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Federal Document Clearing House
Congressional Testimony
August 24, 2000, Thursday
SECTION: CAPITOL HILL HEARING TESTIMONY
LENGTH: 2014 words
COMMITTEE:
HOUSE EDUCATION AND THE WORKFORCE
HEADLINE: TESTIMONY IDEA; VIEWS OF TEACHER, SCHOOL
ADMINISTRATORS AND PARENTS
TESTIMONY-BY: VERNON COFFEY
, COMMISSIONER OF EDUCATION
AFFILIATION: STATE OF
TENNESSEE
BODY:
August 24, 2000 Written Testimony
from Vernon Coffey, Nashville, TN Commissioner of Education State of Tennessee -
To Chairman Bill Goodling, Congressman Van Hilleary, and other members of the
Hearing Committee on Education and the Workforce. I want to thank you for the
opportunity for allowing me to speak to you regarding successes and problems
regarding the implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA), 1997 in Tennessee Schools. As Commissioner of the
Tennessee Department of Education, I have had the opportunity to meet with
educators, parents and advocacy representatives and to listen to their concerns
as they relate to the IDEA. Schools throughout Tennessee have experienced
success as it relates to school safety and we in the Department have taken a
proactive approach in dealing with the issue of behavior. Recognizing that
prevention of behavior problems is a valuable tool in the education of all
children has been the steering force of the Behavior Consultants within the
Department since reauthorization. Staff have stressed to local education
agencies, teachers, administrators and parents that a proactive approach will
greatly reduce the occurrence of inappropriate and disruptive behavior and
ultimately improve overall school safety. Through the State Improvement Plan,
and its goal to provide safe, disciplined environments in which all children
have access to a full and appropriate education, State staff have provided LEAs
training and onsite technical assistance in Positive Behavior Support Strategies
including the following areas: 1)School-wide programs involving positive
behavior supports. These programs include all children and staff, and create an
environment of support and positive feeling. School-wide programs have been
presented at state sponsored conferences, LEA in- services, and to individual
systems. 2)Individual supports at each school where technical assistance is
provided and positive behavior supports have been introduced to faculty for
intervention purposes. In this way, not only are individual children addressed,
but also entire classes can be supported. Positive, not punitive, relationships
between teachers and students, and between administration and students, have
been stressed. State consultants have introduced the findings of research and
behavioral experts to schools to convince them that punishment is not the same
as discipline. Getting students to behave well because they want to is a more
powerful tool than forcing them to behave well. The use of Functional Behavior
Assessments (FBA) as required under IDEA'97 can assist schools build positive
behavior support programs, and has been emphasized as valuable and needed. By
changing environments and systems, schools can help change behavior patterns in
their students. State consultants have aided LEA's in teaching school teams to
conduct FBA's and thus acquire the knowledge to build positive support systems.
In the reauthorization of 1997, Congress recognized that in certain instances
school districts needed increased flexibility to deal with discipline issues
related to children with disabilities. However, school administrators statewide
are perplexed with the double standard when it comes to disciplining children
with disabilities. Providing continued services to a child with a disability
removed from school when the behavior is not a manifestation of the disability
is difficult to explain to parents of children not receiving special education
and to educators as well. Funding Issue Initially, when the special education
laws were passed, Congress promised to fund Special Education at 40% level. To
date, special education is only funded at about 12%. Should Congress provide
funding to States as promised, the level of services to children with
disabilities would increase significantly and lessen the burden of the state and
local education agencies. State Improvement Grants Program Partnership Service
Agreements, negotiated in 1999 by the Department with eleven (11) LEAs across
the State, support school based efforts for development of personnel and
school-based planning for improvement in programs and services for all children,
including children with disabilities. Given the federal and state emphasis on
school-based decision making, the State through these partnerships, has tried to
assist in expanding and strengthening the opportunities for school personnel to
acquire the related knowledge and skills, and to support local school efforts to
implement promising research based initiatives. It is through the implementation
services plans developed through these partnerships that the State proposes to
expand access to effective, research-based practices and strategies, and is the
reason for the State's response to the request for proposals for the State
Program Improvement Grant. For the past two years the Tennessee Department of
Education has responded to the request for proposal for a (SIG) without success.
Many stakeholders from across the state were involved in the planning and a
considerable number of hours were devoted to this process. The funding for state
level SIG's are funds that are under the Part D of the IDEA and include the
required comprehensive system of personnel development. States that did not get
approved for a grant were told that there was a minimal amount of funds
available under Part D to support these systems change activities. Therefore, if
the U.S. Department of Education and or Congress expects states to fully
implement IDEA, funds must be provided to ensure quality services are provided.
We strongly recommend consideration by the U.S. Office of Education and the
Congress of the United States to expand the support to States that continue to
be unsuccessful in attempts to develop a State Improvement Grant proposal that
will meet the review panel scrutiny. The premise that only a selected few states
can be supported through IDEA, Part D State Improvement Grant funding is
unacceptable. In Tennessee we have tried to fulfill our responsibility to ensure
that IDEA is implemented in programs and services throughout the State. We
support the purpose of this law to ensure that all children with disabilities
have available to them a free appropriate public education that emphasizes
special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs and
prepare them for employment and independent living. Any assistance you can
provide: To assist States and local education agencies, and Federal agencies to
provide for education of all children with disabilities; and To assess and
ensure the effectiveness of efforts to educate children with disabilities. is
greatly appreciated. Thank you again for the opportunity to discuss the
implementation of IDEA in Tennessee.
LOAD-DATE:
September 6, 2000, Wednesday 
