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*September 2023
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*Special Education Newsletter*




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?Announcements


Update: Overview of Special Education for Parents Form in Multiple Languages

Per House Bill 3928, if a student is suspected of having dyslexia and may be a child with a disability, local education agencies (LEAs) must distribute to parents the *Overview of Special Education for Parents form [ [link removed] ]*, developed by TEA, explaining the rights under IDEA that may be additional to those under Section 504. This form is now *available on the SPEDTex website in 27 languages*.?

Update: Notice of Procedural Safeguards Audio Version

SPEDTex has posted an *audio version* of the Notice of Procedural Safeguards. Each section has a recording in *both English and Spanish*.? (English audio [ [link removed] ]? ?Spanish audio [ [link removed] ]?)

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?Upcoming Dates


* *October 2*: Letters of Interest (LOI) due date for the Child Find and Early to Exit IEP Supports, Special Education Specialized Supports, and Legal Framework, grants.
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*October 2*:?Nonpublic Day and Residential Applications Due for Summer and Continuing Placements.?LEAs are required to report Nonpublic/Off-Campus day and residential educational placements to the TEA, regardless of intent to access related funding. For additional information, please visit the Nonpublic Programs webpage [ [link removed] ] or [email protected]. <[email protected]>


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<[email protected]>*October 2-13*: Application window for the Small and Rural Evaluation Certification Reimbursement Program. More information can be found in the Department News Section.?


* *December 1*: Anticipated award announcement for the Child Find and Early to Exit IEP Supports, Special Education Specialized Supports, and Legal Framework, grants.

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student who is deaf
*Did you know...?*

*September 18-24, 2023, was Deaf Awareness Week??*

On September 14, 2023, Governor Greg Abbott signed a proclamation announcing Deaf Awareness Week in Texas and urged all Texans to observe the occasion with appropriate ceremonies and activities. You can read the governor's proclamation HERE [ [link removed] ].?






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?In This
?Issue


* Autism Mentoring Guides [ #link_1 ]
* The Small and Rural Evaluation Certification Reimbursement Program [ #link_4 ]
* Accessible Mental Healthcare Services are Now Available to Every Texas Public School [ #link_5 ]
* A Game Changer for Struggling Readers [ #link_6 ]
* Instructional Leadership Tools [ #link_7 ]
* Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) [ #link_8 ]
* NATIONAL NEWS [ #link_2 ]

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Monthly Spotlight:

Texas SPED Support [ [link removed] ] is now live! Visit this new website and check out the *Featured section* on the homepage. TEA staff choose the *most relevant resources* to highlight in this section *based on the time of year or the types of questions the agency is receiving*.? ?

*Follow us on social media for real-time updates. *
Follow on Facebook, Instagram, & Threads: @TexasSPEDSupport
Follow on Twitter: @TXSPEDSupport







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DEPARTMENT NEWS

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Autism Mentoring Guides

TEA has three autism-specific mentoring guides on the?Texas SPED Support website [ [link removed] ]. These guides are designed to provide mentors of teachers with easy-to-follow course tracks and resources to?*facilitate the professional development of teachers in support of students with autism*. The three mentor guides include:


* *Onboarding Special Education Teachers [ [link removed] ]*
* *Onboarding General Education Teachers [ [link removed] ]*
* *Behavioral Guide [ [link removed] ]*

Each guide provides the mentor with a?*suggested course scope and sequence*,?*discussion questions*,?*vocabulary*,?*key points*, and a "for the mentor" section that will help facilitate?*meaningful mentoring sessions*?with teaching staff.?

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The Small and Rural Evaluation Certification Reimbursement Program

The ECRP *provides funding for current school staff members to further their education to become an Educational Diagnostician or a School Psychologist*. Upon completion of the certification program, participants must commit to providing a minimum of 3 years of evaluation service in a small and/or rural LEA in Texas. The *application window will open on October 2, 2023*.


* See if you are in an eligible LEA HERE [ [link removed] ].
* Anyone interested in this opportunity can APPLY HERE [ [link removed] ].??

Find Out More [ [link removed] ]

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Accessible Mental Healthcare Services are Now Available to Every Texas Public School

Many children are struggling with mental health concerns and many parents have limited access to mental health assessment and treatment services. The Texas Legislature has ensured that every Texas public school has an *opportunity to enroll in Texas Child Health Access through Telemedicine* (TCHATT) at *no cost* to the school or parent.

Learn More [ [link removed] ]

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A Game Changer for Struggling Readers

Learning Ally is now providing two new incentives designed to help maximize the power of the Audiobook Solution - at *no cost to your school or district*! Make sure to sign up today!


