The Connecting Point 23
Volume 1 Issue  23    Date February 10, 2004

In This ISSUE:    

1) Recommended Certificate of Mastery (Com ) Guidelines for English Language Learners and Special Education Students
2) Frequently Asked Questions about Non-Profit Lobbying
3) A Families guide to Future Planning
4) New report Finds Students Spend more Time in Remedial Education Courses at Postsecondary Institutions
5) Families Overestimate College Costs

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1) Recommended Certificate of Mastery (CoM) Guidelines for English Language Learners and Special Education Students
During the Spring of 2003, Superintendent Bergeson convened a task force of practitioners who had expertise with English language learners and special education students. The committee was comprised of a representative group of educators, parents and constituents with expertise and interest in this important issue. A list of the members is attached to this document. The specific charge to this task force was to develop a set of recommendations that would fairly and accurately depict some considerations for the implementation of the Certificate of Mastery concept in Washington as applied to these two specific sub-populations of K-12 students. Click on the hyperlink for the whole document. http://www.k12.wa.us/SpecialEd/pubdocs/ELLandSpEdCoMRecom.pdf

2) Frequently Asked Questions about Non-Profit Lobbying
The answers provide a general explanation of the law governing nonprofit lobbying but are not to be considered as legal advice tailored to your particular circumstances. If professional assurance that our information, and your interpretation of it, is sought that is appropriate to your specific situation, it is recommended that you consult an attorney.  http://www.npaction.org/article/articleprint/429/-1/169/

3) A Families Guide to Future Planning is a guide to help families develop a future plan for their sons or daughters with cognitive, intellectual or developmental disabilities that provides personal, financial and legal protections for these individuals after the parents either die or can no longer provide care or support. It is not designed to be a "do-it-yourself" guide to will writing, trust development and other legal processes. Instead, will help families review and inventory the needs and strengths of their family member, determine what should be in a plan and then locate qualified professionals and resources to finalize the plan.   http://www.thearc.org/publications/futureplanninghandbook.doc

4) New report Finds Students Spend more Time in Remedial Education Courses at Postsecondary Institutions
Forty-two percent of entering freshmen at public two-year colleges and about 20 percent of entering freshmen at four-year public institutions enrolled in at least one remedial course in Fall 2000, according to Remedial Education at Degree-Granting Postsecondary Institutions in Fall 2000, a new department report by the National Center for Education Statistics in the Institute of Education Sciences. For more information go to; http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2003/11/11252003.html .

5) Families Overestimate College Costs
Citing a new report that shows parents and students generally overestimate college tuition costs by thousands of dollars, Secretary Paige recently announced a new website to help students and families plan and prepare for college.  Students can search colleges by college type, location, size, cost, campus life, or academics, or use the Financial Aid Wizard to plan the financial aid they'll need. http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2003/10/10012003a.html

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