CEC-CAN Summer Policy Series ▪ July 2013 WHAT’S HAPPENING IN WASHINGTON?!

TODAY’S AGENDA  ESEA Reauthorization & Waivers  Update on Legislative & Policy Proposals  Next Generation of Assessments  Teacher Evaluation  Special Education Funding Outlook 2

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4 44 Representatives are past educators 7 Senators are past educators

2007…2008…2009…2010…2011…2012…2013? What a difference 7 years makes!!

CEC’S ESEA GUIDING PRINCIPLES 6 Supporting a Well Prepared Successful Educational Workforce Improving Outcomes for All Children Through the Collaboration of All Educators Strengthening Assessment and Accountability for ALL Meaningful Systems that Encourage Collaborative and Supportive Measurement, Evaluation, and Reward of Professional Performance Developing Improved Strategies that Create Positive School Reform Meeting the Unique Needs of Gifted Learners Providing Full Funding to Execute the Goals and Provisions of ESEA

Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) LOTS OF TALKING… 7

American Association of Administrators, Policy Insider Oct

9 White House Announces Waivers September, 2011

ESEA WAIVERS 10 – Remove 2014 AYP deadline – Funding Flexibility – Changes to Accountability – Flexibility for HQT Plans

11 4 Conditions: – Adopt College & Career Ready Standards – Develop Assessments that Measure Student Growth – Develop Differentiated Accountability System – Develop Guidelines for Local Teacher and Principal Evaluations Based on Effectiveness ESEA WAIVERS

41 States + Washington, DC have waivers 12 ESEA WAIVERS

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2013 HOUSE VS. SENATE ESEA BILLS 14 Total Opposites!!

WHERE ARE WE IN THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS?? Passage by House Education Committee Passage by Senate Education Committee President Signs! Conference Committee Works Out Differences! Passage by Full House of Representatives Passage by Full Senate

July 19, 2013: Passed House by vote; all Democrats and 12 Republicans voted against Two days of debate – 18 amendments passed – 4 amendments defeated – 4 withdrawn Student Success Act (HR 5) House Version of ESEA CEC Opposed, as did most of the education & disability communities

17 Student Success Act (HR 5) House Version of ESEA Provisions in Student Success Act (HR 5) CEC Supports Eliminates AYP & 2014 Deadline Maintains Disaggregation of Subgroup Data

18 CEC Expressed Serious Concerns with Student Success Act (HR 5) Reduces Accountability for Students with Disabilities Eliminates Highly Qualified Teacher Provisions Lacks focus on Professional Development Reduces, Caps and Eliminates Funding; Locks into place sequestration Increases Privatization Ignores High-Ability Students Student Success Act (HR 5) House Version of ESEA

Passed Senate Health, Education, Labor, Pensions (HELP) Committee June 12, 2013 Passed with only Democrat support Two days of debate and amendments Strengthening America’s Schools Act Senate Version of ESEA CEC supported with some reservations, as did most of disability community; education community split

20 Provisions in Strengthening America’s Schools Act CEC Supports Focus on early learning for entry “ready to learn” Encourage equity through greater transparency and fair distribution of resources Limits Use of Alternate Assessment Changes to Accountability System, Focus on Bottom 15%, Low Performing Subgroups, Maintains Subgroup Disaggregation, Student Growth & Performance Targets; Eliminates AYP & 2014 Deadline Early Intervening Services in General Ed, UDL, PBIS Mental Health Supports Includes Key Provisions of CEC-Endorsed, TALENT Act for High-Ability Students Strengthening America’s Schools Act Senate Version of ESEA

21 Provisions in Strengthening America’s Schools Act That Concern CEC New Requirements without Adequate Resources Accountability System Focus on Bottom 15% of Schools and Only Reporting for Remaining 85% Includes “Turnaround” Models that Promote Firing of Staff and Other Interventions Overemphasis of Teacher Evaluation from Federal Level Defining “Highly Qualified” to Include Individuals Still Enrolled in Alternate Route to Certification Programs Strengthening America’s Schools Act Senate Version of ESEA

