A principal has many responsibilities; high on this list includes the need to be educated in current special education requirements to serve students with disabilities. The purpose of this study was to explore the amount of special education legal knowledge that secondary principals in Ohio possess. Demographic information, perceived special…

The purpose of this annotated bibliography is to provide educators with sources that define parent and family involvement and offer suggestions for how to involve families in the transition planning process. Based on the categorical nature of the literature identified, the bibliography is organized by the following categories: parents of students…

A respected principal finds himself caught in the middle of a complex legal conundrum when a student requests to bring a service animal to his public school where another student may be dangerously allergic to the animal. This case explores how accommodations per the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of…

Special education consists of specially designed services available for students with disabilities, and should be available across placements. Students with the most significant disabilities continue to be taught in restrictive settings, despite accumulating evidence suggesting their special education services can be delivered effectively in…

Supplementary aids and services (SAS) have been a provision in special education law since PL 94-142, however, almost no guidance has been provided to help teams make decisions about their appropriate selection and use. In this exploratory study, we explore the types of SAS selected for students with significant support needs using a conventional…

The 2017-18 National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS) is a state and nationally representative sample survey of public and private K-12 schools, principals, and teachers in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. NTPS collects data on core topics including teacher and principal preparation, classes taught, school characteristics, and…

To help families navigate these processes, this tool is intended to introduce students and families to their rights in common scenarios, promote educational equity for students with disabilities, describe potential recourse or remedies for educational discrimination, and provide resources to enhance equity within schools. Families' rights and…

The purpose of this case study was to examine if the Matching Assistive Technology to Child Augmentative Communication Evaluation Simplified (MATCH-ACES) assessment can help a special education team select an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) intervention for a student with special needs. Additionally, this study identified the…

Communicating Interagency Relationships and Collaborative Linkages for Exceptional Students (CIRCLES) is a transition-planning service delivery model designed to guide schools in implementing interagency collaboration. This study examined the impact of CIRCLES on students' self-determination and participation in individualized education program…

This paper addresses the issue of integrating students with special needs into foreign language programs in the early childhood years. A partnership between a university and a charter school in central Florida began as a result of parent and teacher interest in providing a foreign language program for its prekindergarten students. Since 2014,…

The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (Smarter Balanced) strives to provide every student with a positive and productive assessment experience, generating results that are a fair and accurate estimate of each student's achievement. Further, Smarter Balanced is building on a framework of accessibility for all students, including English…

This self-assessment tool provides a framework for discussion to promote partnerships among schools and early care and education providers to promote the inclusion of young children with disabilities and their families in early childhood programs. Forming a cross-sector team to complete the self-assessment is recommended. As the team considers…

Individualized education programs (IEPs) for students with disabilities ages 16 and older must include a transition component. It is important for educators to understand the role transition assessment plays in developing a thorough transition component that includes measurable postsecondary goals, annual IEP goals, transition services, and a…

Oklahoma implemented universal pre-K in 1998. It is one of only five states that has or is implementing universal preschool, and for several years has served more four-year-old children than any other state. The organization, Community Action Project (CAP) Tulsa, occupies a unique position in this work. As one of the largest anti-poverty agencies…

An often-used idiom states: "you can't lose what you never had." Yet contrary to this expression, it "is" possible to lose what you never had--at least when special education support is concerned. In Ontario, as in other jurisdictions, special education exists as a codified system. An ever-changing nexus of discourses and…