Celebrate the 5th Annual National Inclusive Schools Week
December 5-9, 2005
National Inclusive Schools Week celebrates the inclusion of all students of diverse backgrounds in educational practices.  By integrating special education supports into the curriculum and affirming students' rich cultures, bridging the achievement gap for all students can be achieved. We are now in the middle of National Inclusive Schools Week, but it is not too late to join the celebration! Learn all about National Inclusive Schools Week, discover how you can get involved, download the Celebration Kit, and see what other schools are doing to celebrate!

Response to Intervention: Policy Considerations and Implementation
The National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE) has recently released a new resource called Response to Intervention: Policy Considerations and Implementation. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA 2004) made important amendments to the federal special education law regarding the identification of students with learning disabilities. Response to Intervention: Policy Considerations and Implementation provides policy and implementation options for Response to Intervention (RTI). This book can be ordered by downloading and printing the order form, and online ordering will be available soon.

Student Progress Monitoring Presentation Materials
The library section of our website houses the presentation materials on student progress monitoring that we have used during several presentations. These are available as personal tutorials on student progress monitoring and can be used when training staff. If you plan to use these materials for trainings, save them to your computer to view the presenter notes that accompany many of the presentations. Our newest presentation was given at the Council for Educational Diagnostic Services’ (CEDS) Annual Conference on November 17, 2005. This presentation, called “When Assessment Isn’t Enough: Understanding Student Progress Monitoring,” discusses the procedures for implementing CBM, the basic purposes of CBM, and components of the National Center on Student Progress Monitoring website.

Understanding Responsiveness to Intervention in Learning Disabilities Determination
Responsiveness to Intervention (RTI) is an important intervention model that classroom teachers can use to increase early identification of students with disabilities. The earlier students with learning disabilities are identified, the sooner teachers can alter their methods of instruction to better meet each child’s unique learning needs. This brief describes the core features of RTI, RTI attributes, and the collaboration among the six Regional Resource Centers and the National Research Center on Learning Disabilities to disseminate information on RTI and provide technical assistance for implementation.

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