THE CHARACTERISTICS OF SIX DIFFERENT COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAMS FOR STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS WERE IDENTIFIED TO ASSESS THEIR COMMON FEATURES, INNOVATIONS, AND SUCCESSFUL PRACTICES. THESE PROGRAMS WERE OF A MULTI-OCCUPATIONAL NATURE, DESIGNED TO MEET THE NEEDS OF SLOW LEARNERS. DATA WERE SECURED BY MEANS OF INTERVIEWS WITH KEY PERSONNEL, OBSERVATION OF THE PROGRAM IN ACTION, AND STUDY OF OFFICIAL RECORDS. CONSIDERABLE VARIATION WAS DISCOVERED AMONG THE PROGRAMS STUDIED. ALL OF THEM SERVED SLOW LEARNING STUDENTS BUT IN SOME CASES DROPOUTS AND PREDROPOUTS WHO WERE NOT IN THE SLOW LEARNER GROUP WERE ALSO SERVED. MOST OF THE PROGRAMS USED OCCUPATIONALLY RELATED ACTIVITIES AND STUDIES IN ACTUAL WORK EXPERIENCE TO MAKE SCHOOL SUFFICIENTLY ATTRACTIVE TO PREVENT STUDENTS FROM DROPPING OUT, TO ADD TO THEIR GENERAL EDUCATION, AND TO PROVIDE A BASIS FOR MORE SPECIFIC VOCATIONAL PREPARATION. ONLY ONE OF THE PROGRAMS WAS FOUND TO BE GEARED DIRECTLY TO JOB PREPARATION AND PLACEMENT. BASED ON THE FINDINGS, A NUMBER OF SUGGESTIONS FOR DEVELOPING OCCUPATIONALLY ORIENTED PROGRAMS FOR SLOW LEARNERS WERE MADE. ALL FEDERAL FUNDS FOR THIS CONTRACT WERE SUBCONTRACTED THROUGH THE BUREAU OF OCCUPATIONAL EDUCATION, NEW YORK STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT. (GD)