Anonymous
02/05/2025 09:57
Subject: IEP impact / from Musk & DoE
Anonymous wrote:The federal government is supposed to pay 40% of the costs of special education but in actuality only funds between 13-14% of special ed costs.
What do local districts and states get for this 13-14%? A mountain of needless paperwork and bureaucrats who are not directly teaching special education students or providing any services.
Here is one example - The federal gov't added a requirement that special ed students take the same assessments and their progress is tracked. (It is laughable that this has accomplished anything, but that is another topic). So California said in order to track preschool special ed students ages 3-5 we will require teachers to fill out a 50+ question survey called the DRDP for each student just like public preschools have to do for general ed students. So that makes sense.
Well, now California has added grade for 4 -5 year olds called transitional kindergarten (TK) on elementary school campuses. None of the TK students in general ed are being rated, but since it was written down that the feds would receive this data for 4-5 year olds, CA said it has to still be completed for special ed. students. So special education teachers and speech therapists are having to spend hours and hours getting trained to complete this 50+ question rating scale that NO ONE is going to use - not parents and not teachers. It is just a box that is being checked for federal compliance. And the questions are all like this:
Keep in mind this is one of 50+ questions
ATL-REG 4: Curiosity and Initiative in Learning
Pick one option:
Responds to people, things, or sounds
Notices new or unexpected characteristics or actions of people or things
Explores people or things in the immediate environment
Explores new ways to use familiar things, including simple trial and error
Explores through simple observations, or manipulations, or asking simple questions
Explores by engaging in specific observations, manipulations, or by asking specific questions
Carries out simple investigations using familiar strategies, tools, or sources of information
Carries out multi-step investigations, using a variety of strategies, tools, or sources of information
This took a special education teacher 16 hours to get trained and to fill out this form for four TK students on her caseload. She has 19 other students on her caseload. Time she could have spent on direct instruction. So plenty of people are hoping some of the bureaucracy goes away while more direct services are provided.
An ABLLS-R would be so much more useful at that age and have much more impact to follow that child into K and 1st. Could also be used with NT children to find deficits and alert parents to possible concerns. Seriously, it’s like the people writing these requirements have never spent time with a SN 3 year old!
Anonymous
02/05/2025 06:53
Subject: IEP impact / from Musk & DoE
I mean, Trump blamed the blame crash on persons with disabilities working at FAA. I don’t think this move is to make the reforms you are hoping to see.
Anonymous
02/05/2025 03:00
Subject: IEP impact / from Musk & DoE
The federal government is supposed to pay 40% of the costs of special education but in actuality only funds between 13-14% of special ed costs.
What do local districts and states get for this 13-14%? A mountain of needless paperwork and bureaucrats who are not directly teaching special education students or providing any services.
Here is one example - The federal gov't added a requirement that special ed students take the same assessments and their progress is tracked. (It is laughable that this has accomplished anything, but that is another topic). So California said in order to track preschool special ed students ages 3-5 we will require teachers to fill out a 50+ question survey called the DRDP for each student just like public preschools have to do for general ed students. So that makes sense.
Well, now California has added grade for 4 -5 year olds called transitional kindergarten (TK) on elementary school campuses. None of the TK students in general ed are being rated, but since it was written down that the feds would receive this data for 4-5 year olds, CA said it has to still be completed for special ed. students. So special education teachers and speech therapists are having to spend hours and hours getting trained to complete this 50+ question rating scale that NO ONE is going to use - not parents and not teachers. It is just a box that is being checked for federal compliance. And the questions are all like this:
Keep in mind this is one of 50+ questions
ATL-REG 4: Curiosity and Initiative in Learning
Pick one option:
Responds to people, things, or sounds
Notices new or unexpected characteristics or actions of people or things
Explores people or things in the immediate environment
Explores new ways to use familiar things, including simple trial and error
Explores through simple observations, or manipulations, or asking simple questions
Explores by engaging in specific observations, manipulations, or by asking specific questions
Carries out simple investigations using familiar strategies, tools, or sources of information
Carries out multi-step investigations, using a variety of strategies, tools, or sources of information
This took a special education teacher 16 hours to get trained and to fill out this form for four TK students on her caseload. She has 19 other students on her caseload. Time she could have spent on direct instruction. So plenty of people are hoping some of the bureaucracy goes away while more direct services are provided.
What do local districts and states get for this 13-14%? A mountain of needless paperwork and bureaucrats who are not directly teaching special education students or providing any services.
Here is one example - The federal gov't added a requirement that special ed students take the same assessments and their progress is tracked. (It is laughable that this has accomplished anything, but that is another topic). So California said in order to track preschool special ed students ages 3-5 we will require teachers to fill out a 50+ question survey called the DRDP for each student just like public preschools have to do for general ed students. So that makes sense.