WHAT’S NEXT FOR ESEA? 22

COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS & THE FUTURE OF TESTING New Assessments, Adaptive Assessments, & Racing to the Top 23

RACE TO THE TOP ASSESSMENT CONTEST 24 Next Generation of Assessments 1% Dynamic Learning Maps 1% National Center & State Collaborative 99% Smarter Balanced Consortia 99% PARCC Consortia Aligns to the Common Core State Standards

TWO CONSORTIA: 1% Dynamic Learning Maps Alternate Assessment Program (DLM) – Kansas University $22 million – 13 States - Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin. – Accessibility - keyboard, drag-and-drop, touch- screen, and compatible with a variety of assistive technologies commonly used by students. 25

NATIONAL CENTER & STATE COLLABORATIVE 19 States: Alaska, Arizona Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New York, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Wyoming 26

ASSESSMENT CONSORTIA: PARCC 27 Computer Based

ASSESSMENT CONSORTIA: SMARTER BALANCED 28 Computer Adaptive

TIMELINE School Year: First year pilot/field testing and related research and data collection School Year: Second year pilot/field testing and related research and data collection School Year: Full operational administration of PARCC / Smarter Balances assessments Summer 2015: Set achievement levels, including college- ready performance levels 29

TEACHER EVALUATION It’s a New World!! 30

POLICYMAKERS: A SHIFT IN FOCUS Highly Qualified Highly Effective Inputs Outputs 31

System Components Complex Role Measure Evidence- Based Practice Recognize Professionalism Incorporate Research CEC’s Position: Components of Special Education Teacher Evaluations 32

PROCESS: HOW DID WE GET HERE? The Obama Administration, with bipartisan support from Congress, included incentives to change teacher evaluation systems in signature education programs like Race to the Top and ESEA Waivers. CEC convened an expert advisory workgroup to inform its discussion of new teacher evaluation systems. CEC developed preliminary recommendations for its ESEA Reauthorization Recommendations. CEC worked for over a year with members and experts in the field to draft a Position Statement. Political Context CEC Work Begins CEC Drafts Position

CEC MEMBER & OUTSIDE EXPERT INPUT Timeline: 9/2011 – Board of Directors Approved Concept 1/2012 – Small Expert Panel Identified Issues/Challenges 3/2012 – Representative Assembly Commented; – CEC Members and Convention Attendees Commented at 2012 Convention Town Hall 6/2012 – CEC CAN Network Commented; – Over 600 CEC Members Commented Online 7/2012 – PAS Team Developed Draft Position Statement 8/2012 – Close to 40 National Experts Commented 9/2012 – Representative Assembly Commented 10/2012 – Board of Directors Approved Timeline: 9/2011 – Board of Directors Approved Concept 1/2012 – Small Expert Panel Identified Issues/Challenges 3/2012 – Representative Assembly Commented; – CEC Members and Convention Attendees Commented at 2012 Convention Town Hall 6/2012 – CEC CAN Network Commented; – Over 600 CEC Members Commented Online 7/2012 – PAS Team Developed Draft Position Statement 8/2012 – Close to 40 National Experts Commented 9/2012 – Representative Assembly Commented 10/2012 – Board of Directors Approved

All educators must be included in one evaluation system. Evaluation systems must identify appropriate professional development opportunities for teachers based on the results of their evaluations. Evaluations must support continuous improvement. Evaluation processes and all measures of teacher effectiveness must be open and transparent to the teacher being evaluated. Include Fundamental System-Wide Components 37 TEACHER EVALUATION SYSTEMS SHALL :

