ED Response to 60 Day Public Comment

Public Comments Received During the 60-day Comment Period

October 2019

Middle Grades Longitudinal Study of 2017-18 (MGLS:2017) Main Study First Follow-up (MS2) Data Collection

ED-2019-ICCD-0096 Comments on FR Doc # 2019-17177

Document: ED-2019-ICCD-0096-0005

Name: Shyla Paera

My name is Shyla Patera I am an Independent Living Specialist employed at North Central Independent Living Services ,Inc. as well as an adult with a disability. The Middle school years are important to gauge the beginnings of transitions for all.We need to maximize federal as well as state funding and instructional strategies for Montana students with disabilities. By maximizing and fully funding IDEA,NCILS believes that Montana would set high expectations for students and faculty.NCILS encourages all Montana school districts to implement all strategies to improve district accessibility for all students Accommodated learning should be a priority for all students but especially those with disabilities. Classroom instruction should teach not only pencil and paper academics but also skills for the digital age . Students with disabilities need to know that they can compete in many fields Students need to know disability history and self advocacy skills and we encourage Montana educators at every level to learn about disability movements throughout American and world history.

I would also encourage ORSERS staff to pass policies which ensure that Montanas workforce is competitive and integrated for all including those students with disabilities. NCILS calls for networks and benefits planning assistance throughout states and nationally to focus upon competitive Integrated employment with competitive wages for all. We believe that all states should be required to submit state wide competitive integrated employment transition plans. State wide Departments of Education should also be invested in the transition to competitive integrated employment.

NCILS encourages the Commissioner on Higher Education to ask for maximized funding for disability services offices through out our university and college systems. We need to ensure that campus accessibility in all forms is maximized. NCILS asks for colleges and universities to implement a Disability Studies major and for innovative ways to support Montana and all students with disabilities.

Dear Shyla Paera,

Thank you for your interest in and support of the Middle Grades Longitudinal Study of 2017-18 (MGLS:2017). One of the goals of MGLS is to collect data on opportunities provided to U.S. students in the middle grades to acquire both digital and non-digital literacy. Therefore, MGLS data collection is inclusive of all students, to the extent possible. The MGLS data being collected were designed, once available, to help researchers and other data users in their work on ideas and solutions for students with disabilities.

We encourage you to contact your local and state disabilities organizations, as you have indicated you would like to do in your comment, in order to explore other possibilities for involvement in policy and change. Here at the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute for Education Sciences, a Center you may be interested in is the National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER). Another Department of Education resource is the Office of Special Education Research (OSERS). Again, we appreciate your comment and hope our eventual dataset will be of service to disabilities research and policy.

Sincerely,

Carolyn G. Fidelman, Ph.D.

Project Officer, Middle Grades Longitudinal Study - MGLS:2017-18

https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/mgls

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