The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 2004 established a requirement that all States develop and submit to the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) a performance plan designed to advance the State from its current level of compliance with the statutory and regulatory requirements of the law…

Successful transition planning is a lifelong process in which the student, family members, friends, and professionals come together to develop and act upon a plan that will lead to a successful adult life. For this reason, transition planning has become a part of several federal laws. The most encompassing of these laws, the Individuals with…

This case study investigated parental perceptions of students with autism towards the IEP meeting from one family support group chapter in the north Texas area. Participants were asked to share their experiences of previous IEP meetings and to provide input regarding not only measures that school districts may take towards improving IEP meetings,…

Special education teachers and individualized education program (IEP) team members throughout the country are struggling to make appropriate decisions regarding assistive technology (AT) for students with high incidence disabilities. Although numerous authors and organizations have developed tools to assist IEP teams when considering AT, the task…

Schools of tomorrow will be completely different physically and operationally. The author of this article states that we cannot tolerate the current high failure rates in terms of graduation and possession of the competencies needed to function successfully as citizens in a democracy, productively as workers and heuristically as learners. He lists…

Parents of students with disabilities face a number of difficult choices in determining how to get the best education for their children. Too often, the special education system in public schools fails its students. Parents must become both experts and advocates for their children in order to navigate a burdensome maze of regulations to fight for…

This federally funded project analyzed data from a computerized individualized education plan (IEP) system, to examine factors relating to excellence in special education, with the goal of improving student assessment, evaluation, and outcomes in special education. This final report focuses on three research questions. The first question is…

This guide was designed to serve as a reference document for developers of individualized education programs (IEPs) for students with disabilities in Georgia. Specific procedures and responsibilities of the student support team during the processes of identification, intervention, and evaluation are outlined. The first section covers the student…

This booklet is intended to provide Ohio parents with information about their legal rights concerning the identification, evaluation, and placement of a preschool child with a suspected disability. The first section focuses on identification including the in-school identification system, the out-of-school identification system, and…

This curriculum guide, based on the position that career education is a major focus of the educational program, is designed to assist students with disabilities to become productive workers and independent adults. Chapter 1 provides an overview of the history and importance of career education for children with disabilities. The features of career…

This guide provides background information to help interpret Iowa state and federal rules as they apply to occupational therapy (OT) for students with disabilities (birth to age 21) in educational settings. The first section is on personnel and provides definitions and statements of licensure for the positions of occupational therapist and…

A project developed and implemented a plan to retain those adult basic education students who are likely to be successful if they stay enrolled in the program but who are likely to drop out if program staff do not intervene. The plan involved use of an assessment instrument to identify these at-risk students, development of an individualized…

This guide is intended to help parents understand how a child becomes eligible for special education and related services and how to use letter writing to effectively communicate with the school when necessary. Initial information is presented in question-and-answer format and letters to request services. Sample letters are offered for the parent…

This guide is designed to answer questions about cooperation/collaboration between Head Start and local school districts. Relevant sections of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the regulations implementing it are cited, along with regulations of the Department of Health and Human Services concerning the Head Start program, and…

This booklet contains guidelines for implementing a planning process that enhances the transition-related results of New York school districts' individualized education programs (IEP) for students with disabilities. The guide highlights applicable federal and state law and regulations and provides a logical process that addresses transition…