This booklet presents photographs and quotations illustrating the effective inclusion of children with disabilities in New Hampshire's public schools. The booklet was created to acknowledge and celebrate families, educators, and communities who have welcomed all students into neighborhood schools and classrooms; to energize dedicated people who…

This manual outlines the State of Oregon's program to reimburse medical providers furnishing health services to students with medical disabilities in special education settings. The program was established to comply with federal provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1990. The guide will assist school personnel in…

This document summarizes the statewide assessment programs required by the Maryland State Department of Education and the exemptions, excuses, and accommodations permitted for each program. All students are to be included to the fullest extent possible in the mandated state assessments. The accommodations for an individual student are meant to…

This report summarizes activities of the National Center on Educational Outcomes directed at producing a report on the status of students with disabilities from the secondary analysis of state-collected achievement data. Although 27 states reported that large-scale achievement data were available for some students with disabilities, potentially…

This analysis of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act focuses on Minnesota's participation in Part H, which creates a discretionary program to assist states in planning, implementing, and developing a statewide system of comprehensive, coordinated, multidisciplinary, interagency programs for young (birth to age 3) children and their…

This digest examines issues concerning performance assessment of students receiving special education services. Issues addressed are: (1) need to infuse performance assessment into national programs including the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and the National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS); (2) current lack of inclusion of…

This manual is designed to help parents learn how the special education system works in Pennsylvania and how parents can use the system to benefit their child. Chapters of the manual cover the student's right to: (1) a free appropriate public education; (2) pre-evaluation screening; (3) evaluations and re-evaluations; (4) an individualized…

This final progress report examines implementation of Part H of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) by the various states. Part H coordinators in the 50 states and the District of Columbia and chairpersons of the State Interagency Coordinating Councils were asked to complete the five point Likert "State Progress Scale"…

This paper examines issues involved in identifying and securing sales tax exemptions to curtail the potential negative impact of state sales taxes on assistive technology. Chapter I discusses the nature of sales taxes, including their definition, their impact, their structure and administration, and the sources of exemptions. Chapter II considers…

This guidebook is offered as a "road map" for parents who wish to be involved in shaping public policy regarding early intervention for children with disabilities, by participating in state or local Interagency Coordinating Councils (ICCs). Parents who are current or former members of state ICCs share their stories, learning, and…

This state plan describes how the state of New York intends to comply with legislative mandates concerning education of children with disabilities, specifically the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Part 300 of the Code of Federal Regulations. It also describes the planning and program initiatives that will be undertaken at…

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 paper provides an overview of how Massachusetts has successfully integrated use of the federal Medicaid program into a plan for financing Part H of Public Law 99-457, the 1986 Amendments to the Education of the Handicapped Act, on a statewide basis. Noted is the lack of a single strategy for accessing Medicaid funds for early intervention…

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…

This document begins with an annotated outline of Public Law 96-272, the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980, which encourages states to prevent unnecessary removal of children from their homes and to reunify foster children with their families. The document discusses reasons for the law's enactment, the law's provisions, its…