Roy F. McCampbell's Blog

The vote to eliminate State special ed class size limits, and to eliminate the State 70/30 rule – the 30 percent limit on the percentage of students with an IEP that can be in a regular general ed class – will be first at the Board of ISBE, and then at JCAR.

On Wednesday, January 22, and on Thursday, January 23, at the ISBE office at 100 N. First Street in Springfield, the Board of ISBE will first take Public Comment and later vote on removing every word in the current 226.730, and replacing those words with a new local Staffing Plan.

Chairman of the Illinois State Board of Education:

Gery J. Chico, Chicago, chairman@isbe.net

Vice Chair:
Steven R. Gilford, Evanston

Secretary:
Vinni M. Hall, ChicagoMembers:
James W. Baumann, Lake Bluff
Andrea S. Brown, Marion
David L. Fields, Danville
Melinda A. LaBarre, Springfield
Curt Bradshaw, Naperville

The Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) will vote ONLY if the ISBE…

This morning, as I was flying home from Chicago, where I spoke to the Modern Language Association about Common Core, the blog registered more than 9 million page views. The blog started in late April 2012.

Thank you for reading, thank you for tweeting, thank you for sharing with friends, thank you for commenting and joining the conversation.

How to account for the interest in the blog? I attribute it to the amazing energy of readers who share stories (with links) from their hometown newspaper and who come here for solace, support, inspiration, collegiality, and an open discussion about issues that matter to them. I attribute it to the fact that the blog has a point of view–I support the preservation and real reform of public schools, and I respect the men and women who work every day to educate the nation’s children. I attribute it to the fact that…

Michelle Gunderson (right). Photo: Fred Klonsky

From Anthony Cody’s Living in Dialogue.

– Michelle Gunderson is a Chicago teacher, activist and leader in the CTU.

Every child who enters my first classroom is treated with dignity and respect and learning takes place in an atmosphere of joy. Children with special needs are supported through a matrix of services with other professionals. Most of the work, though, is done solely by me, the classroom teacher. I repeat directions, use visual clues, check often for understanding, reduce assignments, provide sensory breaks along with a host of other modifications and accommodations. How is this possible? Because according to Illinois school code there is a limit on the percentage of children with special needs in my class. Without these limits the work becomes impossible.

This is not a matter of school funding or expediency. This is a matter of human capacity. There is only…

National Hot Toddy Day

Five Food Finds about Cocktails

• The first cocktail party was held for 50 house guests in St. Louis in 1917. The house still stands today….as the  residence of the Archbishop.

• While Prohibition resulted in a decline in alcohol it also resulted in a dramatic increase in crime as money flowed to the bad guys. Crime rose as high as 500% in some countries. Consequently, government costs soared while tax revenue declined.

• Calling an illegal bar a ‘speakeasy’ came from a lady barkeep who would warn her customers to “speak easy, boy, speak easy” whenever they became loud enough to attract police.

• A greater crime was what it did to the cocktail. Prior to Prohibition, America was enjoying its first golden age of mixology. Once liquor became illegal, ‘rum runners” brought it in by boat but watered down their blends so they could ship less and make more.

Bev Johns is a long-time Special Education activist and advocate.

From: Beverley Holden Johns
Date: Fri, Jan 10, 2014 at 12:41 PM
Subject: new ISBE plan to eliminate special ed class size

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) staff has a new proposal to ELIMINATE State special ed class size limits, and ELIMINATE the State 70/30 rule – the 30 percent limit on the percentage of students with an IEP that can be in a regular general ed class.

The plan will be presented to the ISBE Board at its meeting on January 22 and 23, 2014, for FINAL approval.

There will be NO hearings and NO ability to evaluate the proposal before it is presented for FINAL ISBE Board action.

The proposal would let each LOCAL school district decide on a STAFFING PLAN.

You can send your objections NO LATER THAN Monday, January 13, to rules@isbe.net

Be sure to say how having your local school district…