Evaluation Measures: Do They Measure the Special Education Administrator's Roles and Responsibilities by Which They Are Held Accountable under NCLB and IDEA 2004

Special education is a field inherent with compliance and accountability issues. Special Education Administrators are tasked with the responsibility of implementing programs and maintaining compliance with state and federal standards while ensuring high quality educational performance. This research examined how the current Special Education Administrators are being held accountable under NCLB and IDEA. In addition, the previous roles and responsibilities of Special Education Administrator were reviewed in order to provide background information and to provide insight into Special Education Administrators' perceptions of key responsibilities under NCLB and IDEA 2004. The guiding questions for this study are: (1) What do Special Education Administrators perceive as their role and responsibilities under NCLB and IDEA 2004? (2) Do Special Education Administrators perceive their evaluation tool as an adequate measure of the current roles and responsibilities by which they are held accountable under NCLB and IDEA 2004? (3) Does the criteria by which Special Education Administrators are evaluated reflect what the research supports as those components related to roles and responsibilities under NCLB and IDEA 2004?

The research design included quantitative and qualitative methods of analysis. The population for this study was stratified sample of 30 Special Education Administrators for the Commonwealth of Virginia. An online survey was utilized to conduct the initial research. In addition, in-depth interviews of special education administrators were conducted in order to gain a better understanding of how they are currently being held accountable.

Research revealed that Special Education Administrators perceive they are currently being held accountable under NCLB and IDEA; though research concludes that current performance evaluation methodology does not measure the professional standards, including the roles and responsibilities of the Special Education Administrator. The conclusions of this study emphasize the importance of examining the performance evaluation procedures for Special Education Administrators in the Commonwealth of Virginia.