This playbook provides ways in which Higher Education Agencies (sometimes referred as the State Higher Education Executive Officers) and teams can blur the lines between high school, postsecondary education, and the workforce. Higher Education Agencies (HEAs) play a significant role to Raise the Bar for student success by developing an…

In North Carolina, physical therapy services for handicapped students are integrated into school settings via a coordinated statewide effort. The model, headed by a physical therapy consultant, provides flexibility, supports an expanded role of therapists, emphasizes the team approach, and considers the physical therapist as a health professional.…

The concept of transition of an individual with a disability from school to adult environments is presented from the perspective of the educator's role. The educator's role is perceived as: (1) an "expert" on the needs of individuals with mental disabilities and the barriers they face when they move from the educational environment to…

This workshop manual focuses on validation procedures designed to foster program improvement rather than compliance monitoring. The manual is in eight chapters. Chapter 1 looks at the elements to be evaluated--organization and management, training, student assessment, design and implementation of classroom interventions, team work, screening a…

The Instructional Support Team (IST) process is mandated in all Pennsylvania schools that include any grade from kindergarten through 6. Middle schools that house grade six or below are required to enroll in IST training and ultimately achieve IST validation. In addition to the IST requirement, all secondary schools are required to have a Student…

This guide outlines the key elements of a full time equivalent (FTE) instructional support model, and provides suggestions for its effective implementation. Support teachers in the Instructional Support Team (IST) Program perform a variety of functions, including conducting instructional assessments, classroom observations, data collection,…

This newsletter theme issue describes a state-local team partnership model for interagency transition efforts for young adults with deaf-blindness. Excepts from a presentation by Jane M. Everson identify key aspects and characteristics of effective state and local interagency partnerships. These include: (1) strategies for initiating and…

This manual presents guidelines to assist Vermont schools in the systems change involved in implementing full inclusion for students with disabilities in general education classrooms and community settings. The first chapter addresses general issues concerned with full inclusion, including Vermont's vision for education, the role of collaborative…

This monograph is a compilation of the knowledge gained by the Technical Assistance Center (TAC) of the Helen Keller National Center, from training and technical assistance activities conducted with state interagency teams serving youth and young adults with deaf-blindness. The book views interagency collaboration as essential in achieving…

This trainer's manual focuses on facilitating collaboration in an educational setting. It begins with tips for trainers to involve training session participants, answer questions and respond to challenges, and evaluate their own performance, along with sample agendas and worksheets used in collaboration training. Each of the next six sections…

This manual was developed as part of a North Dakota statewide project to improve the education and services for children with deaf-blindness and their families. A major component of the project is the Statewide Technical Assistance Team (STAT), which provides in-state training and technical assistance to families and intervention teams that serve…

This policy statement clarifies the role of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) team in selecting individual accommodations, modifications in administration, and alternate assessments for state and district-wide assessments. It states that neither the state education agency (SEA) nor the local education agency (LEA) can limit the authority…

This project manual from the Partnerships for Rural Resource Teams Project, a project designed to build upon the foundation of services for children and youth with deaf-blindness in Montana, opens with guiding principles of the project and a description of the types of available services. Grounded in a framework that draws upon the principles of…

This document identifies the three components that frame overall career and life role education that helps students prepare to integrate the demands of six life roles (individual, learner, producer, consumer, family member, citizen) into family, community, and work settings. The three components that help prepare students to meet the grade 12…

This document is intended to guide special education policy in British Columbia (Canada) and stresses the basic elements of Individual Education Plans, school-based teams, district-wide planning, and resource sharing. After an introduction on how to use the guide (including a glossary of terms), the manual is divided into eight sections that…