March 2009

NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON AUTISM TO BE HELD IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA

A conference on autism, “The Road to Best Practice in Autism,” will be presented for physicians, parents and educators with national experts in the research and study of autism and autism spectrum disorders will address a variety of topics such as diagnosis and treatment, current research, communication alternatives, parents of individuals with autism and the community system, addressing behavioral concerns, and more.  This is the second annual “Promising Pathways” Conference. The conference will offer pertinent information for professionals in the medical and educational fields as well as parents and caregivers, and all those affected by and/or interested in the study of autism. Keynote presenters include Mohammad Ghaziuddin, MD, MRCPsych,  Kiely Law, M.D., M.P.H., Dr. Paul Law, Dr. Jose Martinez-Diaz, and Anne S. Holmes, M.S., C.C.C., B.C.B.A. 

Educators Share Tips for Stocking Up — Without Reaching Into Their Own Wallets.

The tough economy spells bad news for public schools. As states put the squeeze on already tight education budgets, school districts nationwide are looking to cut back without sacrificing too much. As a result, funding for classroom supplies is growing increasingly scarce when it’s not being eliminated altogether.That means teachers are spending their own hard-earned cash not only to buy pencils, pens, and notebooks for students whose families cannot always afford to do so but also to pay for photocopies, chalk, dry-erase markers, posters, and bulletin board decorations. K-12 public school teachers can easily dole out more than $1,000 a year for classroom supplies. As school budgets continue to tighten, that figure is escalating, says James Rosenberg, founder and executive director of Adopt-A-Classroom, which has raised $10 million for supplies for 20,000 classrooms in all 50 states in the past decade.In this Edutopia article educators share successes and resources for cutting down on classroom supplies costs.  Tips include sell advertising space, don’t buy what you can get free, go for the big score, organize a school-supply drive or a fundraiser.  Read the full article at http://www.edutopia.org/free-school-supplies-fundraising-donation.

Music Instruction Helps Children Read

Children exposed to a multi-year program of music involving increasingly complex rhythmic, tonal, and practical skills display superior cognitive performance in reading skills compared with their non-musically trained peers, according to a study published in the Psychology of Music journal. According to authors Joseph M. Piro and Camilo Ortiz from Long Island University, data from this study will help to clarify the role of music study on cognition and shed light on the question of the potential of music to enhance school performance in language and literacy.
Read more: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090316075843.htm.

SchoolsMovingUp April Webinars: Early Head Start

The Office of Head Start has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the expansion of Early Head Start throughout the nation, using the additional funding available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. In response to the RFP, WestEd’s SchoolsMovingUp website will feature another free webinar series, “Early Head Start:  Providing a Quality Comprehensive Program for Infants, Toddlers and Their Families.”  The aim of the series is to assist Head Start/Early Head Start grantees, school districts, and community based organizations in thinking about their capacity to effectively serve infants and toddlers.   

Child Outcomes Measurement System Materials

We are pleased to announce that a flyer has been prepared in three languages (English, Spanish, and Creole) for districts to distribute to parents when discussing the system to measure child outcomes.  Districts may make copies of the flyers.  These flyers are found on the Technical Assistance and Training System (TATS) website at http://www.tats.ucf.edu/evaluation_COMSM.php.  For any questions please refer to Marilyn Hibbard, at marilyn.hibbard@fldoe.org.

Department of Education Memorandum

The Department of Education has issued the following memorandum regarding the Fact Sheet for Families of Preschool Children with Special Needs.  The memorandum may be viewed at:   http://info.fldoe.org/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-5326/dps-2009-035.pdf and http://info.fldoe.org/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-5327/dps-2009-035a.pdf.  If you have questions regarding the content of this message, please contact Denise Bishop at denise.bishop@fldoe.org.

