Washington, DC, February 17, 2004 — The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) announces the members of its newly created Task Force on Special Education. This task force has been assembled in an effort to better understand the implications of federal regulations and other legislation aimed at helping students with disabilities learn to their potential, namely the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) and No Child Left Behind (NCLB).
“Educators in every state in our nation want to improve the learning outcomes for student with disabilities,” said Terry Bergeson, Washington State’s Superintendent of Public Instruction and chair of the CCSSO Task Force. “We must take advantage of this opportunity to move away from our heavy emphasis on compliance to a stronger focus on higher learning and achievement levels for all students with special needs.”
The task force is comprised of six state commissioners of elementary and secondary education and various state directors of education, deputies, and legislative representatives. The task force will work closely with the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and other key constituency groups to assist states and school districts in fully understanding the relationships between these key pieces of federal legislation and helping to highlight successful practices for assisting special needs students at the state and local level.
“The creation of this task force has taken on a new level of importance,” said Patricia F. Sullivan, Deputy Executive Director of Advocacy and Strategic Alliances at CCSSO. “With federal regulations that guide states on how and when to include student assessments in the NCLB accountability systems, CCSSO fills a very critical role in helping our members and their states understand, implement, and change educational opportunities presented to all students.”
The Task Force on Special Education is as follows:
Chair
Bergeson, Terry— Chief, Washington
Chiefs
DeMary, Jo Lynne— Chief, Virginia
Hamamoto, Patricia— Chief, Hawaii
McWalters, Peter— Chief, Rhode Island
Tompkins, John Andy— Chief, Kansas
Tuitele, Lui— Chief, American Samoa
Additional Members
Bennett, Stuart— Chief Deputy State Superintendent, Georgia
Bryant, Ray— Chief of Special Education Reform, District of Colombia
Cox, Doug— State Director of Special Education, Virginia
Heuschel, Mary Alice— Deputy, Washington
Holmes, Jaci— Federal Liaison Representative, Maine
Jones, Jana— Bureau Chief for Special Education, Idaho
Locklear, Zoe— Associate State Superintendent, North Carolina
Michelson, Lana— State Director of Special Education, Iowa
Mittnacht, Marcia— State Director of Special Education, Massachusetts
Noland, Kevin— Deputy, Kentucky
Olson, Barbara— Test Development Consultant, Minnesota
Parker, Alice— Deputy Superintendent for Special Education, California
Pochowski, Alexa—Assistant Commissioner, Kansas
Thompson, Jacquelyn— State Director for Special Education, Michigan
Wright, Lynnett— Education Program Consultant, Kansas
Formally adopted at CCSSO’s 2003 Annual Policy Forum, this task force is very timely. States are currently working to implement regulations released by ED regarding the use of alternate achievement standards for students with disabilities. In releasing a public comment regarding those regulations, CCSSO lauded the Department of Education for providing states additional flexibility to go beyond the one percent cap included in the regulations.
The CCSSO Task Force on Special Education will not only consider these final regulations, but will also support educators as they work to set and meet high expectations for all students with disabilities and use the appropriate assessment to measure the achievement of such students.
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The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) is a bipartisan, nationwide, nonprofit organization of public officials who head departments of elementary and secondary education in the states, the District of Columbia, the Department of Defense Education Activity, and five U.S. extra-state jurisdictions. CCSSO provides leadership, advocacy, and technical assistance on major educational issues. The Council seeks member consensus on major educational issues and expresses their views to civic and professional organizations, federal agencies, Congress, and the public.
