HOW OSERS HIGHLIGHTS OPTIONS FOR GRADUATES TRANSITIONING FROM HIGH SCHOOL, JOINT LETTER ... (546 hits)
For Immediate Release From OSERS!
Postsecondary Education Options
With the start of the new school year, high school seniors are looking toward their next big milestone: graduation.
Graduation signifies the transition from youth to adulthood, and the successful transition from high school to postsecondary education for all students requires early planning and collaborative efforts between educators, students and families.
In the seventh Expect, Engage, and Empower: Successful Transitions for All! blog post in the 3E series, the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) addresses postsecondary education options for students with disabilities: : https://sites.ed.gov/osers/2024/08/postsec...
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ED, HHS Release Joint Letter on EDHI and IDEA Part C Programs
The Departments of Education and Health and Human Services released a joint letter to address critical gaps in service for deaf or hard of hearing infants and toddlers. The letter encourages collaboration between state Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) programs and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part C early intervention programs:
Joint Dear Colleague Letter on Early Hearing Detection and Intervention and Part C Programs (Aug. 5, 2024)
"Dear Colleagues:
This letter was jointly developed by offices within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S Department of Education (ED) to support increased collaboration between State Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) programs and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part C early intervention programs.
Data show that despite these longstanding newborn hearing screening and early intervention programs, there are critical gaps in services for deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) infants and toddlers. Therefore, within HHS, the Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau (HRSA/MCHB) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (CDC/NCBDDD) join with ED’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) to encourage State EHDI programs and IDEA Part C early intervention programs within States[a] to develop coordinated systems of care that include data sharing, tracking, and surveillance to support timely early identification of hearing loss and access to early intervention services to foster optimal outcomes for DHH children and their families.
To ensure that DHH children and their families receive the services and supports that they need to thrive, this correspondence:
Highlights the requirements and expectations in federal law that support collaboration between EHDI and IDEA Part C programs. Emphasizes the importance of data-sharing to support ongoing collaboration between EHDI and IDEA Part C programs to coordinate child find activities, refer children from EHDI to IDEA Part C programs, support timely service delivery, and monitor children’s outcomes. Provides technical assistance resources to support States in this collaborative work. Supporting DHH Infants and Toddlers
Approximately 1.8 of every 1,000 newborns in the United States are identified as congenitally DHH and at risk for delays or deficits in language acquisition.[1] Early identification of young DHH children, appropriate family support, and timely early intervention, are key components to their meeting language acquisition milestones that foster developmental growth and overall health and well-being.
Despite success in achieving near-universal newborn hearing screening, with 96 percent of all infants in the United States being screened for hearing loss by one month of age, significant gaps remain, including timely diagnostic audiological evaluations, referral to IDEA Part C for eligibility determinations, and loss to follow-up after not passing an initial EHDI hearing screening. As of 2021, only 43 percent of infants not passing the initial hearing screen received a diagnostic evaluation by three months of age, and only 42 percent of infants with confirmed permanent hearing loss were receiving IDEA Part C early intervention services by six months of age.[2]
With the enactment of the Children’s Health Act of 2000,[3] Congress authorized funding to establish statewide newborn hearing screening and intervention systems. Subsequent legislation reauthorized and funded EHDI as an essential health program for newborns, infants, and young children that includes goals of systematic hearing screening of infants by one month of age, diagnosis by three months of age, and enrollment into early intervention services by six months of age. Known as the “EHDI 1-3-6” guidelines, and recommended by the Joint Committee on Infant Hearing,[4] these quality indicators have served as benchmarks for EHDI programs nationally and are reported on annually.[5] The Children’s Health Act specifically names two HHS agencies — CDC and HRSA — as the federal entities that provide funding and technical support to States to implement EHDI systems.[3] Together, CDC and HRSA have a longstanding partnership in funding States to implement a coordinated EHDI system of services and collect benchmark data.
HRSA is charged with developing and monitoring the efficacy of statewide programs and systems for hearing screening of newborns, infants, and young children; prompt evaluation; and diagnosis of children referred from screening program. It does this through funding the EHDI State/Territory Program (HRSA-24-036). This opportunity provides funding to enhance the State EHDI infrastructure to improve language acquisition for DHH children up to three years of age. CDC is charged with developing, maintaining, and improving data collection systems related to newborn, infant and young child hearing screening, evaluation, diagnosis, and intervention services. CDC’s funding opportunity announcement DD20-2006, “Improving Timely Documentation, Reporting, and Analysis of Diagnostic and Intervention Data through the Optimization of EHDI Surveillance,” advances the capacity of EHDI jurisdictional programs to report, analyze, and use patient-level data. In a coordinated system, DHH children will meet language acquisition milestones through screening, diagnosis, and intervention services so they can play, go to school and grow up to become a healthy adult.[b]
Of specific importance is the need for ongoing assessment to track how infant screening, diagnosis, and early intervention impact “the health, intellectual and social developmental, cognitive, and language status of these children at school age.”[3] Early intervention services and supports can be provided to eligible children from birth through 36 months of age through the IDEA Part C program. Therefore, partnerships between EHDI programs and IDEA Part C programs within States are critical to support and improve outcomes for DHH children and their families. Coordinated care depends on the ability to share data between EHDI and IDEA Part C programs within States. In addition, data sharing allows programs to make data-informed, evidence-based decisions that promote effective policy and practices and provide accurate and timely services to DHH children and their families.
Understanding Program Requirements and Expectations
The CDC, HRSA, and OSEP recognize the development of strong, effective partnerships can be challenging. Understanding the individual program requirements regarding collaboration can help facilitate effective partnerships. All three agencies are guided by structures and specific legislation that support interagency collaboration for grantees. Moreover, the Children’s Health Act[3] as amended, includes specific language about HRSA, CDC, and National Institutes of Health coordination and collaboration with other Federal, State, and local agencies, including agencies responsible for IDEA Part C programs to ensure the success of EHDI programs.
IDEA Part C also requires that the State comprehensive child find system be coordinated with specific programs and systems, including the state EHDI system under the IDEA Part C Regulations 34 CFR § 303.302(c)(1)(ii)(J): https://sites.ed.gov/idea/regs/c/d/303.302
Earlier this year, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) Director Valerie C. Williams visited Coppin State University and Delaware State University. Both Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are recipients of personnel preparation grants administered by OSEP. Williams shares the importance of developing and supporting a diverse educator workforce to improve student success.
WHAT: OSERS will host the third virtual session for the 2023-2024 OSERS Symposium Series, "Expect, Engage, Empower Symposium: Collaboration to Improve Outcomes." https://sites.ed.gov/osers/2024/08/save-th...
