Sophisticated database management systems (DBMS) for microcomputers are becoming increasingly easy to use, allowing small school districts to develop their own autonomous databases for tracking enrollment and student progress in special education. DBMS applications can be designed for maintenance by district personnel with little technical…

An individualized internship program was developed for a 22-year-old college senior and elementary education major at St. Mary-of-the-Woods College (Indiana). The student had shortcomings in the areas of confidence, poise, classroom management skills, and discipline skills. The internship lasted 8 weeks and required the student to teach in the…

In 1997, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was reauthorized and new regulations took effect May 11, 1999. Several sections of the regulations pertain to the transition of students with disabilities from school to adult life. This policy update presents the regulatory language and describes potential implications in 11 areas…

Transitioning from high school to a postsecondary educational environment is exciting but challenging. There are new places, new faces, and new ways of doing things. Students now must advocate for themselves instead of having programs and services planned for them. These adjustments can at times be overwhelming. Minimize the challenges by planning…

Asserts that the Big Sisters Programme in Hong Kong provides a good example of a scheme that transcends personal and school issues and facilitates a more participative and democratic view of society. Characterizes the program as a benign form of a "hidden curriculum" and recommends establishing it in secondary schools. (MJP)

This is the story of Lily, a 12-year-old girl with Williams Syndrome (WS). A reading program was developed to meet Lily's specific reading needs while addressing her individual learning style; this includes attending to the unique characteristics of Williams Syndrome. During this school year, Lily showed significant gains in sight word recognition…

Literacy is important not only to school success but is fundamental to skills needed to succeed in our rapidly changing technology-driven society. This article focuses on characteristics, interactions, and attitudes of parents and children related to their use of assistive technologies to build literacy skills. Interviews and observations…

This paper describes the successful implementation of an inclusion program which placed students with mild disabilities in regular education classes in a rural Louisiana school system. A unique quality of this program is that it utilized only existing staff. Advantages and disadvantages of such a program and the seven-step program development and…

The Individualized Vocabulary Instruction (IVI) program is a self-contained, individualized computer program that has been used to provide vocabulary instruction to disabled students at California's Los Angeles Pierce College (LAPC) since 1987. The IVI program is divided into two main word groups, called modules, with each module containing 1,125…

With funding from a National Workplace Literacy grant, Little Hoop Community College in Fort Totten, North Dakota, conducted a combined literacy and career counseling program for members of the Devils Lake Sioux Tribe. During the project period, 86 participants completed individual education plans appropriate to their personal work objectives and…

This document consists of materials used in a presentation on the Brown County (Kansas) Vocational Work Program to train students in general work behaviors and skills and to prepare them for paid employment in the community. Introductory materials describe the program's purpose, structure, and objectives. The text of specific regulations governing…

High School Redirection is an alternative school that has been operating in Brooklyn (New York) for a number of years. It is run by the New York City Board of Schools, offers regular high school degrees, and serves a population of 475 students (50 percent male and 50 percent female) that is 80 percent Black and 20 percent Hispanic American.…

The Rural Aide Model is a proven, functional model in which an aide or para-professional is trained in the components of the Teaching Research Data Based Classroom Model and provides individual instruction, under the supervision of a certified teacher, to one or two children with handicapping conditions. Usually the instruction occurs within the…

The importance of well-planned, meaningful assessments is emphasized in planning effective educational programs for severely communicatively impaired individuals. Assessment and evaluation are defined, and key provisions of Public Law 94-142 and Public Law 99-457 are outlined. Several issues to be considered in establishing effective…

Several models have been developed to aid in selecting appropriate educational content for special needs students. These include the developmental model, behavioral model, categorical model, and environmental or ecological model. The ecological model involves determining the skills that a fully functioning member of society normally performs in…