Special Education
Millions of children in our nation are identified as being "children with disabilities". Prior to the 1970s, millions of children with disabilities received inadequate or inappropriate special education services from the public schools and another 1 million children were excluded from school altogether. Many states had laws that specifically excluded certain children, such as those who were deaf or blind, those with emotional or behavioral problems, and those who were "feeble-minded". Only after Public Law 94-142 became effective in 1978 and, in several states, after Federal and State court cases, did 'education for all' policies become a fact. Public Law 94-142 required that all students with disabilities receive Free and Public Education (FAPE) and provided a funding mechanism to help defray the costs of special education programs. Public Law 94-142 later was amended into the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), whose main goal has always been to ensure that children with disabilities are not excluded from school. (3) IDEA defines children with disabilities as having any of the following types of disabilities: autism, deaf, deaf-blindness, hearing impairments (includi
The question raised by the inclusion of special education students in accountability systems is, "How should expectations be set for IEPs?" Although there have been some attempts to answer this question, no consensus has emerged. Although this standard is not likely to apply across all disabilities, it is clear that the ability to specify reasonable expectations for individual student learning is a foundation for implementing a balanced model of accountability. (1) At the level of individual student learning, increasing numbers of states with accountability systems have established expectations for adequate learning for general education students. It also works on building leadership among families and advocates to help them secure services and opportunities for children and young adults with disabilities and promotes cultural diversity and cultural competency. Now there are 94 PTIs across the country, plus a Technical Assistance Alliance. This assistance helps parents to participate more effectively with professionals in meeting the educational needs of children and youth with disabilities. These growing concerns, along with provisions contained in the 1997 reauthorization of IDEA, have insured that students with disabilities will not be left out of the national debate regarding accountability for educational outcomes. They serve the families of children and youth from birth to age 22 with all disabilities: physical, mental, learning, emotional, and attention deficit disorders. ng deafness), mental retardation, multiple disabilities, orthopedic impairments, other health impairments, serious emotional disturbance, specific learning disabilities, speech or language impairments, traumatic brain injury, and visual impairments (including blindness). In addition, 13 Community Parent Resource Centers work to meet the needs of racially and ethnically diverse communities. (5) Parent centers are funded by the US Department of Education, under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The Alliance is an innovative project which focuses on providing technical assistance for developing and funded Parent Training, Information Projects and Community Parent Resource Centers under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). These centers are here to train and inform parents and professionals, help families obtain appropriate education and services for their children with disabilities, and work to improve education results for children, resolve problems between families and school or other agencies, connect children with disabilities to community resources that address their needs. In several states where students with learning disabilities have been included in the accountability system, the expectations for students with learning disabilities appear to be the same as for students in general education. (4)Proposed ResponseHaving a child with a disability means that parents must develop an understanding of how the disability influences development; it also means that parents need to become familiar with their rights under IDEA in order to ensure that their children receive appropriate services.
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