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Special EducationAT & early interventionProviding leadership and support topromote a quality education and abetter life for students with disabilitiesand their families. technical assistanceresearchP R O D U C T SSERVICES
Our vision? Quality early intervention,special education, and related services provided tochildren according to their needs.What is WestEd’s approach to improvingSPECIAL EDUCATIONprograms and services?A national nonpartisan, nonprofit research and development organizationfor more than four decades, WestEd assists state, federal, and local educationand social service agencies to meet thedevelopmental and educational needs ofyoung children, youth, and adults withdisabilities and their families. We providetargeted technical assistance and professional development, carry out rigorous research, and develop high-qualityproducts. Our clients include education,health, and human service policymakersat all levels and a range of educators andother professionals who deliver servicesfrom preschool and K–12 through postsecondary systems. Among our goals isto build the capacity of state and localsystems to improve outcomes for individuals with disabilities and their familiesthrough high quality educational servicesand expanded community opportunities.Throughout the nation, the Individualswith Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)governs how states and public agenciesprovide early intervention, specialeducation, and related services to morethan 6.5 million eligible infants, toddlers,children, and youth with disabilities andtheir families.Our vision? Quality early intervention, specialeducation, and related services available to childrenaccording to their needs. We are dedicated to providing developmentally appropriate services relatedto children, students, and young adults with disabilities through our technical assistance, professionaldevelopment, research, program evaluation, products,and services.Our work spans many stages of life.hh Infants and toddlers (ages birth–3)hh Preschool (ages 3–5)hh School-aged children and youth (grades K–12)hh Transition to independent living, employment,and higher education
What WestEd can do forOur Clientshh Provide technical assistance to build the capacity of states, districts, andschools to support students with special needs.hh Design inclusive assessment and accountability systems that measure theperformance of students with disabilities against state and local standardsthat apply to all students, increase participation, and increase access to thegeneral education curriculum.hh Review alternate assessment policies and practices and theirimplementation and impact on students with disabilities.hh Develop resources for and provide assistance to local child care andpreschool communities, as well as K–12 districts seeking to implementinclusive educational practices.hh Provide external evaluation of local school district special educationprograms and services.hh Offer professional development opportunities to build the capacity ofeducators working to meet the needs of children with disabilities.
W ha t a re We stE d ’s p ro ject s r el at ed t oearly intervention andTechnical Assistance to State Departments of Educationhh WestEd’s Center for Prevention and Early Intervention(CPEI) has been a comprehensive source of training, technicalassistance, and resource development to promote positiveoutcomes for young children and youth with disabilities andother special needs and their families since 1986. CPEI also assistsstate agencies with capacity-building efforts leading to improvedoutcomes under IDEA and NCLB. Clients include the CaliforniaDepartments of Education and Developmental Services, theFirst 5 California Children and Families Commission, and localeducation agencies.hh In 2005, the U.S. Department of Education selected WestEd tooperate the Assessment and Accountability ComprehensiveCenter (AACC), which implements, evaluates, and improvesassessment and accountability systems so that states and districtscan reach the NCLB goal of academic proficiency for all students.Students with disabilities are a focus of the center’s work.hh Through its Beginning Together andMap to Inclusive Child Care projects,WestEd’s Center for Child and Family Studies focuses on children withspecial needs and inclusive practices.Beginning Together provides a trainingof-trainers institute and support to itsgraduates, a seminar on inclusive practice for community colleges, regionaltechnical assistance activities, andsupport of inclusive practices in otherProgram for Infant/Toddler Care (PITC)activities. The Map to Inclusive ChildCare collaborates with key stakeholderswho provide leadership in Californiafor children with disabilities or otherspecial needs enrolled in child care anddevelopment programs.hh WestEd’s California ComprehensiveCenter and Southwest Comprehensive Center, under contract with theU.S. Department of Education, buildstate capacity to implement NCLB, improve student achievement, and closeachievement gaps. Among their priority areas are to build the capacity of thestate and districts to support studentswith special needs, including studentsin special education, English learners,and migrant education. hh In 1999, the U.S. Department of Education, Office of SpecialEducation Programs, selected WestEd to operate the NortheastRegional Resource Center (NERRC), which works with stateagencies to support implementation of IDEA and No ChildLeft Behind (NCLB). We recently assisted Connecticut, Maine,Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, RhodeIsland, and Vermont with the development of their StatePerformance Plans and Annual Performance Reports, requiredunder IDEA 2004.
special education? Assessment & Accountabilityhh WestEd researched and published Guidelines for Ensuring the Technical Quality of AssessmentsAffecting English Language Learners and Students with Disabilities: Development and Implementationof Regulations, based on one of many ongoing studies from WestEd’s AACC.hh AACC researchers also are writing a guide to NCLB-compliant assessments for students withdisabilities, Assessments Based on Modified Academic Achievement Standards: Critical Considerationsand Implications for Implementation.hh WestEd plans, develops, implements, validates, and evaluates standards, assessments(including item development), and accountability systems at the local, state, and national levels,from pre-K–12 through higher education and career/technical education. We’ve developed systemsto increase the access of students with disabilities to standards-based assessments in California,Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Nevada, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, and many other states.more projects
M o r e We s t E d p r o j e c t s r e l a t e d t oearly interventionInclusion an d R e sp onse to I nt erv ent i onhh All of Us Together.Moving to Inclusion (AOUT), funded by the California Department ofEducation, increases the capacities of child care and preschool communities to provide inclusiveearly care and education for children with disabilities and other special needs and their families.AOUT provides team building, problem-solving, and inclusion planning opportunities forcommunities, agencies, and program teams as they develop and implement local action plans.hh WestEd’s Least Restrictive Environment Resources project, funded by the CaliforniaDepartment of Education, develops resources to help K–12 districts and sites implement inclusivepractices, and also provides teacher training, mentoring, facilitating, technical assistance, andspecialized materials.hh WestEd has cross-agency expertise inResponse to Intervention (RtI), utilizingmulti-tiered educational interventions as anapproach to overall school improvement.We offer leadership academies for districtstaff, host national Webinars for stateand district leaders, and work with statedepartments of education on plans for RtIimplementation.hh California Map to Inclusive Child Care,funded by the California Departmentof Education, improves access to qualitycare for children with disabilities or otherspecial needs and their families. The projectincludes support, education, and trainingfor providers and the families they serve,and offers materials and information aboutinclusive practices.
