What is the National Agenda?

1
What is the National Agenda?

• Important grass-roots national effort
• A coalition of parents, consumers and educators
  working to improve education
• A call to action

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Background

• Landmark documents
• NASDSE Guidelines
• COED
• NDEP Statement of Principles
• Paradigm shift
• Starting points document

3
Background

• Phoenix, AZ
• January 2001
• San Diego (ACE-D/HH and CED)
• February 2001
• Rochester NY (CEASD)
• April 2001
• Sioux Falls SD (Symposium)
• September 2001
• Charleston SC (ACE-D/HH Conference)
• February, 2002
• Fremont CA (CEASD)
• April 2002
• Washington DC (NAD)
• July 2002

4
Background

• Austin, TX (Regional Supervisors Meeting)
• October 2002
• Vancouver, Washington (CAID Regional Conference)
• October 2002
• Lexington, Kentucky (Southeastern Regional
  Institute on Deafness)
• October 2002

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Basic Premises

• National supports with state and local efforts
• Local and state efforts drive national directions
• The National Agenda is not the solution people
  are the solution

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Current National Agenda Structure

• Steering Committee
• Claire Bugen, TSD
• Jay Innes, NAD Gallaudet
• Kenneth Randall, ASDB
• Dennis Russell, ASDB
• Larry Siegel, NDEP

• Advisory Committee 
• AGBell, Kathleen Treni
• ASDC, Cheron Mayhall, Barbara Raimondo 
• ACE-D/HH, Karen Dilka
• CAID, Elizabeth OBrien, Carl Kirchner  
• CEASD, Harold Mowl, Joe Finnegan
• CED, Roz Rosen
• NAD, Nancy Bloch
• Marsha Gunderson, Iowa
• Carol Schweitzer, Wisconsin

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Introduction

• Purpose
• Background
• Progress Report

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Preamble

• The Call to Action
• A Communication Driven Education System for Deaf
  and Hard of Hearing Children

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Statement of Principle

• A new starting point
• The paradox of IDEA
• Proposal for a new delivery system

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Proposed Goal Areas

• Early Intervention
• Communication, Language and Literacy
• Partnerships and Transition
• Accountability, Assessment and High Stakes
  Testing
• Services, Programs and Placement
• Technology
• Personnel Preparation
• Research

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1. Early InterventionGoal Statement

• To provide an array of options and services to
  families and parents of deaf or hard of hearing
  children at the earliest possible moment.

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Early Intervention Sub-goals

• Universal newborn hearing screening
• Fully informed medical community
• Full array of early intervention services
• Age appropriate language development
• Parents participate in IFSP process
• Parents participate in MDT and IEP processes
• Individualization of services
• Families work collaboratively with professionals

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2. Communication, Languageand Literacy Goal
Statement

• Deaf and hard of hearing children will develop
  age appropriate expressive and receptive
  communication and language skills (including
  English skills) and will become literate and
  productive adults.

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Communication Language Sub-goals

• Accurate assessments
• Education Programs are communication based
• Communication / language peer group
• Communication / language role models
• Array of program options
• Education program based upon standards, with
  accountability, geared to the unique needs of
  each child
• Education programs are language based
• Sufficient legal authority, funding, and
  programmatic structure to assure programs are
  language based

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3. PartnershipsGoal Statement

• The education of students who are deaf and hard
  of hearing is the shared responsibility of
  educators, parents and the community.

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Partnerships Sub-goals

• Fully informed parents are full partners and the
  key decision-makers in the education of their
  child.
• Individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing
  assist families, teachers, and school
  administrators develop and provide comprehensive
  education programs.
• Schools work together to ensure that all students
  have access to a full array of program options.

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4. Accountability Goal Statement

• Instruction for students who are deaf and hard of
  hearing must be data-driven and must focus on
  multiple measures of student performance

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Accountability Sub-goals

• Adaptations and accommodations for testing and
  deaf and hard of hearing learners
• Adherence to OCR guidelines  
• A population-specific guide to testing deaf and
  hard of hearing students
• Educated parents, consumers, and educators
• Testing and assessment models
• Improve quality of testing with good demographic
  data.
• Equal access for Deaf and hard of hearing students

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5. Placement, Programs, Services Goal Statement

• The continuum of placement options must be made
  available to all students who are deaf and hard
  of hearing with recognition that natural and
  least restrictive environments are intricately
  tied to communication and language.

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Placement, Programs, Services Sub-goals

• Placements communication and language driven
• Full array of placement options
• Placement decisions considerthe total child
• Access to the general curriculum
• High expectations
• Programs designed to close the achievement gap.
• Disability specific expansion of the curriculum
• Access to necessary related and support services
• Assessments by qualified personnel
• Accessible media, materials and technology
• Interpreting services a tool, not a solution
• Certified interpreters

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Placement, Programs, Services Sub-goals

• Curriculum content same as hearing peers ---
  instructional approaches different
• Reading programs must be based on the linguistic
  experiences and childs interest
• Reading programs should provide linguistic
  representations of experiences and better
  opportunities to hear stories and read aloud.
  
• Curriculum and instruction should develop
  first-language literacy skills

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6. Technology Goal Statement

• Maximize use of technology in ways that can
  promote learning and listening, if the child uses
  his or her residual hearing.

