Comments for SpedPro

Comment on Context for decline in special education by jmittler

jmittler — Tue, 07 May 2013 20:26:45 +0000

My two cents on the decline looks at two items, the economy and referrals,
and then a possible bit of good news, if it’s good that our numbers
increase. I think the decline parallels the economic decline of the
country. While I am far from knowledgeable about how special education is
funded throughout the country (here in NY, our 700+ school districts get
state money and then, outside of NY City, ask the taxpayers each spring to
vote on a local school budget which adds a significant amount to the state
dollars), I assume most states were under financial pressures to reduce or
level fund education. With the unwillingness of local taxpayers to support
significant increases in their local share (we now have an unworkable 2%
cap on local school budget increases here in NY ), schools districts have had little
recourse but to trim the budgets or at least hold them to minimal
increases. With the poor economy keeping higher salaried veterans teachers
from retiring and normal inflation, local schools have been under pressure
to reduce their expenditures and I read of staff cuts in many districts. My usual review of
the NY Times shows very, very few new special education jobs being
advertised.

Now, I think I’m correct in that the most assured way to get a child
classified is to refer that kid. I also assume that most referrals come
from teachers, although knowledgeable parents will always get their kids
what they need. Thus, I might guess that referrals are down across the
country. With financial pressures on schools, it would not surprise me if
teachers were dissuaded from making those referrals. While I think this is
illegal, I have heard a few stories of principals telling teachers not to
make referrals. Of course RTI and other newer strategies may have some
impact, but fewer referrals mean fewer classified kids.

As for the good news, well here in NY we have started testing kids on the
Common Core using new tests, even while we await for PARCC. The reports
are that these new tests are really tough on all kids and that we should
expect scores to drop by at least 30% or more, and that is for all the
kids taking the tests. If there is such a drop, I’d guess that children
with some learning/behavior issues will do far worse and the schools may
look to increase their special education referrals out of fear. (We are
also a state that has implemented an teacher and principal evaluation
system based in part on these scores.) Thus, I might see some increases as
the Common Core tests start showing the need.

Comment on Department of Special Education Chairperson-Illinois State University by jim thompson

jim thompson — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 15:22:14 +0000

This search has been extended to February 22, 2013. Everything else remains the same. Jim

Comment on Glimpse of BlogHer discussions about disabilities by lizditz

lizditz — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 17:11:49 +0000

Hi John, thanks for the shout-out. SpedPro readers might also be interested in Shannon Rosa's recent post: The Thinking Person's Guide to Autism at BlogHer And I put the tweet stream through Storify Curated twitter reports of BH11Specialneeds. A few SpEd professional attended but mostly in their roles as parents to special needs children.

Comment on Webinar on Evidence-Based Practices by B. Cook on evidence-based practices « Teach Effectively!

B. Cook on evidence-based practices « Teach Effectively! — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 18:01:14 +0000

[...] well. It’s like a ready-made, re-usable staff-development program. To read the SpedPro post, follow this link. Alternatively, simply follow this link to register for the session! Share and [...]

Comment on Melvin D. Levine, 1940-2011 by Mel Levine died « LD Blog

Mel Levine died « LD Blog — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 14:55:05 +0000

[...] from the Raliegh News Observer (see, also, SpedPro. Share and [...]

Comment on IDA funding research projects by IDA research grants « LD Blog

IDA research grants « LD Blog — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 21:56:19 +0000

[...] Association (IDA) to examine the effects of multisensory structured-language reading instruction. Skip over there to check on it. Share and [...]

Comment on Ivar Lovaas, 1927-2010 by John Lloyd

John Lloyd — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 11:14:45 +0000

The New York Times published an obituary for Professor Lovaas by Margalit Fox on 22 August 2010.

Comment on Ivar Lovaas, 1927-2010 by John Lloyd

John Lloyd — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 11:12:26 +0000

The Los Angeles Times published an obituary of Professor Lovaas by Alan Zarembo on 6 August 2010.

Comment on Jeanne S. Chall Research Grant by Chall grants 2010 at LD Blog

Chall grants 2010 at LD Blog — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 14:44:28 +0000

[...] on Spedpro I posted a notice about the opportunity to apply for a Jeanne S. Chall Research Grant. Applications are due by May 14, 2010. Share and [...]

Comment on Kenneth A. Kavale 1946-2008 by HB, Ken Kavale at LD Blog

HB, Ken Kavale at LD Blog — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 11:01:03 +0000

[...] the notice of Professor Kavale’s death on SpedPro. Share and [...]