§ 327.10 - What kinds of priorities are authorized under this part?

Priorities authorized under this part include activities to:

(a) Collect data, and conduct studies, investigations, analyses, and evaluations to assess progress in the implementation of the Act, the impact of the Act, and the effectiveness of State and local efforts and efforts by the Secretary of the Interior to provide free appropriate public education to all children and youth with disabilities, and early intervention services to infants and toddlers with disabilities.

(b) Obtain data, on at least an annual basis, about programs and projects assisted under the Act and under other Federal laws relating to the provision of services to infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities as required under section 618(b) of the Act.

(c) Assess the impact and effectiveness of programs, policies, and procedures assisted under the Act, in accordance with sections 618(d)(1) and (2) of the Act, through cooperative agreements with State agencies.

(d) Provide technical assistance to participating State agencies in the implementation of the evaluation studies described under paragraph (c) of this section.

(e)(1) Support studies, analyses, syntheses, and investigations for improving program management, administration, delivery, and effectiveness necessary to provide full educational opportunities and early interventions for all children with disabilities from birth through age 21. Such studies and investigations shall gather information necessary for program and system improvements, including—

(i) Developing effective, appropriate criteria and procedures to identify, evaluate, and serve infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities from minority backgrounds for purposes of program eligibility, program planning, delivery of services, program placement, and parental involvement;

(ii) Planning and developing effective early intervention services, special education, and related services to meet the complex and changing needs of infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities;

(iii) Developing and implementing a comprehensive system of personnel development needed to provide qualified personnel in sufficient number to deliver special education, related services, and early intervention services;

(iv) Developing the capacity to implement practices having the potential to integrate children with disabilities to the maximum extent appropriate, with children who are not disabled;

(v) Effectively allocating and using human and fiscal resources for providing early intervention, special education, and related services;

(vi) Strengthening programs and services to improve the progress of children and youth with disabilities while in special education, and to effect a successful transition when such children and youth leave special education;

(vii) Achieving interagency coordination to maximize resource utilization and continuity in services provided to infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities;

(viii) Strengthening parent-school communication and coordination to improve the effectiveness of planning and delivery on interventions and instruction, thereby enhancing development and educational progress; and

(ix) Identifying the environmental, organizational, resource, and other conditions necessary for effective professional practice.

(2) The studies and investigations under paragraph (e)(1) of this section may be conducted through surveys, interviews, case studies, program implementation studies, secondary data analyses and synthesis, and other appropriate methodologies.

(3) The studies and investigations under paragraph (e)(1) of this section shall address the information needs of State and local educational agencies for improving program management, administration, delivery, and effectiveness.

(f)(1) Support special studies to assess progress in the implementation of the Act, and assess the impact and effectiveness of State and local efforts and efforts by the Secretary of the Interior to provide free appropriate public education to children and youth with disabilities, and early intervention services to infants and toddlers with disabilities. Reports from these studies must include recommendations for improving services to individuals.

(2) In selecting priorities for 1991 through 1994, the Secretary may give first preference to—

(i) Completing a longitudinal study of a sample of students with disabilities, examining—

(A) The full range of disabling conditions;

(B) The educational progress of students with disabilities while in special education; and

(C) The occupational, educational, and independent living status of students with disabilities after graduating from secondary school or otherwise leaving special education;

(ii) Conducting a nationally representative study focusing on the types, number, and intensity of related services provided to children with disabilities by disability category;

(iii) Conducting a study that examines the degree of disparity among States with regard to the placement in various educational settings of children and youth with similar disabilities, especially those with mental retardation, and, to the extent that such disparity exists, the factors that lead these children and youth to be educated in significantly different educational settings;

(iv) Conducting a study that examines the factors that have contributed to the decline in the number of children classified as mentally retarded since the implementation of the Act, and examines the current disparity among States in the percentage of children so classified;

(v) Conducting a study that examines the extent to which out-of-community residential programs are used for children and youth who are seriously emotionally disturbed, the factors that influence the selection of such placements, the degree to which such individuals transition back to education programs in their communities, and the factors that facilitate or impede such transition; and

(vi) Conducting a study that examines the—

(A) Factors that influence the referral and placement decisions and types of placements, by disability category and English language proficiency, of minority children relative to other children;

(B) Extent to which these children are placed in regular education environments;

(C) Extent to which the parents of these children are involved in placement decisions and in the development and implementation of the individualized education program and the results of such participation; and

(D) Type of support provided to parents of these children that enable these parents to understand and participate in the educational process.

(g)(1) Support activities that organize, synthesize, interpret, and integrate information obtained under paragraphs (e) and (f) of this section, with relevant knowledge obtained from other sources.

(2) These activities include the selection and design of content, formats, and means for communicating such information effectively to specific or general audiences, in order to promote the use of such information in improving program administration and management, and service delivery and effectiveness.

(h) Assist in the development of the annual report to the Congress required under section 618(g) of the Act.

(i) Provide technical assistance to State agencies providing the data described in section 618(b) (1) and (2) of the Act to achieve accurate and comparable information.