Welcome | CCSSO

ccss� Co,u,,,dl o/Ch;t'fSror� Schoo/Offiun-

Federal Guidance and Resources

On Saturday, March 21, the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services and the Office

of Civil Rights issued additional guidance on serving students with disabilities during school

closures related to COVID-19 to states, districts, and schools. A few highlights:

Ensuring compliance with IDEA, Section 504, and ADA should not prevent any school from

offering educational programs through distance instruction.

School districts still must provide students with disabilities a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) in accordance with IDEA.

Providing for FAPE may include special education and related services virtually, on line, and via

telephone

On Thursday, March 12, the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) at US ED released a

questions and answers (Q&A) document outlining states' responsibilities on providing services to children with disabilities during the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak.

On Friday, March 13, OSEP, the National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE), the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), and the Council for

Administrators of Special Education (CASE) hosted a joint webinar to review the Q&A guidance from OSEP on the education of students with disabilities during COVID-19 for state and local

directors of special education.

@) Council of chief State School Officers. All rights reserved. Page 1

ccss� Co,u,,,dl o/Ch;t'fSror� Schoo/Offiun-

Resources from National & Local Organizations

The National Center on Systemic Improvement (NCSI) is a national technical assistance center

designated by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to provide support to states on the

education of students with disabilities during COVID-19. NCSI tracks federal and state guidance

on supporting students with disabilities during this time and provides resources to support

educators in transitioning to virtual learning. States can submit questions and resources to NCSI

using this link. In the next few days, all resources will be included on the NCSI Library.

The Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (ECTA) is another national technical assistance

center designated by ED to provide support to states on the education of children with

disabilities during COVID-19 school closures. ECTA provides daily updates on COVID-19 and

teleintervention and distance learning resources.

The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) developed a set of

resources related to COVID-19, including a summary of state guidance for educator preparation

programs on how to navigate challenges resulting from the crisis, voices and perspectives from

the field, and resources and tools to support on line learning in higher education.

Amy Han reddy, Assistant Professor of Special Education at Cal State North ridge, developed high

-leverage guidelines for virtual instruction of students with the most significant support needs

and a video primer on their use. Amy also gathered a set of resources on virtual instruction for

students with significant needs.

The Brooklyn Laboratory School released a new Back to School Facilities Toolkit to serve as a

resource for schools nationwide to create fair, equitable plans to reopen their doors, while

protecting the wellbeing of all students, teachers, staff, and their families.

The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) developed a resource

repository including strategies and tips for on line learning, offline learning, return to school and

recovery, and resources for school leaders.

CAST has multiple remote learning resources to support states, districts, schools, and teachers

impacted by school closures in ensuring continuity of learning for all students while at home.

These resources include supports around executive function in on line environments, accessible

materials and technologies, and universal design for learning.

The National Center on Accessible Educational Materials for Learning (AEM Center) at

CAST provided a series of recorded webinars with practice materials and office hours in

support of students who need AEM and related technologies while learning at home.

@) Council of chief State School Officers. All rights reserved. Page6

ccss� Co,u,,,dl o/Ch;t'fSror� Schoo/Offiun-

The Center for Reinventing Public Education (CRPE) provided a preliminary review of how districts are responding to COVID-19, including whether the district provides modified lessons and/or tools for students with disabilities. The site will be updated continuously. CRPE also published a scan of state's guidance to districts on special education, including IEP meetings and timelines, offering support to families, providing specific special education curricular resources, and requiring special education to be a component of districts' remote learning plans.

The Center on Great Teachers and Leaders at the American Institutes for Research released a COVID-19 sortable resource library that includes a trauma-informed self-care toolkit for educators, strategies to promote positive learning conditions for families and caregivers, and tips on supporting students' mental health and social emotional learning.

The Center on Online Learning and Students with Disabilities has resources on making on line learning more accessible, engaging, and effective for students with disabilities, including a:

Brief on considerations for SEA policies and procedures related to on line learning for students with disabilities

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Scan Tool and supporting resources to ensure that instructional materials and learning experiences are accessible

Comprehensive report Equity Matters 2016: Digital and Online Learning for Students with Disabilities, which includes a literature review, policy scan, and suggestions for the on line learning of students with disabilities

Report on the Online Teaching Standards and Teacher Certification Workgroup for Students with Disabilities which includes effective remote teaching strategies for students with learning disabilities.

The Center on Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) developed a set of resources on responding to COVID-19 through a PBIS lens, including recommendations for educators, supports for families, a remote instructional framework for instruction, and a resource on getting back to school after disruptions.

The Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE) provides a resource with considerations for local special education administrators, including how students will be provided with special education and related services in a virtual environment.

@) Council of chief State School Officers. All rights reserved. Page 7