language concept to be learned and ask them to explain the concept in their own words; examples include rules for applying word endings, appropriate word order, and subject/verb agreement (metacognitive principle)  Model for students the way to break apart words while reading, especially words with more than one syllable (analysis principle).
• Model for students the way to put parts of words back together for spelling (synthetic principle).

http://eida.org/at-risk-students-and-the-study-of-foreign-language-in-school/

Including All Children: A Guide for OST (Out of School Time) Programs

All children have a legal right to participate fully in OST programs. Being inclusive is also a beneficial practice for OST programs. Being willing and able to include all children, whatever their disability, helps organizations fully reach their goal of helping young people learn, grow and thrive. Providers can begin by reviewing the information in this booklet about their obligations under the law. A number of organizations can provide advice and support as program leaders address inclusion issues. (See pages 33-35 for a list of such organizations.) 

It is recommended that OST programs take proactive steps to ensure that parents and children understand their rights to take part and feel welcome. The following list of best practices was  developed in consultation with OST experts:

• Ensure that inclusion is fundamental to your business practices and identity.

• Print a statement about the program’s commitment to inclusion on all registration materials.

• Designate a staff person to serve as inclusion facilitator and provide a written job description and appropriate training.

• Implement a process for explaining to parents why access to confidential information may be needed, using limited release of information forms that are easily understood by parents and guardians.

• Develop a process for getting copies of confidential materials when needed.

• Have a process for staff to make individualized decisions about the accommodations a youth needs to participate safely and effectively. This process should include collaboration with parents, timelines and designated staff members who have the skills and responsibilities for making such individualized decisions.

• Utilize community partners who can provide technical assistance and support. “Using simple techniques to accommodate individuals with disabilities such as creating and sticking to a schedule, getting additional information from parents and giving clear, concise instructions benefit ALL participants in the out of school time programs.” – Jennene Lausier, Teen & Grant Recreation Coordinator, Howard County Recreation and Parks

• Ensure that staff have skills and knowledge to design accommodations and modifications including adapted materials, training and positive behavior supports, and can estimate the costs.

• For youth who have IEPs or Section 504 Plans, make sure staff understand and use the documents to plan supports.

• Have a process for informing parents and youth in writing about individualized decisions and advising them of their legal protections.

• Have staff evaluate their program based on principles of Universal Design for Learning, a set of principles for developing curriculum and materials in a flexible way so that all young people will have access. These principles can apply to materials, schedules, activities, expectations, rules and environments. (For more information about Universal Design for Learning, go to www.udlcenter.org.)


http://www.mdlclaw.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/OST-final-for-website.pdf

Out of School Time (OST) Programs

"An OST program is a program or activity where children participate in academic, athletic, recreational or cultural activities with other young people beyond the school day, before or after the school day or during the summer.  The law requires that almost all OST programs, regardless of size, take steps necessary so that all children can safely and meaningfully participate."

 

Do Section 504 and the ADA Apply to All OST Programs?

Whether Section 504 or the ADA applies depends on how the OST program is funded and operated. Section 504 applies to all programs that receive federal funds. This includes public schools, extracurricular programs or religious programs that receive federal funding. See page 25 for more information about Section 504. The ADA generally applies to all programs that provide services to the public, regardless of whether they receive federal funds. This includes schools, recreational centers and day care providers. There are some exceptions for religious organizations.

Disabilities That May Be Covered by Section 504 and the ADA
The disability must substantially limit a major life activity of the individual.
• ADHD
• Autism
• Diabetes
• Heart and respiratory conditions
• HIV, AIDS, hepatitis
• Intellectual disabilities
• Mental illness
• Neurological disabilities
• Orthopedic disabilities
• Specific learning disabilities
• Visual, speech and hearing disabilities

What Must OST Programs Do to Comply With Section 504 and the ADA?*
• Provide equal access and equal opportunity for children with disabilities to participate in
programs or services.
• Make individual determinations about what a child may need to successfully participate in
the program.
• Make reasonable accommodations to enable children with disabilities to participate in all
aspects of the program.
• Meet architectural standards for physical accessibility.
• Avoid eligibility criteria that screen out children with disabilities.
• Prohibit retaliation against an individual with disabilities who exercises her/his rights, including the right to file a complaint.



http://www.mdlclaw.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/OST-final-for-website.pdf

5 Facts About Dyslexia and ADA 2015

The original regulations were published in 2010 and then an outside expert committee presented its findings in 2014, but the guidelines in the Technical Assistance report was only approved for release in July 2015.

1. Proof of Past Testing is Generally Sufficient to Support a Request.
2. ADA Protections Exist for for High School, College, Professional and Grad Schools, 
Trade Exams
The Department of Justice document includes the following tests by name: high school (GED, SSAT, ISEE), college (SAT, ACT), professional (LSAT, MCAT), grad school (GRE, GMAT), trade (cosmetology), professional (bar, medical, including clinical assessments).
3. Academic Success Does Not Preclude Test Accommodations
4. Informal Testing Accommodations May Be Sufficient
5. Timely Manner and No Flagging  


 http://www.ada.gov/regs2014/testing_accommodations.html