Three mentally retarded adult residents of a group home were trained to read survival words in four conditions (in the group home with one trainer; in the group home with two to three trainers; one trainer in the group home and the natural environment; and two to three trainers in the group home and the natural environment). Training was…

Student logs of what they read outside of teacher directed instruction in reading give good indications of the types of materials to be included in survival or functional reading instruction. (MKM)

Suggestions are offered to parents of hearing-impaired children of ways to develop literacy skills. Recommendations include reading to the child, helping the child begin to interpret print, encouraging functional literacy, and helping the child develop strategies for understanding textbooks. (DB)

Discusses prereading activities for home economics education: motivational activities, preview activities, vocabulary activities, and prequestioning activities. Teaching methods, steps, and examples are suggested for each activity. (CT)

Argues that the obligatory nature of functional literacy does not deprive the individual freedom of thought and opinion, and that voluntarism in basic adult education in the United States has greatly contributed to putting the nation at risk and to keeping it a nation at risk. (HOD)

The authors question the furor over declining reading scores, since their study of the daily reading materials of white collar, skilled labor, unskilled labor, and retail personnel indicated little need for these job holders to function at more than a sixth-grade reading level. (Editor/SJL)

The fundamental Reading Competencies Test assesses proficiency with respect to well-defined functional reading skills of high school students. Validity and reliability data for the test are presented. (Author/JKS)

Emphasizes that reading is a whole person process based on understanding the message rather than on isolated skills. (MKM)

Summarizes the philosophical background of cultural literacy. Argues that cultural literacy derives from an educational philosophy hostile to the needs of technical students. Concludes that reading and writing instruction should be personally relevant to technical students. (MM)

Key words from product warning labels were taught to four adolescents with moderate mental disabilities using flash cards and a progressive time-delay procedure. Although students mastered the words in a relatively short time with minimal errors, generalization probe data with actual products across settings revealed the need for instruction to…

These thoughts, by an author of a paper (EC 611 428) on teaching adolescents with moderate mental retardation to read key warning label words, focus on the importance of teaching for generalization or teaching word recognition using actual labels and encouraging an appropriate behavioral response. (DB)

The School Transition to Employment Partnership (STEP) Employability Curriculum is a competency-based evaluation and training program for special needs students, designed to ensure successful transition from school to employment. The STEP curriculum was developed through a partnership of state and local education agencies, representatives of state…

The manual provides teaching approaches based on a model of least to highest modification of instruction, which may be used for a continuum of special education placements ranging from regular classroom through hospital settings. The first section on adaptive techniques (requiring the least modification) includes suggestions to adjust time for…

This document contains a collection of direct quotations from the nearly 50 participants at a roundtable on workplace literacy. It also includes an executive summary, a list of participants, a list of related publications, and a synopsis of a presentation made at a follow-up activity.) The participants included business people, literacy experts,…

Pheonix's Public Employment Program (PEP) helps workers qualify for permanent jobs. (MW)