This report contains the proceedings of a forum held on June 28, 2023 in New Orleans, Louisiana, to discuss issues surrounding meaningful accessibility of assessments. The forum was a post-session to the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) National Conference on Student Assessment (NCSA) and was a collaboration of the "Assessment,…

Special education stands at a pivotal juncture, confronting both existential challenges and transformational opportunities. The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) is not upholding its mandate of promoting the Individualized Education Program (IEP). I underscore the centrality of the IEP in the…

The largest system of higher education in the nation, the California Community Colleges (CCC) has disappeared more than one million students in the past 15 years, a 35% decrease in its student body since 2008 despite California's population increase. This dramatic shrinking of the CCC system was not an accident. It was manufactured by a vast…

In Georgia, the recent "Protect Students First Act," or GA HB 1084, states that curricula and training programs should refrain from judging others based on race or advocate for divisive concepts such as "One race is inherently superior to another race," or that "the United States of America is fundamentally racist."…

More than 90% of IDEA funding is allocated to Part B, Grants to States (Section 611), which contains funding and policy provisions related to special education for children ages 3 to 21. The influence of federal Part B, Grants to States funding on state and local funding decisions is twofold: 1) it links eligibility for IDEA grants to compliance…

The term "child find" refers to a district's ongoing obligation to evaluate upon reason to suspect a child may meet IDEA eligibility standards. This obligation consists of two components: a reasonable suspicion of eligibility and initiating the evaluation within a reasonable period of time. Because child find is a procedural matter, it…

Utah Code 53F-2-522 and Board Rule R277-625, "Mental Health Screeners," sets standards for Local Education Agencies (LEAs) to implement approved mental health screening programs for students. The legislature has appropriated a $1,000,000 for the program in 2024, however prior the allocation was $500,000. During the 2023-2024 school year,…

This article highlights the trends in state laws and judicial rulings specific to identification of and interventions for students with dyslexia.

In recent years, dyslexia legislation and awareness has become more prevalent. Dyslexia is a specific learning disorder that affects a student's ability to read because they have deficits in their overall phonological awareness skills. While federal and state legislation has been passed regarding dyslexia, awareness surrounding dyslexia is still…

"Evaluation" under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is among the major responsibilities of school psychologists. This concluding article in the series on evaluation under the IDEA provides legal analysis and professional recommendations related to procedural appropriateness. Specifically, it addresses notices,…

States have taken different approaches in addressing the need for increased compensation among teachers by spreading pay increases across multiple years, linking increases to performance, and connecting them to sweeping K-12 policy changes, such as school vouchers. The earn-as-you-learn Registered Apprenticeship model is an increasingly popular…

People need access to data. Individual students and job seekers, families, educators, communities, and policymakers must have the information they need to foster successful journeys through education and the workforce. Robust statewide longitudinal data systems (SLDSs) can be designed to prioritize meaningful access to data but must also protect…

"The Regulatory Sandbox in Education" (S.B. 191, 2022) allows a school to implement an innovative education program and apply to the State Board of Education for a temporary waiver of state board rule to support an innovative education program. Under this program, local agencies approve proposed plans which are then reported to the State…

This article provides foundational information to stimulate and facilitate assessment of the distinctive role of law in this field. For example, has the balance of costs and benefits reached the point of over-legalization? Similarly, to what extent is legal literacy essential for special education teachers and related service personnel as compared…

The non-traditional gender occupational divide weakens state economies by decreasing economic productivity and reducing diversity in decision-making. By creating gender parity in which "women participate in the labor force at the same rate as men, work the same number of hours as men, and are employed at the same levels as men across…