Search

This document contains a summary of proceedings of a conference convened June 12-14, 2002, to discuss special education paperwork and to explore ways to reduce paperwork. Participants reacted to and built upon information regarding paperwork from several sources, including a survey of state directors on special education paperwork; a survey on state-developed special education forms; data from teachers collected as part of the Study of Personnel Needs in Special Education; and information gathered from teachers by the National Education Association. Following an overview of the data and small group discussions, the forum made the following recommendations: (1) examine statutory language around the ability of schools to use credible evaluations provided from outside; (2) permit Individualized Education Program (IEP) addendums at times other than annual review, thus allowing parents and teachers to make changes other than placement; (3) fully integrate post-secondary transition planning into the IEP process and plan to reduce separate forms; (4) add language in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) that requires Medicaid to accept IDEA documentation as adequate; (5) develop or support the development of family-friendly documents; and (6) develop model forms and guidance that meet requirements of IDEA around the special education decision-making process. (CR)

This document presents the proceedings of a December 2001 policy forum of the National Association of State Directors of Special Education on describing and documenting school discipline. Included are summaries of the following presentations: "Opening Remarks" (Lou Danielson); "OSEP Data on School Discipline" (Elaine Carlson and Judy Holt); "Discipline Data Requirements for the Biennial Performance Reports" (Rex Shipp); "Safe and Drug-Free Schools Data" (Deborah Rudy); "The GAO Report on Discipline" (Joy Markowitz); and "State and Local Discipline Data Collection" (Tim Lewis). Also provided are summaries of discussion organized around the following themes: (1) reasons for discipline data inaccuracies; (2) discipline data limitations; (3) other challenges related to discipline data; and (4) suggestions for improving the discipline data (organized around suggestions for the short term and suggestions for the long term). Appended are the participant list, the forum agenda, and a reporting form. (DB)

This document presents the proceedings of a February 2002 policy forum on whole class reading strategies for students with disabilities. The forum was convened in conjunction with the last of three satellite teleconferences on reading instruction. The forum focused on identifying challenges of using whole class strategies with students with disabilities as well as what facilitates use of these strategies. The proceedings first provide information on the background and purpose of the meeting, the forum preparation, the forum process, and a summary of the discussion immediately following the teleconference broadcast. Identified challenges to the use of whole class reading strategies with this population are grouped into those related to instruction, to personnel, to general education support and communication, and to student/family/caregiver background. Identified facilitators for strategy use are grouped into those concerned with instruction and assessment, personnel, general education support and communication, family and community, and other. Seventeen recommendations are offered for either the national/federal level, state or local levels, or research needs. Appended are a participant list and the forum agenda. (DB)

This publication summarizes the proceedings of a Project FORUM conference that examined the needs of homeless children and youth with disabilities. The summarized presentations address the definition of homelessness, the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act, services for homeless students under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, educational services for children who are homeless in five states (Maryland, Illinois, Iowa, Pennsylvania, and Virginia), facts about homelessness that shape the nature and delivery of educational services, and challenges related to children with disabilities who are homeless. Proposed strategies are presented for meeting the following challenges: (1) increasing awareness about the educational needs and rights of children who are homeless and enrolling them in school; (2) sustaining multi-pronged advocacy through public education and training and legislative and administrative advocacy; (3) providing timely, appropriate, multi-disciplinary assessment for students who are homeless; (4) finding solutions to broad problems through collaboration between schools and the community; (5) increasing the valid and reliable data on issues related to homelessness; and (6) addressing mobility issues as they relate to identifying students with disabilities who are homeless. (Contains 16 references.) (CR)

This symposium proceedings reports on the background, purpose, and implementation of meetings held on May 19-21, 1997 that focused on race, language, and special education. Participants from school districts in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont formed teams that included two or more of the following: local directors of special education, principals, parents, superintendents, counselors, social workers, bilingual specialists, and psychologists. Technical assistance providers and State Education Agency staff also participated in the symposium. Presentations and workshops focused on helping participants better understand the Office for Civil Rights' role, process and procedures, and provided information that would enable district/state teams to develop preliminary plans in the areas of teaching and procedural strategies, community/family involvement, staff development, information gathering, and evaluation related to race, language, and special education. Specific presentations included: "Literacy Development and the Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Student" (Patricia Landurand); "Community Involvement and Parent Empowerment" (Beth Harry); "The Past, Present and Future of Nondiscriminatory Assessment" (Richard A. Figueroa); "Effective Literacy Instruction of Bilingual Students in Special Education" (Nadeen T. Ruiz); and "Approaches to Self Evaluation for School Districts" (Beth Harry). The report includes a synopsis of all presentations and plenary sessions, a summary of the "next steps" generated by state and district teams, and a summary of evaluation feedback from the participants. (Presentations contain references.) (CR)

This document reports on the purpose, implementation, and outcomes of a policy forum on strategies used to address the disproportionate number of students from minority ethnic/racial groups receiving special education. Participants included representatives of state education agencies, local education agencies, the university/research community, general education, the Office for Civil Rights, and advocacy groups. The policy forum's purpose was to critique preliminary findings of a case-study investigation in three states and to identify specific strategies for addressing the disproportionate representation problem. Strategies were identified for the following six areas: (1) the importance of school staff trained to work with culturally, racially, and linguistically diverse students and recruitment of staff reflecting this diversity; (2) the need for on-going professional development opportunities for school personnel in such areas as positive classroom management, effective instructional practices, and non-biased assessment; (3) the need to inform and involve communities in addressing issues of disproportionality; (4) the need for involving parents early in the child's school career; (5) the need for closer collaboration between general and special educators; and (6) the need for special education data, disaggregated by race/ethnic group, to understand disproportionality and focus strategies. A list of forum participants and the agenda are attached. (DB)

This paper presents a case study describing the collaboration between a state university, a local school district, and Dialog Information Services, Inc. that was designed to include the use of online searching in a social studies methodology course and to encourage school curriculum reform in the area of technology by integrating online searching into the elementary social studies curriculum of a fourth-grade classroom. Two assumptions guided the research: (1) that significant changes will have to occur in both preservice and inservice education for computers to become integrated into the school curriculum; and (2) that collaborative partnerships between universities and schools can facilitate curriculum reform in both institutions. Data were gathered from the classroom teacher and the computer resource teacher at the beginning of the semester to provide baseline information; a taped interview was held with each teacher at the end of the semester; response journals were used weekly by the students; and a university professor acted as a participant-observer providing data through a personal journal. A discussion framed by key elements identified as necessary for successful collaborative efforts and a summary of project outcomes, both successes and failures, complete the document. (Contains approximately 20 references.) (LL)

This paper provides initial findings and an overview of an on-going project known, for the purposes of this proposal, as Project SEDTL. The work is being done at a large state university in a 5th year Multiple Subject Credential teacher preparation program, with the goal of integrating social-emotional learning (SEL) skills into the course and field experiences required in the program. The model was designed to develop candidates' ability to use an "SEL lens" as part of their teaching practice. Included is the rationale; the processes used to engage in programmatic change, a description of the materials and strategies developed to support this effort; the means of assessing project goals, and the outcomes to date.