Disproportionality in education is defined as the overrepresentation of specific racial or ethnic groups requiring special education (NJDOE New Jersey Department of Education [OSEP], 2018). Minority students who may be inappropriately identified as having disabilities may be harmed by being stigmatized with labels, experiencing lower expectations,…

Administrative data refers to information about individual children, families, and/or service providers that is collected and maintained as a part of program operations. Research using early care and education (ECE)-related administrative data has often focused on child care subsidy policies, use of ECE programs, access to ECE programs, and other…

The rapid adoption of digital content and delivery systems, each with its own capacity to track, store, and analyze student usage, interactions, and academic outcomes at both a highly detailed and granular level, has emerged as an area of widespread opportunity, but also of concern. The comingling of various student data sets (demographics, usage,…

Education data can empower educators, students, parents, and policymakers with the information they need to make the best decisions to improve student achievement, information that can move the nation toward an education system in which every student graduates prepared for college and career. Safeguarding the privacy of student data is a critical…

The effects of latency on the accuracy of data recorded by three special education teachers were examined in this study. Teachers recorded data on the target behaviors of three students with varying disabilities. The accuracy of data recorded was assessed during three time periods: immediately after the target behavior occurred, at the end of the…

Special education, a discipline that aims to provide specialized instruction to meet the unique needs of each child with a disability, has turned 40 years old in the United States. Ever since the passage of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (P.L. 94-142) in 1975, every state has been directed to provide a free and appropriate…

In July 2016, the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued two documents to clarify and provide guidance on Federal obligations of school districts to students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) under Section 504. This action was in response to numerous complaints (approximately 2,000 over 5 years)…

This report examines the structure of school transportation systems, the surrounding regulatory landscape, school transportation funding mechanisms, student safety, the impact of school choice, the growing need for school transportation data, and school transportation's effect on the environment. Drawing from these various perspectives, it asks…

Twenty middle school special education teachers from five states were interviewed in order to gain insight into their understanding of accommodation practices. Interview questions solicited information about teachers' understanding of test accommodations, the decision-making process they employed when choosing accommodations, and their reasons for…

Approaches to disability documentation have long been grounds for contention among postsecondary disability service providers. While the new AHEAD Documentation Guidance seems to be creating the usual intensity and heat among its members, there does seem to be a data-based middle ground. The AHEAD Guidance recommends that disability service…

The Part B-619 and Part C Programs under the "Individuals with Disabilities Education Act" (IDEA) provide preschool special education and early intervention services, respectively, to children with disabilities birth through age 5. Recent requirements in IDEA require states to monitor the implementation of these programs through a series…

This document, "Book Three of Four: Effectively Managing LDS Data," is the third installment of this Forum series of guides on longitudinal data systems (LDS). This third book in the guide series discusses organizational issues aimed at moving the project forward and ensuring that the data are of high quality so that users may leverage…

No Child Left Behind mandates have given teachers new responsibilities in data analysis and the implementation of strategies that meet individual student needs. Providing tools and methods for data collection, managing it, and then analyzing it is now a basic need for teachers. By aligning assessments for the specific purpose of addressing…

Response to Intervention (RTI) has been one of the most significant developments in the history of educational reform, requiring a renewed focus on evidence-based instruction and data-driven decisions. However, the current use of RTI as a means of identifying students with SLD is highly variable across states, bringing to focus several issues that…

Deaf and hard of hearing children can face significant challenges developing the language and literacy skills needed to succeed in school and become self-sufficient adults. The federal government supports these children through the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) program, which awards grants to states to develop systems to screen…