When Congress passed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 1997, it authorized an evaluation to track progress at the state and local levels on the legislative goals of IDEA. The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) commissioned a national longitudinal study, the Study of State and Local…

The Arizona Basic Assessment and Curriculum Utilization System, an intervention system supporting an early education program for young handicapped children functioning in the developmental age range from two to five and one-half, is described. The 209-item assessment device covers body management, self-care, communication, preacademics, and…

This article describes the development of a four-year course sequence in assistive technology (AT). Course participants learned how to assess student needs for AT, what AT devices were available, and how to make decisions within the individualized education program (IEP) team process. Major topical sections were data-gathering frameworks, legal…

A special-education paradigm looks at students as individuals, substantially involves parents, documents individual student's needs and achievement, and operates under judicial oversight. Regular education is premised upon group learning and instruction, political rather than legal accountability, and a local or statewide power source. (84…

Discusses the growing legal, philosophical, and empirical support for allowing students with severe handicaps to attend regular classes with peers of the same age. Presents advantages of integration for students with and without handicaps. Resources for bringing about integration are described. (GLR)

Few educators today would argue with statements about the growing diversity of the children being educated in most schools. There is acceptance and often celebration of this diversity, including the growth and dispersal of the population of children and youth from diverse linguistic backgrounds, but there are also concerns about the ability to…

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) "Special Education at a Glance," which includes a copy of the "Guide to Planning and Assessing School-Based Special Education Programs," provides in a single document, information about the special education population at each MCPS school, including enrollment, staffing, special education…

There are great parallels between the School-to-Work Opportunities Act and the legislation which produced transition services for individuals with disabilities. The rationale is clearly the same: a real recognition and concern exists about the difficult transition that faces all high school graduates as they prepare to live on their own, assume…

This book presents an integrative model that teachers at the middle school and high school levels can use to encourage performance breakthroughs for students with learning disabilities and attention deficit disorders. Chapter 1 sets the stage by describing how learning difficulties, attention problems, and adolescence challenge students, and gives…

This handbook offers guidelines for the successful transition of students with disabilities into adult life and is designed to be used by everyone on the Individualized Education Program (IEP) team, including the student and family members. The first chapter provides an overview of the transition assessment process, including purpose and the laws…

This scope and sequenced functional curriculum is designed for use in schools and adult training environments with individuals who have moderate disabilities. The first chapter explains the curriculum's origins in the original Life Centered Career Education Curriculum and the research project which determined the need for and modifications…

This collection of 10 papers addresses "best practices" in the development of transition services for youths who are deaf-blind. The papers include quality indicators checklists, transition planning checklists, and other assessment tools. The papers have the following titles and authors: "Overview of Transition Services for Youths Who Are…

This resource guide is intended to aid in the development of physical education programs to meet the motor, social, and recreational needs of students with disabilities. Two brief chapters on legislation review federal regulations, Iowa law, and Iowa rules for special education and special education administration. Next, the four steps in…

This report describes how the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) Framework for Educational Accountability, which specifies outcomes and indicators for six developmental levels (ages three and six, grades four, eight, and twelve, and post-school), can be used to implement parts of the National Association of State Directors of Special…

This Alaskan state plan details services to be provided to preschool, elementary, and secondary students for Fiscal Years 1995, 1996, and 1997 under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The state plan discusses compliance and services under IDEA provisions that address: (1) the right to education; (2) full educational…