Assessments

10 Basic Steps in Special Education

When a child is having trouble in school, it’s important to find out why. The child may have a disability. By law, schools must provide special help to eligible children with disabilities. This help is called special education and related services.

There’s a lot to know about the process by which children are identified as having a disability and in need of special education and related services. This section of CPIR’s website is devoted to helping you learn about that process.

This brief overview is an excellent place to start. Here, we’ve distilled the process into 10 basic steps. Once you have the big picture of the process, it’s easier to understand the many details under each step. We’ve indicated throughout this overview where, on our site, you can connect with that more detailed information.

Right to Obtain an Independent Educational Evaluation

Accurate and updated information as of October 2021 In Spanish | En español _____________________ If you, as a parent of a child with a disability, do not agree with the results of the individualized evaluation of your child, as conducted by the school system, you have the right to obtain what is known as an […]

Getting Ready for the 2021-22 School Year: FAQs about Testing Children with Disabilities

The 2020-21 school year was an unprecedented year with many districts implementing virtual learning, and with some districts moving back and forth between in-person and distance learning. Now, as children return to school in Fall 2021, it is critical that states and districts gather information on what children with disabilities have learned and where they need more support to meet standards-based learning goals. With this information, educators can make changes to current programs and to instruction to address children’s needs. Both formal and informal tests are important tools for gathering information.

This brief from NCEO answers frequently asked questions about whether (and how!) to test children with disabilities. The FAQ notes in particular that individualized education program (IEP) teams may need to revisit a child’s IEP before making test participation decisions. IEPs written before the COVID-19 pandemic may no longer address an individual child’s needs after the pandemic. For a list of the FAQs posed and to connect with the brief, read more here.

El Proceso de Determinar la Elegibilidad del Niño

Información precisa y actualizada a partir de 2021   Como explicamos en la página Evaluación Gratuita de Niños, la información que se reune en la evaluación será usada para tomar decisiones importantes acerca de la educación de su niño. Toda la información sobre su niño será usada: para decidir si su niño es elegible para […]

Finding the Data

Education data are critical to understanding whether or not America’s children are getting the education they deserve and the education that will prepare them to be successful. Transparency in education data can help stakeholders celebrate well-deserved school successes and inform conversations about efforts to improve our schools.

Finding the Data : A State-by-State Assessment of Education Data Transparency provides a systematic and deeper understanding of how state education agencies compare across a set of 3 broad dimensions of education transparency: accessibility and access, quality, and disaggregation for key student groups. Parents, advocacy organizations, researchers, and other stakeholders need this information to understand the performance and quality of schools in their state.

Read more about the report and access it here.

Annual State and Local Report Cards | ESSA Fact Sheet

May 2018 A collaborative publication of the Center for Parent Information and Resources (CPIR) and The Advocacy Institute Fact sheet in Word Fact sheet in PDF Other fact sheets on ESSA This fact sheet is designed to accompany the Stakeholder Guide to the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and gives you summary information about what ESSA […]

Statewide Accountability System and School Support and Improvement Activities | ESSA Fact Sheet

April 2018 A collaborative publication of the Center for Parent Information and Resources (CPIR) and The Advocacy Institute Fact sheet in Word Fact sheet in PDF Fact sheet in Spanish Other fact sheets on ESSA This fact sheet is designed to accompany the Stakeholder Guide to the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and gives you an […]

Amendments to IDEA Made by ESSA | ESSA Fact Sheet

April 2018 A collaborative publication of the Center for Parent Information and Resources (CPIR) and The Advocacy Institute Fact sheet in Word Fact sheet in PDF Fact sheet in Spanish Other fact sheets on ESSA This fact sheet is designed to accompany the Stakeholder Guide to the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and gives you a […]

Formative Assessment for Students with Disabilities

(2017, December) | Useful to Parent Centers in working with educators and families of children with disabilities. This 34-page report was commissioned by the Council of Chief State School Officers State Collaboratives on Assessing Special Education Students and Formative Assessment. The report provides teachers, both special education and general education, with an introduction to the […]

Cuando Tiene Preocupaciones Sobre el Desarrollo de Su Niño

Volver a la página central de nuestra información en español Información precisa y actualizada a partir de 2021   Esta página está diseñada para todos aquellos padres y familiares que están preocupados por el desarrollo de sus hijos y/o parientes y no saben qué hacer. Sabemos que el mundo de las discapacidades y de la […]