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Services & Resources

Information
Publications
Training and Technical Assistance Opportunities
TEACH California and Special Education Employment Opportunities

Information

• Special Education - CalEdFacts
  This content is part of California Department of Education's information about special education in the State of California.
• District & Statewide Assessment
  • California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE) (Revised 17-Feb-2006)
    Assistance for students, parents, and schools with the administration of the CAHSEE.
    • Program Notes and Legal Updates for the CAHSEE
  • California Alternate Performance Assessment (CAPA) (Revised 12-Jan-2007)
    The development and implementation of an alternate assessment for children with severe cognitive disability.
• Guidance
  • Inventory of Services and Supports for Students with Disabilities
    Resource tools for technical assistance providers working with districts in Program Improvement under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).
  • Diabetes Management in Schools (Posted 07-Aug-2007)
    Information to assist schools in effectively managing diabetes, one of the most common chronic diseases in school-aged children.
  • ED Response to Report Card and Transcript Questions (Posted 24-Aug-2006)
    United States Department of Education clarifies issues regarding grade reporting for students with disabilities.
  • Algebra I Graduation Requirement (Revised 17-Jul-2006)
    Guidance and resources for teaching algebra concepts to students with disabilities.
    • Algebra I (Or Its Equivalent) Graduation Requirement For Students With Disabilities (Revised 15-May-2009)
  • Promotion, Retention, and Grading (Updated 06-Apr-2012)
    Frequently asked questions from the field regarding the promotion, retention, and grading of students with disabilities.
  • Assistive Technology (AT) Network
    Provides information and education on accessibility of tools, resources, and technology that will help increase independence, and improve personal productivity.
    • Assistive Technology Checklist (Updated 20-Apr-2011)
      Examples of assistive technology.
  • Class Size Reduction
    School district requirements and parent dispute resolution process.

WorkAbility I (Updated 07-Nov-2011)
A California Transition Program - Students Learn to Earn.

Epilepsy Education and Awareness (Added 18-Oct-2010)
Information for parents and educators on the needs of children with epilepsy in the California school system.

Special Education Resources (Updated 06-Mar-2012)
Links to sites related to Special Education national and state laws, regulations.

Publications

The Guidelines for Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy in California Public Schools (Second Edition) (PDF; 3MB) defines and describes the occupational therapy (OT) and physical therapy (PT) services to be provided in an educational setting, compliant with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 2004; Title 20, United States Code Section 1400 et seq.; and the OT and PT scopes of practice and state license requirements.

Addressing Learning Disabilities and Difficulties: How to Reach and Teach Every Student
This revised edition of I Can Learn will help students with learning difficulties or learning disabilities excel in the general education classroom.

Braille Mathematics Standards (PDF; 2MB) - adopted by the State Board of Education in 2006
Braille Reading Standards (PDF) - adopted by the State Board of Education in 2006

The California READING Initiative and Special Education in California (PDF)
Provides information on important issues related to the California READING Initiative, its base of research, and its application to both general and special education.

Early Childhood Special Education Handbook Series (Revised 19-Nov-2007)
Core concepts and preferred practices for successful, high-quality intervention services.

Determining Specific Learning Disability Eligibility Using Response To Instruction And Intervention (RtI2) (DOC; 4MB; Posted 26-Aug-2009 | PDF)
Technical assistance information for local educational agencies as they begin planning to implement RtI2.

National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities
A central source of information on IDEA, No Child Left Behind (as it relates to children with disabilities) and research-based information on effective educational practices.

Programs for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students - Guidelines for Quality Standards, 2000 (PDF; 1MB)
This publication can be ordered from the CDE Press Sales Desk. The item number of this publication is 001502.

Reasons for Concern Brochure (Posted 25-Jan-2006)
That your child or a child in your care may need help.

Resources in Special Education (RiSE) Library
RiSE Library is located with Parents Helping Parents (PHP) of Santa Clara, a Parent Training and Information Center (PTI), in an effort to enhance parent partnerships.

