This article from June 2014 explains how the U.S. Departmant of Education announced a major shift in the way it oversees the effectiveness of state special ed programs. In addition to meeting timelines for evaluations, due process of hearings and transitioning children into preschool services, states are now collecting data on student performance on tests. Before this new requiement 41 states met requirements and now only 18 do. Oregon falls in the "needs assistance" category. This is important for us as educators because this will push us to set high standards for our students yet also be realistic.
New accountability framework raises the bar for State Sped Programs
Sierra, This is an important article to be aware of. Much of what special education does is tied more to the federal government than even regular education programs. It will be interesting to see if this new approach will help schools or over burden them in times when it seems funding and resources are limited. I wonder if the need for compliance will be funded/resources given that make these services feasible for all schools?
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