Monthly Archives: September 2016
An Overview of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) & How It Affects Special Needs Students.
The Every Student Succeeds Act, (ESSA) soon goes into full effect. The main idea of ESSA was to improve upon the No Child Left Behind Act. ESSA has it proponents and its detractors; as most laws do. It also is open to interpretation from Parents, Student Advocates and professionals in Education and Education Law.
Here is three and a half well spent minutes of your time about ESSA:
Click HERE – for an Overview of ESSA
Please PRESS HERE for lots of useful information and Links about ESSA and how it impacts Special Needs Students.
Download a PDF file of the ESSA LAW HERE
“The ESSA is divided into 8 different titles, each emphasizing a different aspect of strengthening and supporting the educational systems of states and local educational agencies (LEAs). A look at the titles will give you a quick grasp of the law’s sweeping nature. The titles of the law are:
Title I—Improving Basic Programs Operated by State and Local Educational Agencies
Title II—Preparing, Training, and Recruiting High-Quality Teachers, Principals, or Other School Leaders
Title III—Language Instruction for English Learners and Immigrant Students
Title IV—21st Century Schools
Title V—State Innovation and Local Flexibility
Title VI—Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Native Education
Title VII—Impact Aid
Title VIII—General Provisions”
Title 1 is the most well-known and prominent section of the original legislation passed in 1965 (the ESEA) and remains so in this latest reauthorization. The U.S. Department of Education provides Title 1 funding (through 4 formula grant programs) to LEAs with high numbers or high percentages of children from low-income families to help ensure that all children meet challenging state academic standards. (2) For the 2014 fiscal year, Title I, Part A was the single largest investment for K-12 education, with an estimated $14.4 billion allocated. (3)” – from ParentsCenterHub.Org
Governor Christie’s Guide To Destroying a Great School System.
A site to discuss better education for all
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Eric Shininger is a principal in New Jersey. He comes from a family of educators. He is appalled by Governor Chris Christie’s continual attacks on educators who have dedicated their lives to children. He explains he essentials of Christie’s agenda to destroy public education in the Garden State.
He writes:
“Let’s look at some of the ridiculous decisions Governor Christie has made to derail a great education system:
“Reduced state funding for schools over the years to pay for tax cuts for his rich friends. His latest wisdom is articulated in this article: Chris Christie’s Education Plan Is Shocking: He Wants to Give to the Rich and Take From the Poor.
“Eliminated cost of living adjustments (COLA) for all retired educators who gave their all for kids
“Vetoed a mandatory school recess bill, even though research had shown how important it is to student learning.
“Pushed forward a few unfunded mandates (Common Core, PARCC) that have taken away precious funds from improving what really matters. Schools had to front the money for quality professional development, curriculum revision, and technology to support these mandates. Years later many states have backed away from PARCC. The once strong 26-member consortium has now dwindled to 7. For all the hoopla, PARCC has told us nothing we didn’t already know from previous assessments. To make matters worse, NJ has been the only state to make this a graduation requirement in the near future.
“Imposed superintendent caps to drive out some of our best leaders. Many states have welcomed them with open arms and pocket books as good leaders are often worth every penny
“Followed through with a value-added system for evaluating educators, which by the way has no supporting research. He doubled down on this recently by increasing Student Growth Percentile (SGP) scores to 30% of an educator’s overall evaluation. This latest change was pushed out on Wednesday, August 31, just days before schools welcomed back students. On Monday, a few days later, Education Commissioner David Hespe resigned. A bit shady, huh? In all, the new regulations completely give up on quality teaching and simply shoot for compliance. This was most likely done because people were overburdened with paperwork, but no consideration was given as to the effect of the regulations. The entire SGP issue is a nightmare as in some cases they rely on arbitrary numbers
“Refused to fully fund the public pension system that he committed to in 2012 while pushing all the blame for the state’s economic woes on teachers, policemen, firemen, and other public sectors committed to the well being of all.”
Christie leaves the education system of his state worse than he found it. His bullying of educators is inexplicable.
Accepting Disabilities & Making a Difference
Complimentary Special Needs Workshops 10/18/16, at 6 P.M. in Fairfield.
NJ Special Education Advisory Council Meets 9/15/16 at 9:30 A.M.
This announcement from Myriam V. Alizo of NJ SPAN:
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Lunchtime Webinar – Talking To Your Child About Their Disability. 9/21/16 Noon-1 P.M.
Have you ever wondered about talking with your child about their disability? Can you find the right time, the most helpful, most understandable terms?
SPAN presents an informative Webinar:
When, Why & How to talk to you child about their disability; on Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2016 from Noon-1 P.M. This Webinar is FREE but Registration is required as seats are limited. Press HERE FOR THE REGISTRATION LINK and further information can be found below:
Dept. of Education Seeks Input on Every Student Succeeds Act
The State of New Jersey Department of Education is seeking input from with member so the school community. You will find a listing of Public Listening & Learning Sessions in September towards the end of this posting.
Information on the EVERY STUDENT SUCCEEDS ACT – Here
“There are many ways get involved:
Take a survey about how we report on our public schools
School Performance Report Survey
The New Jersey Department of Education is seeking to better understand what members of our school communities want to know about our public schools and therefore is requesting your input pertaining to the kind of public school information that you would like reported annually.
Please spend approximately five minutes to complete the survey by way of the link below. The survey is entirely voluntary and anonymous. General demographic and school information will be asked so the Department of Education can ensure it is getting a representative sample from all parts of the state.
Please note: This survey is the same survey that was shared by the New Jersey Department of Education from June 7-July 8. To ensure the quality and accuracy of survey responses, we ask that you only complete the survey once.
School Performance Report Survey (English/Spanish)
If you have any questions or comments about this topic, contact Collene O’Reilly at the Department of Education at ESSA@doe.state.nj.us. We thank you for your participation and support.
Thank you for your sharing your insights and suggestions to help improve New Jersey’s School Performance Reports.
Join us at an ESSA Public Listening and Learning Session
NJDOE Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Listening and Learning Tour
The New Jersey Department of Education is committed to engaging in meaningful and ongoing conversations with members of the school community about how New Jersey will implement the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). One way school community members can engage with the NJDOE is to attend one of the four Listening and Learning Sessions listed below:
| ESSA Public Listening and Learning Session #1 Register here |
ESSA Public Listening and Learning Session #2 Register here |
ESSA Public Listening and Learning Session #3 Register here |
ESSA Public Listening and Learning Session #4 Register here |
| September 6th 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. College of St. Elizabeth 2 Convent Rd Morristown, NJ 07690 Dolan Performance Hall |
September 8th 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. Rowan College at Gloucester County 1400 Tanyard Rd Sewell, NJ 08080 Lecture Room 430 |
September 14th 5:00-7:00 p.m. Middlesex County Vocational and Technical Schools 112 Rues Lane East Brunswick, NJ 08816 Auditorium |
September 22nd 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. Teaneck High School 100 Elizabeth Avenue Teaneck, NJ 07666 Auditorium |
Bloomfield SEPAC 