Announcement: The California Department of Education, Special Education Division, announces the RiSE Library will close effective July 1, 2013. The PHP Library, where the RiSE library collection has resided since the late 1990’s, will assume and manage the collection. The California Department of Education is combining resources for families of students with special education needs while simplifying the process of accessing online and hard copy materials. Select the link above to access the combined collection.

The Special EDge Newsletter
Informing and supporting parents, educators, and other service providers on special education topics, with a focus on research-based practices, legislation, technical support, and current resources.

Student Success Teams (Posted 03-Nov-2008)
A complete sequential training to resolve many individual student needs and school-wide issues.

Surrogate Parents in California Special Education (Updated 08-Feb-2012)
Prepublication release of revised manual to train surrogate parents to serve as child representatives in California Special Education.

Transition to Adult Living: An Information and Resource Guide
Handbook of transition efforts for students with disabilities as they move from their junior high and high school years into the world of adulthood and/or independent living - revised in 2007 and includes changes as related to the regulations of IDEA 2004.

Training and Technical Assistance Opportunities

DRDP access Assessment System (Posted 06-Jul-2011)
Preschool Special Education Federal Requirements.

STAR Legacy Module (Posted 28-Oct-2010)
Creating an Inclusive School Environment: A Model for School Leaders

Technical Assistance for California Charter Schools on Implementing Special Education Requirements (DOC; Updated 11-Jun-2009)
Primer meets the need of charter schools to ensure the implementation of compliant special education programs.

IDEA Web Cast Training (Revised 06-Jun-2007)
A free video cast delivered via the Internet, provides information on the final federal regulations implementing the IDEA.

Individualized Education Program (IEP) in compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), as amended in 2004.

• Training on Writing IEP Based on State Standards (Updated 07-Dec-2010)
  Writing measurable annual goals and objectives in the IEP related to California Content Standards.
• IEP Template Forms developed by and made available with the permission of the California Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) organization.
• Resources on IEPs for Children with Disabilities (Updated 20-Apr-2011)
  Resources to improve instruction, assessment, and accountability for students with disabilities.
  

Learn to Connect Curriculum to the Standards, A Web cast Training Series
Top educators provide development and implement strategies to ensure the participation of students with disabilities in a curriculum that reflects California's content standards.

Special Contracted Projects: (Revised 10-May-2011)

• California Services for Technical Assistance and Training (Cal STAT)
  Develops partnerships with schools and families by providing training, technical assistance and resources to both special education and general education.
• Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) Resources Project
  Provides resources for use by districts and sites to improve services of all students, and includes information on teacher training, mentoring, facilitating, technical assistance, specialized materials and leadership sites.
• Special Education Early Childhood Administrators Project (SEECAP)
  Provides information on training and support programs for administrators of early childhood special education programs.
• Special Education Early Delivery System Project (SEEDS)
  The SEEDS Project assists the California Department of Education in providing technical assistance to early childhood special education programs.
• State Improvement Grant (SIG)
  Information on California's federal professional development grant assisting schools in implementing research-proven instructional and behavioral strategies.
• Training Evaluation Database (TED) Tool
  One-stop database for many training and technical assistance information collection needs.
  

Department of Developmental Services Early Start (Birth to Three Services)
Provides information regarding early intervention services for infants and toddlers through California Early Start. Includes regional services and online resources.

TEACH California and Special Education Employment Opportunities

TEACH California - Recruiting California Teachers
Provides information and links for individuals seeking teaching positions in California with emphasis on special education, mathematics and science teachers.

• Service-Learning
  Explore a career in special education through service-learning
  

California Department of Education Employment Opportunities:

• Professional Development
  Prepares, trains and recruits high-quality teachers, principals, paraprofessional and other staff.
• Selection Services Office
  Information on Special Education Consultants, Assistants and Visiting Educators and links for qualified personnel seeking education positions in California.