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The Texas Speech-Language-Hearing Association (TSHA) and the Texas Council of Administrators of Special Education (TCASE) has developed a document to aide their members in accessing federal stimulus funds. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) contained over $787 billion in federal funding to help stimulate the economy, preserve jobs, and create new positions. ARRA special education funds are intended to preserve and create jobs and stimulate economic activity while supporting systemic reform and improvement of services to students with disabilities to increase educational outcomes for these students.
ARRA will provide $1,009,383,291 to Texas in special education funds over and above the 2009 entitlement amount of federal special education funding through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). ARRA funds are available through September 30, 2011. The amount available for each school district and shared services arrangement (SSA) is posted to the Texas Education Agency Web site.
Guidance: Uses of IDEA ARRA Funds for Speech-Language Pathology and Assistive Technology Services
For Districts with Disproportionate (Over) Identification of Students with Speech Impairment (SI)
- Training on the TSHA Eligibility Guidelines
- Technical assistance to support implementation of the TSHA Eligibility Guidelines
- Compensation for a group of speech-language pathologists to work during Summer 2009, 2010, 2011 to develop and refine district/SSA operating guidelines and manuals for the Eligibility Guidelines
- Purchase of new assessments/tests that update the diagnostic assessment inventory (and adequate number of test protocols/forms) and that support consistent decisions through the Eligibility Guidelines
- Expand library of interventions and other instructional materials that support educationally relevant speech-language pathology interventions and accelerate progress through the IEP in order to expedite dismissal
Technology and Assistive Technology Services
- Develop a library for trial use of assistive technology
- Classroom amplification systems and/or items that improve classroom acoustics
- Laptops, smartboards, software or other equipment to enhance delivery of services and increase student independence in completing academic work
- Upgrade/update current equipment and software to support students with communication disorders in the general education curriculum
- Training for special education and general education teachers on the use of assistive technology in the classroom
Support and Enhance Coordinated Early Intervening Services for Prevention of Placement in Special Education for Students with Communication Disorders
- Develop direct and indirect prevention programs for students at risk for communication disorders
- Purchase materials and intervention programs that focus on prevention of communication disorders (e.g., articulation, language, voice, stuttering)
- Develop training and evaluation systems to track effectiveness of prevention services (i.e., number of students assisted so referral to special education/speech-language pathology is no longer indicated)
Enhance Educationally Relevant Speech-Language Pathology Services
Compensation for a group of speech-language pathologists to work during summer 2009, 2010, 2011 to develop intervention approaches and training programs that support and clarify:
- Using a workload approach for caseload management
- SLP's role in literacy interventions
- SLP's role in response to intervention
- Evidence-based practices for students with communication disorders
- Service delivery options
- Dismissal criteria
- Intersection of communication skills across grade level content curricula
- Develop models for speech-language pathologists to support oral language development in the classroom for kindergarten through second grade
- Develop or purchase curriculum based materials and assessments for speech-language pathologists to support delivery of state and local curriculum
Information provided by the Joint TSHA/TCASE Committee.
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