Most students with disabilities participate in state assessments with or without accommodations [based on each student's Individualized Education Program (IEP)]. A small number of students with the most severe or profound intellectual disabilities participate in an alternate assessment based on alternate achievement standards (AA-AAS). Until…

Students with low-incidence disabilities frequently receive less than optimal psychoeducational services because the specialized tests and instructional materials required to meet their idiosyncratic needs often are unavailable due to budget constraints, inadequate training of school personnel, and the difficulty school personnel have keeping…

A State Implementation Grant Program (SIG) project coordinated an interagency approach to services for handicapped children, from birth to 3 years of age, in Maryland. A SIG panel was established from representatives of public and private agencies and consumers. The panel first identified existing services for the population (the matrix of…

Second year activities of a 2-year North Carolina State Implementation Grant entailed a review of services for 3- and 4-year-old handicapped children, recommendations based on the findings, a review of teacher preparation programs, and associated staff activities. Review forms were distributed to 251 programs serving young handicapped children…

The report examines barriers to provision of free appropriate public education to handicapped children in West Virginia based on a needs assessment of eight regions. Eight regional meetings (which included representatives of school administration, teachers, parents, and institutions of higher education) used such techniques as…

To determine the extent to which states are able to assess their provision of services to typically underserved populations, this study interviewed 16 Part H (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) state coordinators. Major findings indicated: (1) six states identified their rural population as most underserved and six identified one or more…

This paper reports on several projects conducted in Georgia over the past 2 years that move the development of respite care services toward the goal of becoming a "cooperative, collaborative, and coordinated" effort. An overview of respite care in Georgia is provided as well as a summary of strategies used to provide such care. Emerging…

State vocational rehabilitation agencies were surveyed to determine the extent of interagency development of supported employment (SEMP) alternatives, and 76 of 83 agencies responded. Survey results are categorized as follows: definitions of supported employment, numbers of existing programs, types of vendors, need for revised standards or fees…

The monograph provides an overview of inservice education issues related to P.L. 94-142, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act; and considers approaches to designing and implementing statewide inservice training programs. Considered in the first section are the following topics: inservice provisions of P.L. 94-142; the proliferation of…

The use of a needs assessment instrument as part of the evaluation of a statewide systems change grant, "Increasing Transition Opportunities for Connecticut Youth with Disabilities," is described. A Connecticut Transition Needs Assessment instrument was revised to include seven school components and five community components identified…

This document reports on efforts to develop an initiative to target increased involvement of the Arizona Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) with Arizona's disabled American Indians both on and off reservations. The report summarizes comments on important issues generated during a central office planning meeting of the Arizona RSA. It…

The Technology Access for Arkansans project and the Planning Division of the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department cooperated in a survey to determine the transportation needs of disabled persons in the state. Analysis of the 2,201 consumer survey forms returned (approximately 20% of those sent) is provided for the following areas:…

The Connecticut Special Education Network for Software Evaluation is intended to help special educators learn about effective software. The network has developed a software evaluation model and instrument which solicits both descriptive and evaluative information on special education courseware. A needs assessment performed in the state in 1983…

Fifty-one surveys designed to gather qualitative information on preschool programs in North Dakota were completed and returned by preschool teachers. Questionnaires focused on five major topics: population served, staff, parent involvement, program curriculum, and teacher and program needs. Results indicate that many teachers served fewer than 10…

This program plan for 1993 covers all Idaho community rehabilitation programs served by the Idaho Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (IDVR) and the Idaho Commission for the Blind (ICB), and attempts to assess client and rehabilitation service provider needs, to plan for program development, to identify needed changes, and to evaluate the…