Evidence strongly supports the notion that juvenile offenders, both with and without disabilities, are significantly more likely to experience successful reentry into their home schools and communities if appropriate programs and supports are in place. In spite of this, comprehensive state-level reentry programs for youth are few and far between.…

Response to Intervention (RTI), as a model for improving services to all students, has been a growing phenomenon since the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 2004. The National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE) defines RTI as "the practice of (1) providing high-quality…

Response to intervention (RTI) arose, in part, from the limited success of the pre-referral process, an approach advocated in the 1980s and 1990s, and accurately measuring the discrepancy between aptitude and achievement in young children. Reflecting these concerns, when the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was reauthorized in…

In recent years, an increasing number of states have been moving towards the development and implementation of longitudinal data systems for tracking the progress of individual K-12 students with disabilities across their academic careers up to and including their postsecondary activities. In an effort to avoid duplication of data collection…

This document focuses on state requirements for the various professional roles for Part C services and collaborative efforts to ensure high quality personnel are available to provide Part C services. States have established requirements to ensure a high quality workforce for children and families receiving Part C services. These requirements vary…

Obtaining sufficient funding to cover ever-increasing costs of services for students with disabilities is a critical responsibility for state and district special education directors. Medicaid is a possible source of support for certain school-based services in conjunction with other federal funds. This policy analysis provides a brief background…

According to data collected in 2003 by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), just over 96,000 youth were incarcerated in juvenile correctional facilities throughout the United States (not including those being held in detention). An additional 10,000 youth were in state prisons or adult jails during the same time,…

English language learners (ELLs) pose particularly difficult challenges relating to special education referral, assessment and instruction. The purpose of this document is to provide a brief synthesis of the research on and information about ELLs with disabilities. The document is intended to provide state- and local-level policy makers with…