For children with the most severe and persistent academic and/or behavioral challenges, parent and family involvement is vital. Student outcome data suggest that the current educational system does not adequately prepare students with the most intensive needs, particularly students with disabilities, for the world of college and work. Although the…

Recommends helping poor spellers improve by having them copy 100-word paragraphs, gradually decreasing the amount of time permitted for perfect copying. (TJ)

To solve the problems of low achieving students, it is important to change the quality of teaching instruction. Cognitive instruction is presented as a critical component for this large scale-change. Includes extensive references. (MD)

The profile and needs of weak learners are listed, and suggestions are offered for teaching that type of student. (LB)

Describes "Booktime," a modified form of sustained silent reading that produced positive results with first-grade poor readers. (FL)

An experimental study was conducted of 2 different approaches to the correction of consistent subtraction errors in 6 students aged 12-13. Tentative findings demonstrate the superiority of the old way/new way method compared to use of Multibase Arithmetic Blocks and place value charts. (JDD)

Provides a bibliography of readings from the "Arithmetic Teacher" in these categories: (1) learners with special needs; (2) diagnosis and remediation; and (3) planning and organization. A discussion of the types of articles found in these categories is included. (JN)

Describes how modeling, guided practice in controlled materials, monitoring and corrective feedback, and independent practice were used to teach contractions to six low-performing second graders, including a child with learning disabilities. Planning and implementation of the lessons are described and a sample lesson plan is provided. (CR)

This resource document is one of a series of nine resource documents, each of which addresses a separate factor in the "Assessment of School Needs for Low-Achieving Students" survey that can help determine a student's academic success and each of which contains information that responds to specific survey items. This document addresses the factor…

A survey was developed asking educators to describe their most effective strategies for teaching marginal learners--students who do not succeed academically in the regular classroom. A total of 97 surveys were returned, and the recommended strategies were compiled. The paper begins by describing marginal learners. This is followed by seven…

The paper reviews findings and implications of curriculum based assessment (CBA), an approach focusing on collecting, interpreting, and using data to help lower achieving students have opportunities for success in mainstreamed settings. An instructional delivery model is presented to guage the probability of task success and provide a structure…

The primary goal of special educators must always be to optimize the instruction given to low-performing students. The amount of teacher-directed instruction that low-performing students receive is directly related to their achievement. To maximize the amount of teacher-directed instruction, small and large group instruction is recommended.…

Learning activities involving teaching different techniques that can help a child learn the basic facts are described. (JT)

Two teaching studies were conducted, based on a descriptive framework and diagnostic interviews described previously. In the pilot study, low-achieving students were taught individually; in the main study, they were taught in a group. Performance improved in both cases. (MNS)

Articles concerning the special needs student include an account of how some teachers participate in the preparation of their students' individualized education programs, the effects of a teacher's attitude on a student's performance and how to put that knowledge to work in the classroom, and ways to help special needs students succeed in…