The "Try Procedures," a diagnostic teaching strategy used with precision teaching, provides a way to determine which teaching methods produce the greatest gains for individual students. Five steps feature initial assessment, dividing items to be taught, teaching by two or more methods, probing, and looking at the data. Comparison of two sight word…

Proposed are several new directions that encourage the variety and flexibility of haphazard teaching and the precision of one objective-one activity teaching in the design of activities for handicapped preschoolers. Journal availability: see EC 133 846. (Author)

Traditional diagnostic approaches with handicapped and nonhandicapped children usually occur outside the instructional context and focus on the learner. Accurate conclusions about the learner, however, can only be reached after an adequate diagnosis of instruction. (Author)

This special education research brief provides a synopsis of the steps in curriculum-based assessment (CBA) and lists resources that provide more detail on the method and applications of CBA. The described CBA method involves selecting or developing a method of measurement, assessing student knowledge, tailoring instruction to student needs, and…

The article describes the essential features of curriculum-based assessment (CBA) and provides suggestions for developing them. Special emphasis is placed on describing how teachers can use CBA results to place students into curriculum materials, adjust instruction based on their performance, and evaluate and communicate pupil progress. (Author/CL)

Mastery learning, an approach originated by B. Bloom and based on formative testing to give the student feedback and correction, is advocated as an effective way to individualize instruction in a mainstreamed setting. (CL)

Two proponents of the precision teaching approach to teaching the handicapped discuss such principles as: the problem of partial application of the method; relationship to behaviorism; relationship to experiential learning; and the importance of fluency in task performance, mastery learning, and recordkeeping. (DB)

The study assessed the effects of alternative goal structures within curriculum based assessment (CBA) in the area of math. Subjects were 30 elementary level special education teachers, assigned randomly to a dynamic goal CBA, static goal CBA, or control group for 15 weeks. Two pupils in each class were identified to evaluate the effects of the…

The paper describes the diagnostic and prescriptive medical model used by most special educators and presents an alternative model based on the work of Jean Piaget. The author contends that the presently used model is useless both educationally and for research purposes because the teaching and learning process is more complex than the medical…

If clearly and fully reported, verbal subtests of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised can provide teachers with insights into a student's learning characteristics. Specific weaknesses that may be identified by each subtest are linked to their educational implications, including alternative techniques the teacher might use for…

This article views differentiation as the process of identifying, with each learner, the most effective strategies for achieving agreed targets. It presents 10 elements of differentiation in special education, such as differentiation is multidimensional; differentiation is diagnostic; differentiation challenges classroom relationships; and…

The monograph describes various aspects of data collection, analysis and data-based decision-making for the regular or special education classroom teacher. Direct and repeated measurement of student progress and program effectiveness is advocated. Four fundamental steps are outlined: (1) identify instructional objectives and collect data on…

An overview is provided of the curriculum and instructional practices in general and for handicapped learners. Diagnostic teaching and other features of good instruction are reviewed. (MNS)

A survey of 312 Illinois elementary schools found that 178 had intervention assistance teams. Questionnaires completed by 83 schools provided information about team effectiveness, team composition, strategies and supports, team process, and inservice training and development. Teams met the needs of 59% of students without resorting to formal…

In 1959 the New Jersey State Legislature enacted a law establishing the position of learning disabilities specialist (LDS) in order to provide services to aid the classroom teacher's work with pupils who have handicaps or learning disabilities. The innovation of new instructional methods, the adaptation of new educational materials, and the…