Policy Briefs (LD News: April 2007)

New Regulations Under NCLB Announced
On April 4, Secretary Spellings announced new regulations under the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act that allow states to adopt modified academic achievement standards and to develop an assessment aligned with those standards for students with disabilities who are capable of achieving high standards but who may not reach grade level achievement in the same time as their peers. When calculating Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), states may count proficient and advanced test scores on the assessments for up to 2 percent of all students tested (or up to 20% of students with disabilities). The Secretary released guidance on the implementation of the new regulations, offering recommendations and non-regulatory guidance for states. She also announced $21.1 million in grants to help states develop new assessments for these students and a Special Education Partnership for technical assistance. To learn more about the final 2 Percent regulation, see NCLD's summary.

NCLD Supports National Shaken Baby Syndrome Awareness Week
Senator Chris Dodd, Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Subcommittee on Children and Families, plans to introduce a resolution designating April 15-21, 2007 as "National Shaken Baby Syndrome Awareness Week." The month of April has been designated "National Child Abuse Prevention Month" to build a nationwide commitment to preventing all forms of child abuse. Tragically, child abuse affects millions of children each year, and we spend billions of dollars in efforts to protect those children. One type of child abuse is Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS), the violent shaking of an infant or small child, usually under age two. SBS kills hundreds of children every year, and causes lifelong disabilities for thousands more. Many survivors require constant medical or personal attention which can result in higher health costs for all citizens of the United States.

NAEYC Call to Action
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) has issued a call to action for Congress offering recommendations to strengthen federal partnerships with states, communities, programs, and families and give all children access to quality early childhood education. The House and Senate are expected to conference on the Head Start reauthorization bills in the coming weeks.

National Mathematics Advisory Panel Releases Preliminary Report
The National Mathematics Advisory Panel, formed in April, 2006 to advise the President and the Secretary of Education on applying scientifically based research to advance the teaching and learning of mathematics, has released their Preliminary Report. The report includes information on why the Panel was created, how it is structured, meetings planned to date and the current status of the Panel's work.

For more information on No Child Left Behind and other policy priorities for students with learning disabilities, visit the NCLD Advocacy Center.