This article describes the Laptop Computer Initiative (LCI), a program in a Delaware school district to enhance referral-to-placement practices and to develop individualized education programs for special education students. The six steps in the program's development are recounted and positive results of the LCI, such as increased staff efficiency…

Describes the founding, organization, and support services of the Oregon Family Support Network. Using volunteers, the network provides support and information to families whose children are severely emotionally or behaviorally disturbed. Services include emotional support, technical assistance, networking, information, community forums, parent…

The International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IBPYP) was developed for students between the ages of 3 and 12 years. It is a transdisciplinary program designed to foster the development of the whole child, not just in the classroom but also through other means of learning. The IBPYP focuses on the total growth of the developing child,…

Staffings are designed to be problem-solving meetings. In theory, all participants come to a staffing with information, knowledge or general input aimed at designing an effective educational program for a child. However, in some cases, staffings become discordant sessions laced with conflict. In order to avoid this negative outcome, it may be…

Curriculum-based measurement (CBM) bridges traditional psychometric and classroom-based observational assessment paradigms to forge an innovative approach to measurement, with several advantages over traditional and other forms of classroom assessment. This article provides a framework for extending CBM in two ways. First, the authors explain how…

As a result of inherent cognitive and language difficulties, individuals with mental retardation/developmental disabilities often are considered difficult to assess appropriately. When cognitive and language difficulties occur in conjunction with behavioral issues, this difficulty is compounded. The IDEA requirement to include a form of…

This brief publication provides bullet points of what education authorities are doing well and how they can do better in the following areas: (1) Planning for implementation; (2) Transition arrangements; (3) Meeting additional support needs; (4) Resolving disagreements; (5) Coordinated support plans; and (6) Working with children and young…

Many parents and educators have questions before individualized education program (IEP) meetings. However, barriers to effective family/school partnership continue to exist, despite widespread consensus regarding the merits of a family-centered approach to providing services and supports, decades of research documenting positive outcomes from…

The social and academic benefits of inclusion for students with disabilities have been well researched and well documented. Unfortunately, inclusion opportunities are limited by lack of qualified staff, logistics, scheduling and other difficulties encountered when attempting to meet students' unique needs in the general education setting. As a…

This paper first compares Vermont's old Individualized Education Plan (IEP) which was designed primarily to insure legal compliance with the new family-centered IEP. It then describes the new IEP. Vermont's new family-centered IEP process emphasizes increased collaboration, reduced paperwork, and legal compliance. Three questions serve as a focus…

This paper describes an activity developed at the University of Nebraska to familiarize prospective teachers with the process of developing Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for students with disabilities. The activity, titled "Experiencing the Change Process: Writing a Personalized IEP," acquaints students with the major IEP…

This paper presents a procedure for the assessment, identification, and placement of second language learners in the Chester Upland School District in Pennsylvania. The second language learner educational program is designed to: (1) make instructional use of both English and the student's native language; (2) enable second language learners to…

To comply with the Education for the Handicapped Act, comprehensive needs assessments were conducted in Ohio relative to appropriate physical education programming in the least restrictive environment. Results from an assessment in an urban school district confirmed the belief that physical education teachers did not possess needed competencies…

The Adapted Computer Studies Program for the Disabled at Grossmont College was developed with the following objectives: (1) to provide the disabled students with essential computer skills and a support system enabling them to mainstream into the regular college classroom; (2) to provide the students with a tool that will enable them to transfer to…

The Idaho Falls School District No. 91 has developed a Chapter 1 program designed to excite children about learning, supplement basic skills, improve self-image and prove that measureable achievement is possible. It provides reading and mathematics services in target schools, and involves parents as much as possible. The instructional model used…