The organization and format of this primer which is designed for state officials differs from the other two in this series based on the recommendations of the state officials who participated in the Special Education Technical Assistance for Charter Schools (SPEDTACS) Project state team meetings convened to assist in the development of the set of…

The purpose of this document is to provide operators with implementation and operational technical assistance related to special education in charter schools. Special education is a very complicated component of public education and providing operators with technical assistance regarding special education is particularly challenging. This primer…

This report summarizes provisions and highlights changes for the Individualized Education Program (IEP) within the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Amendments of 1997. Also included are references from the two Congressional Committee Reports--those of the Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee and the House Committee on…

This document addresses issues in the identification of children with specific learning disability (SLD) in the context of reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). It first reviews current requirements in federal law, noting discrepancies in the regulations, then discusses several SLD identification approaches and…

This brief paper summarizes a review of biennial performance reports filed by all 50 states concerning student performance goals and indicators required under the 1997 amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. It notes that the state reports varied extensively in level of detail, clarity of content, and type of supporting…

This document summarizes the proceedings of a 1997 conference on current state monitoring practices and the impact of changes from implementation of the 1997 amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The conference was planned by the Federal/Regional Resource Center/OSEP/NASDEE workgroup on monitoring. The document has…

This paper presents a summary of the proceedings of a two-day policy forum on performance goals and indicators for special education. The conference was part of a larger project to research and analyze the impacts of accountability-based reforms on students with disabilities and special education. The forum focused on the feasibility and…

This report discusses federal regulations requiring parental consent before schools access Medicaid reimbursement for services provided to students with disabilities. It begins by explaining that in 1988, the Medicare Catastrophic Coverage Act allowed Medicaid to pay for covered medical services provided to Medicaid-enrolled children with special…

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 document presents findings of Project SEARCH, a qualitative research study of how charter schools interpret laws and regulations governing the education of children with disabilities, especially the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The project involved a preliminary 15-state policy analysis followed by in-depth case…

To address concerns of an excess of paperwork documenting compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, a survey of all 50 state education agencies was conduced that investigated the role of state education agencies in the documentation of special education procedures. The survey listed 19 types of forms related to documentation…

This report discusses the outcomes of a study that explored states' use of extended school year (ESY) programs for students with disabilities during the summer or other periods when school is not in session. Six states were contacted to determine whether any changes had been made to their ESY programs since the inclusion of new regulations on ESY…

The organization and format of this primer which is designed for state officials differs from the other two in this series based on the recommendations of the state officials who participated in the Special Education Technical Assistance for Charter Schools (SPEDTACS) Project state team meetings convened to assist in the development of the set of…

This monograph presents an analysis of issues related to provision of extended school year (ESY) programs and services for students with disabilities. It discusses major court decisions that have established the case law that governs this area of special education. It also considers issues of eligibility, notice and timing requirements, and the…

Current policies and procedures used by states to oversee implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) are reviewed, based on a 1994 survey called Profiles of State Monitoring Systems, with data from 49 states and 9 of the 10 federal jurisdictions subject to the requirements of IDEA. Background information is provided…