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Citing a pattern of failures, federal education officials are issuing new guidance pressuring states to improve their oversight of special education programs. Ed Department Tells States to Step Up IDEA Compliance The 45-page document released this week by the U.S. Department of Education outlines steps that states should take to enhance their monitoring of IDEA and ensure […]

How the States Stack Up: 2023 IDEA State Determinations from The Advocacy Institute The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires ED to annually assign every state a “rating” on its implementation of IDEA, based on the state’s performance on its State Performance Plan (SPP). The 2023 determinations are based on performance for fiscal year

Autism Alliance of Michigan — Comments to Proposed Amendments to Michigan ESSA Plan Public Comment on Proposed Revisions to the Michigan ESSA Plan Dear Superintendent Dr. Michael Rice: The Autism Alliance of Michigan (AAoM) respectfully submits our commentsrelated to the proposed revisions to the Michigan ESSA Plan. AAoM is a statewide nonprofit with a mission

PRESS RELEASE: U.S. Department of Education Confirms Michigan Graduation Rate for Students with Disabilities among Worst in the Nation Leaving high school with a diploma is the capstone event of any student’s K-12 career. For IDEA-eligible students, this should be the goal. Yet for too many Michigan students with disabilities, accomplishing this goal is not

What Does the Perez Supreme Court Decision Mean for Students? Contributed by: Dorene Philpot, Esp. There is big news in the special education world due to a recent ruling (March 2023) from the U.S. Supreme Court involving a deaf Michigan child, which reversed a Sixth Circuit decision. In Perez v. Sturgis Public Schools, (Docket 21-887,

PRESS RELEASE: Michigan Slow To Comply With Federal Education Law The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) (the current version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the nation’s Federal education law,) imposes a cap on the percentage of students with disabilities who can take the Michigan’s alternate assessment, known as the MI-Access. Specifically, students taking

July 8, 2021 The Honorable Gretchen Whitmer Governor of Michigan P.O. Box 30013 Lansing, Michigan 48909 Dear Governor Whitmer: We are reaching out to you today to introduce ourselves, the Michigan Parent, Advocate and Attorney Coalition (MiPAAC), which was formed in 2020 for the purpose of giving voice to families of children with disabilities. We

June 22, 2021 Michigan Senate Binsfeld Office Building 201 Townsend Street Lansing, MI 48933 RE: Senate Committee on Education and Career Readiness (SB 380-383) Dear Senators: We are reaching out to you today in support of SB 380-383, otherwise known as the Dyslexia Package. The Michigan Parent, Advocate and Attorney Coalition (MiPAAC), which was formed

May 20, 2021 U.S. House Subcommittee for Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education 2176 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Re: May 6, 2021 Hearing on Addressing the Impact of COVID-19 on Students with Disabilities Dear Representatives: First, we would like to thank you for taking the time to listen and learn about the

While all students may be impacted by the COVID19 school closures, students with disabilities require increased focus on addressing their unique, individualized needs and the law supports them. MiPAAC wants to ensure that a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) is preserved during this time. The MiPAAC contends that districts should take proactive, interventional, and collaborative