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Research Projects

Impartial Due Process Hearing Officer Training and Evaluation Project

Funded by the Illinois State Board of Education and mandated through revisions in the Illinois School Code, the project involves for the provision of training for impartial special education hearing officers and a yearly performance evaluation of these hearing officers. Training opportunities provided through the grant include the initial four-day orientation with specialized curriculum developed for hearing officers involved in special education hearings. A series of mandatory in-service training sessions on selected topics of interest to the hearing officers are conducted following completion of the orientation session. The comprehensive curriculum developed for the hearing officer training includes Federal and Illinois law; Illinois special education policy, programs, and case law; general responsibilities of conducting due process hearings; writing decisions and other diagnostic procedures; and a discussion of landmark and current court decisions affecting special education. The second component of this project required the on-going performance evaluation of the impartial due process hearing officers. The Center for Legal Studies (now the Instiute for Legal and Policy Studies) used a three-person evaluation team to promote a fair and unbiased review process. This approach to the evaluation of the hearing officers is helped to provide for a process that was objective, job-relevant, and behaviorally defined.