POLICY & ADVOCACY PRECONVENTIONWORKSHOPCEC Convention April 2013

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Today’s Agenda 9-10:20am

Election, ESEA, Waivers, Teacher Evaluation, CCSS Tests

10:20 – 10:30am BREAK

10:30-12pm School Safety and Mental Health, Teacher Preparation

Accountability, Early Learning, Research, Gifted, IDEA, WIA, Budget

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ELECTION 2012Who did we elect?3

ELECTION 2012: WHAT DID WE LEARN?The times they are a changing…4

Overview of 2012 Election Demography

Race and GenderWomen: Obama 55%LGBT: Obama 76% African American: Obama 93%Hispanic: Obama 71%Asian: Obama 73%White: Romney 59%

Obama’s share of the white vote shrank, but the overall number of

white voters also shrank.

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Young people voted

18-29 Obama 60% 30-44 Obama 52% 45-64 Romney 51% 65+ Romney 56%

Pew Research Center, Nov. 26, 2012

Voters under age 30 were 19% of the electorate.

1% > 2008

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EDUCATION LEGISLATION

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ESEA IDEA Workforce Investment Act (WIA) CCDBG (17 years overdue!!) Education Sciences Reform Act Higher Education Act

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ELEMENTARY & SECONDARY EDUCATION ACT (AKA NCLB)

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CEC’s ESEA Guiding Principles

Supporting a Well Prepared Successful Educational Workforce Meaningful Systems that Encourage Collaborative and Supportive Measurement, Evaluation, and Reward of Professional Performance Strengthening Assessment and Accountability for ALL

Developing Improved Strategies that Create Positive School Reform Providing Full Funding to Execute the Goals and Provisions of ESEA

Meeting the Unique Needs of Gifted Learners Improving Outcomes for All Children Through the

Collaboration of All Educators

House Passes a Bill

Senate

Passes a Bill

Conference Committee Agrees to a single Bill

Senate Votes

on New Version

House Votes on New Version

President Signs!!

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2007…2008…2009…2010…2011…2012

ESEA Reauthorization12

Senator Lamar AlexanderTennessee

Senator Tom Harkin Iowa

Lots of Talking…13

American Association of Administrators, Policy Insider Oct 2011

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White House Announces Waivers September, 2011

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Congress Acts!

Eliminated AYP Required new

teacher eval systems

Cut funding for 43 programs

Changed funding to block grant

Turnaround?

Eliminated AYP Encouraged new

teacher eval systems

Eliminated 2% Modified Tests

Codified 1% Alternate Tests

7 Turnaround Models

House Ed CommitteeSenate Help Committee

JavitsGrants

Jan 2012Oct 2011

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ESEA Reauthorization…Has the process stalled???

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ESEA WAIVERSSo, waivers are our ESEA reauthorization(At least for now …)

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ESEA Waivers Remove 2014 AYP

deadline

Funding Flexibility

Changes to Accountability

Flexibility for HQT Plans

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ESEA Waivers 4 Conditions:

Adopt College & Career Ready Standards

Develop Assessments that Measure Student Growth

Develop Differentiated Accountability System

Develop Guidelines for Local Teacher and Principal Evaluations Based on Effectiveness

ESEA WaiversTo receive an ESEA waiver, states had to

develop new guidelines for teacher/principal evaluation that: “take(s) into account data on student growth

in significant part” in determining teacher/principal performance” levels.” Measures of Student Growth in untested grades

and subjects include: “pre-tests, end-of-course tests, and objective

performance-based assessments, student learning objectives and other measures of student achievement that are rigorous and comparable across schools within

an LEA”

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ESEA Waivers Blue States Have Waivers Green States are Under Review Plus, TX, WY,

PN, + 9 CA Districts

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Waiver Concerns

No 2 State applications are the same. . .

MONITORING:• Every 3 Months?• New TA?• Amount of revisions? • New staffing needed?

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Discussion Does your state have a waiver? How is your experience with the waiver? How was special education involved in

the process? What about monitoring from USDOE?

Impressions and guidance for others?

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TEACHER EVALUATION

Waiver concerns and beyond…25

Policymakers: A Shift in Focus

Highly Qualified

Highly Effective

InputsOutput

s

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Policy Movers …

Race to the Top

41 State Applications Proposed Changes to Teacher Evaluation

systems

Now States are working it out.

Gates Foundation

: MET Study

Private Investment of $45 Million in Several Pilot Districts

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System ComponentsComplex Role

Measure Evidence-Based PracticeRecognize ProfessionalismIncorporate Research

Components of Special Education Teacher Evaluations

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All educators must be included in one evaluation system.

