Schools across the country are facing the demand to provide rigorous educational opportunities to a highly diverse population of learners requiring various levels of academic and behavior support. The most recent reauthorization of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (2004) provided the impetus for an increased focus on empirically supported practices. However, simply electing to adopt evidence-based practices without attending to the implementation process is unlikely to improve outcomes (Fixsen, Blase, Duda, Naoom, & Van Dyke, 2010). Implementation abandonment, wherein schools discontinue the use of effectively implemented practices in place of new ones each year, is commonplace in schools across the country (Adelman & Taylor, 2003). This phenomenon carries costs with regard to system resources, including financial losses and reduced staff buy-in, as well as student outcomes (McIntosh et al., 2013). Empirical research shows that assessing fidelity and using those data to inform action planning can increase sustainability and decrease the likelihood of abandoning effective practices (McIntosh, Kim, Mercer, Strickland-Cohen, & Horner, 2015). One effective and widely implemented practice is schoolwide positive behavioral interventions and supports (SWPBIS; Sugai & Horner, 2009), a three-tiered framework that promotes the use of positive and preventive approaches to behavior support at a systems level. More than 21,000 schools in the United States have adopted SWPBIS in efforts to establish positive, safe, predictable, and consistent school climates (Horner, 2014). Research indicates that high fidelity of implementation of SWPBIS is associated with improved student and teacher outcomes, including an increase in student perception of school safety, a reduction in number of office discipline referrals (ODRs), a decrease in student use of school counseling services, growth in academic achievement, and an increase in teacher self-efficacy (Bradshaw,

The 1997 amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act required states to provide access to the general curriculum and alternate assessments for students with disabilities who were unable to participate in statewide assessments. For this study, we examined the curricular focus of alternate assessments using performance indicators in math, language arts, and functional skills from 31 states. Experts in math education, language arts, and severe disabilities, along with a group of stakeholders (i.e., teachers and administrators), examined the performance indicators relative to their alignment to national standards and curricula. Experts and stakeholders identified states that had alternate assessment performance indicators that were clearly aligned to math or language arts and those that did not. A subgroup also considered the functionality of the indicators. Through a series of discussions, experts and stakeholders identified features of the performance indicators that exemplified alignment with general or functional curricula, including specificity of content, wording, required response, and grade-or age-level appropriateness. The results suggest that alternate assessments have a strong focus on academic skills but also reflect an additive curricular approach linking academic and functional skills.

A n important way states have been implementing school reform in recent years is through the use of large-scale state and district assessments for student and school accountability. These assessments are used to determine if students have met state or district standards. The federal legislation No Child Left Behind (NCLB, 2002) placed increased emphasis on educational accountability by requiring statewide assessment systems covering all public schools and students. These systems must be based on challenging standards in reading/language arts, mathematics, and science (science by 2007), annual testing for all students in Grades 3-8, and annual statewide progress objectives ensuring that all groups of students reach proficiency within 12 years. Assessment results and progress objectives must be reported by poverty, race, ethnicity, disability, and limited English proficiency to ensure that no group is left behind. Previous legislation, (i.e., Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 1997) required that states provide alternate assessments for students with disabilities who are not able to participate in large-scale state and district assessments. To obtain data needed for No Child Left Behind, alternate assessments need to include the domains of language arts/reading, math, and by 2007, science.When IDEA 1997 required the use of alternate assessments, only one state, Kentucky, had widespread implementation of this process. By July 2000, states had to implement alternate

The authors examined the problem-solving practices of school teams engaged in implementing and improving schoolwide behavior support implementation. A multiple baseline design across 4 elementary school teams was used to assess the effects of the Team-Initiated Problem Solving (TIPS) training program (1 day of team training plus 2 coached meetings). A direct observation data collection protocol-Decision Observation, Recording, and Analysis-was used to index if teams followed "meeting foundations" practices for effective problem solving (e.g., predictable agenda, stable participants, clear roles for facilitator, minute taker, data analyst) and "thorough problem solving" practices for building interventions (e.g., problem definition, use of data, solution development, action planning). Direct observation results indicate that 3 of the 4 teams demonstrated improved meeting foundations and problemsolving skills after TIPS training. The fourth team also performed well, but documented baseline patterns that were either at optimum levels (meeting foundations) or with an increasing trend (problem solving) that prevented demonstration of an intervention effect. 42 Downloaded by [Georgian Court University] at 16:53 04 April 2015 Effect of TIPS Training 43Team members perceived their meetings after TIPS training as resulting in more effective problem solving. Collectively, the results are interpreted as demonstrating a functional relation between TIPS training and improved problem solving practices by school teams. Implications address how to improve team-based consultation and problem solving in schools.Data-based decision making and problem solving are continuous and central activities in schools. Decisions are made not just about individual students and their instruction, but also about the organization of schoolwide educational systems and resources. Nearly every school in the country has teams meeting regularly to make decisions concerning administrative, academic, and social support issues. The assumption is that the involvement of multiple individuals on a team will provide a more inclusive system of problem solving and decision making in which collective experiences, knowledge, skills, language, and vision contribute to improving the core features of schooling and outcomes for children. The ubiquitous and central role of school psychologist as leaders in school-based decision making and on problemsolving teams (cf. a need for improved understanding of how collaborative problem-solving teams operate and how to assist individuals on them to effectively address educational concerns common in U.S. schools.An impressive literature exists with guidance and recommendations about the need for and the process of team-based problem solving (Bransford ). Two messages from this literature are (a) the steps for data-based problem solving remain consistent across time, context, and authors; and (b) there is evidence that current problem-solving practices in schools leave room for improvement.As a field, education is not using be...

The World Wide Web (WWW) is a universal medium that has revolutionized the dissemination and gathering of information; however, on-line barriers limit the accessibility of the WWW for individuals with disabilities. Federal legislation directs that the provision of assistive technology devices and services enable individuals with disabilities to benefit from the opportunities available to their neighbors and peers without disabilities. The purposes of this study were to evaluate the accessibility of university special education programs' home pages and discuss accessibility recommendations. Eighty-nine special education Web sites were evaluated for accessibility errors. Most (73%) special education home pages had accessibility problems, and the majority of these errors (71%) severely limited access for individuals with disabilities. The good news is that the majority (83%) of the errors can easily be corrected. Recommendations and methods for improving accessibility to the WWW for individuals with disabilities are discussed.

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While there are many problems associated with the 4 x 4 block scheduling model, the many arguments for considering a move to alternative scheduling appear to be winning favor. Lincoln County Schools in North Carolina are among the many districts that decided to move to a 4 x 4 design. What did they discover on the road they traveled?