More than 45 individuals representing staff from state departments of education, school districts, testing and testing-related companies, and other educational organizations participated in a forum on June 26, 2018 in San Diego, California to discuss speech-to-text and scribing, the differences in terminology, challenges associated with…

The author discusses improvement in quality of special education through the use of the individualized education program (IEP) as a placement, instructional, and planning tool. Conditions necessary for using the IEP effectively are listed. Implementation of the IEP as placement, instructional, and planning tools is noted to depend on four…

This paper addresses two approaches to serving students at risk for or with emotional and/or behavioral disorders in general education settings: (1) use of individual behavior plans (IBPs), and (2) use of the combined classroom model. The process of developing an IBP is detailed, including when an IBP is developed, by whom it is developed, and the…

Using a collaborative approach in three York County (Maine) school districts, representatives from special education and vocational rehabilitation implemented a model program of transition services for specific learning-disabled (SLD) individuals, aged 16 to 22 years old. The experimental group consisted of 32 SLD individuals and the control group…

The paper describes King Edward Campus's (Nova Scotia) Individualized Educational Program for Adults (I.E.P.A.) for learning disabled adults. Sections address the following: program divisions, development of the I.E.P.A., components of the I.E.P.A. committee, the referral process, learning diagnostic services, the learning diagnostician's role,…

The paper explains the design of a national survey which was intended to identify factors associated with variations in the properties and contents of individualized education programs (IEPs); provide descriptive information about the target population; the nature and setting in which special education services are provided to this population;…

Although Pennsylvania has long made programming for all handicapped children mandatory, the passage of P.L. 94-142 has necessitated some changes even in this state. The major hurdle in the implementation of such a law is confusion and misinterpretation. Educators fear that the handicapped may be dumped into regular classes in an arbitrary manner.…

The preparation of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) for each handicapped child is seen as cumbersome and time consuming and involves writing similar goals and objectives repetitively for different students. Utilization of a microcomputer-based IEP preparation system has a significant impact on this process and what the school…

The Gifted and Talented Program (GAT) of the Mellon Junior High School, Mt. Lebanon School District, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was evaluated in 1985. Questionnaires were sent to 139 parents and 50 academic teachers. In addition, 9 teachers, 4 administrators, and 12 parents were interviewed. Responses were summarized in detail regarding 14 topics,…

The Vocational Resource Educator (VRE) coordinates the activities of all handicapped students of DeSoto County School District in Mississippi and provides vocational assessment to all handicapped students who enroll in a vocational program. Vocational support personnel assess students' interests, abilities, and special needs so they can…

The complex process of developing Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and the placing of handicapped students is discussed. The IEP is developed by the school administrator, the child's teachers, and the child's parents. A model of an efficient system for implementing an IEP is described. The basis of the model is the collection and coding by…

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…

To study aspects of P.L. 94-142 (Education for All Handicapped Children Act) that prove both most and least problematic for rural special education cooperatives, which is the most prevalent type of cooperative arrangement, a sample was selected that included the 2 Federal Education Regions (from a total of 10) determined to contain the nation's…

The history of educational programming for the handicapped has unfortunately been one of quiet discrimination. This pattern has come from the evolution of an isolation-based society. Society is moving increasingly toward the human and equity-based treatment of disabled people. Reflecting some court decisions, the Education of the Handicapped Act…

A case study of pathways development at Victoria University of Technology (VUT) examined the relationship among research, policy, and practice. VUT implemented the Personalized Access and Study (PAS) policy to make education available to and meet the learning needs of VUT's students and region. The policy had two components--personalized access…