When a battery of tests commonly associated with intelligence was administered to 144 13 year olds identified as extremely precocious, the verbally precocious students scored higher on verbal and general knowledge types of tests, and mathematically precocious students scored higher on tests of nonverbal reasoning, spatial ability, and memory.…

Forty normal readers and 50 dyslexic children (age 9-14) were matched on reading level and intelligence quotient and tested. Analysis revealed 3 major subgroups: specific deficit in phonological processing of print (52 percent), deficits in processing both the phonological and orthographic features of printed words (24 percent), and phonological…

At the College of Charleston, analysis of student grades at term's end reveals significant drops in some students' grade averages. Those students are sent letters encouraging them to meet with a dean. About 60 percent respond and the letters create good will. Congratulations can also be sent to students whose grades improve. (MSE)

Computers are used to manage assessment information for special education students and to administer, score, and interpret tests. Although the content validity of computer-administered assessment instruments may have certain practical limitations, several useful advantages can be gained by using computer-administered tests, including real-time…

Examines implementation procedures for Ontario's Bill 82 on special education: identification of exceptional children, educational placement mechanisms, review processes, and parental appeal procedures. Suggests that Bill 82, while well-intentioned, actually legalizes inequality and categories of deviance and excludes exceptional children from an…

Research dealing with the administration of tests via computer is reviewed. Several issues related to computerized testing are discussed, and areas in need of additional research are identified. The focus is on education-related ability and achievement testing; psychological tests and computer-based simulations are not addressed. (SLD)

Leadership development to meet the need for excellence in teachers and youth is explored. Two examples are given: an award-winning teacher education program for bringing high ability students into teacher education, and a residential summer program designed to identify and develop leadership giftedness in middle school and high school youth.…

A study of the 42,586 students participating in the Midwest Talent Search program in 1985-1987 showed that low-income students were underrepresented in the gifted population. Low income negatively affected students' Scholastic Aptitude Test scores even in the upper ranges of ability. (Author/JDD)

Students (N=178, aged 5-20) with severe/profound hearing losses were assessed on giftedness using nonverbal measures of intelligence, teacher nominations, and parent nominations. No statistical correlation was found among the three identification procedures. Teacher-generated characteristics of gifted hearing-impaired children were found to be…

Issues raised in responses to Linda Siegel's paper (EC221505) on the relationship between intelligence test scores and learning disabilities are addressed. Discussed are the nature of intelligence, classification of learning disabilities by discrepancy between intelligence test scores and achievement scores, the existence of learning disabilities,…

The paper describes the cultures of the Maoris and South Pacific islanders, argues that Western-oriented psychometric tests are inadequate tools for the identification of gifted Polynesian children, and calls for the development of an education system in which all cultures are recognized and appreciated. (Author/JDD)

Children screened and served by an early childhood special education department were followed longitudinally through age eight. Results were used to evaluate effectiveness of the screening instrument and criteria which determined service eligibility. The lack of continuity between original and later disability category supported noncategorical…

Results indicated going steady among high school sophomores was associated with lower self-esteem. Lowest scores were held by girls who had gone steady in the past and were still going steady. For boys the difference in self-esteem between those who were going steady and those who were not was unrelated to their past dating practices. (BF)

Compared 16 disruptive preadolescent boys with symptoms of attention deficit (AD) to 16 disruptive boys without attention deficit (DIS) and 16 controls (CO) using Stroop Color and Word Test (SCWT). Found AD group was significantly distinct (had lower score) in comparison to DIS and CO on color-word score. ADs showed more hesitations on color-word…

Issues that are central to special education and appear destined to remain so are discussed, including professional divisions among special educators and between special and regular educators, the population to be served, individualization, and placement. (JDD)