Background: People with disabilities face persistent employment difficulties, mainly because of a lack of recognition of their competencies, especially people with intellectual disabilities. As employment counsellors need to identify the competencies of beneficiaries, a public competencies identification service has been developed and funded by…

English learners (ELs) require access to appropriate instructional services that match their strengths and needs to have an equal opportunity to achieve the same academic standards as other students. If ELs are not properly identified and classified, they may be excluded from services that would better help them meet high academic standards, and…

One of the underutilized tools in gifted identification is personality-based measures. A multiple confirmatory factor analysis was utilized to examine the relationships between traditional identification methods and personality-based measures. The pattern of correlations indicated this model could be measuring two constructs, one related to…

Research on disability issues in countries of the South is primarily dominated by a focus on generating large scale quantitative data sets. This paper discusses the many challenges, opportunities and dilemmas faced in designing and undertaking a qualitative research study in one district in India. The Disability, Education and Poverty Project…

Citing reports issued by the National Academy of Sciences on ability testing, testing of handicapped people, and placing children in special education, this paper reviews the role of psychological tests in assessments, bias in test scores, factors affecting test scores, placement considerations, effective instruction, and guidelines for assessment…

This handbook is designed to help vocational educators identify students with special needs and be effective in teaching them. The first section describes disadvantaged students. A Federal definition is given, and some practical ways are provided to help identify disadvantaged students. Section 2 describes handicapped students and identifies…

Variability of prevalence data for the category of gifted and talented is examined, with respect to two alternative explanations: (1) definitional differences; and (2) differences in the application of definitions. Analysis of state definitions of giftedness and guidelines for student identification found this category to be no less, if not more,…

The study evaluated the predictive validity of DIAL-R, which identifies children aged 2-6 with potential learning problems or giftedness. Based on longitudinal data for 312 elementary-level children, DIAL-R scores were found to have good concurrent sensitivity and specificity but did not correspond well with subsequent special education placement.…

Norms were developed for Navajo Indian students for the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised, by sampling 16 percent of the Navajo school population from first through eighth grade in 8 schools in McKinley County, New Mexico. The norms, based on 539 students, help to separate cultural and language differences from learning…

Assessed the degree of comparability between the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities (McCarthy) and the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC) for "at-risk" (low birthweight, Head Start, and developmentally delayed) and "normal" preschool children. Describes the K-ABC Mental Processing Composite (MPC) and McCarthy…

This article proposes an experimental, output-oriented noncategorical alternative to traditional approaches to identification of students for special education. The "20/20 Analysis" identifies students showing the least (below twentieth percentile) and most (above eightieth percentile) progress toward educational objectives. Application in two…

This article identifies students at risk for substance abuse, characteristics of substance abusers, and the difficulties of obtaining a valid special education assessment when alcohol or drugs are involved. Recommendations are offered for special educators to address the needs of exceptional pupils who may be using alcohol or drugs. (JDD)

This article addresses issues of ethics, power, and privilege within the context of educating African American learners with disabilities and gifts and talents, critical issues in education affecting African American learners, and the role of special education teacher educators and special and gifted teacher practitioners as change agents.…

Children and adults with hearing or visual impairments, physical impairments, learning and behavioral disorders, superior intellectual functioning, and limited intellectual potential can all benefit from technological education which includes industrial arts and related vocational subjects. This guide aims to assist technology educators in…

This paper reviews the literature on assessment bias issues in special education. While assessment instruments yielding a single IQ score are seen as useful components in a comprehensive multifactored assessment, and are the primary tool of diagnosis for mental retardation, they are found to be irrelevant when applied to students with learning…