This bestselling work provides practitioners with a complete guide to implementing response to intervention (RTI) in schools. The authors are leading experts who explain the main components of RTI--high-quality instruction, frequent assessment, and data-based decision making--and show how to use it to foster positive academic and behavioral…

Analysis of the documentation submitted by 415 university students to support their eligibility for support services found serious problems in the type and quality of evaluation reports, including flaws in the comprehensiveness of assessments and the use of questionable instruments for this population. Recommendations are offered for establishing…

This article examines the legal requirements of assessing students with disabilities, especially students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). It reviews assessment legislation and litigation in special education and explains specific requirements for assessing students with EBD. The article also examines school districts' obligations…

This guide outlines the process of screening preschool-age children in North Dakota to determine their need for special education services. As mass screenings were found to lack cost-effectiveness, selective screening is encouraged. A periodic selective screening process, using a coordinated, interagency approach, is recommended for the earliest…

A survey of state directors of special education found that states vary greatly in the ways they define autism, assess autism, and provide training and technical assistance for those working with pupils with autism. Tables provide survey data by state. Recommendations focus on professional training needs, assessment practices, and eligibility…

This document discusses legal considerations in the identification of Michigan students with learning disabilities and suggests guidelines for meeting legal requirements in a systematic and consistent manner. An introduction outlines issues and problems related to the assessment of learning disabilities and provides a rationale for the importance…

This report addresses states' definitions and assessment guidelines for the category of traumatic brain injury, newly identified as a disability under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Information sources included state policy documents from 19 states and interviews with state education agency personnel. A background section…

This article offers the viewpoint of a local educational authority officer concerning the British Code of Practice (1994), which provides standards for the legal statement, review, and reassessment processes for students with special educational needs. Positive and negative implications, as well as the historical and administrative context, are…

This manual of recommended policies and procedures was developed to assist Ohio school districts in meeting the spirit and intent of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and related federal and state regulations. Section 1 presents information on requirements concerning provision of a free appropriate public education for children with…

This booklet is one of a series designed to assist early childhood general educators, early childhood special educators, related service providers, parents, administrators, and others in understanding what the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) now requires for young children with disabilities ages birth through 5 years and their…

This final report describes strategies identified from interviews with educators in eight school districts in three states (Arkansas, New Mexico, and Pennsylvania) concerning the disproportionate number of students from racial/ethnic minority groups receiving special education services. The first section describes the methodology of the case study…

A guide to identifying, placing, and instructing children with severe disabilities, including deaf-blindness, is presented. Identification and placement information focuses on locating and referring children in need of special education services, the role of committees and staff members, the individualized education program, entrance and placement…

This report presents findings of an evaluation study of the District of Columbia's special education service delivery model (SDM) which focuses on decentralization, to school-based teams, of the processes of identification, assessment, and placement of special education students. The SDM was initially implemented as a pilot project with 40 schools…

This document describes: (1) the programs and environments that may be considered as general education environments for children with disabilities under the age of six, in addressing the least restrictive provisions of legislation; (2) the procedures to be followed in the process of developing individualized education program (IEP) goals and…

This manual provides information on the identification and evaluation of students with severe disabilities. The first section provides general information related to funding for students with severe disabilities, the funding process, eligibility, types of support, the Individualized Program Plan, and student evaluation. Section 2 provides case…