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Access Schools addresses the specific needs of school-based speech-language pathologists. This bimonthly update, designed to be informative, practical, and easy to use, will inform you of upcoming events and current trends to help you succeed in the schools.

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Headlines

ED Secretary Spellings Proposes New Regulations for NCLB
Bowing to pressure from parents to fix the No Child Left Behind Law (Title I), U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings issued proposed regulations, published in The Federal Register on April 23, 2008. Significant proposals include:

• Requiring schools to remind parents of their right to transfer their students out of failing schools two weeks before the start of the school year
• Requiring school districts to notify parents that federally financed tutoring is available
• Standardizing the formula for calculating graduation rates by the year 2012
• Requiring states to incorporate student's progress into the Adequately Yearly Progress (AYP)

Regional Public Meeting on NCLB Set [PDF]
Public comments on the proposed NCLB regulations are due by June 23, 2008. ASHA is reviewing the regulations to determine their impact on speech-language pathologists and audiologists and will submit comments. Regional meetings for public input are scheduled for Massachusetts, Georgia, Missouri, and Washington from May 14-22. To review the proposed regulations, visit The Federal Register Web site. Contact Catherine D. Clarke, ASHA's director of education and regulatory advocacy, at cclarke@asha.org.

Project Forum: Summary of Performance [PDF]
IDEA '04 requires LEAs to provide a summary of performance for students with disabilities upon their graduation with a high school diploma or when they exceed the age of eligibility for FAPE under state law. The summary includes a student's academic achievement, functional performance, and recommendations on how to assist the student achieve post-secondary goals. For more information, visit the NASDSE Web site.

Where You Live Matters!
The non-profit organization Every Child Matters Education Fund has released a report titled Geography Matters: Child Well-Being in the States. The report highlights the huge gap among states on a wide variety of child well-being indicators. To see how your state rated, visit the Every Child Matters Web site.

ASHA SLP Practices – Working for You
The ASHA SLP practices update (member benefit) summarizes ASHA's SLP Practices activities over the past two months. Learn more about how ASHA is working for you.

ASHA's State Action Toolkit
Use of Qualified Personnel for Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology Services
Need information, data, or new ideas on how to approach the issue of using qualified personnel to provide speech-language pathology services in the education setting? ASHA has created a toolkit that gathers Web-based resources on this subject in one place. Learn more about qualified providers, what the data say, how to mitigate shortages, and other tools for success. For more information, contact Janice Brannon at jbrannon@asha.org.

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Featured Question

Q: What is ASHA's position on using the most recent version of a test?

A: Read the response to this question found in ASHA's School School Services FAQ (member benefit).

Shop ASHA Online

Get your assessment tools from ASHA.

Earn 1.1 CEUs with ASHA's New Dysphagia Program
As the number of students with dysphagia has increased, there has been renewed interest in current research on this growing population. Furthermore, changes in federal legislation and case law have clarified some of the issues that are central to administrative decisions, educational programs, and related services associated with dysphagia management in the schools. Find out about the most current research and literature in ASHA's newest clinical forum, Managing Dysphagia in Schools.

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Announcements

ASHA Schools Conference 2008
Register before June 11 to take advantage of the Early-Bird rate!

Better Hearing and Speech Month is Here!
With the tagline "Helping People Communicate," the "May Is Better Hearing and Speech Month" (BHSM) campaign can help you educate your consumers, educators, referral sources, current clients, parents, and the media about the services you provide. Visit the BHSM page on the ASHA Web site to access the many free and for-sale BHSM products and resources.

New! Revised Issues in Ethics Statements
The ASHA Board of Directors recently approved revisions of the following Issues in Ethics statements:

• Accepting Referrals for Private Practice From Primary Place of Employment provides guidance to individuals who may face a potential conflict of interest related to accepting referrals from their primary place of employment for their own private practices. This statement replaces an earlier version, Drawing Cases for Private Practice From Primary Place of Employment.
• Ethics in Research and Scholarly Activity provides guidance on Code of Ethics provisions for ASHA members and certificate holders involved in scholarly activities such as research and grant writing. This statement replaces an earlier version, Ethics in Research and Professional Practice.

ASHA Elections Start June 1
Don't forget to cast your vote for Board of Directors and Advisory Council positions! Remind your friends and colleagues to vote too. Member participation in the election process helps ensure that Association policies and programs reflect the interests and needs of ASHA members like you! To learn more about the candidates or to read more about the voting process, visit the ASHA National Elections Web site. All ballots must be received by noon, EDT, June 30, 2008. For assistance, e-mail ashahelp@electionservicescorp.com or call 1-866-720-HELP (4357).

CAA Call for Nominations – June 1 Deadline
The Nominating Committee for the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA) is soliciting nominations to fill six vacancies on the CAA. Three of these vacancies are Academic Positions in Speech-Language Pathology, and one vacancy is a Practitioner Position in Speech-Language Pathology. If one of your professional goals is to ensure the availability of quality academic programs, you may be just the person for whom the committee is searching. Visit the ASHA Web site to read more about the CAA's activities and the position descriptions, and to obtain an application form.

Summer Learning is in the Bag
Summer is a great time for all kinds of learning opportunities for kids. Reading Rockets has packed a virtual beach bag of activities for teachers to help families enrich summertime experiences. Educators will find materials to download and distribute as well as ideas and connections to offer to students and parents to help ensure summer learning gain rather than loss. Plus, there's a chance to win a real bag to tote around your own summer reading! Reading Rockets' sister Web site, AdLit.org also offers a veritable beach bag of ideas to help keep middle- and high-school students engaged and challenged during the summertime and an opportunity to win a selection of new young adult book titles.

ProSearch
ASHA's online directory of audiology and speech-language pathology programs helps consumers find quality services from thousands of programs that employ ASHA-certified SLPs and audiologists. Get discovered! Sign up for ProSearch—ASHA's free referral service!

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Address comments and suggestions for future topics, information or resources to Janice Brannon or Lisa Rai Mabry-Price at AccessSchools@asha.org.

Next issue of Access Schools coming July 2008!

ASHA Take Action | SLPs in Schools (a Member Benefit) | ASHA Online Journals | DIV 1 - Language Learning & Education | DIV 16 - School-Based Issues