Fostering Opportunities is an innovative student engagement program for middle school and high school students who have experienced foster care. The goal of the program is to help youth who have experienced foster care be successful in school and ultimately earn a high school credential. Fostering Opportunities was developed because of the clear…

The paper presents a review of research issues in serving severely and profoundly retarded students in integrated settings. Five general areas are reviewed: incidence studies, population descriptions, assessment considerations, curriculum approaches (individualization, curriculum focuses, motor skills, self-help and play skills, communication…

Uses a question-and-answer format to assist professionals grappling with the meaning of inclusive school programs and their requirements. Provides information about the effectiveness of separate placements, full inclusion (normalization) goals, treatment of students with severe behavior problems, the role of pullouts and special education…

Connecticut has designed and implemented a model that includes emphases on systematic instruction in functional life skills, transdisciplinary related services, generalization, and specific behavior management skills to provide quality integrated public school programs for severely handicapped students. (CL)

This article provides research-based suggestions for developing educational options based on acceleration to meet the needs of gifted students in rural areas. Accelerative options offered by both the home school and universities in Iowa are described. (DB)

A program director at an Ontario school for the blind discusses the phenomenon of giftedness in blind students. A section on identification addresses factors involved in IQ measurement, language, creative and productive thinking, high capacity for seeing diverse relationships, goal oriented behavior, sensitivity to expectations and feelings of…

This survey of local education agencies (N=40) examines educational placement of visually impaired students and related factors that might be helpful in development of placement procedures for day school programs. Widespread acceptance of multiply handicapped children in day school programs appears to be affecting educational placement and related…

To help ensure that multidisciplinary decision making in special education results in an appropriate education for exceptional students, principles drawn from theory and research on group decision making and problem solving were used to develop a decision model to serve as a guide for structuring and assessing the decision process at the school…

The article summarizes the following factors identified in service provision for severely and multiply handicapped students: programmatic considerations; administrative considerations; service delivery models; assessment; educational placement; individual educational programs; and program documentation. (CL)

This article identifies problems commonly attributed to acceleration for gifted students. Specific student concerns (such as friendships) and administrative concerns (such as difficulties in awarding course credits) are addressed. Five suggestions are made to help districts plan for providing accelerative options. (DB)

The document discusses the development of individualized education programs (IEPs) for handicapped students based upon information which describes a child's level of educational achievement and learning rate, social development, physical development, and management needs in the classroom. An introductory section provides a rationale for developing…

The manual presents guidelines for use by South Dakota School districts regarding planning, implementing, and evaluating services for gifted students. Relevant laws and regulations are cited, followed by a statement of educational philosophy for gifted programs. Five needs are addressed briefly: identification of the gifted population, a…

This article identifies five criteria important to the establishment of a least-restrictive environment within an inclusive general education classroom. The criteria are substantive student-teacher interaction, opportunity to respond, academic engaged time, relevant curriculum, and maximization of student success. These criteria are related to the…

The Iowa Behavioral Initiative (IBI) is aimed at improving the capabilities of Iowa schools in meeting the diverse personal, social, and behavioral needs of students with behavioral disorders (BD). This report describes findings from three IBI data gathering activities: (1) historical and current (Spring 1993) statistical data on students with…

The state plan outlines aspects of special education in Kansas. The initial section provides background information and outlines the needs in teaching positions (both professional and paraprofessional) and in the numbers of students receiving special education. The second section addresses the following state department operations: administration…