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Technology Sub-goals

• Children who will use their residual hearing
  should be fit as early as possible with
  appropriate technology.
• If a child receives negligible benefit from
  hearing aids after wearing them for a reasonable
  time and has a severe to profound hearing loss,
  he or she may be a candidate for a cochlear
  implant. Parents who wish to pursue this option
  should be provided with the information necessary
  to make this choice.
• Assistive listening devices should always be
  considered for any child with a hearing loss
  using spoken language.

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Technology Sub-goals

• All videos used in school settings should be
  captions no exceptions.
• Instructional software must be accessible to
  children who are deaf and hard of hearing.
• Distance learning activities must be accessible
  to students who are deaf and hard of hearing. 

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7. Personnel Goal Statement

• To provide a collaborative partnership of
  universities, schools, and communities for the
  preparation, recruitment, retention and on-going
  professional development of an optimal supply of
  teachers and related personnel with the
  demonstrated knowledge, skills, and experiences
  to meet the needs of a diverse population of Deaf
  and Hard of Hearing learners.

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Personnel Sub-goals

• Quality preparation of teachers, interpreters,
  and other related instructional and
  administrative staff
• Recruit and retain competent personnel to work
  with Deaf and Hard of Hearing children and youth.

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8. Research

• There will be an effort to establish national
  research priorities in areas related to the
  education of the deaf, and that these priorities
  will be based upon input from affected
  constituencies.

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Proposed research topics

• What should the corresponding language and
  communication levels be for deaf children ASL
  and English?
• What are the current language and communication
  levels of deaf children ASL and English?
• What is the language proficiency of the teachers?
• What is the difference between direct instruction
  and the use of interpreters?
• How does the use of various educational and
  medical technologies affect student achievement?
• What reading approaches are successful and when
  is the appropriate time to begin a reading
  program?
• What is the impact of dual language programs (ASL
  and spoken)?

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Proposed research topics

• How can distance learning be incorporated into
  education programs?
• What do we know about itinerant teaching?
• What is the impact of implants upon the education
  deaf and hard of hearing children (speech
  comprehension, language comprehension,
  instructional comprehension)?
• What is the impact of school finance policy upon
  the availability of program placement options?
• What do we know about quality of life issues?
• Does the current personnel preparation options
  supply a sufficient number of appropriately
  trained people to serve our children?
• What is the role of the state school within a
  state as a whole?

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Proposed research topics

• What is the role and function of the
  superintendent and administrators within a state
  system?
• What is the role of advocacy groups and public
  policy?
• How do we need to implement instruction of
  children from non-English speaking homes?
• What are the characteristics of successful
  readers?
• How do we prepare teacher of deaf and hard of
  hearing children with general curriculum content
  knowledge?
• How do we improve student access to the general
  curriculum?

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Challenges

• Publishing the first draft
• Developing a system for collecting and managing
  comments
• Ensuring that out input is truly broad-based
• Determining where the Agenda fits with other
  advocacy activities (e.g. IDEA reauthorization)
• Frustrations with how far we still need to go

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Benefits

• Functions as a change agent at the local, state,
  and national level
• Roadmap for change
• Facilitates parents, consumers, and professionals
  forming partnerships
• Enhances communication among professionals
• Continuity of effort

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Benefits

• Interaction with multiple audiences
• Leadership opportunities
• Commitment of professionals, consumers, and
  parents
• Empowers professionals, consumers and parents to
  make change (when state or government supports
  are not available)

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Actions of National Agenda Advisory Committee ,
San Antonio

• Reviewed Comments Received.
• 384 individuals, 1,100 comments, 2,000 plus
  visitors.
• Overwhelmingly positive comments indicating
  enthusiasm for the National Agenda.
• Assigned goal editors to review and input
  comments received on the National Agenda
  Preamble, Goals and Sub-Goals.
• Set deadlines for review and established a
  process for review.
• Developed strategies for increased exposure for
  the National Agenda
• Added Literacy to Goal 2 and Transition to Goal
  3.

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When education services are not what you want
them to be

• Believe you can make change
• Believe others want to join you in making change
• Believe you will arrive at your destination, even
  if you dont have the entire road map

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What can you do for the National Agenda?

• Become aware of the National Agenda
• Participate in building the National Agenda
• http//www.deafed.net
• Comment period (October 2003)
• Tell Others

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Go to http//www.deafed.net
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At the menu on the left side of the window, click
About Us. In the popup window, click on
collaborative partners.
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Scroll down to see the National Agenda Icon.
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To access the NA, you must first register.
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To register, simply complete the User Profile.
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To log on, simply type your name and password and
click the Log onbutton. Tip Click the box
under the password box and it will remember your
name and password.
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Once logged in, this screen will appear. To
access the index to the NA, click on the link at
the bottom of the screen.
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The NA index will appear. Click on any of the
sections to view and provide comments.
Download the NA as a PDF or Word document.
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Whichever section you select, there is be a
comment box for each item within the goal. Just
click in the comment box to add your text.
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IMPORTANT To ensure your comments are saved,
please click the SAVE button at the end of each
section.
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We look forward to visiting with you at
www.deafed. net Thank you.
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Challenges

• Incorporating diverse perspectives
• Politics within communities
• Funding
• Communications and meetings