Stresses that music teachers must address the Individual Education Plans (IEPs) for each of the children with disabilities in order to have successful experiences with inclusion. Maintains that inclusion helps to change the attitudes about students with disabilities, promotes teamwork among teachers and staff, and enhances the education of all the…

Examines principles, procedures, and research of the British Special Education Needs (SEN) "Code of Practice" in the context of requirements for implementation of a revised code by 2002. Considers code administration, paperwork, Individualized Education Program requirements, assessment criteria, transition planning, parent role, and…

A survey of 26 secondary school special educational needs coordinators found that 21 felt that instead of writing Individual Education Plans (IEPs), it would be more efficient to describe flexible systems that were in place. Twenty-four believed time spent writing and administering the IEP would be better spent on direct pupil support. (Contains…

If the academic needs of the most profoundly gifted students can be met through the use of existing educational practices, specialists in gifted education can assume that the educational needs of less able, but still academically talented, students can also be met by using some combination of these strategies as well. This paper illustrates the…

Traces an autistic boy's steps through the school day and examines the impact of the federal inclusion mandate on children with disabilities. States that the first step toward implementing inclusion properly is to improve the training of teachers, and that the goals and effectiveness of inclusion must be determined by each child's individual…

The purpose of this study was to examine a positive behavior support plan implemented in a correctional facility for male juveniles to determine its effectiveness in changing behavior. The study was precipitated by teachers' concern with the punishment orientation of the facility and the need to do Functional Behavior Assessment for students'…

Under the 1997 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, schools have a legal obligation to conduct functional behavior assessments (FBAs) when developing intervention plans for students with disabilities whose behaviors lead their individualized education program teams to consider a change in educational placement, including suspension and…

Although, in many districts, physical educators are integral members of the Individualized Education Program (designed for students with disabilities such as Down syndrome and autism), in other districts, physical educators are only partially involved in the process or are not given the opportunity to be involved at all. However, the physical…

Both law and pedagogy require that educators address behavior interfering with educational progress for students with disabilities. The reauthorized Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA, 2004) and its predecessor, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 1997a), require individualized education program (IEP)…

Successful and meaningful transition services are the result of careful planning. This planning is driven by a young person's dreams, desires, and abilities. It builds a youth's participation in school, home and community living. Transition planning helps to prepare young people for their futures. It helps them to develop skills they need to go on…

Before a child receives special education or related services, he or she must have an evaluation. The evaluation will help determine if a child needs special education. A parent or a member of the school staff may make the request for an evaluation. The child's parent must give consent in writing for the first evaluation. The evaluation will…

This article reports on starkly contrasting portraits of special education that the justices are sure to hear on the first day of the new U.S. Supreme Court term. In a case from New York City, the 1.1 million-student district argues that school officials made every attempt to provide an appropriate education plan under the federal Individuals with…

When the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was reauthorized in 2004, one of the significant amendments concerned Individual Education Program (IEP) team attendance. A member of an IEP team may be excused if "the member's area of the curriculum or related services is not being modified or discussed in the meeting." The…

Public schools must make available special education and related services to all IDEA-eligible (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) students with disabilities beginning at age three and through age 18. Services to students, ages 19, 20, and 21, are permissive. That means the decision to serve 19, 20 and 21-year-old students is determined…

This manual on independent learning centers (ILC) includes eleven chapters intended to provide assistance and resource materials to any institution or individual developing an ILC. The chapters each cover one of the following topics: learning center model; Hawkeye Institute of Technology's (HIT) Independent Learning Center; the ILC student from…