Discusses the purposes of student grades, including those driven by Individualized Education Programs. Grading options to ensure objectivity, fairness, and accountability for students with diverse needs are suggested. Types of tests available and possible adaptations are described. School districts are urged to create a grading policy that is…

Sign language production of 14 low-functioning students (ages 9 to 20) with autistic disorder were examined. The location aspect of signs was produced more accurately by subjects than either the handshape or movement aspects. Wide individual differences were observed. Sign vocabulary size and accuracy was correlated with performance on two…

Compared rate of conflict, conflict resolution, and the appearance of reflection on emotions and literate language in friend and nonfriend dyads of kindergarten children. Found that, although rates of conflicts were similar, friends resolved conflicts more frequently than nonfriends and generated more emotional and literate language. Support was…

An Indianapolis magnet middle school is successfully using mental models and multiple intelligences theory to guide collaborative professional development and equitable education. A curriculum originally developed for gifted and talented students is now accessible to all students. The program draws upon students' individual strengths across all…

Examined differences in childrearing beliefs and changes in mothers' and fathers' beliefs over a six-month period. Results of Luster Parental Beliefs Survey and Personal Style Inventory indicated significant differences between mothers and fathers in beliefs about spoiling, and between mothers and care providers in beliefs about discipline.…

Describes the implementation of two graduate courses in education where doctoral students completed their major assignments as multimedia projects rather than as written papers. Discusses affordable software; minimal in-class time; personalized feedback; parsimony; personalization; individual differences; interactivity; student motivation; and…

Highlights usefulness of the categorical approach to measuring infant attachment by reviewing some major advances in the field that have been fostered by that approach. Advances include identification of the disorganized attachment group, development of the concept of conditional behavior strategies, creation of systems for coding attachment…

Ainsworth's system of classifying attachment patterns will not be easily displaced primarily because of difficulties involved in a dimensional approach. Problems include the number of dimensions involved, need to develop reliable scales, and need to describe how behavior changes across age and in the Strange Situation. Only when an alternative…

Investigated relations between children's attributes and peer play competence among African American preschoolers attending Head Start. Identified six distinctive profiles of personal attributes linked to adaptation in social functioning. Children with highly adaptable temperaments, strong ability to approach new situations, and above average…

Examined the types of play and social interactions in which nine preschoolers with disabilities engaged while at their chosen learning/activity centers in an inclusive program. Found individual differences in the amount of time spent in various centers, the number of different types of play engaged in, and in the amount of time spent in play of…

This article explains the combination of instructional practices called personalized contextual instruction (PCI) and illustrates its implementation by a general education teacher, a special education teacher, and a paraprofessional working together in a multiage primary inclusive classroom. The PCI approach incorporates individual learning…

Provides background information and basic options of Didascalia, a computer-assisted language learning center at the University of Antwerp (Belgium) in the domain of language methodology and technology. (CK)

Discusses the development of the Adaptive Testing Linguistic Achievement Significance (ATLAS) test used to evaluate second language proficiency of Belgian civil servants. Notes that testers encountered various problems caused by the complexity of language, the difference in background of the candidates and the absence of official objective test…

Presents six suggestions for personalizing professional development for middle school teachers: (1) encourage openness to change; (2) facilitate teachers' self-assessment; (3) urge teachers to be learners; (4) encourage a focus on the enjoyable in teaching; (5) advocate that teachers contribute to peers' growth; and (6) promote full lives beyond…

Investigates how four bilingual writers from one culture attend to audience in persuasive writing in Malay and English, and the relationship between audience awareness, culture, and quality of their written products. Findings suggests individual differences between bilingual writer's use of audience strategies when composing were intertwined with…