* Learning Ally?s Texas Student Orientation: [ [link removed] ] *provides students with hands-on knowledge of how to use the Learning Ally Audiobook Solution*. Students will explore how to search for age-appropriate books, add them to bookshelves, set reading goals, and begin reading.
* Learning Ally?s Educator Rapid Coaching Sessions [ [link removed] ]: A *30-minute educator support class*, a Learning Ally Coach will guide educators in a workshop-style environment through setting up educator dashboards, assigning books to students, and monitoring progress. Educators will have the *opportunity to ask questions* and get support. Limit 20 educators per session.

Find Out More [ [link removed] ]

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Instructional Leadership Tools

Texas LEA administrators are invited to visit the Instructional Leadership Tools for Inclusion, Early Childhood, and Behavior on the Texas SPED Support website. The Tools are intended to *assist LEA administrators with information and evidence to support performance evaluations for teachers of students with disabilities served in inclusive classroom settings*. They are not intended to supplant any documents or resources adopted by the LEA to support the employee evaluation process. The considerations and discussion points provided are designed to help administrators guide their own thinking, teacher thinking, and purposeful conversations. This tool is designed to *align with Domains 1-3 of the T-TESS evaluation system*. It is recommended for use in any stage of the T-TESS process, especially during the Pre-Evaluation Conference and Post Evaluation Conference meetings.?

Go To Tools [ [link removed] ]

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Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA)

TEA is pleased to announce their continued partnership with the ATIA to offer?*unlimited access to ATIA online courses for all educators, support staff, and parents* serving students across Texas.?These online education programs include live and recorded versions by national experts on a variety of topics across the spectrum of the assistive technology industry sectors. *Online courses are 60 and 90 minutes in length. *In addition to the stand-alone sessions, *Texas specific bundles* have been created to guide users through learning pathways to meet professional or tool-specific needs.*?Complimentary CEUs are available* for completion of these programs. Visit the Texas ATIA subscription webpage and use access code? PD24INCLUSIONTX to start your learning.?

Visit ATIA [ [link removed] ]

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NATIONAL NEWS

New Resources on Using Diagnostic Data to Inform Intervention Planning

Within the data-based individualization (DBI) process, educators often have an overall sense of student needs, but it is important to use data to develop a hypothesis for why the student has not yet made sufficient progress. Diagnostic data can help make this process more systematic by providing the information necessary to develop a hypothesis that is accurate, specific, and actionable. This new brief [ [link removed] ] from the NCII offers recommendations to support educators to efficiently collect, analyze, and use diagnostic data within DBI.?

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IRIS Module on Universal Design for Learning

The *IRIS Center* [ [link removed] ], in collaboration with *CAST* [ [link removed] ], has posted a significant revision to one of the most popular IRIS modules, *Universal Design for Learning: Designing Learning Experiences That Engage and Challenge All Students.* [ [link removed] ]

This module examines the universal design for learning (UDL) framework and discusses how educators can apply UDL to design learning experiences that are flexible enough to challenge and engage all students and that promote learner agency. This self-paced, online module can be embedded in educator preparation courses and school or district professional development activities and learners can earn a *free professional development certificate of completion* [ [link removed] ].

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New Video for Families on Why Assessments are Important

The National Center on Educational Outcomes (*NCEO* [ [link removed] ]) recently published a video on why assessments are important, and why children with disabilities should participate in them. This resource is designed to help families understand why assessments are a good opportunity for their children to show what they know, and for schools to better understand their children?s needs. It also includes tips for families on how to better support their children when they take assessments. The videos are available in *English* [ [link removed] ] and *Spanish* [ [link removed] ].

These videos are part of NCEO?s *Empowering Parents Toolkit* [ [link removed] ] which includes additional videos, one-page flyers, and example social media posts on assessments and assessment-related state systemic improvement plans (SSIPs).

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Ultimate Behavior Toolkit: What Works

Virginia?s personnel retention grant (325P) is grounded in the theory that special education teachers are more likely to stay in the profession if they are provided with the necessary training and support to meet the needs of their students.

In partnership with the *Center for Implementation and Evaluation of Education Systems [ [link removed] ]* (CIEES) at Old Dominion University and the *Virginia Tiered System of Supports Research and Implementation Center [ [link removed] ]* (VTSS-RIC) at Virginia Commonwealth University, the project created *Ultimate Behavior Toolkit: What Works [ [link removed] ]*.

These modules are designed to support both pre-service and in-service teachers working with special education students, including general education teachers. The modules are framed for elementary school teachers and secondary teachers.

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SPEDTEX [ [link removed] ]

Join the SPEDTex mailing list [ [link removed] ] or
visit the site to locate resources [ [link removed] ]
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?Job Listings



Review and Support Education Specialist (Education Specialist IV) [ [link removed] ]

Special Education Investigations, Interventions, and Sanctions Director (Director II) [ [link removed] ]





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