This guide describes key steps for developing a well-thought-out plan for evaluating a State Systemic Improvement Plan (SSIP). The guide provides considerations for how to incorporate each step into an evaluation plan, as well as a series of worksheets that correspond to each step and can be used to facilitate the planning process. The guide,…

The reauthorized Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) established new provisions for specific learning disability (SLD) identification, including: (a) no longer requiring consideration of IQ-achievement discrepancy and (b) permitting response to intervention (RTI) as part of SLD evaluation procedures. We discuss several…

Some states are developing alternate assessments based on modified achievement standards (AA-MAS) to measure the academic achievement of some students with disabilities (Albus, Lazarus, Thurlow, & Cormier, 2009; Lazarus, Thurlow, Christensen, & Cormier, 2007). These assessments measure the same content as the general assessment for a given…

This paper has been developed by the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) of the Council for Exceptional Children to serve as a companion document to the 2003 joint position statement, "Early Childhood Curriculum, Assessment and Program Evaluation-Building and Effective, Accountable System in Programs for Children Birth through Age 8,"…

This background paper for a policy forum provides a framework for discussing the issue of determining eligibility for special education programs and services according to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Included is a review of the role of assessment in special education, concerns about assessment practices, and constraints…

This monograph attempts to provide an overview of current educational issues that affect brain-injured students with special emphasis on the assessment process. An introduction notes recognition of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and its definition under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1990 as well as the increasing numbers of such…

This study analyzed the special education program evaluation practices of 49 states and the District of Columbia based on states' required reporting under Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and on state plans. Comparison of the results with those from a 1984 study suggests the following trends: (1) an increase in the number…

This position paper addresses the creation of a new category of eligibility for services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, "Developmental Delay," which would only be applicable to children ages 3 to 5. Such a classification would address concerns about labeling young children, lack of confidence in assessment…