State-Level Curricular, Assessment, and Accountability Policies, Practices, and Philosophies for Exclusionary School Settings:
The purpose of the current study was to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of state-level policies and practices concerning youth with disabilities in secondary day treatment and residential (DTR) schools, as well as juvenile correctional (JC) schools for committed youth. A survey of state directors of special education or their designees focused on curricula, assessment, and accountability in these school settings. State-level administrators from 49 states and the District of Columbia responded to mail and online surveys. They reported that approximately one third of DTR schools and half of JC schools used state or district curricula. Moreover, although most respondents noted that students should participate in state assessments, only one third noted that DTR or JC schools were supervised to a great extent to ensure the alignment of curricula and assessments. Implications for policy and practice and suggestions for future research are discussed.