ISBE is looking to convene a task force of educators, interpreters, parents, and advocates to inform the enactment of HB 0424 upon it becoming state law. All individuals interested in being considered for participation on the task force may submit a letter of interest and resume to the Division of English Learners (DEL) at DEL@isbe.net by Aug. 2. For any general inquires, contact DEL via email or call (312) 814-3850.
Proudly Announcing - Randy Grieser - Our Second Keynote Speaker!
Our Fall Conference is scheduled for October 16 - 18, 2019 in Tinley Park, IL and you certainly won't want to miss it! We will have tons of great updates and new information from the field and inspiring keynotes from great people! One of those great people is Randy Grieser!
Randy gives presentations on culture, leadership and management principles to a wide range of audiences in business, education, health, and government settings. He is passionate about sharing the importance of creating healthy workplace cultures, and believes leadership requires us to always be intentional about what we do and how we do it. Randy is a dynamic presenter who delivers insightful presentations that are engaging, humorous and informative.
About Randy GrieserRandy Grieser is the founder and CEO of ACHIEVE Centre for Leadership & Workplace Performance and the Crisis & Trauma Resource Institute (CTRI). He is the author of The Ordinary Leader, and co-author of The Culture Question. Randy is a visionary leader who, together with a team of employees and trainers, has positioned these organizations to be two of the premier providers of professional development training in the industry.
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| Randy Grieser - Fall Conference Keynote |
Randy gives presentations on culture, leadership and management principles to a wide range of audiences in business, education, health, and government settings. He is passionate about sharing the importance of creating healthy workplace cultures, and believes leadership requires us to always be intentional about what we do and how we do it. Randy is a dynamic presenter who delivers insightful presentations that are engaging, humorous and informative.
You can get registered for the Fall Conference now by clicking here.
Announcing Fall Conference Keynote - Monica Genta
Our Fall Conference is sure to be action packed with over 60 hours of presentations, administrator academies, board and committee meetings, and, of course, keynote speakers! We are pleased to announce that Monica Genta will be joining the IAASE crew on Thursday, October 17, 2019 as our keynote speaker on day one!
Monica is the author of two books, Game Changers and 180 Days of Awesome, a middle school science teacher, and nationwide educational consultant and motivational speaker. Monica’s TED talk has been viewed by thousands of educators from all over the world. She has earned a Masters in Curriculum & Instruction and a Masters in Educational Leadership & Administration and is a National Board Certified teacher.
Her goal is to transform teachers, leaders, and schools from seeing education as an ordinary job into an extraordinary adventure. Genta feels that every person who walks into a school deserves to love their experience! She is a believer in finding awesome and celebrating life every day! Genta is full of energy, full of passion, and full of love for helping others on their journey in life and learning.
In her free time, she enjoys long road trips, accomplishing new challenges, eating unique pizzas, and impromptu dance parties. She is pumped to share her life and experiences with you and is confident you will laugh along the way. Monica lives in Illinois and is surrounded by loving friends and family.
Registration is now available on our website - click here to get started!
About Monica Genta
Her goal is to transform teachers, leaders, and schools from seeing education as an ordinary job into an extraordinary adventure. Genta feels that every person who walks into a school deserves to love their experience! She is a believer in finding awesome and celebrating life every day! Genta is full of energy, full of passion, and full of love for helping others on their journey in life and learning.In her free time, she enjoys long road trips, accomplishing new challenges, eating unique pizzas, and impromptu dance parties. She is pumped to share her life and experiences with you and is confident you will laugh along the way. Monica lives in Illinois and is surrounded by loving friends and family.
Registration is now available on our website - click here to get started!
Senate Bill 209 Becomes Public Act 101-164
Big Changes to the Special Education Joint Agreement/ Cooperative Withdrawal ProcessMany of you will remember the challenging situation we all were facing in the Spring of 2018 when the disagreement between one school district and their special education cooperative caused members of the Illinois legislature to take up the issue. In short, one school district wanted to withdraw from the cooperative, but continue to use some of its services, the remainder of the districts in the cooperative did not want this to occur and so the legislature stepped in to help some constituents out. While the measure was eventually vetoed and the parties worked their differences out, leaders at IAASE wanted to make sure that this sort of thing never happened again. That's why we worked with Senator Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant (D-Plainfield) to write
Senate Bill 209 accomplishes the following:
- Changes the process school districts must use when they wish to withdraw from their cooperatives/ joint agreements.
- Extends the period of time - to a minimum of 12 months - that a district must give notice when they are seeking to withdrawal from their joint agreement.
- Clarifies the components of a comprehensive plan to be consistent with IDEA regulations and to better protect the full spectrum of students with disabilities across the state including those with significant disabilities.
- Requires school districts to hold a public hearing prior to withdrawing from the cooperative where members of the public can give feedback on the comprehensive plan.
- Allows the Regional Boards of Education to make decisions based on the facts presented at the withdrawal hearing including whether the withdrawing district has "presented sufficient evidence that the district, standing alone, will provide a full continuum of services and support to all its students with disabilities in the foreseeable future."
