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A News Service from the Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center
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The U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) has issued a revised Q&A document to provide States, State educational agencies (SEAs), local educational agencies (LEAs), parents, and other stakeholders with information regarding the IDEA requirements relating to individualized education programs (IEPs), evaluations, and reevaluations. Questions and Answers on Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) (revised June 2010) is available online at http://www2.ed.gov/policy/speced/guid/idea/iep-qa-2010.pdf
On June 14, 2010, the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) published a notice in the Federal Register inviting applications for FY 2010 Personnel Development to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities (CFDA Nos. 84.325-D, K, & T) awards. These priorities support projects that prepare early intervention, special education, and related services personnel at the associate, baccalaureate, master's, specialist, doctoral, and post-doctoral levels. Applications are due by July 14, 2010.
The Federal Register Notice is available at http://www2.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/announcements/2010-2/061410e.html
Application packages can be found at http://www2.ed.gov/programs/osepprep/applicant.html
For applicants interested in the Special Education Preservice Program Improvement Grants priority (325T only), the Office of Special Education Programs will host an informational teleconference on June 21, 2010 from 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. (EDT). To register, send your name, title, university affiliation, and e-mail address to jodi.henderson@ed.gov
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is accepting comments for a new revision of their position statement on Technology and Young Children - Ages 3 through 8, from now through July 16, 2010. To learn more and to submit your comments, go to http://www.naeyc.org/positionstatements
Child Trends has published new findings from a study that examined approaches to school readiness assessments in all 50 states and DC, identifying 7 states that utilize assessments in order to monitor statewide levels of school readiness. A Review of School Readiness Practices in the States: Early Learning Guidelines and Assessments (2010) also provides key policy considerations for developing and utilizing school readiness assessments at the state level. It is available online at http://www.childtrends.org/Files/Child_Trends-2010_06_18_ECH_SchoolReadiness.pdf
Many states have implemented a statewide Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) to assess, improve, and communicate the level of quality in early childhood care and education programs. The National Child Care Information and Technical Assistance Center recently launched an online QRIS Resource Guide, which is intended to help states and communities better understand key issues and decision points during the planning and implementation of such a system. It contains an explanation and history of Quality Rating and Improvement Systems, descriptions of the key components of a QRIS, and state-specific resources. To learn more, go to http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/qrisresourceguide/
A new policy brief from the Foundation for Child Development reviews the evidence about the effectiveness of full-day kindergarten in enhancing children's academic achievement and calls for full-day kindergarten to be an integral part of the education reform debate. PreK-3rd: Putting Full-Day Kindergarten in the Middle (June 2010) can be accessed online at http://www.fcd-us.org/resources/prek-3rd-putting-full-day-kindergarten-middle
A new Quick Review from the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) looks at the report, Summative Evaluation of the Ready to Learn Initiative, which examined whether preschoolers who were exposed to a media-rich literacy curriculum had better early reading skills than preschoolers who were exposed to a media-rich science curriculum. To access the review, go to http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/QuickReviewSum.aspx?sid=144