About 13 percent of children aged 3 through 21 enrolled in public schools received special education services in school year 2015-16, and about 3 percent of children from birth through age 2 received special education services. Concerns about the difficulties identifying and evaluating children for special education have been raised by the media,…

As public schools, charter schools are legally required to educate all students regardless of the difficulties they bring with them into the classroom. Nonetheless, many are concerned that the charter sector fails to educate all comers. Charter schools are often criticized for not enrolling similar proportions of students with disabilities as are…

Middle and high school students subjected to harsh school discipline policies and practices such as suspensions and expulsions are more likely to disengage from the classroom and course work, and increases their chances of dropping out, according to this new report from the Alliance for Excellent Education. The report recommends implementing…

This document provides guidelines for preferred practice for the Child Identification Process for Colorado children, birth through five years of age. The guidelines were developed to be flexible and adaptable in support of individual community needs and in recognition of the variable resources throughout the state; however, the basic underlying…

There was a time, not long ago, when students signed up to use Cornell University's rock-climbing wall by scribbling their Social Security numbers on a piece of paper tacked nearby. Steven J. Schuster remembers that era with a mixture of amusement and horror. An alarming number of personal records--many laced with Social Security numbers and other…

Response to intervention (RTI) arose, in part, from the limited success of the pre-referral process, an approach advocated in the 1980s and 1990s, and accurately measuring the discrepancy between aptitude and achievement in young children. Reflecting these concerns, when the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was reauthorized in…

This set of effectiveness indicators is intended to assist Colorado communities and agencies to evaluate themselves regarding processes for the identification of young children (birth to age 5) with disabilities. First, a statement of values stresses proactivity, family empowerment, and outcome orientation. Specific effectiveness indicators are…

This annual performance report describes activities of Colorado's statewide system of early intervention services and supports in compliance with Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) from July 1, 1998 through September 30, 1999. The report discusses: (1) interagency agreements; (2) agencies involved in the provision of…

This annual performance report describes activities of Colorado's statewide system of early intervention services and supports in compliance with Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) from July 1, 2000, through September 30, 2001. The report discusses: (1) interagency agreements; (2) agencies involved in the provision of…

The report examines effectiveness and cost studies of early special education programs for handicapped children, discusses research and resulting data from Colorado, and concludes that preschool services are beneficial to students and cost effective for society. Chapter 1 reviews longitudinal, shorter term empirical, and third party evaluation…

This fifth annual report describes activities of Colorado's Statewide system of services and supports in compliance with Part H of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The report notes an increasing emphasis on the following: values-oriented planning with extensive family involvement, interagency coordination, coordinated…

A rationale for early childhood and parent involvement programs is provided in this volume, along with guidelines and examples of how to proceed. Each of its nine chapters includes a bibliography. Chapter 1, "Rationale for Early Intervention," examines such topics as the importance of the early years, teaching parents to intervene, and…

This report on the fourth year of Colorado's participation in Part H of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act describes major accomplishments in preparing for full implementation of Part H in Year 5. Accomplishments in the following areas are discussed: state definition of developmental delay, central directory, timetables for serving…

The paper describes Colorado's needs-based special education programs and investigates the most useful predictive performance measures for 100 students enrolled in a teacher education preservice program, analyzing such factors as the relationship between admission criteria and student teaching performance. Recommendations for revisions in…

This 3-year state plan presents Colorado's proposals for special education in compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and state laws. Preliminary information certifies compliance with standard submission, certification, policy, and procedure requirements. The bulk of the document addresses how federal funds are to be used.…