This report compiles the results of a survey of Maine superintendents and special education directors that was conducted in May of 2022. The purpose of the survey was to determine districts' awareness of ongoing policy conversations about transferring responsibility for preschool special education services from Child Development Services to School…

The identification of students with specific learning disabilities has evolved since the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) in 2004. This reauthorization gave state agencies parameters that disallowed using the severe discrepancy model for identification as a stand-alone method. In response to…

Michigan's intermediate school districts were created by constitutional convention in 1962. Between their inception and 2000, few units of government were less visible and less understood. This article chronicles the emergence of one intermediate school district as an aggressive force for change in education and a locus of activity for community…

To date, the field has had difficulty coming to a consensus about any individual program that can successfully provide a full continuum of supports across settings to produce sustainable outcomes across time for all types of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (Dawson & Osterling, 1997; National Research Council [NRC], 2001; Odom et…

The paper examines the role of intermediate units in the provision of special education services to handicapped children with emphasis on formal and informal intermediate unit arrangements in New Jersey. Stressed for program effectiveness is the importance of positive attitudes of staff, practicality of programs, community and parent acceptance.…

The State of Pennsylvania Act 102 establishes a system of 29 intermediate units, creates intermediate unit boards of directors, spells out their duties and functions, and provides a system of financing their operations. This handbook has been prepared by the Pennsylvania Department of Education to provide intermediate unit boards of directors,…

The report, most of which consists of graphs, charts, and tables, compares the services, resources, and expensitures for the school years 1975-76 and 1976-77 of intermediate units providing special education services for handicapped children in the State of Pennsylvania. Included are such things as listings of the different types of programs each…

Presented are the results of a survey conducted to determine the impact of state and federal fair hearing mandates on California school districts and county offices of education. The laws governing the selection of fair hearing panels, and the selection process itself, are also included. (KC)

To deliver training and continuing education for education personnel in a large rural state, Montana has decentralized its Comprehensive System of Personnel Development (CSPD) by forming five regional councils. The Montana Center on Disabilities developed a statewide training program for using paraeducators as liaisons to communities to enhance…

The Peer Evaluation Program (PEP) has been instituted by the Division of Special Education, Pennsylvania State Department of Education, to allow intermediate units an opportunity to continuously improve their programs. The advantages of the PEP system are: (1) it is a self-improvememt system of program development; (2) PEP allows local autonomy as…

This paper presents a rationale for developing computer-based information systems for use by the special education personnel of a consortium composed of 13 rural school districts, and outlines a three-function database that would meet the operational requirements of administrative and clinical staff and the informational needs of parents and the…

This paper describes three national studies on factors relating to successful special education interdistrict cooperatives. Interdistrict cooperatives are formal organizations between state departments of education and school districts to share costs and resources in implementing programs for participating school districts. The first study…

Modern educational technology can be used to enhance teaching and learning, improve administration and management, and improve the communication and information processes for all involved. The assistance educational service agencies can provide for local school districts range from providing information and technical assistance to establishing…

This volume of the study discusses different examples of educational cooperation and includes descriptions of several specific forms of interagency cooperation that have been developed in different States. Special attention is devoted to models of educational networks, including information networks in California, Texas, and Massachusetts and…

In 1990 the Michigan Inclusive Education Initiative was implemented by the state department of education to facilitate full inclusion of disabled students into regular classroom settings. This paper reports on implementation of inclusive education within the Marquette-Alger Intermediate School District (MAISD) in the Upper Peninsula region of…