Policy Issues and Hot topics in Special Education in NYS |
Stay on top of special education policy issues. Being involved is the most effective way to ensure good outcomes for all students with disabilities in New York!
New State IEP form and Training Materials
NYSED has developed a new IEP form that will be required for IEPs developed in NYS beginning with the 2011-12 school year, which will begin to be used for Annual Review meetings next spring. The new form is intended to provide IEP consistency throughout the state. Click here for more info. Training materials, including an audio PowerPoint presentation with written script and a comprehensive question and answer document related to the model Meeting Notice forms for Committee on Preschool Special Education (CPSE), Committee on Special Education (CSE) and Subcommittee on Special Education meetings are now available on the Department's website.
Changes at NYSED
The Office of Special Education (OSE), which was previously a part of Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID) was moved into the State Education Department's Office of P-12 Education, effective July 1, 2010. This change reflects a positive commitment to real and meaningful inclusion of students with disabilities in our state education system.
New Special Education website at NYSED
This year the site was revamped and updated. (www.emsc.nysed.gov/specialed) It has a lot of resources, documents, and comprehensive information. If you have a question about anything relating to special education, or simply want to stay current , look for the ‘Publications’ tab in the center along the top of the website page. Memos are sorted by date or topic. The “News” tab on the top-left is another good way to stay current.
New Informational Documents
Check out Guide to Quality IEP Development and Implementation , comprehensive document on IEP development and the IEP development process, and A Parent's Guide to Response to Intervention and Response to Intervention: Guidance for New York State School Districts.
New Autism Web Resource (www.nyacts.org)
New York ACTS is a website developed by the New York State Interagency Task Force on Autism, a partnership of 11 NY State agencies. The site provides information about autism, including services, policy initiatives, relevant laws, events and trainings, news, FAQs, and personal profiles - all specific to NYS.
Public Hearings
During the month of September NYSED is soliciting feedback in public meetings across the state relating to proposed regulation changes primarily intended to provide mandate relief to school districts. The most significant include changes to the minimum speech service requirement, required language services for students classified under autism, as well as changing the maximum number of students in integrated co-teaching classes. Click here for more information.
New Proposed Framework for HS Exiting Credential
In Dec 2009 VESID proposed the establishment of a new certificate that would be available to all students as a supplement to a regular high school diploma documenting a student’s academic and career skills. This new exiting credential would replace the IEP diploma, and was proposed in response concerns from parents and advocacy organizations regarding its overuse and limitations in providing students access to meaningful post-secondary options such as employment, higher education and/or military service. Several organizations have issued responses citing concerns with the proposed credential. Many of these responses can be found through a Google search. This is a very significant issue. Stay informed and voice your opinion. Click here to read the proposal submitted to the NYS Regents.
