The report examines the development of education services for exceptional children in Duval County Public Schools (Jacksonville, Florida) from 1976-1986. Changes are noted in the context of such general trends as declining then increasing enrollments, the back-to-basic movement, and the stress on competency testing. The impact of the passage of…

The resource manual examines issues involved in occupational and physical therapy services to exceptional children in Florida's schools. State and federal regulations are cited along with recommendations for best practices in relation to: student eligibility procedures (definition, eligibility criteria, screening, referral, student evaluation,…

Intended for use in Florida training programs for caregivers of infants and toddlers with disabilities, this guide presents an overview of the Model of Interdisciplinary Training for Children with Handicaps (MITCH); offers a user's guide to the series; and provides specific information for presenting Module 6, which focuses on planning an…

Troubled by students' attitudes toward disabled children, a Florida elementary school principal asked special education teachers to brainstorm some awareness activities. The resulting program, Handicapped Awareness through Stimulation (HATS), had four objectives: sensitizing students, providing interaction opportunities, developing empathy, and…

The manual focuses on the development of a school-level home/school information system to improve communication and understanding of special education programs. A step-by-step plan for developing such a system is addressed in terms of five major topics (sample subtopics in parentheses): basic information gathering (surveys and needs assessment),…

This guide is designed to assist districts in developing and implementing Curriculum-Based Vocational Assessment (CBVA) as an integral part of the career/vocational program for students with disabilities. The document begins with a User's Guide that describes each part of the guide and makes suggestions for its use. Part 1 explains what CBVA is…

One of a series of nine reports of Project ACTIVE (Attaining Competence for Teaching in Vocational Education), this report focuses on the criteria for assessing mastery of the professional competencies (skills) important to vocational educators serving handicapped students. An overview of competency-based vocational teacher education (CBTE) and…

This practicum involved designing a special program for a target group of 19 high school Exceptional Student Education students enrolled in a culinary arts vocational program to build and maintain basic culinary arts skills. The program, intended to enable them to qualify for the Florida culinary arts completion certificate, was designed by the…

This resource guide is designed to bring together information and resources on career preparation for students with disabilities in Florida's schools. The intended audience includes special and vocational teachers and administrators who have an interest in improving outcomes for students with disabilities within their districts. Chapter 1…

This article describes how the Professional Development School without Walls, a partnership between the Departments of Special Education and Elementary Education at the University of South Florida and two large school districts, was developed; the challenges, needs, and contexts influencing the development and implementation process; and the…

A project was undertaken to plan and begin developing the objectives for a master's degree program to prepare individuals to fill a wide range of roles in providing special and vocational education to disabled students. The following accomplishments were made during the project: an eight-member planning task force was formed; resources available…

A project was undertaken to formulate a fast-track model for developing curriculum that recognizes the needs of special target groups in industrial arts programs in Florida middle schools. During the project, two groups of key teachers and supervisors from four districts within the state of Florida met in short brainstorming sessions to develop,…

Online learning is growing rapidly across the United States within all levels of education, as more and more students and educators become familiar with the benefits of learning unconstrained by time and place. Across most states and all grade levels, students are finding increased opportunity, flexibility, and convenience through online learning.…

During Fiscal Year 1991, Florida's Division of Vocational, Adult, and Community Education (DVACE) provided programs, services, and activities funded under Titles II-A, II-B, IIIA, and IIIB of the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act. DVACE expended funds for development of vocational education opportunities to meet needs of special…