The primary message of the Supreme Court's ruling in "Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District" (hereinafter "Endrew F.," 2017) was that school districts are obligated to "offer an IEP [individualized education program] that is reasonably calculated to enable the child to make progress appropriate in light of the…

The term "newcomers" is commonly used to describe students who have recently arrived in U.S. schools. Depending on usage, newcomers may mean students in their first 6 months in U.S. schools, in their first 4 years, or anywhere in between. A majority arrive speaking little to no English, most are from socioeconomically disadvantaged…

This case focuses on one parent's request to have his daughter exempted from district-mandated computer tests (called STAR Enterprise tests). These tests are administered several times per year as a formative assessment to gauge student achievement in the areas of reading and math. The parent was concerned that the district was spending too much…

In this issue, Professor Perry Zirkel argues that the points presented in the Dixon, Eusebio, Turton, Wright, and Hale treatise of the Forest Grove School District v. T.A. Supreme Court case confuses "legal requirements with professional norms." Although we appreciate Zirkel's acknowledgment that our position reflects the professional…

The purpose of this research paper was to examine the effects of standardized testing on the youth of America. It was intended to point out the shortcomings of the usage of such tests. There were comparisons of the effects testing has on different cultures of students as well as different socioeconomic classes. Court cases were brought into play…

A practical guide & reference manual, "Teaching Music to Students with Special Needs" addresses special needs in the broadest possible sense to equip teachers with proven, research-based curricular strategies that are grounded in both best practice and current special education law. Chapters address the full range of topics and issues music…

Tobacco has been an agricultural staple from the time of the first recorded European encounter with the plant in the fifteenth century. The pervasive nature of its cultivation and consumption has made tobacco one of the most profitable crops in world agricultural history. This case study examines the role of tobacco in the global marketplace with…

Regrettably, cheating is widespread on all levels of our educational system. Effective monitoring and judicial review processes that ensure that students who cheat are subjected to appropriate disciplinary action are essential. However, policing is not enough. We must go beyond policing to change the culture of the classroom in ways that…

This article proposes a new role-playing exercise for public law courses: a mock-trial simulation using the European inquisitorial system of trial procedure. By exposing students to an alternative method of conducting a trial, numerous pedagogical benefits can be obtained, including stimulating critical thinking regarding the potential…

This article examines whether Ontario's Special Education Tribunals have expanded the educational rights of exceptional children beyond those legislated, with emphasis on the nature and quality of psychoeducational assessments provided by school boards. The review of litigation finds a number of expanded rights in this area. (Author/DB)

The changing definitions of mental retardation are reviewed in terms of the implications for assessment, and difficulties in meeting the requirements of federal legislation and court litigation in assessment are considered. Critical issues, including instrumentation and adaptive behavior, are analyzed, and three recommendations for practice are…

This article focuses on the basic idea that having equality and justice for all in schooling cannot be achieved in the current climate where students are viewed solely as individuals. In fact, given the educational debt and achievement gaps, the ideas of equality and justice are necessarily contradictory. Achieving justice, in light of the…

IDEA stands for The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which is the law that requires special services for children with disabilities from birth through the age of twenty-one years. This law has established the regulations on which the procedural safeguards in this booklet are based. The ten safeguards discussed include the right to:…

Lack of independent review process in professional schools and refusal of courts to review errors not resulting from arbitrariness, caprice, or bad faith leave student and societal interests in accurate grading inadequately protected. (Journal availability: University of the Pacific, 3201 Donner Way, Sacramento, CA 95817.) (MSE)

This volume contains two papers concerning appropriate accommodations that can be made in the areas of grading and granting credits and diplomas for mildly handicapped high school students. The first paper discusses grades for students with disabilities who are mainstreamed in general education classes. It presents seven guiding principles that…