All students, including students with disabilities, must be included in state accountability systems as required by law. In April 2007, federal regulations provided states the flexibility to offer another assessment option--an Alternate Assessment based on Modified Achievement Standards (AA-MAS) for some students with disabilities. The AA-MAS is…

Data from questionnaires completed by 44 Child Service Demonstration Centers were analyzed, providing information on the number of children served, the definition of LD (learning disabilities) used, the kinds of assessment data collected and the purpose for which they were used, the specific assessment devices used to collect data and the purpose…

The assessment and decision-making practices used by 44 child service demonstration centers, which provide services to learning disabled (LD) children, were investigated in a national survey. Results suggested that assessment and decision making in the field of learning disabilities are characterized by variability and inconsistency. (Author/DLS)

A nationwide sample of 49 school psychologists and 30 regular education teachers provided information on assessment for the purpose of instructional planning. School psychologists listed the types of information they collected for this purpose and teachers listed the types of information they considered useful. While some indications of agreement…

In April 2007, Federal No Child Left Behind regulations were finalized that provided states with additional flexibility for assessing some students with disabilities. The regulations allowed states to offer another assessment option, alternate assessments based on modified academic achievement standards (AA-MAS). States are not required to have…

Detailed qualitative case studies of four early childhood special education programs, representing a variety of approaches to decision making as well as different community settings (urban, suburban, and rural), present information regarding their diagnostic assessment procedures. In general, programs reported that the main objective of diagnostic…

Relevant policy issues for early childhood special education (ECSE) programs to consider in the areas of exit decision making and follow-up procedures are identified in this report. These issues were generated through extensive naturalistic case studies of four ECSE programs located in urban, suburban, and rural communities and were selected to…

The performance of 272 elementary school aged educable retarded children was used in the final evaluation of the five unit Money, Measurement and Time program. Criterion referenced pre- and posttests were administered to assess the effectiveness of each unit, and A Cognitive Abilities Test evaluated Ss' general improvement in non-content-specific…

This paper explores the development of universal design and considers its application to large-scale assessments. Universal design is a concept that originated in the field of architecture, but quickly expanded into environmental initiatives, recreation, the arts, health care, and now, education. In addition to the concept's application to…

This paper cites evidence that the word "all" in referring to the education of all children is not being used in the universal sense, and notes that actions have not matched the rhetoric about "all" students. The paper defines the terms "outcomes,""indicators," and "standards." It discusses key issues that arise in talking about outcomes for all…

Asked 118 teachers of learning disabled (LD) students to describe their school districts' criteria for identifying LD students and indicate their agreement or disagreement with the criteria. Reported criteria were characterized by variability, even within states, as were the teachers' state agreement or disagreement with them. (Author/JAC)

Students with disabilities are required by law to participate in state and district assessments and performance reports. High-stakes testing is a significant part of standards-based reform and educational accountability. There are many potential negative and positive consequences of high-stakes testing for students with disabilities. Educators…

Assessment and decision-making practices of a national sample of 60 teachers serving handicapped preschool children were examined. Teachers were surveyed regarding the assessment information they and other professionals collect on their students and how they use it in educational programming. It was found that teachers used behavioral observations…

This paper examines the concept of "outcomes-based education" (OBE), how it was developed, how it relates to other current reforms that encompass the notion of outcomes, and how it relates to students with disabilities in theory and in practice. Outcomes-based education holds that all children can learn and succeed and that schools are…

A nationwide survey of preschool programs (N=178) serving handicapped children revealed that approximately half had formal written exit criteria, the most common of which was chronological age. Other factors included formal test results, team staffing decisions, and the child's developmental skill level. Formal written exit criteria differed…