This study examines the relationship between Individualized Education Program (IEP) goal content and quality and the education outcomes for students in elementary school with complex support needs (CSN) in Utah, focusing on grades three through six. The investigation explores whether the alignment of IEP goals with alternate state standards and…

Since the passage of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) of 2004 there has been an ongoing debate in the field of special education on the relative importance of students with significant cognitive disabilities participation and progress in the general education curriculum. Some researchers have argued that the core…

A wide variety of legislation impacts the jobs of special education teachers in the United States. In 2002, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) was signed into law, mandating that states develop standards and report outcomes for all students in the key areas of math and reading. In 2004, the reauthorized Individuals with Disabilities Education…

The goal of this study was to examine the professional development experiences of two contrastive participants while they were creating standards-based individualized education plan (IEP) goals using a virtual world called TeacherSim. Two specific focuses of the study were on how special educators engaged with the task of creating standards-based…

In this Information Research Cadre, Teresa Blythe responds to the following research question: For those states that have residential schools for the Blind/VI and Deaf/HI students, have they developed policies and procedures for residential placement of these students? To develop this response Blythe conducted web research utilizing numerous…

Across the United States, and in the states served by the Regional Educational Laboratory West (REL West) in particular, there is widespread concern about how to successfully educate the growing number of English language learner (ELL) students, especially those identified as long-term ELL students and those identified as reclassified fluent…

Media scholars have long recognized the interaction between the medium that conveys the information and the information that is conveyed. This study examined the relative impact of different low- and high-tech instructional mediums (e.g., flashcards and the iTouch) on the acquisition of general education content-referenced sight words and…

The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) recognizes the current challenges faced by states and schools relative to the provision of high-quality intervener services for children who are deaf-blind. To respond to these challenges, OSEP asked the National Consortium on Deaf-Blindness (NCDB) to conduct an…

Alternate assessments are the means through which students with significant cognitive disabilities participate in accountability testing, thus measurement validity of alternate assessments is a critical aspect of state educational accountability systems. When evaluating the validity of assessment systems, it is important to take a broad view of…

Evaluation of the Social Integration Program (SIP) which provided mainstream services to 31 preschool handicapped children in Utah during its first three years found that SIP children made significant gains on educational and developmental tests and mastered a high proportion of individualized education program objectives. (Author/DB)

This document provides information for decision-making by school personnel, parents, and other Individualized Education Program (IEP) team members about the participation of students with disabilities in the various assessments. It explains in detail the use of adaptations, including accommodations and modifications, where necessary for students…

The document deals with two major issues relating to the individualized education program (IEP) process in Utah--compliance with P.L. 94-142 (the Education for All Handicapped Children Act) by local districts and the state's role in monitoring such compliance; and the development, implementation, and review of IEPs and the state's position with…

The "Great Brain Business," a gifted/talented project of Davis County (Utah), is an individualized program encouraging students to do indepth studies of topics of their choice. Sample cases of projects and an explanation of how the program works are presented. (MD)

After recognizing the failures of the educational system to meet student needs, the Utah State Board of Education mandated annually reviewed individual education plans, modeled on those required under the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, for all students. This article reviews this program, its implementation, and its accomplishments.…

The Utah Elementary Integration Dissemination (UEID) Project of the University of Utah disseminates proven instructional planning and delivery practices used in the education of young children with severe disabilities and provides technical support for inclusive programs and pratices for these students. Many rural school districts are forced to…