The findings that certain tests are used in almost every situation and that various professionals employ a large number of technically inadequate measures are discussed in terms of implications for current assessment and decision-making practices. (Author)

Four groups of educational decisionmakers rated the influence of information regarding the sex, socioeconomic status, and physical attractiveness of the student as having an insignificant effect on educational placement decisions. Assessment data were believed to have a greater influence, with achievement and intelligence scores seen as having a…

The individual assessment and decision making procedure in cases of handicapped children of 12 individuals were surveyed and described in detail. Four school psychologists, four special educators, and four regular educators were selected randomly from those who had participated in a computer simulated assessment and decision making exercise. The…

Twenty videotapes of placement team meetings were analyzed relative to the kinds of data presented relative to making decisions about learning disability services. The relationship between the final decision and the amount of information presented was positive: greater likelihood of identification was evident at meetings in which more information…

The extent to which computer simulated classification decisions within special education were differentially affected by information presented at the time of the referral was investigated. Decisions about 16 different cases were evaluated and found to be a function of referral information rather than child performance data. The outcomes are…

The article looks at the concept of discrepancy between ability and achievement in conceptualizations of learning disabilities. Comparison of ability and achievement scores found generally small average discrepancies, though some wide ranges were evident. Implications of the findings for current and future use of discrepancies as estimators of…

Educational decision makers (N=224) participated in a computer simulated decison making experience designed to ascertain the extent to which referral information biased classification decisions. Ss ignored standardized test information indicative of average performance and retained the stereotype created by the referral information. (Author)

The assessment and decision-making practices used by 44 child service demonstration centers, which provide services to learning disabled (LD) children, were investigated in a national survey. Results suggested that assessment and decision making in the field of learning disabilities are characterized by variability and inconsistency. (Author/DLS)

The report summarizes research conducted by the Institute for Research on Learning Disabilities (IRLD) on issues in assessment and identification of learning disabled (LD) students. The initial chapter highlights major findings from IRLD research studies on five topics: (1) the nature of the identification/classification process, (2)…

Six years of studies on assessment and identification issues for learning disabled (LD) students are summarized, and implications for instructional intervention are noted. In chapter 1, findings on four topics are highlighted (sample findings in parentheses); instruction prior to referral (only about one-half of the school day is instructional…

The authors suggest that the confusion and controversy over definitions of learning disabilities have been unproductive. They review findings on the assessment decision making process and emphasize the need for a new perspective on assessment and intervention. (CL)

The article focuses on the provisions of Public Law 94-142 (the Education for All Handicapped Children Act) which involve nondiscriminatory assessment procedures. The author proposes the use of nondiscriminatory decision-making processes using data obtained from intervention effectiveness statistics rather than norm referenced tests. (PHR)

Reviews research on implications of school choice for students with disabilities using multiple methodologies in 12 quantitative and qualitative studies. Participation rates, reasons for transfers, and impacts on students and school districts were evaluated. The study found students with disabilities participating in school choice options often…

Five years of research findings on assessment and decision making for learning disabled (LD) students are summarized through 14 generalizations. the generalizations deal with five issues: which students to refer for psychoeducational evaluation; which students to declare eligible for LD services; how to plan specific instructional interventions…

This study was designed to observe the decision-making processes of a special education team and to record the extent and nature of regular classroom teachers' participation. Classroom teachers were asked to indicate their level of satisfaction with the outcome of the meeting. (Author/DB)