The purpose of this descriptive study was to investigate the quality of Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals for students with traumatic brain injury (TBI) using an empirically based rating instrument. One hundred twenty-five IEP goals for 49 students with TBI were coded using the Revised IEP/IFSP Goals and Objective Rating Instrument…

Background: Italy is internationally known as a Country with a longstanding "tradition" of inclusive education. Objective: Aim of the paper is to provide a frame on the educational policies that, since 1970s, have steered the school system according to a "fully inclusive" model, highlighting the instruments of teaching-learning…

Despite encouraging changes in the expectations of programming for persons with moderate to severe intellectual disability (MSD), data suggest that programs for these individuals are still lacking in several critical areas. Building administrators play a key role in promoting high quality programs for students with MSD within local schools but may…

Under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), transition needs and services are to be discussed as part of the Individual Education Program (IEP) planning process, and decisions based on students' future goals are to be documented in the IEP. These transition requirements were included in IDEA in order to plan with the student,…

Educational outcomes for youths in foster care are poor compared with those of their peers who are not child welfare involved. This qualitative study examined the impact of adoption on the educational experiences of older youths with disabilities who were adopted from the child welfare system. Researchers conducted interviews with families of…

Parents of young children participating in either Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part C early intervention or IDEA Part B-619 preschool special education programs were surveyed to obtain a consumer science perspective of the practitioners who were the children's primary service providers. Parents were asked to make judgments of…

Austin Independent School District used $16 million in federal funds to support 25 ARRA IDEA projects to reduce the student academic achievement gap, reduce disproportionality, reduce dropout, improve district processes, improve teacher quality, and evaluate programs.

The Union for Experimenting Colleges and Universities (UECU) was developed as an alternative form of postsecondary education, fostering the development of university without walls programs at a number of institutions and initiating its own undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Its commitment is to personalized, self-directed, lifelong…

Factors involved in the planning, development, and review of degree programs, as well as features of traditional and alternative approaches to improving degree programs, are examined. After considering terminology and different philcsophies of education, attention is directed to the importance of program structure and the necessity of considering…

This article proposes a continuum of employment training options for students with special needs and identifies program quality indicators in the areas of assessment and the Individual Education Plan; the employment training program; community-based settings; provisions for on-site training and evaluation; and interagency cooperation. (DB)

Criteria that may be used to assess the quality of individualized education programs (IEPs) for handicapped students are presented, along with nine examples of procedures for recording/displaying pupil performance data, and seven guidelines for modifying instructional programs. After discussing the rationale for IEPs, the following three indices…

This document presents a "Quality Program Indicators Checklist" developed with the goal of program improvement in classrooms for students in Kentucky with moderate and severe handicaps. The checklist evaluates program effectiveness in six component areas: (1) integration (interaction opportunities and teacher behaviors supportive of…

This document describes a set of indicators that the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) Task Force on Recommended Practices recommends for early intervention and early childhood special education (EI/ECSE) programs for infants and young children with special needs and their families. The indicators are designed to be used by professionals in…

This book's 15 chapters elaborate on specific educational practices in early intervention and early childhood special education, recommended by a task force of the Council for Exceptional Children's Division of Early Childhood. The selected practices were identified through a process involving analysis of expert opinions, professional consensus,…