The state of Delaware has a Dual Language Immersion program serving students from different backgrounds and varying socioeconomic statuses with a wide range of diverse needs. The state has ever-increasing difficulty finding qualified teachers who also speak the target language of the program, in this case, Spanish. As a result, districts within…

This study aimed to determine prior teacher and educational diagnostician knowledge of Indicator 13 and how to use Indicator 13 to improve post-school outcomes for students with moderate to severe disabilities. This study examined students with moderate to severe disabilities' indicator 13 results at the Learning Independency for Everyday…

Despite national attention for academic success, data shows that students with disabilities in the Appoquinimink School District do not share in this success. The district boasts a large enrollment in AP courses and high scores in both the state standardized tests and AP exams. However, students with disabilities consistently perform well below…

Although varying among and within the states, the percentage of students with 504 plans is steadily and significantly increasing as a national average. Although the professional literature addresses the legal standards for eligibility for 504 plans, it has not provided up-to-date information to practitioners as to the legal standard for the…

Special education students are entitled to receive accommodations stipulated in their individualized education program (IEP) based on the individuals with disabilities education act (IDEA) (14 Delaware Code, §310, 2016). Although IDEA regulation does not define accommodations, accommodations are embedded within the students' IEP to provide them an…

With the pressure of No Child Left Behind and state-ordered accountability initiatives building, local educators' angst with the challenges of documenting improvement on the part of special education students, as a function of their performance on high stakes content assessments, continues to grow. One major tool used to identify academic needs…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to determine special education teachers' perceptions of the daily process of documentation of academic accommodations provided to special education students on their caseloads, Grades 6-10. The purposefully selected sample was comprised of 12 middle and high school special education teachers who teach in…

Recently, federal legislation has been implemented requiring that public school students meet a specified performance level of academic proficiency by the 2013/2014 school year. This reform movement, known as "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB), was passed by Congress and incorporates many of President Bush's educational reform proposals…

This paper explores the stakeholder values, desired student outcomes, organizational purposes, and operating model of the Community-based Education Alliance (CBEA), a transition program operated by a partnership between the Center for Disabilities Studies of the University of Delaware, and two school districts in New Castle County, Delaware. The…

This document presents a five-step process for schools, districts, and states to use in monitoring accommodations for instruction and assessment. This document was designed to be a companion to the "Council of Chief State School Officers' Accommodations Manual: How to Select, Administer, and Evaluate Use of Accommodations for Instruction and…

This article describes the Laptop Computer Initiative (LCI), a program in a Delaware school district to enhance referral-to-placement practices and to develop individualized education programs for special education students. The six steps in the program's development are recounted and positive results of the LCI, such as increased staff efficiency…

The Delaware State Plan for fiscal years 88-90, as mandated by Public Law 94-142, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act. Part I consists of various submission statements and certifications required by the law. Part II consists of substantive requirements. Policies, procedures, and descriptions concerning the following are detailed: right…

This manual incorporates the Delaware State Board of Education's rules and regulations governing the education of exceptional children and is intended to provide guidance and information to educators, administrators, parents, and the public. The section on handicapped children covers the following areas: access to special education and related…

This manual addresses the state and federal requirements for the administration and delivery of services and supports for children with disabilities under the age of 21 in Delaware. It is designed to provide a single source of regulatory requirements which apply to programs for children with disabilities, a cross reference of federal and state…