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The purpose of the current study was to determine the probability that a student with a disability not being served by Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) would be expelled. Expulsion data were obtained from the Civil Rights Data Collection produced by the U.S. Office of Civil Rights. The latest data from all 50 states and the District of Columbia for the 2017 to 2018 school year were analyzed. Bayes' Theorem was used to determine this probability based upon existing probabilities and conditional probabilities. Analyses were also conducted by state and ethnicity. Results indicated that 1 in 14 of expelled students is likely to have an unserved disability under IDEA but variability according to race/ethnicity nationwide and by state was observed. Students who were White were the least likely to be an unserved student with a disability under IDEA among those expelled. The findings encourage investigation into the intersection of variables, especially the importance of including disability status and ethnicity when explaining disparate and punitive discipline. Practitioners, especially school psychologists, work at this intersection and can influence both special education identification and discipline practices.

We examined differences in the receipt and delivery of extended school year (ESY) services in the United States by locale as being rural, urban, or suburban. We found that there were significant differences in the percentage of students receiving ESY services according to locale, with rural local education agencies (LEAs) having a significantly lower percentage of students receiving ESY services. Additionally, we found that special education directors perceived the number of students receiving ESY services as generally being "about right" for their LEA. We also found that urban special education directors were significantly more likely to report that there should be less students receiving ESY services while rural special education directors were less likely to report this. We then found that rural LEAs generally reported providing significantly fewer types of ESY services offered than urban or suburban LEAs. Finally, we found that urban LEAs reported significantly higher attendance rates of students who attended ESY services as compared with rural LEAs.

There is no national study examining the rate of enrollment of students with disabilities in charter schools. We examined whether students with disabilities were significantly less likely to enroll in charter schools as compared to non-charter public schools accounting for state level variation using data for the entire national population. We utilized data from the Civil Rights Data Collection under the U.S. Department of Education for the 2011-2012 and 2013-2014 academic years. These nationwide and contemporary data provided school-level numbers of students with disabilities receiving special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and charter school status. We performed hierarchical linear modeling to examine for differences in the percentages of students with disabilities under IDEA between charter and non-charter schools, which revealed significantly less students with disabilities enrolled in charter schools at the national and state level. Additionally, we identified and ranked states according to the degree of discrepancy in the percentages of students with disabilities under IDEA between charter and non-charter schools.

Retention of administrators is related to student achievement, but little is known about factors related to the retention of special education directors. The authors examine whether educational credentials, certifications, and number of years served are related to the number of years served as local education agency special education director.

Extended school year (ESY) services has been an understudied area of special education research. There is limited information available regarding ESY practices by local education agencies (LEAs) in determining eligibility as well as who receives what types of services. We surveyed special education directors across the nation to examine ESY practices by LEAs. Most notably, approximately two out of three special education directors (63%) reported that ESY services were only received by students in self-contained classrooms in their LEA. These LEAs that had no students outside of a self-contained classroom receiving ESY services also had a significantly lower percentage of students receiving ESY services as a whole. We recommend that this practice be discouraged as it effectively excludes students in inclusive settings who could benefit from ESY services and can steer parents away from inclusive placements if ESY services in the future will cease.

Extended school year (ESY) services refer to those special education services received by students during the summer break. These services are needed for those students who receive special education services who would otherwise regress and not readily recoup skills when returning to school. Identifying students who should receive extended school year services is not clear cut and guidelines are the result of a patchwork from case law. This study assessed state (n = 13) and respective local (n = 128) directors of special education on the importance of better determining eligibility for extended school year services. Findings show that state and local special education directors were split with regard to whether there was a need for a screening instrument. However, state and respective local special education directors' responses from the same state were not related to one another. Additionally, local special education directors who reported a need for a screening instrument also reported lower percentages of students who received extended school year services. The results of the current study provide evidence that assistance is needed to determine eligibility for ESY services for students receiving special education services. Although state and local directors of special education did not unanimously agree or necessarily agree with each other in their respective states, results do indicate some need to develop a screening instrument to determine eligibility for ESY services.

The current study examined whether the parental practice of delayed kindergarten entrance, also known as academic red-shirting, was associated with gains in academic achievement among children with learning disabilities. Results indicate no significant differences in the academic achievement among children with learning disabilities who were delayed in their kindergarten entrance and those who entered on time. A discussion of special education intervention services and future research concludes the study. (Contains 2 tables and 2 figures.)

