Supreme Court to hear special education case

Richard Wolf

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2016/09/29/supreme-court-special-education-disabilities/91262338/

USA TODAY 09/29/2016

Supreme Court, "de minimus", IDEA,

What is the level of services a school district must provide? In this case the government said a public school district need only off an education that is more than de minimus. The bottom line in this article is at what level of services do school districts need to provide to students with Individualized Education Plans.

Students Face Uncertain Paths After Special Education

From Education Week
Published online May 29, 2015
Written by Christina A. Samuels
Audience: Teachers, Special Education Specialists, Transition Teachers and Families

Students have experienced a structured and somewhat predictable path while receiving special education services in public school settings since IDEA has been enacted. What has not been historically smooth is the transition from education to vocational or post education life. The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act hopes to add structure and substance to transition

Raising the Bar for State Special Ed Programs

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