Evaluations must clearly identify and be based on a special education teacher’s specific role and responsibilities during a given school year. Evaluations must take into account the population of children and youth and their range of exceptionalities that special education teachers instruct. Evaluations must be conducted by evaluators with expertise related to evidence-based service delivery models and individualized teaching practices and interventions in special education. TEACHER EVALUATION SYSTEMS SHALL : Identify the Complex Role of the Special Education Teacher 38

Evaluations must be based on multiple reliable measures and indicators that support valid measurement of special education teacher effectiveness. Evaluations should never be based solely on student growth. Statistical models that estimate a teacher’s contribution to student growth, such as value-added models, should not be applied to any teacher until there is a general consensus among researchers that the model provides a valid estimate of a teacher’s contribution to student growth. Measure the Use of Evidence-Based Practices 39 TEACHER EVALUATION SYSTEMS SHALL :

CEC Position on Special Education Teacher Evaluation CEC TOOLS FOR YOU! Teacher Evaluation Toolkit for Special Educators! Visit: Policy & Advocacy

Learn, Understand, Navigate New Teacher Evaluation Systems with the Help of your CEC Colleagues Through this Online Dialog! Visit: CEC TOOLS FOR YOU!

SPECIAL/GIFTED EDUCATION FUNDING The Story of Sequestration How did Special/Gifted Education Fare in FY 2013? What to Expect for FY 2014 At Home Advocacy -- August Recess!!

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2010 Congressional Elections Bring Fiscal Conservatives (Tea Party) to Washington August 2011 Budget Control Act Cut $1.2 Trillion November 2011 Super Committee Fails! 2013 Sequestration Takes Effect Lasts from ( ) 5

SEQUESTRATION HITS… $1.2 Trillion Cut $85 B Cut $600 M from Special Education 2013 Cut $36.6 B from Non- Defense Discretionary Programs

FEDERAL BUDGET FY 2012 Chart Courtesy of Committee for Education Funding 45

Funding Cuts Due to Sequestration

Special/Gifted Education Funding Levels in FY IDEA Part B$10.97 Billion Decrease of $602 Million IDEA Part B Section 619 $ Million Decrease of $19 Million IDEA Part C$ Million Decrease of $23 Million IDEA Part D$ Million Decrease of $13 Million Javits$0 SpEd Research$47.30 million Decrease of $2.5 Million

Sequestration = Full Funding Plunges to 14.5% 11

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Impact of “Sequester“ Budget Cuts on Jobs May be Exaggerated - March 20, 2013 The Overhyped, Overblown, & Overly Politicized Sequester Fears - May 30, 2013 Sequester Scorecard: A Month Later, Effects Still Up In Air - April 5, Tell CEC How Sequestration/Budget Cuts Are Impacting You!

Special/Gifted Education Funding Levels in FY SENATESENATE HOUSEHOUSE 52

Senate Appropriations Committee Votes to Reject Sequestration! IDEA Part B$ Billion IDEA Part B Section 619 $ Million IDEA Part C$ Million IDEA Part D$ Million Javits$15 Million SpEd Research$ million Special/Gifted Education Funding Levels in FY Pre-sequestration Levels and some increases! 53

CNN Poll conducted by ORC International during November 16-18,

CEC RESOURCES CEC Issue Briefs on Funding and ESEAFunding ESEA CEC's 2014 Federal Outlook for Exceptional Children CEC's 2014 Federal Outlook for Exceptional Children Personalized Stories from Your Network! 55

56 CEC Policy Insider Blog Get the latest special/gifted education news

@CECADVOCACY Follow us on Twitter for up to the minute policy updates! 57

TAKE ACTION: CEC’S LEGISLATIVE ACTION CENTER Choose: Policy & Advocacy Choose: Take Action! Choose: Policy & Advocacy Choose: Take Action! 58

THANK YOU!! 59 CEC Policy Staff Deb ZieglerKim HymesRose Heller-Kaplan Associate Executive DirectorSenior DirectorProgram Assistant Policy & AdvocacyPolicy & AdvocacyPolicy & Advocacy