This book is intended to facilitate the meaningful inclusion of students with disabilities in district and state assessments as required by the 1997 amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. First, an introductory chapter offers reasons for including students with disabilities in district and statewide accountability systems.…

This document presents findings from a 5-year study of the effect of the standards-based reform movement on students with disabilities. The study used pragmatic evaluation strategies that integrated both quantitative and qualitative collection methods of data and site visits to 10 high schools in six districts (including urban, rural, and suburban…

Reports on a study about mainstreaming issues in music education among 107 Arizona music educators. Finds that, in most schools, mainstreaming is the only music placement option, and regular music teachers are the sole providers of instruction for special learners. Concludes that effective mainstreaming does not exist in Arizona. (CFR)

The manual is designed to assist school districts in South Carolina in measuring and maintaining compliance with Public Law 94-142 (the Education for All Handicapped Children Act). Using a checklist format, it is divided into sections which address the following topics: (1) local education agency (LEA) policy requirements; (2) state-operated…

The report is designed as a guideline for preservice and inservice teacher education programs and the New York local education agencies providing preschool services to handicapped children. A set of competencies was reviewed, rated and discussed by professionals in the field at two workshops and in consultation with preschool program…

The report examines the status and needs of behaviorally handicapped students in Maine. It describes the referral and identification process, program characteristics, current problems and issues. The first section presents statistics related to prevalence, types of programs received, costs of special education, and the certification and supply of…

Thirty to forty years ago educators had at most the challenge of tape recorders and players and transistor radios to confront as electronic distractions in the classroom. Then pagers were introduced and became associated with drug trafficking and gang activity. Not long after, the first cellular phones were introduced and, when they became…

This document is designed to provide information to North Carolina administrators and teachers on policy issues related to students with disabilities. Policy letters from the U.S. Office of Special Education Programs and the Office of Civil Rights, as well as "Analysis of Comments and Changes" and "Notice of Interpretations on…

This policy statement clarifies the role of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) team in selecting individual accommodations, modifications in administration, and alternate assessments for state and district-wide assessments. It states that neither the state education agency (SEA) nor the local education agency (LEA) can limit the authority…

This book presents, in a question-and-answer format, a comprehensive guide to special education law, especially the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Following a table of questions and suggestions on using the book, individual chapters cover law on the following topics: (1) eligibility (e.g., under IDEA and other laws, specific…

This booklet describes administrative rules (revised in 1984) regarding the delivery of special education services in Michigan. Presented in a question answer format, the guide explains current rules regarding: the Individualized Educational Planning Committee Process; Independent Educational Evaluation at public expense; vocational evaluation;…

The text provides information to secondary school principals to assist them in designing and maintaining effective educational programs for severely handicapped high school students, including those who are labeled moderately or severely retarded, multiply handicapped, or autistic. A model of effective program characteristics is followed by a…

This monograph provides an overview of critical policy and practice issues facing educators in the area of assistive technology (AT) for students with disabilities and discusses emerging policy directives and best practices for service delivery in a way that is supportive of quality AT programs in schools. Following an introduction, Section 2…

This document describes: (1) the programs and environments that may be considered as general education environments for children with disabilities under the age of six, in addressing the least restrictive provisions of legislation; (2) the procedures to be followed in the process of developing individualized education program (IEP) goals and…

Six school-based improvement programs distributed throughout the United States were studied in order to determine how effective these plans have been and what factors help or hinder them. The programs studied shared three central features: 1) focus on the school as a whole; 2) involvement of teachers in designing improvements; and 3) incorporation…