Fw: [COPAA-NEWS] Tell House Education and Labor Committee to Keep ESEA Strong for Students with Disabilities by March 26th!!

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From: Executive Director <exec@...>

Subject: [COPAA-NEWS] Tell House Education and Labor Committee to Keep ESEA

Strong for Students with Disabilities by March 26th!!

COPAA-NEWS@...

Date: Wednesday, March 24, 2010, 10:04 AM

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Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, Inc.

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Tell House Education and Labor Committee to Keep ESEA Strong

for Students with Disabilities!!

Congress is currently considering amendments to the Elementary and Secondary

Education Act (ESEA), the law most recently

known as No Child Left Behind.  Comments are being accepted by email

eseacomments@... - must be submitted by

March 26, 2010.

Principles for the reauthorization of Elementary and Secondary Education Act

Students with disabilities have benefitted greatly from the Elementary and

Secondary Education Act (ESEA) because the

law requires their academic achievement to be measured and reported.  As a

result, more students with disabilities have

been afforded the opportunity to learn and master grade level academic content.

Reauthorization of the Elementary and

Secondary Education Act must ensure that all students can learn and thrive in

school and be career and college ready. 

It is critically important that COPAA Members and colleagues tell Congress  the

Individualized Education Program (IEP)

is not an appropriate accountability tool to measure a student's academic

progress.  The IEP is an agreement between

parents and schools that details the specific skills, services and supports a

child needs to make progress in the

general education curriculum. Moreover, the final regulations to IDEA reaffirm

that the IEP is not appropriate for

school accountability purposes.  ESEA provides academic  accountability for

students with disabilities, like it does for

every other student. Therefore, all statewide assessments used for ESEA

accountability purposes, including alternate

assessments, must continue to measure only academic achievement, not progress on

functional goals.

Furthermore - In order for all students to achieve academic excellence, we urge

Congress to incorporate the following

principles,  developed by the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities

Education Task Force, in the reauthorization of

the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA):

..

*         All students are general education students first. 

*         All students should leave high school ready for college or a career.

*         General and special education teachers must have the skills and

knowledge necessary for teaching grade-level

content and diverse learners. 

*         Struggling learners should be identified early and should receive

targeted instruction or interventions. 

*         Schools must integrate into the academic curriculum programs and

services to address barriers to learning. 

*         Assessments must be designed and implemented to ensure that all

students can accurately demonstrate their

academic knowledge and skills. 

*         If growth models replace the status model as a means of measuring

student growth for all students, they must

include all students with disabilities and ensure all students are held to high

expectations.

 

*         The principles of universal design for learning must apply throughout

ESEA.

*         The Individualized Education Program (IEP) is not an appropriate

accountability tool to measure a student's

academic progress.

*         Families must be empowered to be effective advocates for their child

and students with disabilities need to be

included in the decision-making process about their academic opportunities to

the extent appropriate.

*         The Elementary and Secondary Education Act and the Individuals with

Disabilities Education Act must be

adequately funded so that public schools have the resources they need to meet

the needs of all students. 

For a full copy of the CCD ESEA Principles please visit

http://www.copaa.org/pdf/Final%202010%20CCD%20ESEA%20principles.pdf

Please take 5 minutes and send your comments to the House of Representatives

Committee on Education and Labor asking

them to keep the law strong for students with disabilities.  It is absolutely

critical for your voice to be heard!! 

Email eseacomments@... by March 26, 2010.

For more information see

http://edlabor.house.gov/newsroom/2010/02/lawmakers-announce-plan-for-a.shtml 

For information on the Obama Administration's Blueprint for ESEA released on

Saturday, March 13, which would ask states

to adopt college- and career-ready standards and reward schools for producing

dramatic gains in student achievement, see

http://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/blueprint/index.html 

It is also important that you contact your own Representatives on this issue. 

Email:   <http://www.house.gov/writerep>

http://www.house.gov/writerep for the House of Representatives (your local area

Congressman or Congresswoman).  For the

Senate, go to   <http://www.senate.gov/> http://www.senate.gov/ and click on

Senators and then " Choose a State " and then

select the webform.

For help in finding Your Congressional Representative:  Go to 

<http://www.house.gov/> http://www.house.gov and put your

zip code in the box in the upper left corner.  You can find your Senators

through  <http://www.senate.gov/>

http://www.senate.gov/ and clicking on Senators and then " " Choose a State. " You

have one Representative and two

Senators.

Be sure your voice is heard in Congress - and do it today!!

Marshall

Executive Director

Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, Inc. (COPAA)

PO Box 6767

Towson, MD 21285

(P) 410-372-0208

(F) 410-372-0209

www.copaa.org

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