The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) conducted a needs assessment to understand and describe early childhood services for preschool-age children with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) in the state of Connecticut. In collaboration with the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE), NIEER developed survey…

Planning, developing, implementing, and sustaining organizational change, such as Response to Intervention (RTI), is a complex endeavor. This brief is designed to give practitioners guidance based on the implementation activities of middle school practitioners across the country. The authors recognize that secondary schools must consider many…

The book is a highly readable integration of the latest assessment policies, and includes valuable information regarding young children with special needs and English Language Learners--topics that have rarely been touched upon in other textbooks. Focusing on practical applications of key concepts, this text provides a knowledge base of what every…

These guidelines are intended to help New York State school districts: (1) develop procedures for identifying gifted students and (2) use the information obtained through identification procedures as a basis for deciding how educational programs and services can be modified to serve the students. Initial sections of the manual define giftedness…

The manual describes the Family, Infant, and Toddler Project for rural handicapped preschoolers and their families. The project, based on an ecological perspective, has three goals: to develop a demonstration service program, to increase the pool of qualified personnel, and to expand educational services to preschool aged mentally retarded…

This legislative report presents the results of a pilot project conducted in eight suburban California school districts as part of an effort to develop a testing program identifying kindergartners with potential reading problems. The project was also intended to evaluate the program's effectiveness and gauge the feasibility of statewide…

The training manual is intended to meet the training needs of Head Start personnel and others working with preschool handicapped children who have not had formal training in special education. The book attempts to provide the basic concepts and practices of providing individualized instruction to preschool handicapped children as mandated by P.L.…

The publication is intended to help those wishing to establish educational programs for handicapped preschoolers. Nine topic areas are addressed: (1) assessing local service needs; (2) identifying available funding sources; (3) choosing a program site; (4) locating and accessing referral services (suggested strategies for generating referrals);…

The Academically Gifted Project in Greensboro, North Carolina, sought to increase racial/ethnic group representation in an elementary school's Academically Gifted Program by enhancing referral and evaluation procedures rather than lowering or changing requirements for identification. This paper describes the project's development, procedures used,…

This article describes one school district's efforts to improve the identification procedures for an elementary pullout program for gifted students through systematic reassessment and revision. Revisions made in the areas of student nomination, data gathering, data synthesis, diagnostic assessment, and validation are discussed. Results from…

This guide outlines the process of screening preschool-age children in North Dakota to determine their need for special education services. As mass screenings were found to lack cost-effectiveness, selective screening is encouraged. A periodic selective screening process, using a coordinated, interagency approach, is recommended for the earliest…

Presented are a manual and a screening test to assist teachers and professionals to determine the functional ability level and individual program needs of deaf blind and multiply handicapped children. It is noted that the individually administered 10-minute test, based on Gesell's developmental theory, consists of items in seven basic…

Presented is a model designed to aid school personnel in identifying gifted and talented children. In the chapter on problems and challenges of identification, the inadequacies of standardized group intelligence tests are pointed out and factors contributing to the broadening of the concept of giftedness are outlined. Stressed in chapter 2, on…

The manual outlines procedures for Florida school districts in serving students with speech and language impairments. State and federal regulations are cited at the beginning of each section with recommended best practices for their implementation in the following 15 areas: definition, eligibility criteria, screening, referral, evaluation,…

An art program for talented and gifted seventh and eighth grade students is described, focusing on student selection, teaching techniques, funding, and evaluation. Included are a screening test for talented art students and a form to aid students in verbalizing about their art projects. (JDD)