The purpose of the current study was to examine barriers, if any, reported by special education directors to providing extended school year (ESY) services. Results indicate four barriers to providing ESY services listed in order of importance by special education directors: difficulty in finding qualified personnel to work over the summer, determining eligibility for ESY services, compliance of parents, and limited financial resources to provide ESY services. Rural special education directors reported the barrier of difficulty in finding qualified personnel significantly more often than nonrural directors. Rural special education directors also reported significantly more barriers to providing ESY services in general.

From a sample of 13,176 children with disabilities who were a part of the Special Education Elementary Longitudinal Study, 330 students achieved a score at the 90th percentile or higher on the Woodcock-Johnson III. These children represent some 9.1% of children who have disabilities nationally and who might be identified as gifted or academically advanced. Only 11.1% of these students were participating in programs for gifted and talented students with African Americans, Hispanics, or females significantly less likely to participate. The discussion considers the reasons behind these results and possible approaches for identifying and serving students within a current response-to-intervention approach.

Data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (SRI International, 2002) were analyzed to identify variables that predicted whether individuals with intellectual disability (ID) received sex education in public schools across the United States. Results suggested that individuals receiving special education services without ID were only slightly more likely to receive sex education than students with mild ID (47.5% and 44.1%, respectively), but the percentage of students with moderate to profound ID that received sex education was significantly lower (16.18%). Analysis of teacher opinions and perceptions of the likelihood of the students benefiting from sex education found that most teachers indicated that students without ID or with mild ID would benefit (60% and 68%, respectively), but the percentage dropped to 25% for students with moderate to profound ID. Finally, across all students, the only significant demographic variable that predicted receipt of sex education was more expressive communication skills. Results are discussed in terms of ensuring equal access to sex education for students with ID in public schools.

The Amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1997 require schools to consider assistive technology for students receiving special education. In order to gain insight to the implementation of the mandates, we surveyed special education directors across the state of Texas regarding assistive technology decision-making and implementation procedures. Findings suggest that a team-approach was utilized for device selection. Furthermore, device user-friendliness and previous experience are two factors that influenced decision-making. Finally, results also indicated that school districts in rural areas reported having fewer assistive technology devices available to them in comparison to suburban and urban school districts.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act mandates that students with disabilities be provided the necessary special education and related services that will allow them the benefit of a free and appropriate public education. Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) are the product of a team planning process that facilitates the coordination of such services for all students with disabilities in public schools who receive special education services. The purpose of the current study was to examine the association of student IEP participation with academic achievement across time. Although research has indicated the potential value of student participation in IEP meetings in developing self-determination skills, the relationship between student participation in IEP meetings and academic achievement has yet to be empirically examined. This article provides evidence that supports a positive association between student IEP participation and academic outcomes for students with disabilities at the elementary school level. (Contains 3 tables and 1 figure.)

The current study examined the underidentification of students with disabilities for gifted education programs, otherwise referred to as twice-exceptional students. This study utilized data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Kindergarten Class of 2010–2011 (ECLS-K). We estimated that approximately 17% to 18% more students with disabilities should have been identified for a gifted education program as having statistically similar achievement scores to those students without disabilities in gifted education programs. Alternatively stated, students with disabilities should make up 10.8% of gifted programs, or about 1 in 9 students in gifted programs should be twice-exceptional. Students with disabilities who were male, non-White, low-income, and indicating more internalizing problem behaviors were more likely to not be identified for a gifted education program despite having similar achievement scores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Family-centered care has been associated with positive outcomes for children with special health care needs. The purpose of the current study was to examine the relationship of family-centered care as associated with care coordination with schools and school absences (e.g., missed days) as reported by parents of children with special health care needs. Methods The current study utilized data from the National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs 2009-201 ( N = 40,242) to achieve this purpose. The National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs may be considered a nationally-representative and community-based sample of parent responses for children with special health care needs across the United States. Results Results from the current study indicate that family-centered care is associated with fewer absences and improved care coordination with schools when applicable. The variables of functional difficulties, poverty level, and the number of conditions were statistically controlled. Conclusions We suggest that the positive influence of family-centered care when practiced extends beyond the family and interacts with educational outcomes. We also suggest that the role of schools appears to be under-studied given the role that schools can play in family-centered care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]