English language learners (ELLs) are a significant and growing subset of the school age population across the United States. The projected growth of ELL students is significant and poses unique challenges for school districts when assessing bilingual students for special education. The state of California has the most ELL students in the nation…

The National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE, 2005) defines response to intervention (RTI) as the practice of providing high-quality instruction and intervention based on a student's needs, changing instruction and/or goals through frequent monitoring of progress, and applying the student response data to important…

In 2008, Thailand passed legislation on the educational provisions for students with disabilities to mandate the implementation of inclusive education. This article provides a historical overview of special education in Thailand and the emergence of inclusive education as it moves from policy to practice. To further identify the challenges faced…

Response to Intervention (RTI) models of diagnosis and intervention are being implemented rapidly throughout the schools. The purposes of invoking an RTI model for disabilities in the schools clearly are laudable, yet close examination reveals an unappreciated paucity of empirical support for RTI and an overly optimistic view of its practical,…

The purpose of the Individuals with "Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part B" grants is to assist States, outlying areas, freely associated States, and the Secretary of the Interior to provide special education and related services to children with disabilities. States must ensure that all children with disabilities residing in the…

Response to Intervention (RTI) is an instructional framework through which schools can provide early intervention for students experiencing academic and behavioral difficulties. It is also promoted as an alternative to the IQ-discrepancy model for identifying students with learning disabilities. Most states have developed, or are developing,…

Authentic assessment is a growing alternative to conventional testing. This research-to-practice article describes a framework for implementing authentic assessment. The R-E-A-L framework shows how roles, equipment, assessment tools, and location can be incorporated into early childhood practices.

As a school leader, what do you need to know about Response to Intervention (RTI) and your role in leading instruction for struggling learners? In this article the authors offer guidance about the content of the RTI initiative based on policy, research, and practice. They provide a brief history of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act…

Describes the collaboration between a university and a public school system to reform special education in the Brookline (Massachusetts) school system and the implementation of a new administrative structure, the appointment of a clinical coordinator, and the focus on differential diagnosis. (SLD)

A summary is presented of the objectives and activities of a grant-supported project conducted at Normandale Community College (NCC) to expand programming for handicapped and learning disabled students. Introductory material provides a background to NCC's efforts in aiding students with special needs. Next, the populations receiving assistance…

These guidelines address the development and implementation of sound, cost-effective programs of special education, related services, and in-service staff development in Delaware schools. The goals of the guidelines are to provide a stimulus for the state-wide development of: (1) realistic and precise individualized education programs (IEPs) for…

The complex process of developing Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and the placing of handicapped students is discussed. The IEP is developed by the school administrator, the child's teachers, and the child's parents. A model of an efficient system for implementing an IEP is described. The basis of the model is the collection and coding by…

The Mainstream Assistance Team (MAT) project is a 3-year research program designed to develop, implement, and validate a prereferral intervention model. The model is a least-restrictive, preventative, ecologically-based, problem-solving approach, using a multidisciplinary team composed of a school psychologist, special educator, and general…

Intended for use by administrators, regular education teachers, and teachers of the preschool exceptional child, this document includes guidelines for providing an individual education program for preschool handicapped children. Chapter I provides an introductory overview of the document's purpose, defines terms used throughout the document,…

This module, which is one in a series of training packages intended to train educators working with handicapped adolescents and young adults in correctional settings, deals with basic assessment and evaluation procedures for use in identifying and evaluating disabled students. Included among those topics addressed in the individual sections of the…