The rapid growth of special needs vouchers has been accompanied by the loss of historic civil rights and protections under the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). We examine three of the largest special needs voucher programs in the United States: those in Florida, Georgia and Ohio.…

Boosting literacy among school-age children remains a national priority. Nearly one third of students in the United States have not developed the foundational reading skills needed to succeed academically, with students living in poverty, students with disabilities, and English learners especially at risk. Starting in 2010, Congress invested more…

Literacy skills lay the foundation upon which every individual's education rests. When a learner receives the necessary tools to develop strong language and literacy skills, he or she becomes able to achieve personal autonomy and pursue aspirations. Ohio is committed to supporting an education system that prioritizes the language and literacy…

An increased level of collaboration is often a specific requirement for groups and agencies involved in complementary grant program activities. This ensures that programs with a common funding source are as efficient and effective as possible in areas where their missions converge. In this report, the authors highlight collaborative activities…

Early care and education providers are subject to monitoring by multiple agencies and organizations. In this brief provides an overview of monitoring and the major early care and education monitoring systems. It then offers possible goals for a coordinated monitoring system and describes some approaches to addressing those goals. Eleven dimensions…

This resource was prepared in response to a request for examples of developmental screening activities in Early Learning Challenge (ELC) States. This information will be helpful to States as they consider how to identify and address health, behavioral, and developmental needs of children with high needs. To address this request, ELC TA reviewed…

The extant literature offers little to describe the processes for screening students in adult basic education (ABE) programs for potential learning disabilities, referring adult students for diagnostic assessment, or barriers to obtaining diagnostic assessment for a learning disability. Without current documentation of a learning disability, ABE…

All students, including students with disabilities, must be included in state accountability systems as required by law. In April 2007, federal regulations provided states the flexibility to offer another assessment option--an Alternate Assessment based on Modified Achievement Standards (AA-MAS) for some students with disabilities. The AA-MAS is…

This individual profile provides information on Ohio's high school exit exam standards and policies. Some of the categories presented include: (1) State exit exam policy; (2) Type of Test; (3) Purpose; (4) Major changes in exit exam policy since the 2009-10 school year for financial reasons; (5) Subjects tested on exam; (6) Grade exam first…

Explains the concept of corporate legal guardianship, which allows a single legal entity to serve as guardian to thousands of clients at one time. Discusses the concept's broad applicability to classes of people other than the developmentally disabled and shows its potential as a unique interdisciplinary approach. (Author/ABB)

This document, current through 1986, contains four parts. Part I presents a conceptual framework used to view disability among the working age population; the rudiments and objectives of workers' compensation programs; and an explanation of the criteria of adequacy, equity, and efficiency as used in the report. Part II presents a study of 10…

Designed for use by parents and Head Start facilities in Ohio, the manual outlines procedures for identifying preschool handicapped children. The first chapter explores the rationale for identification of handicapped children. In the second chapter, Ohio standards for inclusion in special education are provided in eight handicapping categories…

The state plan outlines Ohio's programs and services for people with developmental disabilities (DD). The definition and impact of DD are noted in section 1, and this is followed in sections 2 and 3 by descriptions of the State Planning Council on DD and the State Administering Agency. Section 4 examines the state context, noting the issues and…

This paper summarizes information from interviews with four states regarding their Universal Design for Learning (UDL) initiatives, i.e., state or regional level efforts to promote the principles and practices of UDL via professional development or the production and/or dissemination of universally designed instructional materials. Discussion of…

The fifth in a series of position papers on deinstitutionalization of persons in Ohio with developmental disabilities, this paper addresses administrative structure and finance requirements. The introductory section suggests the need for new administrative and fiscal models to keep pace with changes in service delivery strategies. The importance…