The World Health Organization estimates that 1 billion people in the world live with a disability, of whom UNICEF estimates 240 million are children. The majority of the world's children with disabilities live in low- and middle-income countries, where humanitarian crises are most likely to occur. Humanitarian crises increase the prevalence of…

Prevailing policy and practice in the field of transition emphasizes the importance of designing services and supports based on research-based practices. We reviewed every article published across the 35-year history of "Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals" (CDTEI) to document methodological trends in research…

Research is reviewed on the use of direct observation methods to collect special education data focusing on seven major factors: reactivity; observer drift; the recording procedure; location of the observation; reliability; expectancy and feedback; and characteristics of subjects, observers, and settings. Recommendations are offered for increasing…

This report provides a comprehensive account of the performance of students with disabilities on state assessment measures. Following an overview of the issues, it explains the laws that govern the reporting of assessment results (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997 (IDEA) and Title I of the Elementary and Secondary…

This topical review addresses performance goals and indicators for special education, including how to create valid and measurable indicators of key features of special education that can be used to gauge effectiveness as well as target improvement strategies. A section identifying highlights of the review notes that an indicator system consists…

Defines alternate assessments, describes methods used to collect data, and describes domains in which data should be collected. The results of a focus group study in which teachers delineated ways in which data might be collected using each of the methods in each of the domains is reported. (Author/CR)

This article explores how knowledge-discovery applications can empower educators with the information they need to provide anticipatory guidance for teaching and learning, forecast school and district needs, and find critical markers for making the best program decisions for children and youth with disabilities. Data mining for schools is…

The purpose of this brief is to summarize the methodologies and outcome measures used in Post-School Outcomes follow-up and follow-along studies of adolescents with disabilities. As a requisite in the Request for Proposal for funding of the National Post-School Outcomes Center (NPSO), knowledge development activities were to include: "Conducting a…

The document contains seven papers from the Child Assessment Topical Workshop designed to raise participant awareness of basic assessment issues involved in screening, placement, and measurement of daily performance; to provide specific information about the assessment process, including collecting, organizing, analyzing, and using data; and to…

This article explains how educators can use the ecological congruence assessment process for identifying functional goals for young children with disabilities. Process steps include: teacher collects information about functioning in usual classroom activities, routines, and transitions; summarizes the collected information; and shares the…

Describes a series of 16 longitudinal studies conducted by Utah State University on alternative early intervention programs for disabled children, focusing on the intensity of intervention, the age intervention begins, and parent involvement. Reviews factors that gave rise to the studies, research designs and procedures, and data interpretation.…

This article confronts concerns in providing family intervention services to the growing population of non-White, non-Anglo families. Strategies are offered for gathering information about these families while respecting their nonmainstream culture, values, and beliefs. Alternative perspectives on child rearing, disability, medicine, intervention,…

Reviews present difficulties in the way that states report the participation of students with disabilities in their testing programs. Recommendations for policymakers include the following: identify students with disabilities in statewide assessment programs, standardize procedures for calculating participation rates, and improve lines of…

This report uses a question-and-answer format to address questions raised by parents, educators, and community members concerning accountability and inclusion of students with disabilities in educational assessment programs. The philosophy underlying the inclusion of all students in educational accountability systems is based on three assumptions:…

This article discusses how practitioners can link assessment to action when planning communication interventions for young children with disabilities. It reviews communication components and discusses strategies for collecting information that may be especially useful in the domain of communication. Strategies for turning assessment information…