Success Stories for CEC's
Annual
Budget Book
Hi, everyone!
It's time for us here at CEC to begin preparing our FY '06 Budget Book. CEC's
annual Budget Book, officially known as the "Federal Outlook for Exceptional
Children," is an education tool that our members use with their members of
Congress and staff from a variety of federal agencies. It is divided into two
sections: the first provides an overview of the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act and the support programs, including both a legislative and fiscal
history; second, we provide an overview of the Javits Gifted and Talented
Program. Woven throughout these sections are success stories and photos of
students participating in special education, early intervention, and gifted
education programs across the country.
Many of you remember my requests from past years for special education, early
intervention, and gifted/talented success stories, and have been wonderful in
sharing your stories with me. Thank you for your past help!!! But we need your
help each year, to make each Budget Book better than the last!!
You've asked us for guidelines on what the success stories should look like, and
what they should include. One way to get an idea of the types of stories we use
is to look at past issues of the Budget Book. You'll notice that the stories
are relatively short (several paragraphs at most). They include the student's
full name, age, city and state in which they live; and their school/district.
The stories show the benefits these students have received under IDEA or the
Javits Gifted and Talented Students Act, regardless of their placement or
services they have received.
In addition to stories under Javits or IDEA Part B, Part C, and Section 619, we
also need to focus on the IDEA Part D support programs. Although Congress has
consistently acknowledged the importance of IDEA Part B by appropriating
increasing funding amounts each year, the same cannot be said for Part D
programs. We need success stories that show the benefits of these programs!!!
PTI centers, Assistive Technology programs, etc. are wonderful programs that we
need to focus attention on. Please take a look at the FY 2003 and 2004 Budget
Book for examples of these programs. If you (or someone you know) are working
on a program that's funded under Part D, please let us know. We'd love to help
you write a story (or use your story!) about it.
The Bush Administration has consistently targeted the Javits Act for
elimination, since it receives so little funding. Although Congress has provided
level funding for these programs over the past few years, it is critical that we
provide our policymakers with concrete evidence that the programs under the
Javits Act are valuable, necessary, and need to be supported with additional
funds in FY '06.
In addition to a story, an accompanying photo of the student (and/or your
classroom or project funded under Part D) would be wonderful (we'd need you to
obtain a photo release form signed by a parent if a photo of the student is
provided ?? just send me an e?mail at "jackib@cec.sped.org"
and I will send you a copy(ies) as needed). We'd love for these photos to show
action; that is, to show the child(ren) in educational or early intervention
settings, with their teacher(s), other children, etc. We're looking for "head
shots" only as a last resort. The best format for the photos is a *.tif files
at high resolution (600 dpi).
Even if you don't have a success story to share, we need photos of students from
all races, backgrounds, and with all types of disabilities, to include in the
Budget Book – both on the cover, and throughout the Book. If you have a photo
of a student(s) you'd like us to include, please let me know by e-mailing me at
the address above. Please remember that the best photo format is a
high-resolution *tif file.
We want to be ready to print each year's Budget Book soon after the President
releases his proposed budget in early February, so we need appropriate success
stories NOW! Please see the attached templates on which you can model your
stories. There's a template for IDEA Parts B and C and gifted/talented
programs, and an example of a program success story for Part D of IDEA.
Our goal is to make special education, early intervention, and gifted/talented
education real – to put actual faces and names to the population known as
"students with exceptionalities." Many legislators have told us that our CEC
Budget Book has allowed them to see what special education, early intervention,
and gifted/talented education is really all about, and we'd like to continue
that education process.
Let me know if you have any questions. As always, we appreciate your help in
obtaining these success stories, as we're finding they're an integral part of
the Budget Book. You could either e?mail the stories to me at
jackib@cec.sped.org, or send them to me
through snail mail at: Jacki Bootel, The Council for Exceptional Children, Suite
300, 11110 North Glebe Road, Arlington, VA 22201-5704. My phone number is
800/224?6830, ext. 437; FAX is 703/264?1637.
Thank you in advance for your help.
Jacki Bootel
CEC's Public Policy Unit
Template for Success
Stories for
CEC's Annual Budget Book
IDEA Parts B and C; Gifted/Talented Programs
FIRST PARAGRAPH – Should contain the student's name, city/state, school and
school district. Also include his/her age, and what the student's disability
is.
