From the Office of Special Education Programs

The Office of Special Education Program's (OSEP) funding of the National Research Center on Learning Disabilities (NRCLD) reflects our strong commitment to improving results for children and youth with learning disabilities and their families. Our nation's schools currently serve more than 2.9 million students with LD. Too often these students experience great difficulty in keeping pace with their classmates. These difficulties are especially problematic when children with LD are not properly identified and provided a free appropriate public education as guaranteed under IDEA.

For several years, OSEP has noted the concerns surrounding the current identification and assessment procedures for individuals with LD. In the preamble to the final regulations for Part B of IDEA, OSEP stated; ``While there is merit to many of the proposed changes to definitions and terms, modifications to the substance of existing definitions should be subject to further review and discussion before changes are proposed. For example, as indicated in the preamble to the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) (10/22/97), the Department plans to carefully review research findings, expert opinion, and practical knowledge over the next several years to determine whether changes should be proposed to the procedures for evaluating children suspected of having a specific learning disability'' (Final Regulations for Assistance to States for the Education of Children with Disabilities (64 FR 12418--March 12, 1999)).

With the coming re-authorization of IDEA, no more important issues face the field of LD than those surrounding policies and procedures pertaining to identification of LD. The NRCLD was funded to conduct follow-up research, provide training, disseminate synthesized research-validated information, and provide national technical assistance on issues in the area of identification and assessment of children with learning disabilities. Among the Center's activities will be to:

  • Review and identify gaps of current knowledge in the existing learning disabilities knowledge base and explore alternative approaches to identification of individuals with learning disabilities.
  • Conduct an analysis of the variation in identification and assessment of individuals with learning disabilities at the state and local level and determine what factors contribute to this variance across the 3 through 21 age range; and
  • Design, implement, and evaluate a dissemination and technical assistance approach that links research to practice and promotes the use of current knowledge and continuing research findings.

I look forward to working with the NRCLD and parents and professionals throughout the United States in addressing the complex issues surrounding the proper identification of students with LD who need and deserve quality educational services.

Sincerely,

Louis Danielson
Division Director, Research to Practice
U.S. Office of Special Education Programs