- Makes the withdrawal process a one-way street. Only after the Regional Office of Education (Intermediate Service Center in Cook County) approves the withdrawal can the pending withdrawal be heard by the Illinois State Advisory Council on Students with Disabilities (ISAC).
We consider this a big victory for students and schools. Thank you very much to our legislative team headed by Melissa Taylor and Judy Hackett and aided by Shannon Miller Bellini for their hard work on this initiative. This law is in effect now.
Take Action Now: IDEA Full Funding
When our team was in Washington, DC a few weeks back, one of the things we were talking with people about was IDEA Full Funding. The video below was put together by Senator Bernie Sanders with the help of CASE President-Elect, Erin Maguire to talk about the need for a fully funded IDEA.
There are two bills that are currently working their way through the United States House of Representatives and United States Senate - HR 1878 and S. 866. Illinois currently has the following Members of Congress signed on as co-sponsors of HR 1878:
- Rep. Robin Kelley
- Rep. Dan Lipinski
- Rep. Chuy Garcia
- Rep. Mike Quigley
- Rep. Sean Casten
- Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi
- Rep. Jan Schakowsky
- Rep. Brad Schneider
- Rep. Mike Bost
- Rep. Rodney Davis
And while we have asked for their support, the following Members of Congress have not yet signed on in support of the measure:
- Rep. Bobby Rush
- Rep. Danny Davis
- Rep. Bill Foster
- Rep. Lauren Underwood
- Rep. Adam Kinzinger
- Rep. John Shimkus
- Rep. Cheri Bustos
- Rep. Darin Lahood
We also have asked for the support for Senators Durbin and Duckworth on S. 866, but have not heard back about whether they support the bill.
08/01/2019 - UPDATE: We are thrilled to announce that Senator Duckworth has signed on as a co-sponsor of S. 866!
We need your assistance. You can send a letter to your Member of Congress about this important issue by clicking here (link opens in a new window). Imagine more money coming into local schools for special education. That dream can become a reality.
Disproportionality in IDEA - Illinois Specific
I hope that this message finds all of you doing well and
that you have had a great Fourth of July with your friends and family. Members of the IAASE Leadership Team wanted
to send you some information about an important issue that will be in hitting
your inbox in the coming weeks – Significant
Disproportionality.
Background Information
As you likely know, during the Obama administration, a new
rule was put into place called “Equity in IDEA.” The crux of the rule was that states needed
to take a harder look at disproportionality through the use of a common risk
ratio. There is a significant body of
evidence to support the idea that students of color are being over identified
for special education services. In 2017,
members of the Trump administration sought to delay the new rule for two years
(until July 1, 2020). The administration
ultimately issued notice of its delay on July 3, 2018 and was promptly sued by
the Council of Parents Advocates and Attorneys (COPAA). In March of 2019, a federal judge ruled in
favor of COPAA and ordered the Equity in IDEA rule to be implemented
immediately. While the Trump
administration plans to appeal, they are still responsible for gathering data
from states regarding disproportionality and, in fact, it is in their best
interest to do so.
Current Situation
As required by federal law, the team from Special Education
at ISBE has implemented the rule and run the disproportionality numbers for
every school district in the state. It’s
a complicated equation that involves the number of special education eligible
students, the number of students of color, proportions of students who have
been subject to exclusionary discipline, and a host of other factors. In fact, there are close to 100 ways that a
school district can be found to be disproportionate.
Just the Facts
When the state ran the numbers, they identified 32 school
districts across the state that were identifying or using discipline with
students with disabilities disproportionately.
That number is up – significantly – from prior years where just a few
districts were identified. Members of
the IAASE Leadership Team had the opportunity to review the list of school
districts and we know that the districts are in far southern Illinois and they
are in far northern Illinois. They’re in
big towns and small. They serve students
from low-income backgrounds and students from upper middle-class backgrounds.
Why it Matters
Districts who are cited for significant disproportionality
are required to use 15% of their IDEA dollars toward addressing the issue. That’s a big burden and it’s one of the
reasons why our national affiliate, CASE, is working together with state organizations
like IAASE to get this issue addressed.
It’s also why we had a small group of directors meet with Assistant
Secretary of Education, Johnny Collett, when he was at our conference last
year. Our organizations firmly believe
that there should be some sort of early warning system in place and that using
IDEA dollars alone for an issue that isn’t always rooted in special education
doesn’t seem appropriate.
What’s Next?
Districts who have been identified as having disproportionality
have been contacted by ISBE and are receiving technical assistance. Additionally, in the coming weeks, ISBE will
be sending ALL school districts information about where they stand with regard
to disproportionality so that you may have an early warning as a district
director about whether or not you are identifying or disciplining students of
color at a disproportionate rate. We
will plan to hold a conference session or two about this issue at the Fall
Conference and we will partner with school districts when possible to support
them in addressing issues of disproportionality.