Example: Alianne Tracey is a sixth-grade student at the Upper Township Middle
School in Petersburg, NJ. She was diagnosed with a profound, bilateral
sensorineural hearing loss at age eight months, and she began to wear
amplification devices at approximately ten months.
SECOND PARAGRAPH – Provide a history of the student's education, including the
age at which he/she was referred to special education, and the general types of
services he/she receives(d).
Example: Alianne began her academic career as a preschooler at the Archbishop
Ryan School for children with hearing impairment, in an oral-aural program. She
began kindergarten in her home school in Upper Township, where the instructional
focus shifted to a total communication program. At that time, Ali used a
personal FM system (Telex TDR 5) with TCP270 receivers, which she wore at home
and in school. The system was purchased using funds under IDEA.
THIRD PARAGRAPH – Describe the challenges that he/she faced as a result of the
disability(ies), and specifically what services he/she received under IDEA to
help deal with those challenges.
Example: At that time, Ali's receptive language was quite delayed. Through the
efforts of her regular education teachers (one of whom held a master's degree in
Deaf Education), the support of a teacher certified to teach the hearing
impaired, a sign language interpreter, and a speech/language pathologist, Ali's
language growth developed quickly. Most helpful, however, was Ali's innate
motivation to learn and succeed.
LAST (FEW) PARAGRAPHS – Summarize the benefits the student has received because
of IDEA, and how they have helped the student become successful, both at school
and in life.
Example: Alianne's program changed this year. On October 5, 1999, Alianne
received an Advanced Bionics Cochlear Implant. She is making remarkable
progress with her implant! She continues to benefit from a full-time sign
language interpreter, and she receives regular speech therapy: on a daily basis
in school, and on a weekly basis at Children's Hospital in Philadelphia.
Alianne will also benefit from a classroom amplification system – provided
through IDEA flow-through funds – which will be implemented at her school very
soon.
Alianne has certainly benefited from all of the services that special and
regular education programs have provided for her. She is a shining example of
what IDEA can do to promote success for all students!
Success Stories for
CEC's Annual Budget Book
IDEA Part D
The success stories under Part D may (or may not) include information about a
specific student or students, as described above. In addition, however, the
Part D stories should include information on the authorizing program that was
funded through OSEP, as well as the name and number of someone to contact for
more information about the program. An example (which does not include
student-specific information) follows:
Personnel Preparation Program Targets Low-Incidence Population
For the past 10 years, the State of New Hampshire has been a national leader in
promoting the inclusion of students with severe disabilities into regular
classes in their neighborhood schools. However, there has never been a
preservice training program for special education teachers who work to support
students with low-incidence disabilities, their families, and their teachers.
The state's higher education institutions have always argued that the number of
teachers needed for this population of students is so small that it wouldn't be
'cost effective' to invest in the faculty or institutional infrastructure for a
program that would have a difficult time being self?supporting.
Thanks to a Personnel Preparation grant from the U.S. Department of Education's
Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) in the Low?Incidence Disability
category, the Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire is in
its second year of administering the 'Inclusion Facilitator Training Program' –
a 20-credit, two-year graduate program that leads to state certification in
low?incidence disabilities. Trainees in the program include a mix of full?time
graduate students and teachers working full time in the field. The trainees
take coursework related to such topics as the values and rationale for
inclusion, the development of curricular and communication supports for students
in regular classes, positive behavior supports, facilitating social
relationships, and collaboration and systems change advocacy.
Because of increased awareness of the importance of training of this group of
special education teachers, corollary efforts are now underway to restructure
the state certification to reflect recent changes in the field and current best
practices, and in making the program a permanent part of the offerings at the
University of New Hampshire.
Without Congressional support of IDEA Part D dollars, the seed money for this
program would not be available. It is a perfect example of how federal dollars
can be used to 'jumpstart' state?level programs that benefit students with
disabilities and their families.
For more information about the program, contact its director, Cheryl M.
Jorgensen, Ph.D., Director, Inclusion Facilitator Training Program, Institute on
Disability, University of New Hampshire, 7 Leavitt Lane, Suite 101, Durham, NH
03824 or at cherylj@cisunix.unh.edu,
or 603/862?4678.
