This document is intended to assist State Education Agency (SEA) and Lead Agency (LA) staff and technical assistance providers in designing a meaningful evaluation for the State Performance Plan (SPP)/Annual Performance Report (APR) improvement activities. It provides: (1) information about the relevance of evaluation in the context of improvement…

The paper focuses on catalysts needed for interagency cooperation in multi-service delivery systems for handicapped individuals. The importance of interfacing personal and environmental profiles is emphasized, and an approach matching aspects of the person and the environment is described. A behavioral skill profile of the person would be matched…

The paper describes Quality Service Management (QSM) as applied to the provision of services to disabled and other special needs persons. QSM is defined as a systems approach to consumer relations based on the belief that quality care may be achieved only within the context of overall services management. Differences among "quality…

Integrating an ecological systems perspective into the vocational evaluation of disabled persons affords consideration of such often neglected areas as blame (based on personal deficit), decision making, the predominance of clinical attitudes, and the work environment as well as on attitude and motivation. (CB)

Elementary schools, junior high schools, high schools, and district offices were visited in three medium sized urban areas to explore the ways in which assessment systems for handicapped children are structured and managed. Conversations with teachers, counselors, diagnosticians, and administrators focused on reasons for delays in case processing…

This report reviews the outcomes of a forum convened to examine policy and practice issues surrounding the annual evaluation of effectiveness of programs and services for students with disabilities. At the forum, alternative approaches being used by states to implement program evaluation were discussed, along with issues in gathering…

This training manual demonstrates the utilization of two family assessment tools with American Indian rehabilitation clients. The manual begins with an overview of general systems theory, family systems theory, and family assessment theory. The genogram is then defined as a type of family tree covering at least three generations, offering a map of…

This review examined the evaluation components from 10 awarded state improvement grants designed to improve systems providing services for students with disabilities. The review examined the following aspects of the evaluation components: purposes, conceptual framework for the evaluation and systems reform, evaluation design and approaches,…

This review of effective practices in state-wide systems change was conducted as part of the PEERS (Providing Education for Everyone in Regular Schools) Project, a 5-year collaborative systems change project in California to facilitate the integration of students with severe disabilities previously at special centers into services at regular…

This technical report presents issues related to defining and applying accountability systems for young children, including those with disabilities. It notes that reaching shared perspectives on definitions of accountability systems and their constituents remains complicated by the number of levels to which such systems can apply (e.g., child-,…

This resource guide outlines procedures for efficiently and effectively planning and implementing transition programming for at-risk students. Based on a review and synthesis of needs assessment systems in transition programs, a flow chart is presented showing step-by-step procedures recommended for local transition needs assessments. Steps in the…

Describes Partnerships for Inclusion, a North Carolina statewide project providing technical assistance (TA) to communities as they develop and coordinate inclusive services for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers with disabilities and their families. Outlines the model's development, the project's core services, strategies for promoting…

This guidebook focuses on the first of five steps included in a planning system for improving local secondary and postsecondary program and facilities accessibility: identifying barriers. The first five sections of the booklet are comprised of self-instructional descriptions of five needs-assessment procedures that can be used to identify…

This document examines screening and assessment for physical and mental health conditions that impact Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients' ability to work. The document begins by defining screening and assessment and discussing their relevance for agencies serving TANF recipients. The next section answers policy questions…

This book's 15 chapters elaborate on specific educational practices in early intervention and early childhood special education, recommended by a task force of the Council for Exceptional Children's Division of Early Childhood. The selected practices were identified through a process involving analysis of expert opinions, professional consensus,…