Public Comment Period Regarding Early Steps Proposed Policies and Annual Part C Application

The Early Steps State Office (ESSO) has published a Proposed Policy Handbook and Operations Guide and the annual renewal application for funds under IDEA, Part C for public review.  The proposed policies to implement changes in the Early Steps system are found at http://www.cmskids.com/resources/es_policy/proposed_policy.htm and the application at http://www.cms-kids.com/resources/es_policy/PartCApplicationFFY2009.htm.  Both can be accessed via the Web site for 60 days beginning March 1^st, 2009, through April 30^th, 2009, and the opportunity for public comment will be available for 30 days beginning March 16^th, 2009, through April 15^th, 2009.  We encourage you to take this opportunity to review and provide comment on the proposed policies, including changes in eligibility criteria for Part C and Developmental Evaluation and Intervention (DEI) that would have an impact on our current State Board of Education Rules 6A- 6.03030, Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.), Special Programs for Children Birth Through Two Years Who Have Established Conditions and 6A-6.03031, FAC., Special Programs for Children Birth Through Two Years Who Are Developmentally Delayed.  These changes may be found in the Policy Handbook for Component 3, First Contact, Evaluation, Assessment and Component 13, DEI.  A flyer outlining details regarding submission of comments is available at http://www.cms-kids.com/resources/es_policy/PublicParticipationNotice2009.pdf.  You may post or forward the flyer to let others know about the public participation period.  Please provide information during the comment period regarding implementation issues or any recommendations that would assist ESSO in maintaining a statewide, comprehensive, coordinated, multidisciplinary, interagency system of early intervention supports and services for infants and toddlers and their families.

Statewide Public Service Announcement Contest On Human and Civil Rights

The Florida Commission on Human Relations (FCHR), Florida’s state civil rights agency, celebrating its 40th anniversary, is holding a statewide Public Service Announcement (PSA) contest for high school students (grades 9-12) that will allow the students to create and record a video PSA regarding human and civil rights and what it means to them. This year’s topic: “Discrimination Through the Eyes of Our Youth” will allow students to explore discrimination issues of past and present. Complete contest information is available at http://fchr.state.fl.us/outreach/40th_anniversary_psa_contest.  For any questions, please email Nakia Beasley at Nakia.beasley@fchr.myflorida.com.

Secondary Transition Resources

§  Going to College:  A Resource for Teens with Disabilities:  This Web site provides information in three areas:  My Place, Campus Life, and Planning for College.  It helps teens thinking about college to identify their strengths, learn about college expectations, and prepare for and apply to college.  A variety of tools are included. View these resources at http://www.going-to-college.org/.
§  Transition Assessment Matrix:  The matrix provides information on transition assessments (required for use in developing measurable postsecondary goals) that are available commercially.  The matrix provides the following information:  name and description of assessment; relevance to employment, education/training, and independent living/community participation; age and grade at which the assessment may be appropriately used; whether the assessment is Web-based; and the publisher contact information. View this resources at http://sharedwork.org/documents/TransitionAssessmentMatrix2008.pdf.
§  Predictors of Post-School Success:  The National Transition Technical Assistance Center (NSTTAC) provides information on evidence-based practices that are predictors correlated to student success in post-school outcomes.  The Web site information includes definitions of the predictors, predictor outcome areas, and additional resources related to the research base. View these resources at http://www.nsttac.org/ebp/PredictorResources.aspx.
§  Making Connections Across Indicators to Improve Post-School Outcomes:  The National Dropout Prevention Center for Students with Disabilities (NDPC-SD) provides this resource to guide states in examining the relationships among the transition indicators.  The provided link connects to a short section entitled Making Connections Across Indicators to Understand Trends:  C. Making Connections Between Graduation, Dropping Out, and Post-School Outcomes.  This short section provides guiding questions that districts can use in considering the relationships across their graduation, dropout and post-school outcome data.  A graph provides a look at how one state considered their data. View these resources at http://www.ndpc-sd.org/knowledge/improve_postschool_outcomes/npso-2c.php#makingconnections.

AUTISM AWARENESS MONTH CALENDAR OF EVENTS

AUTISM AWARENESS MONTH  CALENDAR OF EVENTS 

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