Registration is now open for the next round of DESE regional meetings to keep special education directors informed of changes and updates in special education. Given how quickly the seats fill up, please be sure to register early. It is very difficult to accommodate late registrations and walkins. Please be sure to register everyone who will attend so we have the space prepared appropriately.
Audience: Special Education Directors from school districts, vocational technical schools, charter schools, private approved special education schools and collaboratives.
Presenters: Dr. Russell Johnston, Senior Associate Commissioner & State Director of Special Education; Sibel Hughes, Assistant Director, Office of Language Acquisition, Teri Williams-Valentine, Director, Special Education Planning and Policy, and Caitlin Hogan, Senior Auditor, Audit & Compliance
Welcome and Special Education Updates Dr. Russell Johnston, Senior Associate Commissioner & State Director of Special Education Based upon questions and feedback from special education directors, Dr. Russell Johnston will kick off the meeting with an update on timely special education topics. In particular, he will focus on topics such as proportionate share, the use of extended evaluations in approved special education schools, and the new consolidated grants process. Participants will leave with information that they can readily apply in their school or district.
Guidance for Supporting English Learners with Disabilities Sibel Hughes, Assistant Director, Office of Language Acquisition The Office of Language Acquisition has recently released the Guidance for Supporting English Learners with Disabilities document. Sibel Hughes will walk participants through the guidance and provide information relating to policies around English learners with disabilities. Participants will also have an opportunity to discuss common challenges in meeting the needs of English learners with disabilities and share ways in which they have been successful.
Significant Disproportionality Teri Williams-Valentine, Director, Special Education Planning and Policy Brian Coonley, Educational Specialist, Special Education Planning and Policy In early March a U.S. District Court judge vacated the U.S. Department of Education's decision to delay compliance with amended IDEA regulations on calculating significant disproportionality by race and ethnicity in special education identification, placement, and discipline. Teri Williams-Valentine and Brian Coonley will discuss what this decision means for Fiscal Year 2020, and how the Department will be working with schools and districts to implement the regulations.
Q&A
***Due to the high interest in the remote sessions, anyone who wishes to participate remotely is kindly requested to register once per district and participate as a group to allow as many participants as possible to access the meeting in this way.
***Please note that there will be no hard copies of handouts at these sessions. They will be sent to those who are registered using the links below in advance of the meeting. Please download them the morning of the session to be sure that you have the most current version, and that there is enough bandwidth at the site for your download.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 135 Santilli Highway, Everett, MA 02149
Voice: (781) 338-3000 TTY: (800) 439-2370
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