Sections 616 and 642 of the 2004 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) required states to develop a State Performance Plan (SPP) to (a) evaluate their efforts in implementing the requirements of IDEA and (b) describe their plan for implementation of IDEA through determination of "measurable and rigorous" goals. In this…

In 2009, Vanderbilt University's Peabody Research Institute, with the assistance of the Tennessee Department of Education's Division of Curriculum and Instruction, initiated a rigorous, independent evaluation of the state's Voluntary Prekindergarten program (TN- VPK). TN-VPK is a full-day prekindergarten program for four-year-old children expected…

This paper highlights several current collaborative activities of the National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (NECTAC). There are many specific examples of TA (Technical Assistance) collaborations that take place on a regular basis; the seven examples presented here were selected to represent different types of collaboration. The…

The paper presents information in a question and answer format about the evaluation of special education program effectiveness. A seven-step process used in Nebraska is presented: (1) evaluation preview, (2) outline of evaluation questions, (3) information collection plan, (4) analysis and interpretation plan, (5) report plan, (6) management plan,…

The handbook details Colorado's educational services to handicapped students and discusses the state's progress (1977-78 fiscal year) in insuring appropriate education as required by the 1973 Handicapped Children's Educational Act. Sections briefly address the following topics: the student (number and age range identified); the staff (total number…

The year end report documents the activities of a Kansas state implementation grant for the education of preschool handicapped children. Activities and accomplishments are outlined for two components: administration, planning, and management to meet current needs (management of existing network of programs, stimulation of programs for unserved…

The preliminary draft of a formal program evaluation model for special education operations in Pennsylvania is presented. Beginning chapters provide a review of literature on norm-referenced measurement, an illustration of formal and informal program evaluation in a learning disabilities context, descriptions of general implementation strategies…

The statewide (Oregon) survey of special education administrators, high school special education teachers, and parents of mildly disabled high school students investigated four areas of special education services: focus/content, discrepancies between availability and utilization, barriers to mainstreaming, and conditions required for improvement.…

This report reviews the outcomes of a forum convened to examine policy and practice issues surrounding the annual evaluation of effectiveness of programs and services for students with disabilities. At the forum, alternative approaches being used by states to implement program evaluation were discussed, along with issues in gathering…

Formal program evaluation activities in special education have focused primarily on process indicators such as compliance while neglecting product indicators such as student outcomes. While efforts are underway to provide technical assistance to state and local educational agencies to expand the focus of evaluation activities, there is a need to…

In order to provide high quality training to paraprofessionals employed in state-funded Child Day Care Centers, an innovative instructional program was developed based on the need to offer training in convenient commuting locations and to recruit and train unlicensed paraprofessionals from cultural and linguistic backgrounds similar to those of…

Differences between state and local special education programs and the state-federal vocational rehabilitation (VR) program are highlighted, through discussion of the history of the state-federal VR program, the differing definitions of disabilities, operation of the VR program, funding differences, and resultant differences in evaluation…

This guide is designed to assist Missouri school district personnel in conducting follow-up studies of special education graduates. The guide outlines the questions that need to be addressed prior to conducting a follow-up study as well as the procedures to complete such a project. Sample follow-up questionnaires are included for districts to…

Investigated with a random sample of classes for each of five categories of exceptionality--educable mentally retarded, trainable mentally retarded, socially and emotionally disturbed, brain injured, and physically handicapped--were the costs of special education in Pennsylvania elementary and secondary schools in relation to its quality. Data…

This document presents the proceedings of the sixth National Monitoring Conference concerned with implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Introductory material describes the purpose and background of the document and the federal monitoring of states, including the Continuous Improvement Monitoring Process (CIMP) and…