This qualitative case study focuses on factors mediating an urban school's enactment of Response to Intervention (RTI). Over one school year, we (a) observed weekly RTI meetings, (b) debriefed observations weekly, (c) interviewed RTI team members, and (d) examined procedural documents. Analyses included post-observation debriefing and coding…

As part of the validation process for alternate assessments, 39 classroom observations were conducted to gather data about current practices in providing academic instruction to students with significant intellectual disability. Using a standardized protocol, data were gathered using direct instructional observation, an Individualized Education…

This study examined (a) the main effects of professional development on the quality of postsecondary goals in employment and postsecondary education/training, (b) the main effects of student and teacher characteristics on goal quality, and (c) whether professional development moderated the relationship between the impact of these characteristics…

This study examined two areas. First, the authors looked at whether secondary individualized education program (IEP) teams who used the "Transition Planning Inventory" (TPI) in conjunction with a structured IEP meeting that based discussions and decisions on TPI data as a planning intervention generated significantly more transition-related IEP…

Students who are deaf or hard of hearing are a low-incidence population with diverse linguistic characteristics and levels of academic achievement. This article presents findings on teacher recommendations of assessment practices for students who are deaf or hard of hearing. A total of 372 educational professionals responded to a set of three…

This study investigated economic and demographic predictors of levels of inclusion of students with disabilities in 129 school districts. Multiple regression analysis was utilized to address the following research questions: (a) Is there a relationship between economic factors and percentage of highly included students with disabilities in general…

The reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act has initiated changes that are affecting early literacy assessment, and it has prompted the growing use of measures that incorporate phonological and alphabetic fluency. However, the question of how phonological and alphabetic fluency can inhibit (or promote) reading…

This article provides an update of a previous analysis of the case law concerning manifestation determinations culminating in the revised pertinent provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 2004. Specifically, the update consists of a synthesis of the legislative history, Office of Special Education Programs…

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…

University faculty members play an essential role in ensuring that students with disabilities receive a quality postsecondary education. Many factors influence the willingness of faculty to provide quality services. The purpose of this survey study was to identify these influential factors through a structural equation modeling model. Findings…

General and special education are confronting tremendous change resulting from legal mandates related to closing the achievement gap under No Child Left Behind and a focus on early intervention and prevention in the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, 2004. As a result, schoolwide intervention approaches are under rapid development,…

Performance mandates of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and the Individuals with Disabilities Improvement Act of 2004 have demanded ever-greater access to the general curriculum for all students, including those with disabilities. Inclusive classrooms and the elevated expectations for all students have a profound impact on preservice teacher…

This article discusses the construction of the "emotional disturbance" (ED) category in the cases of four African American elementary students. These cases represent a sub-set of data from a three-year ethnographic study of the special education process in a large, culturally/linguistically diverse school district. Based on interviews,…

Twenty-two states continue to require exit exams, despite ongoing controversy surrounding their use. In all, exit exams affect nearly two thirds of high school students in this country. Many states, however, offer some alternative route or routes to a diploma, by which at least some students may bypass the exam requirement. This study examines the…

Fifteen years after the first charter school legislation was passed, the number of charter schools opening in the United States each year continues to grow. In 2000, research was conducted to examine the extent and quality of service to students with disabilities in Texas's charter schools. Descriptive statistics and structured interviews were…