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…

Effective state policy for new teacher mentoring stipulates program elements that increase the likelihood that district programming will be implemented and, thus, defines for districts what is important about mentoring support. Although most state policies do not differentiate programs for novice special education teachers, there are particular…

Inclusion is a federal and state mandate, making it critical that early childhood teachers have adequate preparation in their preservice program for serving young children with disabilities. One of the challenges states face in increasing the availability of high-quality inclusive programs is ensuring adequate numbers of confident, competent…

The reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act, December 3, 2004, (IDEA '04) and its implementing federal regulations, October 13, 2006, prompted the need to revise Virginia's special education regulations. Input was received from a Stakeholders Group that included school personnel, parents, consumers,…

The Comprehensive Plan for the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) in New York State contains both long-range goals and short-term actions for the next 20 years with a series of specific actions proposed for the current 3-year (1985-87) period. The first chapter provides program background with sections on OVR'S mission, recent trends in…

The article provides a review of state services for young handicapped children. Section one contains a description of legislation for preschool handicapped education. Part two describes federal programs that relate to special children from birth to mandatory school age. Teacher certification requirements are reviewed in the third section. The…

Designed for use by parents and Head Start facilities in Ohio, the manual outlines procedures for identifying preschool handicapped children. The first chapter explores the rationale for identification of handicapped children. In the second chapter, Ohio standards for inclusion in special education are provided in eight handicapping categories…

The national survey of teacher certification directors was designed to assess the status of state legislation mandating services for children from birth to age 5 and to assess the progress of state education agencies in developing certification standards for teachers of the preschool handicapped. Among findings were that only 16% of all states…

The manual contains policies and procedures assuring all Oklahoma handicapped children the right to a free, appropriate public education. The manual establishes minimum standards for program approval, minimum standards for the determination of pupil eligibility, and considerations which will lead to appropriate programming within the least…

The monograph presents guidelines for early intervention services for handicapped infants and their families. Guidelines are the result of a 1980 conference on health issues in early identification programs. Three state of the art papers are included: "Infancy, What We Know and What We Need to Know as a Basis for Intervention" by A. Korner; "Child…

Since the passage of the 1997 amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, inclusion of all students with disabilities in accountability systems has been mandatory. By 2001, school personnel began to understand that alternate assessment needed to focus on students' performance on state standards, and nearly all states had created…

The paper reviews initiatives the South Carolina Department of Education has undertaken in the area of school psychology, particularly as it pertains to evaluating and placing handicapped children. Two brief introductory sections cover the role, function, and certification of school psychologists and national approaches toward the delineation of…

This report provides a comprehensive account of the performance of students with disabilities on state assessment measures. Following an overview of the issues, it explains the laws that govern the reporting of assessment results (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997 (IDEA) and Title I of the Elementary and Secondary…

This document offers three articles reporting research and practice on the use of paraeducators to provide support to students with disabilities and their teachers. Emphasis is on research funded by the Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs. The first article notes the increasing use of paraeducators to provide…

This state plan for education of students with disabilities in New York provides information on how the state's provision of special education programs and services in the least restrictive environment complies with federal law and regulation (especially the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act). The report describes planning and program…