When discussing the eligibility determination of students with specific learning disabilities (SLDs), the legal obligation to identify, locate, and evaluate all children in need of specially designed instruction--child find--should also be in the forefront. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires public schools to initiate…

Legally, the ultimate criterion for eligibility under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is whether the child needs special education. A new decision by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals suggests that providing various interventions and accommodations in general education might mean that a child who meets the criteria for any…

In this article, we provide commentary on the "state of play" of inclusive education in the United States. We focus on the promises and limitations of inter-related accountability- and market-driven policies and Response to Intervention (RTI) (Vaughn and Fuchs, 2003). We argue that these policies and practice have "hopscotched"…

In this article, the authors present two models of intensive instruction for students with and without disabilities who are having difficulties with Response to Intervention (RTI) currently in practice (Tier 1: general instruction that all students receive in mainstream classrooms, and Tier 2: programs often involving small group instruction). The…

What's the difference between accommodations and modifications, and why does the distinction matter? In this article, professor Lee Ann Jung explains that accommodations "provide access to the general curriculum but do not fundamentally alter the learning goal or grade level standard." For instance, if the purpose of an assessment is to…

School counselors and special educators in rural areas working together can be a powerful team to help schools create a positive school community. In one rural school community, they partnered with faculty and staff to implement a School Wide Positive Behavior support program to improve student outcomes. The counselor and special educator, through…

This brief provides education administrators and partners (providers, intermediaries, funders) with strategies and examples from seven school districts nationwide that have successfully funded, implemented, and sustained evidence-based social and emotional learning (SEL) programs. School administrators from these districts were interviewed and…

Special education programs are increasingly serving students with disabilities who are English language learners and their families. Facilitating bilingualism is an effective practice and aligns with culturally responsive special education service provision. It is critical for special educators and service providers to learn about bilingualism,…

Reading is creating meaning with print. It makes sense that interventions for struggling readers be similarly meaning-based and take place, to the greatest extent possible, in a general education setting. This article describes a meaning-based Response to Intervention plan that is economical, pragmatic, research-based, and effective. Based on a…

This article provides a concise and objective synthesis of the federal legislation, regulations, and agency policy interpretations; state laws; and case law, including hearing officer and complaint investigation decisions, concerning specific learning disability (SLD) identification since the 2006 IDEA regulations. The results reveal wide latitude…

The Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) requires that decisions about a student's eligibility for special education services be based on more than one procedure. Futhermore, the reauthorization of IDEA in 2004, known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA), indicated that traditional assessments are not required…

A number of initiatives in special education have occurred in the United States over the years, some mandated by amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Having a working knowledge of these initiatives allows music educators to have informed discussions with colleagues and parents and participate more fully in Individualized…

In its decision in "Campaign for Fiscal Equity (CFE) v. State of New York," the New York Court of Appeals held that the state government was violating New York City students' right under the state constitution to the "opportunity for a sound basic education." It ordered the state to fix the education funding system to remedy…

Noting that 60 percent of both fourth and eighth graders currently struggle with reading, this report urges the U.S. Congress to focus on students' literacy development from early childhood through grade twelve as it works to rewrite of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), currently known as the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). In…

In 15 years of working together, the authors have learned valuable lessons about practice change though partnership. One of the most important was their ability to discover shared values and interests. For years, their commonality was masked by different vocabulary and unique identities; they lacked the relationships needed to actively engage with…