Parents can prepare their preschoolers for educational assessment by: determining reasons for the assessment; collecting relevant information and questions for the assessment team; discussing the testing program with their children and making sure they are comfortable; and discussing assessment results fully with the professionals when they have…

Interviews with 39 classroom teachers regarding referral practices revealed disparities with federal policy regarding protections to assure fairness in the identification and placement process. Policy alternatives are posed. (CL)

The article contains suggestions for assessing and instructing culturally and linguistically different students with special emphasis on ways to distinguish the learning disabled from students who differ due to cultural and linguistic background and the need to focus on students' strengths and previously gained knowledge. (Author/DB)

When culturally different children are referred for suspected emotional/behavioral disorders, their native cultural customs and beliefs must be considered. Examples of withdrawn, defensive, disorganized, and aggressive behaviors are cited. (CL)

The background and effects of Luke S. and Hans S. vs. Nix et al, a class action suit in Louisiana are discussed. The resulting changes in assessment practices, includng prereferral intervention, curriculum based assessment, and state-wide inservice training for assessment staff are noted. (Author/CL)

First-Grade Screening Test scores of 72 kindergarten children were compared with end-of-year kindergarten performance and midyear achievement testing in first grade. Results suggested moderate predictive utility. Strong relationships with concept-learning and direction-following tasks indicated that the test's construct validity needs to be…

Results of a survey of state departments of public instruction regarding criteria for diagnosis of mental reardation within public schools are reported. States varied widely in their definitions and procedures. Many states deviated from AAMD (American Association on Mental Deficiency) guidelines even though AAMD guidelines are included in federal…

Examples of information available from the Educational Testing Service Test Collection Database are presented on identification and evaluation of children with learning disabilities, preschool-grade three. Citations include title of the instrument, author's name, year, availability and grade level information, and a brief abstract. (CL)

A response to the article about special education in England and Wales suggests historical similarities with U.S. practices and notes the values of Britian's socialized health systems in identifying newborns with handicaps and of their teacher training/selection procedures. (CL)

A task force report on promising practices in identification touches upon the problem of identification, eligibility, pre-referral activities, teacher support teams, high-risk students, team decision making, and transitioning and exiting procedures. The need to clarify regular and special education roles in this matter is emphasized. (CL)

Paraprofessional training in administration and scoring of educational and psychological tests for learning disability diagnosis is examined, and it is concluded that projected disadvantages outweigh advantages, indicating caution in adopting the practice. (Author/CL)

Findings from a comparison of two samples of school age children, one sample (N=40) identified as learning disabled (LD), the other comprised of low achievers (N=51), indicated few psychometric differences. Many LD students did not meet federal definition guidelines, and many low achievers did meet the guidelines. (MC)

Used the Stroop Color-Word Test to measure selective attention in learning disabled (N=45) and nonLD (N=50) children. Results indicated that LD children have a significant weakness in the process of selective attention compared to the nonLD children. Findings suggested that the Stroop is an effective screening measure. (JAC)

Teachers can identify children with word finding problems through a classroom survey (appended) which provides profiles of expressive and receptive language patterns. Intervention includes compensatory programing and remediation (such as rehearsal of vocabulary). (CL)

Doctors should be part of any effective interdisciplinary team approach to assessment of children with special needs. The doctor's advice is combined with that of parents, teachers, and educational psychologists before a statement of special needs is drawn up. (CL)