Evaluation systems must identify appropriate professional development opportunities for teachers based on the results of their evaluations.

Evaluations must support continuous improvement.

Evaluation processes and all measures of teacher effectiveness must be open and transparent to the teacher being evaluated.

Teacher Evaluation Systems Shall:

Include Fundamental System-Wide Components

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Evaluations must clearly identify and be based on a special education teacher’s specific role and responsibilities during a given school year.

Evaluations must take into account the population of children and youth and their range of exceptionalities that special education teachers instruct.

Evaluations must be conducted by evaluators with expertise related to evidence-based service delivery models and individualized teaching practices and interventions in special education.

Teacher Evaluation Systems Shall:

Identify the Complex Role of the Special Education Teacher

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Evaluations must be based on multiple reliable measures and indicators that support valid measurement of special education teacher effectiveness.

Evaluations should never be based solely on student growth.

Statistical models that estimate a teacher’s contribution to student growth, such as value-added models, should not be applied to any teacher until there is a general consensus among researchers that the model provides a valid estimate of a teacher’s contribution to student growth.

Teacher Evaluation Systems Shall:

Measure the Use of Evidence-Based Practices

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Value Added Measurement

(VAM)

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Use of IEP

•Multiple indicators of special education teacher effectiveness may include … IEP development and implementation.

•Evaluations should not use a student’s progress on their goals, objectives, and benchmarks in the IEP as a measure of a special education teacher’s contribution to student growth.

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Does your school/district have a new evaluation system? How does it address special education teachers? Does it include measures of student achievement? What measures of student achievement does it include for

special education teachers? What measures do you think a system should include? Has your professional development system changed

alongside your evaluation?

Discussion

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CCSS & THE FUTURE OF TESTING

New assessments, adaptive assessments, & racing to the top35

Race to the Top Assessment Contest36

$330 Million

Aligns with Common Core Standards

Two Consortia for 99% of students

Two Consortia for remaining 1% of students

Students with the Most Significant Cognitive Disabilities

1%37

Two Consortia: 1%

Dynamic Learning Maps Alternate Assessment Program (DLM) – Kansas University $22 million 13 States - Iowa, Kansas, Michigan,

Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.

Accessibility - keyboard, drag-and-drop, touch-screen, and compatible with a variety of assistive technologies commonly used by students.

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National Center & State Collaborative

19 States: Alaska, Arizona Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Nevada, New York, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Wyoming

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All other studentsPARCCSBAC (Smarter Balanced)

99%40

Assessment Consortia: PARCC

Computer Based

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Assessment Consortia: Smarter Balanced

Computer

Adaptive

TIMELINE 2012-13 School Year: First year pilot/field testing

and related research and data collection Fall 2012 – Small Scale Trials – 500 schools in 23 states February April

2013-14 School Year: Second year pilot/field testing and related research and data collection

2014-15 School Year: Full operational administration of PARCC assessments

Summer 2015: Set achievement levels, including college-ready performance levels

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How long will it take students to take the test?

7.5 -8 Hours Over 5-9 Student Days Schools will deliver 2 x a year and have

a 20 day window to complete each session

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Computer Adaptive Tests Definition: A test that uses the information it

receives during the test to determine which question to present the test-taker with next.

Several states use them (HI, OR, DE, UT) Only Oregon is approved for NCLB Purposes

Concerns: Is every student tested on the full range of grade

level content? Is every student seeing a similar mix of questions

that measure cognitively complex skills?

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Get online and check them out!!

http://sampleitems.smarterbalanced.org/itempreview/sbac/index.htm

http://www.parcconline.org/sample-assessment-tasks

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Accommodation Policies PARCC Announced – Jan. 2013

CEC and other organizations opposed several provisions Failed to include students eligible for Section

504 protections Limited the IEP team’s authority to choose

appropriate individualized accommodations Failed to fully account for cultural differences

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Accommodation Possibilities … Oregon – Braille Adaptive as of this

school year Refreshable displays

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Accommodation Possibilities … Signing Avatars Not used as an accommodation in any state; Concerns about use for high stakestesting.

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Do schools have the needed technology?

Ummm….Maybe …

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SBAC & PARCC Tech Requirements:

By 2014-2015 SY Schools NEED: 10 inch screen, internet access,

headphones Every school must review SBAC’s Minimum

Hardware Specifications and Basic Bandwidth Calculations

Finally – SBAC and PARCC will offer a paper and pencil version of the test. Just in case.

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Discussion How is the roll out of CCSS and the new

tests going in your state? Has anyone participated in a pilot? What do you think will be most

challenging about implementing new assessments?

