We center the voice of Dwyan Moore, a Black 12-year-old boy, during his transition of being diagnosed with a learning dis/Ability. We do so to grapple with the problem of disproportionate representation in special education along race and dis/Ability, with particular attention to educational leadership. Disproportionate representation is a…

Family involvement is an essential component of the special education process for youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). In addition to the legal requirement that parents should be equal partners in the decision-making of the student's individualized education program (IEP) program (IDEA, 2004), a bulk of empirical research…

The purpose of this guidebook is to: (1) Assist Speech-Language Pathology service providers as they support the educational goals of eligible students with disabilities in the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS); and (2) Ensure that all Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) in the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) operate with the…

Transition for students with disabilities has been the focus of educational policies for several decades. Still, students with disabilities, including those with a specific learning disability (SLD), continue to experience difficulties transitioning to post-school environments, particularly post-secondary education (PSE). The Individuals with…

In the years since the 2015 reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) as the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) placed a 1.0% cap for states on participation in the alternate assessment based on alternate academic achievement standards (AA-AAAS), states have worked hard to navigate the new restrictions on participation in…

Response to Intervention (RTI) is a multi-tiered model that allows for intervention for students with learning disabilities and behavioral needs. Some studies suggest that implementing RTI can improve educational outcomes for all students including English Language Learning (ELL) students. After the 2004 reauthorization of the Individuals with…

Advocacy is often an expectation for parents of children with disabilities. However, little is known about the process and products (i.e., outcomes) of parent advocacy experiences. Without understanding parent perceptions of their advocacy experiences, it is difficult to measure the effectiveness of parent advocacy. To this end, the purpose of…

The purpose of educational assessments is to provide an academic check-up and to give educators and parents meaningful information on what students know and can do, and how well they are progressing toward college and career readiness. Assessments strive to show how well students perform on clearly defined standards and skills that are being…

An IEP is an Individualized Education Program. When a child is identified with a disability under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) a child has a right to a Free, Appropriate, Public Education (FAPE). For a child to receive FAPE there has to be an IEP developed in order for the child to progress in the general education…

The 2015 reauthorization of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) placed a state-level 1.0% threshold on student participation in the alternate assessment based on alternate academic achievement standard (AA-AAAS). ESSA also stipulated that state education agencies (SEAs) may not impose on any local educational agency (LEA) a cap on the percentage…

This report presents the findings of a survey of states that examined the policies, practices, and procedures State Education Agencies (SEAs) used to monitor IEPs for participation decision making in alternate assessments based on alternate academic achievement standards (AA-AAAS). It is imperative that only students with the most significant…

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) mandates parents' participation as a necessary component of providing an appropriate education to students with disabilities. Despite these guidelines, parents report challenges with joining and contributing to the individualized education program (IEP) team as equal and valuable educational…

Five days after the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its ruling in "Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District," the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued a decision in "M.C. v. Antelope Valley Union High School District." This important decision involved a student who was being served under the Individuals with…

Postsecondary programs for students with intellectual disabilities or neurological and autism spectrum disorders require access to vocational training, continuing education, independent living opportunities, and community participation as defined by the Individuals with Disabilities Act of 2004 (U.S. Department of Education, 2020). According to…

Special education, for students ages 3 to 21, is guided by federal and state requirements. The federal requirements are referred to as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The state requirements are referred to as the Ohio Operating Standards for the Education of Children with Disabilities (Ohio Operating Standards). IDEA…