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<div dir="ltr"><font color="#e36c09" size="4" face="Times New Roman">Good Afternoon Parents,</font><br><font color="#e36c09" size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font> <br><font color="#e36c09" size="4" face="Times New Roman">Please see the Letter below announcing the common core MD State curriculum Frameworks for Braille. I know that is a mouth full. In my laymens terms that is the Standard to be used to help our Blind/VI Students be held to the same standards as their peers. Also a guide for teachers and administrators to use to write goals and assess our students. The Team that worked on this did an amazing job and it is being use in other States now to help them set an appropriate expectation for our Students that are Blind and VI. </font><br><font color="#e36c09" size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font> <br><font color="#e36c09" size="4" face="Times New Roman">Parents this is a great guide as we go into the IEP season to know how to help the team set goal for our Children. </font><br><font color="#e36c09" size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font> <br><font color="#e36c09" size="4" face="Times New Roman">We will also have our up and coming MD Parents of Blind/VI Childrens Workshop that will help you understand the process and the out come of this 2 yr committee to come up with this Standard. And how we can use it to help our students reach their goal in life. </font></div><font color="#e36c09" size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font> <BR><font color="#e36c09" size="4" face="Times New Roman">Please see enclosed attachment for Registration to this workshop and Many others on IPad, Laptop, Jaws, IEP/IPE, etc.</font><BR><div dir="ltr"><br><br>
<font color="#5f497a" size="3" face="Comic Sans MS"><strong>Trudy L. Pickrel</strong></font><br><strong><font color="#5f497a" size="3" face="Comic Sans MS">Maryland Parents of Blind Children </font></strong><br><font color="#5f497a" size="3" face="Comic Sans MS"><strong><a href="http://www.mdparentsofblindchildren.org" target="_blank">www.mdparentsofblindchildren.org</a></strong><a href="http://www.mdparentsofblindchildren.org" target="_blank"></a></font><a href="http://www.mdparentsofblindchildren.org" target="_blank"></a><br> <br><br> <br>
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<p style="text-align: right;" class="ecxMsoHeader" align="right"><b><span style='font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;'>Lillian M. Lowery</span></b></p>
<p style="text-align: right;" class="ecxMsoHeader" align="right"><b><span style='font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;'>State Superintendent of Schools</span></b><span style='font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;'></span></p></td></tr>
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<p class="ecxMsoHeader"><span style='font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;'>200 West Baltimore Street </span><span style='font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;'>•</span><span style='font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;'> Baltimore, MD 21201 </span><span style='font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;'>•</span><span style='font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;'> 410-767-0100 </span><span style='font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;'>•</span><span style='font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;'> 410-333-6442 TTY/TDD </span><span style='font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;'>•</span><span style='font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;'> </span><span style='font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;'>MarylandPublicSchools.org</span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div>
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<h1 style="text-align: center;" align="center"><a name="_GoBack" target="_blank"></a><span style='color: windowtext; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal;' lang="X-NONE">MARYLAND STATE BOARD ACCEPTS MARYLAND COMMON CORE STATE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORKS FOR BRAILLE</span></h1>
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<p class="ecxMsoNormal"><span> </span><b>BALTIMORE, MARYLAND (September 25, 2012)</b> – The Maryland State Board of Education approved implementation of the <i>Maryland Common Core State Curriculum Frameworks for Braille: Mathematics </i><span>and the</span> <i>Maryland Common Core State Curriculum Frameworks for Braille: English/Language Arts.</i></p>
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<p class="ecxMsoNormal">In response to House Bill 413 and Senate Bill 230, the Division of Special Education/Early Intervention Services established a Task Force in September 2010 comprised of stakeholders with representatives from the Maryland State Department of Education, the Maryland School for the Blind, local school systems, parents, and advocacy groups.<span> </span>The Task Force developed the M<i>aryland Common Core State Curriculum Frameworks for Braille: Mathematics </i><span>and the</span> <i>Maryland Common Core State Curriculum Frameworks for Braille: English/Language Arts.<span> </span></i><span>The braille frameworks are based on the same Maryland Common Core Curriculum Frameworks that were adopted by the State Board and include the identified braille skills and expectations at each grade level (Prekindergarten through grade twelve) for students who read braille.<span> </span>The </span>standards <span>provide a clear roadmap of braille instruction for teachers and parents to improve literacy skills for students who read braille. They provide higher, grade-level expectations that are aligned to the Common Core.<span> </span></span><span></span></p>
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<p class="ecxMsoNormal">Marcella E. Franczkowski, Assistant State Superintendent of the Division of Special Education/Early Intervention Services said, “The Maryland Common Core State Frameworks for Braille will establish grade-level standards and promote rigorous expectations for Maryland students who read braille.<span> </span>Maryland is the first State in the nation to develop and implement braille standards based upon the Common Core Standards. We anticipate that these braille frameworks will provide support to teachers and families of students with visual impairments throughout the nation.”</p>
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<p class="ecxMsoNormal"><span>Dr. Michael J. Bina, </span>President, The Maryland School for the Blind said, “Maryland’s development of braille standards in Mathematics and English/Language Arts is a phenomenal, giant step forward toward full literacy for students who are blind and visually impaired. This will ensure that students are able to access the curriculum competing with their classmates in these two critical academic areas.”<span style="color: black;"></span></p>
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<p class="ecxMsoPlainText">The <i>Maryland Common Core State Curriculum Frameworks for Braille</i> are available now on the Web at <a href="http://mdk12.org/instruction/commoncore/braille/index.html" target="_blank">http://mdk12.org/instruction/commoncore/braille/index.html</a></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;" class="ecxMsoPlainText" align="center"><b>For more information, contact Lisa Wright, Statewide Blind/Visually Impaired/Low Incidence Specialist at<span> </span>410-767-0812 or <a href="mailto:lwright@msde.state.md.us">lwright@msde.state.md.us</a></b></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;" class="ecxMsoFooter" align="center"><span style='font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt;'>Maryland Public Schools: <b><i>#1 in the Nation Four Years in a Row</i></b></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;" class="ecxMsoFooter" align="center"><span style='font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";'><a href="http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/" target="_blank">www.MarylandPublicSchools.org</a></span></p>
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<p class="ecxMsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Lisa Wright</span></p>
<p class="ecxMsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Statewide Blind and Visually Impaired and Low Incidence Disability Specialist, AIM Coordinator</span></p>
<p class="ecxMsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Division of Special Education/Early Intervention Services</span></p>
<p class="ecxMsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Maryland State Department of Education</span></p>
<p class="ecxMsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">200 West Baltimore Street</span></p>
<p class="ecxMsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Baltimore, MD<span> </span>21201</span></p>
<p class="ecxMsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">PHONE:<span> </span>410-767-0812</span></p>
<p class="ecxMsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">FAX:<span> </span>410-333-8165</span></p>
<p class="ecxMsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">EMAIL:<span> </span></span><a href="mailto:lwright@msde.state.md.us"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">lwright@msde.state.md.us</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></p>
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<p class="ecxMsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">and</span></p>
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<p class="ecxMsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The Maryland School for the Blind</span></p>
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<p class="ecxMsoNormal"><span style="color: rgb(127, 127, 127); font-size: 12pt;">Maryland Public Schools: <b><i>#1 in the Nation Four Years in a Row</i></b></span></p>
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