What do you think will be most beneficial?

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ADDRESSING SCHOOL SAFETY & SCHOOL BASED MENTAL HEALTH

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Violence Safety

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CEC/CCBD’s Policy Recommendations

School

Safety

Plan

Interdisciplinary

approach

Evidence based practices

Impact of mental health

challenges

Address the

national special ed shortage

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Now Is the Time School safety

1,000 new school resource officers and school counselors

Model emergency management plans $50 million supporting positive school

climate Disseminate best practices on school

discipline Increasing access to mental health

services Mental Health First Aid - $15 million 5,000 new mental health professionals National dialog between ED/HHS re: mental

health

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Policy Opportunities White House meetings

with ED, DOJ, HHS, etc. Proposed legislation

with focus on safety, mental health services, school resource officers, guns

Hearings on school safety, mental health, guns

Taskforce on gun violence prevention

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Linked but not interchangeable

School Safety

Mental Health

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Discussion How does your school address the

mental health needs of students?

Does your school take a broad or narrow approach to addressing school safety?

How can special educators help ameliorate the mental health stigma?

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REFORMING TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAMS

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Policymakers: A Shift in Focus

Highly Qualified

Highly Effective

Inputs Outputs

Program Description

Program Effectiveness

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Administration’s Plans for Reform

September 2011

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Teacher Preparati

on Program Effective

ness

Student performan

ce of preparation program graduates

Job placement

and retention

rates

Surveys of program

graduates and their

principals

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Rating Teacher Prep Programs

4 Performance levels Low performing At-Risk Effective Exceptional

Student Loans???

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Implications for Special Education

Use of value added measures for special educators is invalid

Disincentive to invest and grow special education prep programs

Exacerbate the national shortage of special education teachers

CEC response will highlight issues specific to

special education

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NEW INITIATIVES IN EARLY LEARNING

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Preschool for ALL?! “I propose working with states to make high-

quality preschool available to every child in America. 

Every dollar we invest in high-quality early education can save more than seven dollars later on – by boosting graduation rates, reducing teen pregnancy, even reducing violent crime.”– President Obama, 2013 State of the Union

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President’s Early Learning Plan

New federal-state partnership to provide preschool to all low and moderate income four-year olds

Incentivizes full day kindergarten Investment in Head Start, Early Head

Start-Child Care partnership Well trained preschool teachers who are

paid comparably to K-12 staff Race to the Top – Early Learning

Challenge

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Where are the IDEA Early Childhood Programs???

IDEA’s Early Intervention (Part C) and Preschool Programs (sec. 619) were not highlighted in President’s plan

CEC/DEC working to fix this!!

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EDUCATION SCIENCES REFORM ACT

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CEC’s ESRA Recommendations

Strengthen National

Center for Special

Education Research

Bridge Research-to-Practice

Gap

Recognize Special/Gifted Ed in Institute

for Education Sciences

Support, Strong

Consistent Leadership

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Over 260 NCSER Projects 72

NEW OPPORTUNITIES IN GIFTED EDUCATION POLICY

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Federal initiatives Senate: TALENT

ActSen. Grassley (R-IA)

Sen. Mikulski (D-MD)

Sen. Casey (D-PA)

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TALENT Act

Supporting

Educator Developm

ent to Ensure

Academic Growth

Confronting and

Addressing the

National Excellence

Gap

Continuing Research

and Dissemination on Best Practices in Gifted

Ed

Providing Public

Transparency of

Student Achievement Data

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The TALENT Act:Is a Pragmatic

Approach

Seeks to Raise Public

Awareness to GT Population

Weaves Gifted/High Ability into

Existing ESEA Structure

Is a Conversation

Starter76

IDEA2020????77

Total # Served by IDEA Part B is Decreasing

- 4.8%78

Total # with Autism Spectrum Disorder is Increasing

+ 10 % - 17%Annually

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New Part B Consent (Medicaid) Rules!

New Regulations – Clearer, Easier Process NEW PROCESS = Before beginning services:

Provide parents written notification that Explains the protections available to parents Fully informs them of their IDEA rights

Obtain 1 time parent consent to access benefits

DONE!!March 18,

2013

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IDEA/ESEA Equitable Services

March 14, 2013 Guidance Letter from USDOE To establish better public/private

relationships USDOE will : Host conf calls 2x/yr with state directors Facilitation public/private communication Encourage states to create state level private

school working groups Identify examples of promising practices Host Webinars to improve stakeholder

understanding

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INCLUDING SWDSCHOOL SPONSORED SPORTS

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GAO: Good news! Students with Disabilities are well

represented in PE classes both general PE classes and specialized opportunities when needed!

