Council For Learning Disabilities

Mission Statement:

The Council for Learning Disabilities (CLD), an international organization composed of professionals who represent diverse disciplines, is committed to enhancing the education and quality of life for individuals with learning disabilities across the life span. CLD accomplishes this by promoting and disseminating evidence-based research and practices related to the education of individuals with learning disabilities. In addition, CLD fosters (a) collaboration among professionals; (b) development of leaders in the field; and (c) advocacy for policies that support individuals with learning disabilities at local, state, and national levels.

CLD Updates:

UPDATE – Recently released U.S. Department of Education Fact Sheet.

Dear CLD Members:

Speaking on behalf of CLD’s Executive Committee, I would like to acknowledge our shared concern for the continued education and support of students with disabilities.

Please see the two links below related to the COVID-19 outbreak and education of students with disabilities (shared by our CLD Liaison Committee Chairs):

U.S. Department Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) issued a Q&A document on what happens to students eligible for special education and related services during the shutdown of schools related to the COVID-19 pandemic.  To access this information, click here.

Joint Webinar on OSEP Guidance Provided by the National Association of State Directors of Special Education, CEC’s Council of Administrators for Special Education, and Council of Chief State School Officers.  To access this webinar, click here.

CLD will share updates and additional resources with you as they become available.

Stay well,

Lindy Crawford, CLD President

SLD & Eligibility Under IDEA: Practice and Policy

In collaboration with our six partners, Council for Learning Disabilities is proud to announce the release of three new resources to help states and districts  improve the evaluation process.   The Principles for SLD Eligibility: Practice & Policy Considerations for States and School Districts (Click here to read the paper) released in July, 2019, was a joint effort of CLD and their ten partners.  Recognizing that some of the eight principles in that paper lent themselves to further elaboration, we developed these three more robust resources on three of the principles:

      – A Comprehensive Evaluation for a Child Suspected to Have SLD

      – Effective Use of Instructional Response Data in an Evaluation

      – Selective Use of Data on Cognitive Assessments Within an Evaluation

The three more comprehensive resources released today highlight policy and practice considerations that can support the implementation of these joint principles and encourage districts to move toward high-quality identification and evaluation processes.

       Click here to read each of the three new resouces.

While each state has its own process for determining eligibility for special education under the SLD category and though we do not endorse a particular method for identification, there is room for improvement.  Regardless of the model they use, it is imperative that states and districts continue to examine their practices and policies in an effort to better serve students.

Doctoral Funding:  Check out our new information page for funding resources for doctoral students.  Doctoral Program Funding

Job Postings:  Check out our Job Postings page.  These will be pre-approved job postings for university or other high-level positions.  Look under Professional Development – Job Postings.