This monograph is intended to provide guidance to state, school district, and building-level personnel, and family organizations as they strive to comply with the transition requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The monograph includes: (1) a description of the importance and intent of transition services for youth…

This brief paper considers planning for the transition of students with disabilities from the school setting to adult life. First, "transition services" are defined according to requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The relationship of transition services to the student's Individualized Education Program is…

This policy brief examines states' experiences and data regarding implementation of the transition planning mandate of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. It reports on a study which investigated whether implementation of transition planning was associated with decreased dropout rates for youth with disabilities and whether the format…

This paper presents guidelines for creating a collaborative approach for communication among teachers, parents, and students to plan for their transition toward further education or work in adult life and to become informed self-advocates. Guidelines for teachers are presented and include: (1) establishing a system that places the student at the…

Thirty-three college students with learning disabilities responded to a request to identify their learning disability. The responses were then coded and a summary of the professional diagnoses of the learning disabilities was added to the students' self-descriptions. Five authorities in the field of learning disabilities were asked to use a…

This report examines efforts in Idaho to provide transition information and planning to secondary students with disabilities and their families. It offers an ideal profile of best transition practices. It then reports on a survey of 247 teachers, 170 principals, and 105 special education directors/superintendents in Idaho. The survey examined: (1)…

This handbook is designed to address teachers' most common concerns about learning disabilities (LDs) and teaching adults with LDs. Section 1 defines LDs by describing traits that adults with LDs share. Section 2 focuses on identification of students with LDs. LD characteristics are divided into eight categories: academics, speech/language, motor…

Student behavior problems have been found to be the most significant and frequently addressed concern of rural educators. A model was developed in response to the needs of rural educators in West Virginia for planning, documenting, implementing, and monitoring behavior plans for students with emotional and behavior problems. The first step…

This guide provides practical and specific step-by-step methods for developing and using curriculum-based assessment (CBA) in an educational setting. It is organized into six basic skills chapters. Chapter 1, "Assessment: An Overview" (Carroll J. Jones), includes the basic reasons for assessment and types of special education assessment, as well…

This paper provides school districts with information about determining the need for and providing assistive technology services and devices to children and youth with disabilities. Determinations about the needs of students are made on a case by case basis through the development of a student's Individualized Education Program (IEP). Once the IEP…

This book is designed to give special educators, regular educators, and parents the confidence and know-how to develop Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) that are both legally correct and educationally useful. Chapter 1 highlights the five main components of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA): evaluation and…

This guide explains Alberta's Program Unit Funding, a means to provide individual programs to supplement support for young children (ages 2.5 to 6 years) with severe disabilities. This program requires development of an Individualized Program Plan for each child and an individual budget plan submitted each school year. After an overview, sections…

This guide, available in both English and Spanish, answers questions often asked by parents about special education services. Questions and answers address the following topics: where to begin if a parent believes a child needs special education services, services available to very young children, the evaluation process, the Individualized…

This study examined the relationship between the functionality of training objectives established in Individual Program Plans (IPPs) and Individual Education Plans (IEPs) of persons with severe and profound mental retardation and different service delivery environments. Each training objective in the IPPs and IEPs of 78 individuals was classified…

The role of educational media and technology personnel in the development of distance education curriculum is the focus of this fact sheet. The definition and background of distance education are briefly described as nontraditional education involving communication between teachers and learners by such means as correspondence, radio, and…