To explore the accessibility of school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports (SWPBIS) for students with severe disabilities, we conducted a survey of 179 schools implementing SWPBIS during the 2015-2016 school year. Personnel from each school reported the frequency and level of importance of SWPBIS implementation across Likert-type…

Though scholars agree that professional development (PD) is a key mechanism for implementing education policies that call for teacher change, and that PD generally needs to be content-focused, active, collaborative, coherent, and sustained, the application of this framework has yielded mixed results. In this qualitative study, we employed…

In this qualitative case study the researcher examined educators' perceptions of an RTI/MTSS model of instruction and how staff perceptions relate to fidelity of implementation. The purpose of this research was to investigate educators' understanding of the critical components necessary to support implementation of RTI/MTSS framework. The…

Little is known about the implementation of assistive technology (AT) services for students in rural areas. This study investigated the AT service delivery in 10 rural districts across six states. The results indicated that students use AT across functional areas, but considerably fewer number of devices than do those not living in rural areas. AT…

About 13 percent of children aged 3 through 21 enrolled in public schools received special education services in school year 2015-16, and about 3 percent of children from birth through age 2 received special education services. Concerns about the difficulties identifying and evaluating children for special education have been raised by the media,…

The National Center on Intensive Intervention (NCII) has a mission to build district and school capacity to implement intensive intervention that will improve reading, mathematics, and behavioral outcomes for students with disabilities in Grades K-12 who have severe and persistent learning and/or behavioral problems. The purpose of this document…

Response to intervention (RTI) is an approach to instruction, assessment, and intervention that enables early identification of students who are experiencing academic or behavioral difficulties. The jurisdictions served by the Regional Educational Laboratory Northeast and Islands expressed interest in a study of whether and how state education…

This paper reports on the implementation of the Special Education Reimbursement ("Circuit Breaker") Program. Fiscal Year 2007 is the fourth year implementing the Circuit Breaker reimbursement program which provides additional state support for students with disabilities. School districts are eligible for a reimbursement of eligible costs…

Discusses team-teaching or coteaching in the special/regular education integration approach. Describes the development of integration approaches, the limits of the consultation model, the restructuring demands of coteaching, barriers to implementation, advantages to the approach, and 10 suggestions for developing coteaching in schools. (JB)

This paper presents the second part of "Massachusetts Primer on Special Education and Charter Schools." This section is an introduction for new staff members of state agencies and others who need an overview of topics related to Massachusetts students with disabilities enrolled in Massachusetts charter schools. The information focuses on…

This paper presents the third part of the "Massachusetts Primer on Special Education and Charter Schools." Part III addresses the issues concerning the education of students with disabilities at all stages in the development and operation of a Massachusetts charter school. The information is intended to inform those who are responsible…

The paper reviews the experiences of special education administrators in Quincy (MA) Public Schools regarding compliance with P.L. 94-142, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act. Noted are the decentralized model of Pupil Personnel Service Teams, the administrator's role in guiding teachers to set priorities in academic and vocational…

In order to implement special education courses in high schools, the Massachusetts Department of Education, Division of Special Education, developed an inservice training program which utilized a peer-training approach. (CM)

The report discusses Massachusetts' experiences in implementing P.L. 94-142, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, draws conclusions regarding integration of federal and state law, and describes placement options available under the law. The context of reform in both the United States and Great Britain is discussed, and the state-wide…

This document presents model program efforts designed to foster academic and social growth for all students in the least restrictive environment. The program ideas were presented at a conference highlighting effective program collaboration between regular and special education. The programs aim to enhance student skills as well as foster…