Since the 2004 reauthorization of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), there has been a growing focus on improving the quality of programs for children with disabilities and measuring the results/outcomes of those programs. Across the country, IDEA Part C Programs for Infants and Toddlers and IDEA Part B, Section 619 Preschool…

Situated in the heart of the fertile San Joaquin Valley twenty miles north of Fresno, the city of Madera has a population of 56,710 people. Agriculture is the driving force behind the local economy; the area produces more than 100 crops including raisin grapes, almonds, figs, pistachios, alfalfa, corn, milk, cattle and poultry. The total value of…

The Arkansas Department of Education Co-teaching Project was designed to assist Arkansas schools in the implementation of more inclusive service delivery models for students with disabilities. The project began due to a need to increase the number of students being served in less restrictive environments, but evolved into a systematic statewide…

Most students with disabilities participate in state assessments with or without accommodations [based on each student's Individualized Education Program (IEP)]. A small number of students with the most severe or profound intellectual disabilities participate in an alternate assessment based on alternate achievement standards (AA-AAS). Until…

The National Dropout Prevention Center for Students with Disabilities (NDPC-SD) was assigned the task of summarizing and analyzing the data for Indicator 2--Dropout--from the 2006--07 Annual Performance Reports (APRs) and the revised State Performance Plans (SPPs), which were submitted to the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) in February…

When Palmdale School District and Pivot Learning Partners entered into their first contract in 2006, neither organization foresaw the magnitude and complexity the relationship would take over time. Pivot Learning Partners (formerly known as Springboard Schools) is a non-profit service provider that first entered the Palmdale School District…

Over 5 million students aged 6 to 21 received services under the "Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)" during the 2000-2001 school year. In partial response to this growing population of diverse learners, the relatively recent and highly controversial "No Child Left Behind (NCLB)" legislation has served as a…

After more than two decades of federal transition legislation, students with disabilities continue to have significantly poorer postschool outcomes as compared to their peers without disabilities. One reason for these outcomes is that educators are inadequately prepared to provide the services required under the Individuals with Disabilities…

Physical education teachers and the profession are very often marginalized and minimized by administrators, parents, and students. Adapted physical education is no exception. There are several reasons for the lack of value given to teaching students with special needs in physical education, including issues with placement, stigmatization of…

This article describes service outcomes for people with disabilities, achieved by local Oregon communities during the past five years as they have implemented a community capacity building model called the Community Transition Team Model. Principles of successful programs included active participation of diverse stakeholders, change viewed as a…

Targeted to state vocational rehabilitation administrators and leaders, this document discusses the recommendations of a study group that investigated approaches, ways, methods, and strategies for increasing the involvement of individuals with disabilities in the operation and management of state agency rehabilitation programs. Part 1, "Consumer…

Coordination of early intervention for children with disabilities is discussed, including barriers to interagency coordination. A 2-year study of 6 diverse states identified 13 ways in which public agencies are different from one another. Recommendations are offered to assist agencies to develop a coordinated service system. (Author/SW)

In order to comply with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 2004, states must collect valid data as needed to report annually to the Secretary of Education. This requirement, combined with those set forth in the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation, has led states to collect and analyze data about their programs, districts,…

The Community Transition Team Model guides the process of systematic program change in secondary special education and transition programs in Oregon. The model uses a management-by-objectives paradigm for implementing its principles, which include local control, a developmental perspective on change, a focus on program capacity, and networking…

The perspectives of 241 multi-discipline early interventionists were elicited by asking them to describe three wishes they would make to change early intervention to ensure quality services. With few exceptions, practitioner perspectives conflicted with accepted early intervention best practices such as family-centered interventions or provision…