by Common Ground | Sep 25, 2014 | Capitols
The United States Department of Education (USDOE) has announced that it will begin to look at graduation rates, test scores, and other measures of academic performance to help determine whether states are meeting the needs of students with disabilities. The focus on...
by Common Ground | Sep 25, 2014 | Capitols
The U.S. Department of Education has issued guidance to charter schools underscoring their responsibility to provide special education services. In a seven-page “Dear Colleague” letter, the U.S. Department of Education said that charter schools have the same...
by Common Ground | Aug 11, 2014 | Courts
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has held that the provisions in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) for services in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) apply to extended school year, (ESY) services. The case involves a...
by Common Ground | Apr 22, 2014 | Features
By STAN KARP The New York Times says it’s “clearly the most important education reform in the country’s history.” But a recent Gallop poll says nearly two out of three people have never heard of it. ‘It’ is the “Common Core,” a new set of tougher curriculum standards...
by Common Ground | Apr 22, 2014 | Courts
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the “stay put” provision of IDEA remains relevant, even when a student has aged out of public school. The case involves a Hawaii student with severe disabilities, who filed for due process in order to remain at the...
by Common Ground | Apr 22, 2014 | Capitols
Leaders at the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) have clarified the responsibilities of local school districts to provide services to “highly mobile” students, such as those in foster care or homeless, children of migrant workers, and children in military families....
by Common Ground | Nov 5, 2013 | Capitols
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) has notified leaders at the New Jersey Department of Education that the state met the requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in several...
by Common Ground | Jun 27, 2013 | Capitols
A bi-partisan measure approved by the New Jersey General Assembly would ban a growing practice that has school boards offering “merit pay” bonuses to school superintendents who reduce out of district special education placements. The bill, A-3997, was...
by Common Ground | Feb 28, 2013 | Features
Disability Mandates Include School-Based Mental Health Services By Alvin E. Doyle As a nation, we strive to create educational environments in which students feel safe and can learn, and in which educators have the tools and strategies they need to educate all...
by Common Ground | Feb 28, 2013 | Courts
A federal appeals court has upheld a U.S. Department of Education regulation requiring school districts, under certain circumstances, to reimburse parents for independent educational evaluations (IEE). The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled unanimously to uphold a...
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