A special education record-keeping system using bar code symbols and optical scanners is described. Bar code symbols were created for each Individualized Educational Plan objective, and symbols are scanned when students emit targeted behaviors. A weekly printed report of student performance is produced. Advantages, disadvantages, and costs are…

Interviews with 536 Arizona families of special-needs infants and toddlers examined nature and type of services received; satisfaction with services; parental involvement in service delivery; and needs for additional services, financial help, information, and emotional support. Parents' greatest concern was access to information. Rural-urban…

Two types of instructional adaptation were explored: routine adaptation (the extent to which teachers establish initial routines to facilitate ongoing adaptation) and specialized adaptation (how teachers modify instructional plans in light of student difficulty). Participants were 110 general educators. (Author/SM)

Two self-administered, self-scored, and self-interpreted career interest inventories used by adolescents and adults are described, the Self-Directed Search and its Form Easy, an adaptation for poor readers. The paper discusses test components, subtests, and theory; gender issues; interpretation; appropriateness; coding discrepancies; and…

This article describes a service delivery system for limited English proficiency students in regular and special education programs using problem-solving teams and criterion-referenced and/or curriculum-based assessment, with an emphasis on reciprocal interaction teaching. Goals include improved academic performance and more reliable referral of…

The article reviews special education in Norway, including the general education system, health and welfare services for persons with disabilities, the organization of special education, integration, qualifications of special education teachers, national plans for development, and problems and progress. It is recommended that advocacy for those…

The article describes the modification and implementation in Saint Bernard Parish (Louisiana) of the Adult Performance Level Curriculum with mildly handicapped secondary students. Major skill areas are coordinated with areas of functional competency, with the goal of achieving competency in 42 specific areas of adult life. Field experiences…

This study of 60 eighth grade students found differences among students with learning disabilities and students who were low, average, and high achieving, on perceptions of ability and achievement; attitude toward mathematics; knowledge of mathematical problem-solving strategies; and knowledge, use, and control of problem representation…

The article highlights the results of a Riverside County, California, project to assist special education teachers to develop expertise in strategy instruction. It describes efforts to overcome school/district obstacles to change, establish teacher support groups, and facilitate a reorientation in basic special education philosophy. (JDD)

Development and validation of the Assessment of Social Competence (ASC), designed for individuals at all levels of functioning, are described. Results from samples of 140 children/youth and 161 adults with mental retardation and other disabilities indicate ASC is a comprehensive, criterion-referenced tool for both descriptive and intervention…

Contends music education can help hearing-impaired students achieve both academic and social goals of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (1990). Describes instructional content and methods of elementary program utilizing sign language, vocal music, and keyboard computer music systems. Concludes with description of school performance in…

The extent to which students with disabilities are represented in national data collection programs was investigated by reviewing nine such programs that are receiving attention in current educational reform initiatives. Results suggest that 40-50% of students with disabilities are excluded from these prominent data collection programs. (SLD)

An ongoing research program is examining use of technology to surmount difficulties in incorporating curriculum-based measurement in instructional programs for students with disabilities. The use of computers to assume the mechanical aspects of measurement and to help teachers translate assessment information into feasible instructional…

Comments on several papers addressing professional development and instructional improvement for students with learning disabilities in regular classrooms. It urges the linking and alignment of professional development, classroom practice, and changes in student performance with measurement and training that expect the influence of one on the…

Provides teacher trainers with a variety of instructional materials, resources, and articles that can be employed to diversify the special-education training curriculum to address the needs of migrant students and families. Online information, videocassettes, and field trips and field work addressing the migrant experience are also discussed.…