Policies for talented students with disabilities, or twice-exceptional students, exist in very few states across the country. Historically, families of twice-exceptional students have found most of their support though implementation of Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) or 504 Accommodation plans. Yet, there is no federal mandate for gifted…

Leading an individualized education program (IEP) meeting can be a daunting task for special education teachers, particularly if they want to make changes to the status quo when it comes to inclusive opportunities for students with higher support needs. This article explores how special educators can begin to advocate for that change within their…

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) have significant implications for students with and without disabilities. Despite extensive research, journal articles, editorials, media coverage, and litigation, deaf and hard of hearing students with additional disabilities continue to be…

The emergence of the standards-based reform movement has raised a number of issues related to the design of educational programs for students with severe disabilities, and a debate has arisen that presents an "either/or" choice between the general education curriculum and an ecological curricular framework that has traditionally guided…

Contends that the transition to a middle school setting can present special challenges for students with learning disabilities. Describes the seven-step CONNECT process, which can provide general educators with a tool for integrating instruction that meets state, local, and individual education program objectives within the general education…

The Multimethods Model organizes the learning activities of preschool classes for gifted children and assures a differentiated curriculum geared to the individual student. Model components include prescriptive instruction, acceleration of content, building self-direction, creative divergent problem solving, affective guidance, cultivation of…

Programs and courses about the gifted in rural areas have been offered by the University of Maine at Presque Isle since 1973. Activities (such as designing and building rockets, play writing and producing, and park design) and workshops have been held for and about the gifted. One of the problems with programs for this population is that they are…

Academic accommodations are intended to increase access to education for students with disabilities. Although the concept seems simple, implementation is challenging because of the ambiguous wording of some accommodations. This article reviews confusing aspects of frequently encountered accommodations. Research-based guidelines for writing…

Increasingly, college undergraduates are custom designing their courses of study and creating majors that allow them to combine often eclectic interests with career goals. In many cases, students' creations have had a lasting impact through development of new academic programs. Institutional arrangements for planning, advising, and monitoring…

Described is a course development project in progress at Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, that attempts to meet the individual needs and improve the attitudes of students in a large freshman biology course. Proposed is the implementation of the Phase Achievement System which involves the development of multi-concept level video-cassette lectures…

The process of curriculum differentiation for students with special needs at a primary school in Great Britain is described, focusing on educational values, planning, role of the special education teacher in ensuring that the needs of all children are being met, individualized programs, and curriculum assessment. (JDD)

Objectives of the project were (1) to call the attention of secondary and postsecondary faculties to the opportunities in vocational programs for gifted and talented students to work toward their career goals, (2) to assist guidance counselors to recognize opportunities for the gifted and talented in vocational programs, (3) to encourage school…

With support from the John Templeton Foundation, the authors held a Summit on Acceleration at The University of Iowa in May 2003. They invited distinguished scholars and educators from around the country to help them formulate a national report on acceleration. This first volume of the Templeton Report on acceleration trumpets an alarm to the…

One component of the final report of a 3-year project to train speech language pathologists and audiologists to deliver services to young children (birth to age 5) with communication disorders, the paper describes the parent education practicum model developed by the project. The underlying philosophical foundation of the training was to adapt to…

A custom-fit degree plan was developed and implemented at Connors State College in Oklahoma through support from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education. The project objectives were to develop: a model of counseling, advisement, and instructional units; a comprehensive file of community and business resources; and a close…