Many mentoring policies do not differentiate between novice special education teachers and their general education counterparts. Although novice special education teachers may benefit in part from general induction practices, their experience is limited when there is little attention given to their unique instructional needs. Policymakers can…

As the ongoing national indicator of what American students know and can do, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in Reading regularly collects achievement information on representative samples of students in grades 4, 8, and 12. Through "The Nation's Report Card," the NAEP Reading Assessment reports how well students…

Before teachers can productively implement individualized education programs for handicapped students, substantive IEP planning should occur at state and local levels. Impediments to IEP development should be identified and relationships among federal, state, and local agencies clarified. A paradigm is offered to help the teacher systematically…

This paper proposes the twin themes of prevention and intervention as components of a conceptual framework for determining special education research priorities and developing a coherent research program. Brief descriptions of ongoing programs of research on prevention and intervention from three different research groups are used illustratively,…

The planning, preparation, and delivery of learning experiences tend to be organized vertically, in accordance with schools' structure of curricular subjects and teaching departments, but pupils' experience of the curriculum is horizontal and serial. A rationale for utilizing a horizontal, across-the-curriculum model of support teaching is…

Four commissioned papers on approaches to implement the least restrictive environment (LRE) provision of P.L. 94-142, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, are presented. The authors were asked to develop criteria applicable to the local level and appropriate to a variety of contexts. Papers are presented from the following authors:…

Teachers who have been trained to work with normal young children (early childhood certification) or with older disabled children (special education certification) are unprepared to assume the multiple responsibilities of the teacher of preschool disabled children. Prior to the 1979-1980 academic year, few (if any) formal on-going inservice (or…

The four P's of policy (philosophy, principles, procedures, and performance) are discussed within a framework for developing special needs policies in British schools. Elements of a special educational needs policy are listed, and examples of statements which might be included in a school's special needs policy are provided. (DB)

This booklet focuses on the role of interagency agreements in facilitating the transition of young children and their families from early intervention services to preschool services as children turn 3 years of age. Interagency agreements can be viewed as an "invisible brace" supporting families and staff as they consider many issues in moving from…

The final report describes activities and products of a 3-year project to prepare private sector volunteers to become actively involved in special education through a networking system of industry-education partnerships. Using a trainer of trainers model, the project conducted workshops and produced a training package which includes a program…

Four papers focus on implementation of protection in evaluation procedures (PEP) specified in P.L. 94-142, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act. Each of the authors commissioned to develop guidelines in PEP are represented: Reginald Jones ("Protection in Evaluation Procedures: Criteria and Recommendations"); Jane Mercer…

This report presents a plan of the National Association of State Directors of Special Education's Project FORUM to establish and implement the on-going process of identifying national program information needed for improving the management, administration, delivery, and effectiveness of programs and services under the Individuals with Disabilities…

This article reviews U.S. federal legislation mandating collaborative transition planning between schools and adult service providers. The Collaborative Transition Model, a six-stage interdisciplinary approach which relates vocational assessment activities to instruction, is offered as one example of a formal transition system being implemented in…

This paper considers preliminary issues in the development of quality educational outcome indicators for students with disabilities within the context of current changes in general education and a conceptual model of important educational outcomes and indicators for all children. The approach and development process of the National Center on…

This paper presents a methodology for assessing the teacher shortage in special education. The approach analyzes data on newly hired teachers from four categories: teachers trained out of state, experienced teachers returning or transferring, teachers newly trained in-state, and teachers on newly issued emergency licenses. These data can be…