Template
for Success Stories for CEC’s Annual Budget Book
IDEA Parts B and C; Gifted/Talented Programs
FIRST PARAGRAPH – Should contain the student’s name, city/state, school and school district. Also include his/her age, and what the student’s disability is.
Example: Alianne Tracey is a sixth-grade student at the Upper Township Middle School in Petersburg, NJ. She was diagnosed with a profound, bilateral sensorineural hearing loss at age eight months, and she began to wear amplification devices at approximately ten months.
SECOND PARAGRAPH – Provide a history of the student’s education, including the age at which he/she was referred to special education, and the general types of services he/she receives(d).
Example: Alianne began her academic career as a preschooler at the Archbishop Ryan School for children with hearing impairment, in an oral-aural program. She began kindergarten in her home school in Upper Township, where the instructional focus shifted to a total communication program. At that time, Ali used a personal FM system (Telex TDR 5) with TCP270 receivers, which she wore at home and in school. The system was purchased using funds under IDEA.
THIRD PARAGRAPH – Describe the challenges that he/she faced as a result of the disability(ies), and specifically what services he/she received under IDEA to help deal with those challenges.
Example: At that time, Ali’s receptive language was quite delayed. Through the efforts of her regular education teachers (one of whom held a master’s degree in Deaf Education), the support of a teacher certified to teach the hearing impaired, a sign language interpreter, and a speech/language pathologist, Ali’s language growth developed quickly. Most helpful, however, was Ali’s innate motivation to learn and succeed.
LAST (FEW) PARAGRAPHS – Summarize the benefits the student has received because of IDEA, and how they have helped the student become successful, both at school and in life.
Example: Alianne’s program changed this year. On October 5, 1999, Alianne received an Advanced Bionics Cochlear Implant. She is making remarkable progress with her implant! She continues to benefit from a full-time sign language interpreter, and she receives regular speech therapy: on a daily basis in school, and on a weekly basis at Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia. Alianne will also benefit from a classroom amplification system – provided through IDEA flow-through funds – which will be implemented at her school very soon.
Alianne has certainly benefited from all of the services that special and regular education programs have provided for her. She is a shining example of what IDEA can do to promote success for all students!
Success Stories for CEC’s Annual Budget Book
IDEA Part D
The success stories under Part D may (or may not) include information about a specific student or students, as described above. In addition, however, the Part D stories should include information on the authorizing program that was funded through OSEP, as well as the name and number of someone to contact for more information about the program. An example (which does not include student-specific information) follows:
For the past 10 years, the State of New Hampshire has been a national leader in promoting the inclusion of students with severe disabilities into regular classes in their neighborhood schools. However, there has never been a preservice training program for special education teachers who work to support students with low-incidence disabilities, their families, and their teachers. The state's higher education institutions have always argued that the number of teachers needed for this population of students is so small that it wouldn't be 'cost effective' to invest in the faculty or institutional infrastructure for a program that would have a difficult time being self-supporting.
Thanks to a Personnel Preparation grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) in the Low-Incidence Disability category, the Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire is in its second year of administering the ‘Inclusion Facilitator Training Program’ – a 20-credit, two-year graduate program that leads to state certification in low-incidence disabilities. Trainees in the program include a mix of full-time graduate students and teachers working full time in the field. The trainees take coursework related to such topics as the values and rationale for inclusion, the development of curricular and communication supports for students in regular classes, positive behavior supports, facilitating social relationships, and collaboration and systems change advocacy.
Because of increased awareness of the importance of training of this group of special education teachers, corollary efforts are now underway to restructure the state certification to reflect recent changes in the field and current best practices, and in making the program a permanent part of the offerings at the University of New Hampshire.
Without Congressional support of IDEA Part D dollars, the seed money for this program would not be available. It is a perfect example of how federal dollars can be used to ‘jumpstart’ state-level programs that benefit students with disabilities and their families.
For more information about the program, contact its director, Cheryl M. Jorgensen, Ph.D., Director, Inclusion Facilitator Training Program, Institute on Disability, University of New Hampshire, 7 Leavitt Lane, Suite 101, Durham, NH 03824 or at cherylj@cisunix.unh.edu, or 603/862-4678.