It’s important to know – especially if this is your first
year – that what we have learned about this issue is that through addressing
disproportionality, it can make your district better. The process of reflecting on your own data
and beliefs about students is helpful in supporting students with disabilities
across the state. While you might be
groaning now, just know that this is an important issue and that all of us are
here to help in the weeks and months to come.
IAASE Team Hits Capitol Hill on Behalf of Students With Disabilities
The Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE) and the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) recently sponsored their Special Education Legislative Summit in Washington, DC. On July 9, 2019, 280+ advocates "Stormed the Hill" to champion the provision of special education and early intervention for children and youth with exceptionalities. IAASE sent Kristen Bordonnaro, Megan Clarke, Sarah Epplin, Jami Hodge, Scott Hogan, Kevin Rubenstein, Lisa Shulman, and Melissa Taylor who partnered with members of the Illinois Council for Exceptional Children. Days after Independence Day they took to the Hill, in the tradition of active advocacy, to speak to members of Congress about five issues currently impacting special and gifted education and early intervention:
From outside the steps of Capitol Hill advocates rallied and chanted, "Fully Fund IDEA!...40% Today, No More Delays..." In the afternoon, Representative Jared Huffman (D-CA) briefed SELS advocates on H.R. 1878, IDEA Full Funding Act, to jumpstart IDEA with $14 billion. As the day progressed, advocates met, informed and engaged members of Congress and their staff on special and gifted education and early intervention and how the U.S. education system needs to change to meet the needs of children and youth with exceptionalities and the professionals who work on their behalf.
Now, #SELS2019 advocates invite you to storm the hill from your location across the nation, by visiting CEC's Legislative Action Center to improve the educational outcomes of children and youth with exceptionalities. Click on EACH link to write to your members of Congress about EACH of the bills that correspond to five issue briefs above and get the message out that special and gifted education and early intervention matter:
Thank you to all the advocates, partners, sponsors, and staff for dedicating this week to advocate at the Special Education Legislative Summit and for giving your voice and time to advocacy 365.
- Education Appropriations
- IDEA Investments for Young Children
- Keep Public Funds in Public Education
- Mental Health: Building Positive Climates for Learning
- Shortages of Special Education Teachers and Early Intervention Providers
- Tell Congress to Invest in Education Programs for Children with Exceptionalities
- Fully Fund IDEA
- IDEA Investments in Early Childhood
- Keep Public Funds in Public Education
- Teachers and Students Thrive with STRIVE
- Preparation Reform Act
- Preparing and Retaining Education Professionals Act
- RISE from Trauma
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| Team Illinois on the Steps of the Capitol Front Row - L to R - Lisa Shulman, Megan Clarke, Camille O'Quinn, Jami Hodge, & Sheri Huber Back Row - Skip Kumm, Kevin Rubenstein, Kristen Bordonnaro, Denise Drue, Chris Emerling, Sarah Epplin, Melissa Taylor, & Scott Hogan |
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| All 300 advocates from CASE and CEC posed for a picture on the front steps of the Capitol. |
Important Dates for the 2019 - 2020 School Year
You will not want to miss all of these fantastic things happening in the 2019 - 2020 school year with IAASE:
Conferences
State Director's Conference - July 24 - 26, 2019 - Crowne Plaza, Springfield, IL
Fall Conference - October 16 - 18, 2019 - Tinley Park Convention Center, Tinley Park, IL
CASE/NASDSE Joint Conference - October 27 - 29, 2019 - Galt House, Louisville, KY
CEC Conference - February 5 - 8, 2020 - Portland, OR
Winter Conference - February 26 - 28, 2020 - Crowne Plaza, Springfield, IL
Board Meetings
July 24, 2019 IAASE Executive Board Meeting, Crowne Plaza, Springfield
October 16, 2019 IAASE Board Meeting, Tinley Park Conference Center, Tinley Park
December 6, 2019 IAASE Board Meeting, IPA Office, Springfield
February 26, 2020 IAASE Board Meeting, Crowne Plaza, Springfield
April 29, 2020 IAASE Board Meeting, IASA Office, Springfield
Conferences
State Director's Conference - July 24 - 26, 2019 - Crowne Plaza, Springfield, IL
Fall Conference - October 16 - 18, 2019 - Tinley Park Convention Center, Tinley Park, IL
CASE/NASDSE Joint Conference - October 27 - 29, 2019 - Galt House, Louisville, KY
CEC Conference - February 5 - 8, 2020 - Portland, OR
Winter Conference - February 26 - 28, 2020 - Crowne Plaza, Springfield, IL
Board Meetings
July 24, 2019 IAASE Executive Board Meeting, Crowne Plaza, Springfield
October 16, 2019 IAASE Board Meeting, Tinley Park Conference Center, Tinley Park
December 6, 2019 IAASE Board Meeting, IPA Office, Springfield
February 26, 2020 IAASE Board Meeting, Crowne Plaza, Springfield
April 29, 2020 IAASE Board Meeting, IASA Office, Springfield
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