Systematic observation of four elementary students at time of referral and one and two months after special education placement revealed considerable variability among students in amount of academic time allocated and engaged in. Changes in instruction and student responding as a function of special education intervention were inconsistent across…

ALT (academic learning time) was obtained on 60 nonhandicapped and 60 mainstreamed handicapped students in elementary physical education classes. Results indicated that Ss in individualized instruction settings engaged in a significantly greater amount of ALT than Ss of nonusers, with no significant difference between mainstreamed handicapped and…

Four elementary students referred for special education evaluation were observed systematically for 2 entire days each at three different times within the referral-to-placement process. Data were recorded on 53 variables within six categories in 10 second intervals to examine changes in the nature of instruction and academic responding time as a…

The final phase of a study investigating effective teaching behaviors for mainstreamed students involved 118 elementary teachers. Teachers provided information on mainstreamed students and a sample of students was randomly selected to represent classification categories (learning disabilities, behavior disorders, speech impairments, and hearing…

A self-management procedure used with 10 students (8-12 years old) in special schools was found to alter behavior directly without the need for a prior period of externally managed contingencies and was equal or superior to the externally administered tokens in its effects on time-on-task and out-of-seat behavior. (Author/CL)

This study investigated student academic responding time as a function of time of day for 122 students (grades 2-4) with and without disabilities in 10 urban and suburban schools. Student academic responding time was higher when an academic activity was occurring, an active task was underway, and an individual rather than a group structure was…

Organization of materials and stimuli presented on classroom walls can enhance acquisition, maintenance, and generalization of concepts presented to students, according to a limited study of elementary (including some special needs) students who were compared with students taught in a traditional situation. (CB)

The report summarizes a year long observational study of special education programs in one district's 12 elementary schools (Queens, New York). Data were gathered using observational time samples of teacher, student, and paraprofessional activity and student time on task; descriptive notes of the classroom context; ratings of 15 dimensions of…

Naturalistic observation procedures examined the use of time by 230 elementary students with disabilities in four special education placements--regular class, resource room, special class, and special school. The least restrictive alternatives, particularly the resource room, made more in-class learning time available. (Author/DB)

This study examined the academic engaged time of six students with low incidence disabilities who were enrolled in general elementary classrooms. These students participated in regular classes for reading or math, and at least one other subject area. The academic engaged time of these students was compared to that of six students without…

This study compared the actual resource costs and outcomes of instruction in inclusive classrooms with the costs and outcomes of special class/integrated instruction in a California school district where both types of programs were operating. Four students included in general elementary education classrooms were matched with four pupils from…