Well, now California has added grade for 4 -5 year olds called transitional kindergarten (TK) on elementary school campuses. None of the TK students in general ed are being rated, but since it was written down that the feds would receive this data for 4-5 year olds, CA said it has to still be completed for special ed. students. So special education teachers and speech therapists are having to spend hours and hours getting trained to complete this 50+ question rating scale that NO ONE is going to use - not parents and not teachers. It is just a box that is being checked for federal compliance. And the questions are all like this:
Keep in mind this is one of 50+ questions
ATL-REG 4: Curiosity and Initiative in Learning
Pick one option:
Responds to people, things, or sounds
Notices new or unexpected characteristics or actions of people or things
Explores people or things in the immediate environment
Explores new ways to use familiar things, including simple trial and error
Explores through simple observations, or manipulations, or asking simple questions
Explores by engaging in specific observations, manipulations, or by asking specific questions
Carries out simple investigations using familiar strategies, tools, or sources of information
Carries out multi-step investigations, using a variety of strategies, tools, or sources of information
This took a special education teacher 16 hours to get trained and to fill out this form for four TK students on her caseload. She has 19 other students on her caseload. Time she could have spent on direct instruction. So plenty of people are hoping some of the bureaucracy goes away while more direct services are provided.
Anonymous
02/05/2025 02:28
Subject: IEP impact / from Musk & DoE
[b]Anonymous wrote:I’m beyond livid at how stupid people are.
If you have a child with an IEP they will be affected by Musk/MAGA shutting down the Dept of Education.
I’m a speech therapist. I worked for VB schools for 2 years. Let me be clear: Federal funding is attached to IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) the law that gives your child IEP services. Which is overseen by the Dept of Education. Call your senator, representatives and the VA state governor, Youngkin (who is running ads to shut down the Dept of Ed).
Dear OP. Please check your asumptions before posting again. Too many moms are pisting hysterical nonesense, which helps no one.
IEPs and 504 plans are protected by federal law under IDEA and Section 504, independent of the Department of Education's structure. Even if the Department changes, these protections remain intact.
The school district and its team issues the IEP not ED. The state supervises the school district and the school. There will be no change even if Congress agrees with Trump and abolishes the deoartment. IDEA protection and enforcement will go back to HHS (where it came from, HEW) or enforcement can go to DOJ. That is all.
Anonymous
02/05/2025 02:18
Subject: IEP impact / from Musk & DoE
Anonymous wrote:I think some functions will be moved to HHS?
Yes, this. IDEA and special needs was at HEW before it was split into HHS and ED. So programs like that simply get shipped across the street. Civil rights concerns go to HHS general counsel's office or DOJ. Student loans go back to the states. It's very doable.
Anonymous
02/05/2025 01:55
Subject: IEP impact / from Musk & DoE
You guys are all so right. The IEP process is broken, and Elon Musk will fix it! Look at how quickly he fixed the USAID! I can't wait for the same approach to be taken with the funding for my child's speech therapist!!
Anonymous
02/04/2025 23:31
Subject: Re:IEP impact / from Musk & DoE
You need to call your representatives to give support to their efforts to combat these illegal attempts to takeover and revamp agencies without the legal power to do so. Whether republican or democrat focus on the needs for a Department of Education to educate all children. There is a way to look agencies and their performance, but not in a chaotic, undisciplined way. This is and will continue to be a very chaotic time in all aspects of our government.
Anonymous
02/04/2025 23:27
Subject: IEP impact / from Musk & DoE
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:
The entire IEP process as it stands is bad for kids and teachers and families and schools. IEP law is federal- the DOE should be at a minimum assisting these schools in ways to create better systems to maximize funds within the constraints of those laws. Instead all they do is pass out money and fight legal battles and add requirements and paperwork that’s useless. It’s just not a sustainable system and you said yourself DOE is just a bank. We don’t need a bank, we need educators that can go in and assist schools and show them ways to consolidate and maximize funding. If federal law is prohibiting that then DOE should be fixing it. It’s been nearly the same IEP system for decades and I can tell you it’s only gotten harder to implement. Find someone that can make the system better, not just write a check.
What you describe wanting to see is definitely not what DOGE/the Trump administration is planning.
The DOE is DOING NOTHING! I don’t care who Trump gives it all to. Seriously strip the DOE, Let the states handle it.
The part of the IEP process MOST complained about IS the part the states "handle."
The DOE never helps though, they create more red tape, more regulations, etc and eat up huge chunks of funding. Give that chunk back to the states to hire consultants that can help them or hire more teachers or build more schools. The DOE should be finding common barriers to IEP implementation across states and fixing them. They don’t do any of that- they’re just a bank..
Anonymous
02/04/2025 23:21
Subject: IEP impact / from Musk & DoE
**Sorry can't get the quote to line up right.
Anonymous
02/04/2025 23:20
Subject: IEP impact / from Musk & DoE
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:
The entire IEP process as it stands is bad for kids and teachers and families and schools. IEP law is federal- the DOE should be at a minimum assisting these schools in ways to create better systems to maximize funds within the constraints of those laws. Instead all they do is pass out money and fight legal battles and add requirements and paperwork that’s useless. It’s just not a sustainable system and you said yourself DOE is just a bank. We don’t need a bank, we need educators that can go in and assist schools and show them ways to consolidate and maximize funding. If federal law is prohibiting that then DOE should be fixing it. It’s been nearly the same IEP system for decades and I can tell you it’s only gotten harder to implement. Find someone that can make the system better, not just write a check.
What you describe wanting to see is definitely not what DOGE/the Trump administration is planning.
The DOE is DOING NOTHING! I don’t care who Trump gives it all to. Seriously strip the DOE, Let the states handle it.
The part of the IEP process MOST complained about IS the part the states "handle."