Based on its findings, and projections from its findings, the

GAO determined that almost 100% of students with disabilities are

taking advantage of adaptive and general PE through the country!

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Creativity & Open Minds Prevent: Discrimination Train CoachesEnsure: Accommodations SWD – Hearing Impairment –visual cue or interpreter SWD - Learning Disability – allowed to

use indicator other than grades SWD – Diabetes –provide trained staff

to administer insulin, just as during the school day

Act: Talk to your Athletic Director/ Reach out to the Community

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WORKFORCE INVESTMENT ACT (WIA)

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History Signed into law by President Clinton in

1998

WIA marked the first major job training reform in over 15 years

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WIA & EqualityHow has WIA helped?More Access to Facilities & Programs:

Architectural AccessAssistive Technology

DevicesDirected Marketing Updated PoliciesProviding Needed

AccommodationsGAO Report 05-54 (Dec. 2004)

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Workforce Investment Act (WIA)

CEC Recommends:Begin Transition Planning As Soon As Possible

- No Later Than Age 14;Require Representation of Disability Interests

on State Workforce Investment Boards;Create and Fund Research Priorities Designed

to Address Individuals with Disabilities; andInclude and Emphasize Universal Design for

Learning (UDL)

WIA’s Progress Senate Bill – STALLED

Sheltered Workshop Main Issue House Bill(s) – Passed

Concerning Provisions: Allows Consolidation of Voc Rehab Funds into

Title I of WIA, essentially eliminating Voc Rehab altogether.

Consolidates 27 (mostly youth) Programs into 1 block grant aimed at mostly adult services

Democrats Walked Out!

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FEDERAL BUDGETWhat can we expect??90

The Federal Budget

U.S. Department of Education

= 1.32%

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FY 2012 US DOE Budget

FY 2012: Where did we end up?

IDEA Part B $11,577,86 Increase of $78 Million

IDEA Part BSection 619 $372,645 Level

IDEA Part C $442,710 Increase $5 Million

IDEA Part D $242,508 Level

Javits $0 EliminatedSpEd

Research $49.9 million Level

Total Amount Change93

Budget: What does Congress Do?

Congress Funds the Federal Gov. for the Federal fiscal year

10/1-9/30Continui

ng Resoluti

on“CR”

Keep things

the same!!

Manages Debt

Debt Ceiling

Other Spending Cuts…

Sequestration

House & Senate Agree to a

Budget

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Where are we now? CR FIRST!!!

Passed a CR Funds at FY 2012

levels Includes

Sequestration

CR Sequestration at

5%

House Senate

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(Aug 2011) Budget Control Act

SuperCommittee(FAILED Nov 2011)

Sequestration (Jan. 2, 2013)

Why do we have sequestration?

$1.2T

American Taxpayer Relief Act (ATRA) (Jan 2, 2013)

8% 5% (March 1)

(Nov 2010) Elections Tea Party

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SuperCommittee97

FAILURE

New York Times Article 12/5/11

A Republican aide, said a few days later:

“We showed some leg. The Democrats want us to get completely naked.”

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A Democrat involved in the negotiations said:

“We made a reasonable offer and got nothing in return. We got naked in the room. Republicans are standing there in overcoats, hats and gloves and are toasty warm.”

Public sees budget negotiations as “Ridiculous”, “Disgusting” and “Stupid.” August 1, 2011, Pew Research Center.

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After ATRA

Flexibility??? What if we just let agency heads choose

what to cut??

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Sequestration = Full Funding Plunges to

14.5%

What is going on???? Have to decide how to fund this year’s

(FY2013) budget by March 27… AND Have to decide how to fund next year’s

(FY2014) budget by Sept. 30 … Have to decide whether to AGAIN raise

the debt ceiling by May 19 … Have to decide how to deal with

sequestration cuts over the next 10 years …

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CNN Poll conducted by ORC International during November 16-18, 2012

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what are you left with?

Uncertainty

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COMBAT UNCERTAINTY!!!1. STAY INFORMEDCEC PI Blog and Twitter106

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@CECAdvocacy

Follow us on Twitter for up to the minute policy updates!

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2. ACT – CONTACT CONGRESSUse CEC’s legislative action center109

Take Action: CEC’s Legislative Action Center

www.cec.sped.orgChoose: Policy & Advocacy

Choose: Legislative Action Center

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3. LOOK FOR OTHER LEADERS …

And Be their first follower111

THANK YOU

@cecadvocacy112