and special educationProgram Evaluationhh Through Collaborative Evaluation ofSpecial Education Programs, WestEdworks with K–12 special educationdirectors to plan manageable formative evaluations of their programs.hh WestEd recently conducted SpecialEducation Curriculum Reviews ineight New York City school districts,evaluating curriculum, instruction, assessment, and planning practices andis currently conducting an externalevaluation of Connecticut’s Birth-toThree Focused Monitoring System.hh Through a federal General Supervision Enhancement Grant to NewHampshire for its Continuous Assessment Monitoring System, WestEd ledan Interagency Joint ImprovementPlan process for the Department ofEducation and Department of Healthand Human Services, targeting cultural competence, data-driven decisionmaking, family and parent involvement, transitions, and early literacy.hh WestEd’s Regional EducationalLaboratory West conducts longterm, rigorous evaluations of promising interventions and short-term,fast-response projects to inform immediate action, including a study ofCPEI’s Community College PersonnelPreparation Project, which providestechnical assistance to communitycolleges statewide that prepare earlyintervention assistants.Professional Developmenthh WestEd conducts an annual Early Start Institute seriesfor early intervention service providers, specialistsrepresenting 21 disciplines, service coordinators,administrators, and family support agencies as the IDEAPart C Comprehensive System of Personnel Developmentprovider funded by the California Department ofDevelopmental Services.hh WestEd conducts annual Leadership Academies forExperienced Special Education Administrators in K–12districts, covering fiscal administration, data collection,and analysis; staffing issues; instructional design andimprovement; legal requirements and regulations; conflictprevention and alternate dispute resolution; organizationaland systems change; and research-based practices, tools,and resources for special education.hh WestEd’s DistrictsMovingUp provides assistance toprograms and services within districts in the area ofspecial education as a component of an overall districtimprovement strategy.hh WestEd’s Beginning Together provides inclusion supportto the Program for Infant/Toddler Care (PITC), the nation’smost widely used child care training system, ensuringthat PITC training, program implementation, technicalassistance, and certification promote appropriate inclusivepractices for infants and toddlers with special needs.
Recent WestEd-developedproducts and resources1.Keeping Quality Teachers: The Art of Retaining General and Special Education Teachers is a resource guidefocused on strategies for retaining and supporting bothgeneral and special education teachers. It provides aplanning framework with accompanying tools andresources for use by superintendents, curriculum coordinators, principals, special education coordinators,professional development leaders, and district humanre sources managers. School leaders at all levels can usethe resources and strategies to strengthen their effortsto ensure that students have access to quality teachers.2.The Inclusive Education Starter Kit is a two-volumemanual for California teachers and administrators thatincludes case studies of inclusive classrooms from preschool to high school, explanations of regulations governing inclusive education, and strategies that illustratethe benefits inclusive education brings to teachers, students, and communities.3.Project Relationship: Creating and Sustaining a Nurturing Community is a video and train ing manual for staffdevelopers showing how to build and facilitate interagency teams.Central Contact Information Sri AnandaWestEd Chief Development Officertel: 415.615.3166email: sananda@WestEd.orgWestEd.ORG4.Barriers to Inclusive Child Care: Research Study Findings and Recommendations is a comprehensive report forthe First 5 California Chil dren and Families Commissionthat assesses the current state of care for children withdis abilities and includes recommendations for improvingsystems of care.5.California’s Infant, Preschool & Family Mental HealthInitiative Report Series provides guidance on early mentalhealth ser vices and relationship-based early interventionfor children from birth to 5 and their families.6.Talking With Parents When You Have Concerns Abouta Child in Your Care is a training PowerPoint with accompanying article pro viding a framework for caregiverswhen they have concerns that a child might have a devel opmental delay, disability, or significant behav ior problem;when preparing to share concerns with a child’s parents orfamily members; or in understanding different ways familymembers will receive and act on an expressed concern.WestEd, a national nonpartisan, nonprofit research, development, and service agency,works with education and other communities to promote excellence, achieve equity, andimprove learning for children, youth, and adults. WestEd has 16 offices nationwide, fromWashington and Boston to Arizona and California. Its corporate headquarters are inSan Francisco. More information about WestEd is available at WestEd.org.
school to high school, explanations of regulations gov-erning inclusive education, and strategies that illustrate the benefits inclusive education brings to teachers, stu-dents, and communities. 3. Project Relationship: Creating and Sustaining a Nurtur-ing Community is a video and training manual for staff
