The National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER), sponsors a comprehensive program of special education research designed to expand the knowledge and understanding of infants, toddlers and children with disabilities.
Highlights from NCSER (Archive)
IES Releases Report on States' Monitoring Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education ActA new NCSER report, A Study of States' Monitoring and Improvement Practices Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, describes the nature and scope of states' Part B and Part C monitoring systems. Data on 20 states' monitoring systems in 2004-05 and 2006-07 were collected during two site visits. The report also discusses the framework that was developed as a means for organizing the description of state monitoring systems. The findings in the report include contextual factors that may affect states' monitoring systems, states' approaches to monitoring, and how states' monitoring systems and processes mapped onto the framework.
A restricted-use dataset has also been released that includes data from a mail survey to all 50 states plus the District of Columbia on states' monitoring practices (see http://ies.ed.gov/ncser/pdf/20083008.pdf) and data from the site visits. The dataset covers a wide range of categories related to monitoring such as states' data collection and analysis, staffing and training, role of stakeholders, reporting, resources used in monitoring systems, number of monitoring processes, and how states' identified, investigated, and resolved problems. To request a dataset, please click here.