Resources Provided to Districts Resources Provided to Districts Throughout the 2015-16 school year, resources have been provided to districts to support the provision of services to students with disabilities. To date, more than $1,415,422 in resources have been distributed to Region 4 districts! This Just In – Hot Topics Handout: Attorney General Opinion* SB 507 Video Surveillance* Chapter 103 Video Surveillance Rule* We will review topics “hot off the press” that impact services for students with disabilities. Guest speaker: Janet Little Horton, Thompson & Horton, LLC TEA Information Regarding Houston Chronical Article The recent Houston Chronicle article regarding the percentage of students with disabilities served in special education has received national attention. TEA has provided the following information: The Texas Education Agency and school systems throughout Texas are staffed by a multitude of professionals who are motivated by the passion to serve kids, especially those most vulnerable. Even beyond these basic motives, Texas school districts are obligated by law and agency policy to identify and provide services to all students with disabilities who require special education services. All Texas students who are entitled to special education services at school should have access to the services they need. However, research shows it is not in the best interest of students who do not need special education support to be erroneously admitted into special education programs. As a result, the federal
Please contact Angela Standridge, with any questions: , 713.744.6831. Working Lunch Facilitation Skills for ARD Meetings Share with your table positive outcomes for students with disabilities as a result of the vouchers and Please share your stories with Dr. Ginger Gates at by October 15, 2016. Afternoon Session Facilitation Skills for the Special Education Admission, Review, and Dismissal Process (ARD) Handout: Facilitation skills for managing admission, review, and dismissal (ARD) meetings* Resources provided: Bens, I. (2012). Facilitation at a Glance! 3rd Ed. Goal/QPC: Salem, NH. Bens, I. (2013). Conflict at a Glance! Goal/QPC: Salem, NH. Bens, I. (2013). Facilitating with Ease! 3rd Ed. Josey-Bass: San Francisco, CA. Region 13 ESC. (2011). Facilitation tips: Discussion, decisions, Ingrid Bens is a consultant and trainer whose special areas of expertise are facilitation skills, team building, employee participation and conflict management. She has a Master’s degree in Adult Education and more than 20 years of experience as a workshop leader and Organization Development consultant. Ingrid Bens is a certified professional facilitator and has also been granted the title of master facilitator. Ingrid Bens conducts workshops on core facilitation skills, advanced facilitation strategies and conflict management. Ingrid is the founder of Facilitation Tutor and the Facilitation Cores Skills eLearning program which is located in Sarasota, Florida. Past clients of Ingrid Bens include: General Electric Canada, Ontario Securities Commission, Bayer, Nabisco Foods, Philadelphia Children’s Hospital, Harley-Davidson, and Harcourt Brace. Region 4 Education Service Center (Region 4) has a long history of targeting capacity building skills in order to further enhance the effectiveness of Admission, Review and Dismissal Meetings (ARD). In this program, Region 4 is presenting its facilitators with additional
Community Resource Coordination Groups (CRCG) of Texas Link: Community Resource Coordination Groups (known as CRCGs) are local interagency groups, comprised of public and private providers who come together to develop individual services plans for children, youth, and adults whose needs can be met only through interagency coordination and cooperation. For additional information, contact: Susan Parker, Education Specialist, Region 4 CRCG Representative or 713.744.6398. Parent Coordination Link: Parent Coordination Network The Parent Coordination Network, led by Region 9 ESC, is committed to ensuring that parents of students with disabilities receive accurate and timely information to assist them in making informed choices in their child’s education. The network has identified the following priorities: joint training opportunities for parents and educators, collaboration with other parent training entities, and technical assistance to parents and school district personnel in the area of special education. The Parent Coordination Network Projects are Parent Survey Parent Organizations Academy Texas Project First Surrogate Parent Training Surrogate Parent Training resources also available via the Region 20 ESC website For additional information, contact: Susan Parker, Education Specialist at or 713.744.6398. Parent Coordination Link: Region 9 ESC coordinates the statewide Texas Survey of Parents of Students Receiving Special Education Services
For information or assistance, contact Kara Zwolinski at or 713.744.6562 or Susan Parker at 713.744.6398 or Guidance on Parent’s Guide to the Admission, Review, and Dismissal Guide (Parent Guide) Production and Required Dissemination Link: TEA Guidance on ARD Guide and dissemination The Parent's Guide contains information that parents need to effectively participate in an ARD committee meeting for their child. The Parent's Guide is intended to be a companion document to, not a replacement for, the Procedural Safeguards, which identifies parents’ rights and responsibilities in federal law. The purpose of the Parent's Guide is to create a common understanding for parents, school personnel, and communities of the IEP process for a student with disabilities. The Parent's Guide is a living document and is reviewed on a regular basis to reflect timely and accurate information. The Parent's Guide contains a production date on the cover and in the footer of the document. LEAs must provide the most current version of the Parent's Guide to parents of students with disabilities before the first ARD committee meeting or when a parent requests it. LEAs are responsible for the initial dissemination of the Parent's Guide; however, LEAs may provide updated versions to the parent when requested. For information or assistance, contact Kara Zwolinski at or 713.744.6562. Electronic Submission of Local Education Agency (LEA) Link: Legal Framework Pursuant to 34 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) §300.220, each LEA must have on file with the TEA its policies and procedures that are consistent with State policies and procedures governing special education. The