Dive Brief:

• A new 18-page PDF, "The ABC’s of RDA," explains the new RDA system, and is a transition from compliance to results-driven teaching.
• eSchoolNews reports that the guide also explains "the shift in the way the U.S. Department of Education oversees the effectiveness of states' special education programs.'
• The guide also is meant to help teachers understand and evaluate performance using data and analytics. 

Dive Insight:

With the new RDA procedure outlined, the Department of Education hopes to increase learning results for students in special ed programs nationwide. Offering practical advice, it covers everything from data collection to outlining "tasks that states and local education agencies should require from whatever technological tool is selected to support them in the collection and management of special education data," eSchoolNews reports. 

The framework has been in development for a while. In March 2014, Michael Yudin, the acting Assistant Secretary of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, told Education Week that the "results-driven accountability" framework would lead to improved educational outcomes for students with disabilities.