Research shows that youth in foster care experience poor academic performance and disciplinary actions in school more frequently than do non-foster care youth. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to further examine youth in foster care and the relationship between individual/intrapersonal factors (future orientation and school…

Assessment is a major part of the United States schooling system. Legal requirements make assessment a large part of practitioner responsibilities. The significance of assessment is, even more, the case for special populations such as bilingual hearing and Deaf and Hard of Hearing students, groups that are often the target of concern for English…

Threat assessment is a violence prevention strategy used to investigate and respond to threats to harm others. In 2013, Virginia mandated the use of threat assessment teams for threats to self and to others, effectively subsuming suicide assessment with threat assessment and raising questions about the distinction between the two practices. In a…

We interviewed special educators (a) whose students with disabilities (SWDs) were proficient on the 2008 general education assessment but were assigned to the 2009 alternate assessment based on modified achievement standards (AA-MAS), and (b) whose students with mild disabilities took the 2008 alternate assessment based on alternate achievement…

General education placements are believed to offer numerous benefits for students with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders (HFASDs), yet decisions about including students with HFASDs remain controversial. This article presents data from a qualitative analysis of definitions and decision making considerations for a school district with a…

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the accuracy of teachers' judgments of students' early literacy skills and to determine if students' achievement levels influenced teachers' judgments. Typical and lower-achieving kindergarten and first-grade students' scores on the Nonsense Word Fluency and Phoneme Segmentation Fluency measures of…

Students identified as having emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) experience the poorest educational outcomes among any disability group. Although models of intervention and corresponding evidence-based practices continue to advance, the promise of new approaches has failed to reach the general population of students with EBD. In this…

Research shows that many schools implement strict policies for classroom placement of twins, yet the effects of such policies on twins' development and educational attainment are currently unknown. Recommendations for school personnel and future directions for this formative area are discussed. (Contains 39 references.) (GCP)

Practicing school psychologists (N=400) were surveyed regarding their experiences with and views of the due-process-hearing system. Thirty-eight percent reported that they had been called upon to testify, that they had spent an average of approximately one hour on the stand and an average of 7.5 hours in preparation, and the most common issues on…

Surveyed 260 school districts about kindergarten screening tests. Found tremendous variability in responses: 34 different tests were used in screening; main purposes of screening were to identify handicapped and gifted students, group students in kindergarten classes, make school readiness placements, and plan and individualize instruction.…

Surveyed 260 school districts in New York to determine whether they offered pre-first transition classes for children identified as unready for first grade and, if so, what information was used to make placement decision. Fifty-seven percent of districts reported that they had pre-first classes. All reported using teacher recommendations in…

Presents a summary of the provisions of statutes and regulations relevant to the topic of inclusion. Offers summaries of court decisions and federal agency policy letters that have interpreted these mandates. Discusses the implications of these mandates for the practice of school psychologists. (Author)

Study evaluated referrals of students (N=1,222) for special education from grades K-5 to determine if youngest children were experiencing a higher rate of referral. Data confirmed the hypothesis that children referred for evaluations within the 5- to 7-year-old-group had summer birthdates. Article discusses ways of providing educational services…

Investigated strengths and weaknesses on Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) Subtest Scores between 278 students evaluated and placed in special education programs and 307 students evaluated but not placed in special programs. Findings revealed that the groups were similar in pattern of relative strengths and weaknesses on…

Examines school adjustment outcomes and emotional learning difficulties for students who participated in readiness kindergartens and pre-first classes. Significant differences were noted in retention rates, dropout rates, and special education placement rates. In spite of limitations of research, the practice of placing children in programs based…