This theme issue on acceleration of gifted students offers an Ontario (Canada) perspective on early entrance to school and grade-skipping. It begins with a history of acceleration programs and then outlines their current status, with less than 40 percent of school boards with gifted programs using some form of acceleration. It goes on to analyze…

Elementary students (N=160, grades 2-3 and 5-6) were evaluated in a battery of four information-processing tasks, including: Inspection Time, Reaction Time, Coincidence Timing, and Mental Counters (Working Memory). Half of the children were certified as gifted in a case study analysis; the other half were selected from non-gifted programs of the…

Psychologists, diagnosticians, and educators are often required to assess a child's functioning to assist in placing the child in the most appropriate educational setting. To assess the child's current level of functioning, various behavior rating scales have been designed to integrate both teacher and parent observations in this assessment…

Economically disadvantaged and ethnically diverse children are underrepresented in programs for the academically gifted. SPRING (Special Populations Rural Information Network for the Gifted) is a consortium of Indiana University, New Mexico State University, and Converse College (South Carolina) whose major concern is the identification and…

Following mention of the literature and pioneers in the field of at-risk family involvement in education, this document discusses the history of the term "at risk" and its use, identification of children at risk, and the two major risk factors: poverty and minority status. The important connections and assets missing from the at-risk child's world…

This document contains two brief guides intended to provide teachers and parents with basic information and practical help in working with children with attention deficit disorders. In the first guide, attention deficit disorder is defined and the subtypes of undifferentiated attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention deficit hyperactivity…

The Austin (Texas) Independent School District has been researching the dropout issue for several years and has studied the implementation of the mandated Texas at-risk criteria to identify at-risk students. Having identified students at risk, the district followed them for 4 years (1987-88 to 1990-91) to determine the accuracy of the initial…

This study investigated the relationship between measured intelligence and discrepancies existing between actual achievement levels and projected achievement levels in mildly handicapped resource room students in Arkansas. Twenty-seven students had been identified as learning disabled and 19 as mildly mentally retarded. Subjects each received…

The paper examines critical issues involved in the debate over the Regular Education Initiative (REI) to merge special and regular education, with emphasis on implications for school psychologists. The arguments of proponents and opponents of the REI are summarized and the lack of involvement by school psychologists is noted. The REI is seen to…

A research program identified the key factors that offer insights into students' intrinsic motivation traits. Objectives were to determine intrinsic motivation factors that influence special needs populations during their vocational training programs and their transition into employment and to determine how this information can be used to help…

The monograph describes the characteristics of high-potential handicapped pupils, and explains how these children can be identified and served within Virginia's educational "Standards of Quality." Emphasis is on finding and nurturing students' strengths. After an introductory discussion of the importance of identifying and serving the gifted…

General findings from an analysis of district-wide and school-level efforts to develop highly able, economically disadvantaged students' academic skills and creative talents in mathematics and science are described. Data were collected from 29 school districts or schools located throughout the United States. Telephone interviews were conducted…

This paper presents a research summary on ability grouping and tracking, and makes recommendations to school practitioners on successful alternative strategies to educate children from diverse backgrounds. The research reveals little evidence that ability grouping improves academic achievement, while overwhelming evidence exists that it retards…

A self-report survey was mailed to 150 Hispanic students attending the University of Maryland (College Park) to assess the extent to which Hispanics become involved in activities and ethnic organizations, feel that they have special needs at the University, and identify with the University and the minority student office on campus. Results from…

Special education professionals in Illinois were surveyed regarding case study procedures for use with mentally retarded students, rating usefulness of procedure, modifications desired for use with different age groups and severity of retardation, and what professional should hold primary responsibility for component completion. Processes rated…