The significant increase in the numbers of students with autism combined with the need for better trained teachers (National Research Council, 2001) call for research on the effectiveness of alternative methods, such as consultation, that have the potential to improve service delivery. Data from 2 randomized controlled single-blind trials indicate…

Newly hired secondary career and technical education (CTE) instructors are often surprised by the rate at which students with disabilities enroll in their classes. While many educators see CTE as a logical placement for students who are otherwise academically unsuccessful, the CTE teacher is too often unprepared for serving this population.…

Under United States federal law, students who are in special education are guaranteed the right to attend school, but their education will vary depending upon their disability and their independent goals that are developed in a contract between the school and the parents called an Individual Educational Plan or IEP. Students with moderate/severe…

Because the virtual public school landscape is relatively new--and changing and expanding at such a rapid rate--very little is known about how these schools are currently serving students with disabilities. The purpose of this document is to describe how state-level virtual public school programs are serving students with disabilities and to…

Recent research has suggested that the professional development general educators receive is not adequately preparing them to properly implement inclusion-based practices. In this study, data from the Study of Personnel Needs in Special Education was used to investigate the relationship among teachers' years of experience teaching students with…

This article features Melmark New England, a private, nonprofit, community based organization dedicated to serving children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders, acquired brain injury, neurological diseases and disorders, and severe challenging behaviors. The Melmark parent corporation, a Pennsylvania based provider of services for those…

Appropriate physical education is a mandated part of a child's Individual Educational Program (IEP). It is not optional, nor should parents want it to be optional. This is the time in the day for the child to develop in a variety of ways that are very important to healthy living for the rest of his or her life. The purpose of physical education is…

William is 9 years of age, residing with his parent within the boundaries of an unnamed district ("the District"). As a student with autism he is eligible for special education programming and services. There was one issue presented for this due process hearing: What was the appropriate program and placement for him for the 2008-2009 school year?…

Summer provides valuable but often untapped opportunities for youth to explore or deepen their interests, preferences, and strengths; accrue valuable work-related skills and experiences; and establish connections to their communities. At the same time, it is clear that summer opportunities do not happen automatically for many youth with…

This document has been developed by the New Jersey Department of Education with the assistance of the TA Customizer Project funded by the U.S. Department of Education Charter Schools Program (CSP) and conducted by the National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE). Its focus is on providing information and technical…

Beginning in 2007, federal regulations to two major education laws gave state departments of education the option to develop an alternate assessment based on modified achievement standards (AA-MAS) for some students with disabilities. The regulations stated that the AA-MAS was intended for students who were being instructed in the grade-level…

The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of the Maryland Online Individualized Education Program Goal Wizard on writing standards based annual goals. Specifically, 100 novice special education teachers form a large urban school system in Maryland were randomly assigned to one of two groups. The experimental group received one…

The impact of the No Child Left Behind Legislation has left Career and Technical Education searching for methods and strategies to infuse academics into their curriculum to help students, through a rigorous and integrated educational experience, develop competencies required for higher education and ultimately, work. Unfortunately, there were…

The purpose of this memorandum is to clarify State policy regarding English as a Second Language (ESL) services for LEP/ELL students who are also identified as having disabilities. Part 154 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education establishes the State's requirements for services for students with limited English proficiency. The…

Empowering students with disabilities to remain physically active after graduation is often a struggle for physical educators. One reason for this is that physical educators are often left out of the transition-planning process. In order to be seen as a key member of the special education team, physical educators need to use the same instructional…