A meaningful curriculum is one that is individualized, inclusive of the individual's unique needs and interests, and focused on building independence in current and future environments. A meaningful curriculum addresses an individual's needs and prioritizes instructional programs based on what is, potentially, most important to their lives and not…

The eight chapters of this theme issue consider some key questions about school transitions or transfers, including effects on students' academic achievement and attitudes, ways to facilitate transfer while maintaining curriculum links, and how evidence about transfers is best gathered. Discusses how much credibility to give students' accounts of…

Outlines current positions in the United Kingdom and the United States regarding pupil transition from elementary to secondary school. Presents U.S. findings as case studies from each state visited (New York, New Jersey, Kentucky, Florida, and Georgia), highlighting significant similarities and differences in organization and practice. United…

This monograph addresses issues in the appropriate education of children and youth with disabilities, especially emotional and/or behavioral disorders, who are in juvenile correctional facilities. An introductory chapter considers the characteristics of students with E/BD in the public schools; educational services in juvenile corrections; and…

This booklet sets out guidelines for the education of children and young people with severe to moderate mental handicap. Chapter I, "Where To Begin," discusses play, its importance for the child, how to assess the child through observation of play, and finding the child's developmental level of play. Chapter II, "Areas of Development," examines…

The Peabody Reintegration Project utilizes curriculum-based measurement (CBM) to help integrate pupils with mild and moderate disabilities into mainstream math instruction. CBM is seen to be particularly relevant to a transenvironmental programing process involving environmental assessment, intervention and preparation, promoting transfer across…

Twenty-two authors contributed chapters to this collection of best practices in the education of students with mental disabilities. Section One, "Critical Issues for Consideration," contains six papers: "'New' EMRs" (Donald MacMillan); "Curricular Orientations" (James Patton and Edward Polloway); "Applying Curriculum for the Instruction of Life…

A national survey of state coordinators of specialized service programs for children with deaf-blindness examined program characteristics including administrative structure, teacher certification requirements, technical assistance, eligibility determination, educational placement, curricula/instructional settings, transition, and unmet educational…

Targeted at special education teachers/special population instructors, work experience coordinators, vocational assessment personnel, and guidance counselors, this guide examines the relationships among career development, transition, and self-determination for students with disabilities. The guide uses a question-and-answer format to identify and…

Considers whether mental retardation can be considered a concomitant disability associated with learning disabilities or whether these are mutually exclusive categories. Emerging issues concerning definitions, classification, etiology, and lifelong development of these students are addressed. Also discussed are appropriate educational curricula,…

Physical education is a direct service which should be provided to all students with mental disabilities. Instruction in physical education should be guided by a comprehensive plan which outlines long-term goals and sequential objectives leading to attainment of these goals. The Achievement Based Curriculum model serves as an example of such a…

Handicapped students in state correctional facilities are legally eligible for special education services. "Best practices" in correctional special education include functional assessments, functional curriculum, vocational special education, transition programs between correctional programs and the community, comprehensive systems for providing…

This curriculum was developed to support American Indian high school students in their transition from high school to postsecondary life. It provides a structured process and culturally relevant activities that can be led by either teachers, tribal elders, community members, or paraprofessionals. The curriculum is based on principles such as a…

This position paper proposes an expanded definition of transition, based on common components of early childhood and secondary perspectives. It advocates for a seamless model of transition service delivery for students with disabilities, including program planning, from birth through age 21. The model addresses curriculum, location of services,…

Students with disabilities represent a relatively small but important group of students in U.S. high schools. The education of these students is heavily influenced by federal and state law as well as by longstanding beliefs about the purpose of education and the extreme heterogeneity of the population. Until recently, general educational policies…