The Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance (PLAAFP) section in Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) is critical for aligning educational goals with students' current capabilities and needs. However, inconsistencies and legal deficiencies in PLAAFP statements persist due to inadequate data collection and fragmented…

More than 45 individuals representing staff from state departments of education, school districts, testing and testing-related companies, and other educational organizations participated in a forum on June 26, 2018 in San Diego, California to discuss speech-to-text and scribing, the differences in terminology, challenges associated with…

A synopsis of students course taking and the type of diploma chosen by high school students, also known as their Individualized Learning Plans (ILP), provides a holistic view of student's preparation in high school, and serves as a reliable indicator of their college and career readiness. While ILPs are mandated in over 30 states, limited work has…

This paper begins with examining the origins of Individual Educational Plans, before taking a critical approach to the concept, to highlight the shortcomings and flaws that can now be found with the concept. The call is made to move toward Personalised Planning models, which will have a greater impact on pupil outcomes, before reporting on how the…

Pam Shanks describes Raintree Montessori School, an exemplary inclusion school, and gives credit to the legacy of Dr. Montessori. An inclusive Montessori community begins with "physical integration of all children, progresses to functional inclusion, and finally culminates in the highest level, social inclusion." Each of these levels is…

Our goal in this session is to open up new pathways for addressing the seemingly immutable educational disparities, often brought about by historical power imbalances and traditional transmission pedagogies in classrooms and schools that continue to value and perpetuate a view of knowledge and learning maintained by the dominant group. We share…

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a chronic developmental disorder with symptoms of inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity. The developmental course of the disorder shows that symptoms may be present even from infancy. The aetiology of the disorder may result from many factors, genetic and neurological playing the leading…

Problem: Many inequities frequently have been found to exist in representations of students and access to school programs in public schools. Theory: The purpose of this equity audit is to utilize theoretical positioning and conduct an empirical study involving student representations and access to educational opportunities. The audit focuses on…

The CHOICES Project funded by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), U.S. Department of Education, addresses the need for ready access to information for parents, students, school, and community agency personnel regarding transitional and community support programs. At this time we have created two databases (student information and community…

Almost 50 years ago, while President of CEC, Frances Connor delivered a presidential address entitled "The Sword and the Spirit." She called for five revolutions. The first revolution called for increasing the quantity and quality of special education teachers. The second stated that "special education depends upon an intensive…

General education teachers are seeing an increase of students with disabilities being included. A major contributing factor to this is that students with disabilities are required to be in least restrictive environments and given access to the general curriculum in the major subjects like math and science as mandated by federal legislation…

Differences in reading comprehension were examined in students with disabilities after use of three reader modification types. Participants (n=10) conveniently selected from two school districts were students grades three through eight reading on a third grade level that received a reader as a modification in their Individualized Education…

How do children develop identifications with mathematics over time, seeing themselves as agents in their math classrooms (or not)? This ethnographic and interview study followed nine Latino/a children with and without learning dis/abilities through two years of mathematics in a high-poverty urban school. The children participated in two distinct…

The report highlights evaluations from the 1979-80 school year of 18 deaf/blind programs in Texas. Two previous years' findings are noted. Analysis of teacher and administrator questionnaires indicated an increase in the trend toward more uniform structuring of individualized education programs (IEPs). Programs were not as successful as the…

The paper deals with a mental health program designed to treat the 2 1/2 to 5 year old Mexican American child with severe emotional or behavioral problems. Components of the program included a mutual agreement with Parent Child Centers (Headstart) in the community; staff who had expertise to evaluate, diagnose, design, and implement an individual…