Six migrant educational programs were conducted in Iowa during fiscal year 1981. In the 4 programs held during the regular school year, 9 teachers and 3 aides (all bilingual) served an enrollment of 224 children, 186 of whom were "Spanish dominate." During the 2 summer programs, 6 teachers and 6 aides (all bilingual) served 159 children,…

The following articles, edited versions of the principal speakers' presentations on bilingual special education, are presented: (1) "Cultural Diversity: Implications for Educational Change," by Dr. William Parker; (2) "Criteria for Identification, Placement, and Transfer of Transitional Bilingual Students," by Yolanda Ulloa;…

The Perceptions of Developmental Skills (PODS) Profile is a rating scale designed to keep standardize and profile subjective perceptions of adults who have frequent contact with handicapped preschool children. It is intended to complement, rather than to replace, standardized developmental assessment procedures, by integrating a diagnostic…

The Classroom Behavior Description (CBD)--a brief 10-item checklist on which teachers rate preschool childrens' behaviors which are considered most likely to influence school performance--was developed on the basis of earlier extensive research with more comprehensive children's behavior inventories. Results are reported of studies of teachers'…

A study was conducted at North Harris County College to determine the extent to which its Developmental Studies Program (DSP) was meeting stated goals and to assess the predictive reliability of the screening tests used to place incoming students in DSP courses. The study involved: (1) an assessment of the need for the DSP program as evidenced by…

The Kentucky Educational Improvement Act of 1978 mandated local school districts to initiate two programs: (1) screening and diagnostic test; and (2) development of district educational improvement plans outlining remedial programs or activities. The Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills (CTBS/S) were selected as the statewide screening instruments…

Fifty-four kindergarten children were screened with the Sapir Developmental Scale to highlight deficiencies in bodily schema, perceptual motor skills, and language development, and were matched in groups of three by score, chronological age, and sex with one of the three acting as control. Three first grade classes were organized as follows: one…

Using a 41-test battery of cognitive-perceptual-motor tests supplemented by standardized tests of intelligence, visual perception, eye hand coordination, linguistics, and non-verbal integration, a group of 200 maladjusted school age children from grades 1, 2, 3, and 5 was compared with a group of problem-free children similar in size, sex…

The Rosner Perceptual Survey (RPS) and the Rosner-Richman Perceptual Survey (RRPS) were developed for screening perceptual motor dysfunction. The RPS consisted of 17 subtests of visual motor and auditory motor functions, general motor skills, self awareness, and integrative function; the RRPS, intended for teacher or paraprofessional use, included…

The Early Childhood Prekindergarten Assessment Instrument is a criterion referenced approach designed to help locate the child along a developmental curriculum sequence. Certain skills are analyzed according to auditory, visual, motor, and verbal learning processes, and determine what level the child has attained prior to entering school. Along…

Described in the curriculum guide is the SPARK (Seeking Purposeful, Analytical, Realistic Knowledge) Program designed for gifted and talented students in grades 6-12 in Calcasieu Parish (Louisiana). In an introductory section, brief segments cover such program elements as background, philosophy, rationale, goals, teacher and student objectives,…

Anyone who has worked as a teacher or principal in an elementary school understands the value of reliable and valid assessments of early reading progress. In order to implement an effective reading program, schools should have a coordinated plan for using screening, progress monitoring, diagnostics and outcome measures to guide instruction and to…

Response to Intervention (RtI) is the practice of providing high-quality instruction and interventions to meet student needs and monitor progress in order to ensure effectiveness of instruction and/or interventions. RtI is an integrated service delivery approach for all students and should be applied to decisions in general, remedial, and special…

This volume is a guide for assessing children with dual sensory or severe impairments between birth and age 5. It begins by discussing a functional-ecological three-step assessment process for children birth to three years, and the steps for assessing preschoolers from three to five years old. It then describes six steps to guide the use of the…

In 1998, the Mississippi Association for Gifted Children (MAGC) created a task force to study identification practices in Mississippi. MAGC was concerned about minority under representation in gifted programs. The task force worked to answer the question "Is the implementation of the Mississippi referral to placement process equitable?"…