The purpose of this qualitative study was to demonstrate and evaluate the incorporation of teambuilding training into a graduate course on transition. A total of 33 students in two different sections of the course participated in six exercises focusing on group development and teambuilding and a group simulation. Students provided input about…

The present study examined how public school administrators negotiate discipline policies that are intended to protect the common good and the educational rights of students with disabilities. We investigated the political nature of these decisions and the strategies used in reaching them through interviews with administrators in 9 public high…

Fitness testing is an important assessment tool used by physical educators for many purposes. Some states require fitness testing to monitor individual student progress throughout the school year. Some physical educators use it to monitor the effects of the physical education curriculum and to teach concepts such as goal setting and personal…

Federal regulations (U.S. Department of Education, 2007a) provide states with the flexibility to offer an alternate assessment based on modified academic achievement standards (AA-MAS). This assessment option is for a small group of students with disabilities who can make significant progress, but may not reach grade-level achievement within the…

The National Dropout Prevention Center for Students with Disabilities (NDPC-SD) was assigned the task of compiling, analyzing and summarizing the data for Indicator 2--Dropout--from the FFY 2008 Annual Performance Reports (APRs) and the revised State Performance Plans (SPPs), which were submitted to the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP)…

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) of 2004 supports equitable access to educational opportunities for all children who have disabilities. IDEA requires that students who receive services for special needs receive a free appropriate public education, and have access to the general education curriculum, which includes…

In response to findings of excessive exclusion of students with disabilities from national and state educational assessments, this document was developed to provide a listing of the states' guidelines for the participation or exclusion of students with disabilities in assessments. Guidelines in use were provided by 43 states. The remaining seven…

This guidebook is intended to assist parents of children with disabilities who will be returning to the state of Maryland because of Senate Bill 588, which strongly discourages out-of-state placements of individuals with disabilities or other special needs. The first section is on "getting ready" and provides a summary of Senate Bill…

This paper offers a structured framework for the transition of students with disabilities from middle or junior high school to high school. First, it outlines a transition decision tree to help decide whether a formal transition plan is needed. Next, the paper offers a 10-step set of practices appropriate for all students with disabilities in the…

This paper suggests a framework for analyzing needs of students with disabilities in dealing with transition services in their Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). It outlines procedures to follow to ensure adequate service delivery. The framework and procedures are intended to result in IEPs that not only will survive legal challenges but…

This technical assistance paper aims to facilitate the team process for developing Individualized Education Programs (IEP) for students with disabilities. The guidelines provide suggestions for meeting legal requirements related to IEP development and offer recommendations designed to be responsive to parents, useful for educators and students,…

School psychologists can play a central role in ensuring that handicapped students are treated fairly in minimum competency testing (MCT). Advocacy concerns include protection in the evaluation process as well as access to graduation and/or a high school diploma. In addition to these rights guaranteed by P.L. 94-142 (the Education for All…

The brochure provides an overview of the components of vocational assessment used in many Cooperative Services Model (CSM) projects in New York State. Federal and state requirements for vocational assessment for students with handicapping conditions, the purpose of vocational assessment, and a suggested vocational assessment model are discussed.…

This document presents one module in a set of training resources for trainers to use with parents and/or professionals serving children with disabilties; focus is on transition planning. The modules stress content and activities that build skills and offer resources to promote parent-professional collaboration. Each training module takes about 2…

This chapter traces the litigation in "Rowley," the first case concerning the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (1975) to be considered by the United States Supreme Court. The Court decided that a deaf child, Amy Rowley, was being provided with an educational opportunity that was substantially the same as her classmates';…