Category: Special Education

Reporting for Special Education EF-S-05 Part II now open

The reporting period for the EF-S-05 Part 2 (Special Education Personnel) is from Jan 21 – Feb 29, 2016.

This is the last year that reporting for the EF-S-05 Part 2 will be completed in MEDMS. Please read the detailed instructions that can be found by going to the Maine DOE Reporting Calendar at www.maine.gov/doe/reporting/calendar.shtml and, under Reporting Item, selecting “Report of Services to Students with Disabilities Part II (EF-S-05).”

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Parental consent for evaluation, Part II

A recent dispatch from Maine DOE’s Office of Special Services on parental consent for evaluation informs school administrative units of the rules when a parent does not consent to an initial evaluation of a student. In these cases, the SAU may, but is not required to, request a due process hearing in an effort to obtain the authorization for the evaluation from a hearing officer, but otherwise may not proceed with the evaluation. (Note: an initial evaluation encompasses all types of evaluations that may be administered at the point where a student is being considered for eligibility).

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Programming for students with dyslexia, dyscalculia or dysgraphia

Although dyslexia is not itself a category of disability under the federal IDEA or Maine’s special education regulations (MUSER), the definition of the disability category Specific Learning Disability (at both the federal and state level) expressly references dyslexia as one example of a disorder in psychological processing involved in understanding or using language which can be the basis for special education eligibility under that category.

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Student data needed for alternate math and ELA/literacy assessment

Accurate student lists for this spring’s computer-based Maine Educational Assessment (MEA) for Mathematics and English Language Arts/Literacy will depend on ongoing collaboration between the Maine DOE and the local school districts.

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Use of federal funds to provide food or beverages

Administrative Letter: 4
Policy Code: KLM
To: Superintendents of Schools, Business Managers, Directors of Special Education
From: William H. Beardsley, Acting Commissioner
Date: January 13, 2016
Re: Use of Federal Funds to Provide Food or Beverages

The Maine Department of Education has received a number of questions regarding the use of federal funds to provide food and beverages at meetings and conferences. Generally, the use of federal funds for food and beverages is discouraged. The documents posted at http://www2.ed.gov/policy/fund/guid/gposbul/gposbul.html are the federal government’s advisory on this topic.

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Correction to Administrative Letter #2 2015 – Special purpose private school tuition rates

Administrative Letter Number: 2
Policy Code: BG/CH
To: Superintendents of Schools, Business Managers/Bookkeepers
From: William H. Beardsley, Acting Commissioner
Date: January 13, 2016
Re: Correction to Administrative Letter #2 2015 – Special Purpose Private School Tuition Rates

The MUSER citation and following explanatory text of the second paragraph of Administrative Letter #2 for 2015 is incorrect.

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Parental consent for evaluation guidance

The Maine DOE is offering important guidance regarding parental consent for evaluation. Before a school administrative unit (SAU) may conduct an evaluation (e.g., intellectual testing, psychological evaluation, or speech/language testing) of a student, it must first obtain the signed, written consent of the student’s parent. In making an informed decision whether to provide consent, the parent is entitled to know the areas to be evaluated and the purpose of the evaluation (how the evaluation results will be used).

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Changes in oversight of educational program for State wards in out-of-state programs

In an effort to better meet the needs of children who are in the legal custody of the Department of Health and Human Services, who are placed residentially by that agency in an out-of-state program, and who are receiving special education services, the Maine Department of Education will be assuming responsibility for overseeing the educational programming for those children as the State is responsible for them.

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