This article discusses teaching social skills and assertiveness to students with disabilities. The National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) content standards for physical education emphasize teaching responsible personal and social behaviors to students of all abilities, to help them develop an understanding of and respect for…

Current research and legislation show a need for special education instruction to be more closely aligned with general education curriculum and develop strategies that support the development of self determination skills in students with disabilities. The present study embeds self-determination skills of writing annual goals and objectives in the…

This study examined whether distractor choices functioned differently for students without learning disabilities than they functioned for students with learning disabilities who received no accommodation, students with learning disabilities who received a read-aloud accommodation, and students with learning disabilities who received some form of…

The NAEP Validity Studies (NVS) Panel provides advice and recommendations to help insure the "validity" of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) test scores. The primary objectives of NAEP tests are to accurately monitor the progress of defined groups of students over time and to measure valid differences in scores…

Historically, preservice teacher education programs have not adequately prepared teachers in parent involvement or family-centered practices. Because teachers do not routinely encourage family involvement, and parents do not always participate when they are encouraged to do so, the importance of preservice training to involve family members in…

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 2004 established a requirement that all States develop and submit to the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) a performance plan designed to advance the State from its current level of compliance with the statutory and regulatory requirements of the law…

Successful transition planning is a lifelong process in which the student, family members, friends, and professionals come together to develop and act upon a plan that will lead to a successful adult life. For this reason, transition planning has become a part of several federal laws. The most encompassing of these laws, the Individuals with…

This paper addressed the need for continued awareness on the part of Educational Administrators as to their legal responsibilities as instructional leaders and custodians of the students under their supervision. Research revealed that school administrators unknowingly are violating the law everyday. Courts are keeping a close eye on school…

This study described the meaning 7 mothers of children with spina bifida ascribed to their children's physical education, the mothers' roles in the schools, and the importance of the IEP in home and school communication. The stories of 4 mothers of elementary and 3 mothers of secondary aged children were gathered using the phenomenological methods…

In this qualitative study, various professionals in specialized schools for students who are visually impaired provided information on assessment tools; how information was used to plan Individualized Education Programs; and their opinions on the reliability, validity, and usefulness of various measurements. The implications of the findings for…

This paper first compares Vermont's old Individualized Education Plan (IEP) which was designed primarily to insure legal compliance with the new family-centered IEP. It then describes the new IEP. Vermont's new family-centered IEP process emphasizes increased collaboration, reduced paperwork, and legal compliance. Three questions serve as a focus…

In response to findings of excessive exclusion of students with disabilities from national and state educational assessments, this document was developed to provide a listing of states' guidelines for assessment accommodations for such students. Guidelines in current use were provided by 38 states. Of the remaining states, seven did not have state…

The school district in this practicum report was found to be out of compliance by the State Department of Education in the area of writing individualized education plans (IEPs) that contained goals and short-term objectives with measurable student outcomes. Informal workshops were held to provide the special education teachers training for writing…

This paper reports on how factors related to students' impending graduate medical education (GME) influenced the design of their individual curricula in an alternative medical education program. Ten students of the Independent Study Program (ISP) of the College of Medicine at Chicago/University of Illinois participated in the study through…

This manual is intended to help parents understand how to work with school systems to obtain the best possible education for their children with learning disabilities. The guide begins with a definition of learning disabilities and describes the characteristics of successful advocates. The importance of keeping written records of requests,…