Before a child receives special education or related services, he or she must have an evaluation. The evaluation will help determine if a child needs special education. A parent or a member of the school staff may make the request for an evaluation. The child's parent must give consent in writing for the first evaluation. The evaluation will…

This article reports on starkly contrasting portraits of special education that the justices are sure to hear on the first day of the new U.S. Supreme Court term. In a case from New York City, the 1.1 million-student district argues that school officials made every attempt to provide an appropriate education plan under the federal Individuals with…

When the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was reauthorized in 2004, one of the significant amendments concerned Individual Education Program (IEP) team attendance. A member of an IEP team may be excused if "the member's area of the curriculum or related services is not being modified or discussed in the meeting." The…

Public schools must make available special education and related services to all IDEA-eligible (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) students with disabilities beginning at age three and through age 18. Services to students, ages 19, 20, and 21, are permissive. That means the decision to serve 19, 20 and 21-year-old students is determined…

This study explored beliefs of administrators and teachers in Colorado about applying the concept that "all students can learn" to students with learning disabilities. The following topics are reviewed: components of standards-based education (SBE), the least restrictive environment, individualized education plans (IEPs), establishing…

This book offers tutors in adult, further, and higher education materials for diagnosing students with specific learning disabilities (dyslexia). It provides information for setting up an appropriate individualized teaching program and making recommendations for supporting such students. Materials and methods can be used with students from basic…

Students with special needs are increasingly taught in the least restrictive environment, which often means the general education classroom. Mainstreaming and inclusion provide the most appropriate education for each student in the least restrictive setting, considering the education needs of students rather than their clinical labels. A key…

This manual is designed to help parents learn how the special education system works in Pennsylvania and how parents can use the system to benefit their child. Chapters of the manual cover the student's right to: (1) a free appropriate public education; (2) pre-evaluation screening; (3) evaluations and re-evaluations; (4) an individualized…

Reactions of 12 parents, 25 teachers, and 11 administrators to various aspects of students' reading programs and progress in elementary school resource rooms throughout the year were investigated. Survey data were collected on participation, satisfaction, and clarity as part of a study that examined the effects of resource room teachers' use of a…

The second volume of a two-part resource guide for teachers of emotionally disabled students, this guide provides articles and informational items on aspects of serving this student population. The first section examines legal issues involved in conducting staffings, writing individualized education program objectives and understanding…

Computer Aided Instruction for Teacher Education (CAITE) is a system of individualized self-instructional materials designed to teach educators basic information, attitudes, and skills related to mainstreaming. This booklet is to be used with the first of 16 modules in the set. The module provides instruction on: (1) the target audience for the…

A 25-item questionnaire on special education decision making was completed by 70 elementary and secondary teachers to examine attitudes about current and preferred participation in planning, programming, and placement processes. Questionnaires touched upon teachers' personal information, class information, the special education referral process,…

This package presents a standardized receptive vocabulary checklist to identify language deficits in preschool and kindergarten students, especially in students who are mentally retarded, have hearing impairments, language/learning disabilities, or autism. The checklist offers 95 vocabulary words and phrases that children normally acquire in a…

This User's Manual is intended to accompany VOC-PLAN, a computer (Apple) program designed to assist in the preparation of an Individualized Vocational Education Program (IVEP) for handicapped, disadvantaged, or regular vocational secondary and postsecondary students. The program is presented in standard IEP (Individualized Education Program)…

The following findings are presented in this second evaluation of Chapter 1 of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act of 1981: (1) the achievement of disadvantaged students has improved since 1965, relative to the general population; (2) Chapter 1 students experience greater increases in achievement test scores than others; (3) students…