This volume presents 14 papers which address current issues and practices in special education. The papers are: (1) "National Educational Reform: General and Special Education" (Joyce Fiddler and Freddie W. Litton); (2) "Linguistically Appropriate Special Education" (Herbert Grossman); (3) "Portfolio Assessment: An Individualized Approach for…

Part of the new Knowledge Essentials series, "First Grade Success" shows parents how to enrich their children's classroom learning and take an active role in their first graders' education by exploring: (1) What their first graders are learning at school and the educational standards to expect in math, language arts, science, and social studies;…

This book, which is intended for professionals in the assessment/evaluation/measurement, vocational and technical education, and educational psychology communities, contains 16 papers examining specifications of work force competencies and assessment of competencies. The following papers are included: "Review of Workforce Readiness…

These four learning guides comprise one of four packages in the Workplace Literacy Teacher Training series that provides information and skills necessary for the user to become a successful instructor in an effective workplace literacy program. The guides in this package focus on tasks required to support the program as it is implemented. Each…

This book addresses the over- representation of students from minority backgrounds in special education by examining the referral process, providing alternatives to traditional assessment procedures, and presenting a variety of instructional approaches that recognize the cultural and linguistic diversity found in students classified as having…

Part of the new Knowledge Essentials series, "Fourth Grade Success" shows parents how to enrich their children's classroom learning and take an active role in their fourth graders' education by exploring: (1) What fourth graders are learning at school and the educational standards to expect in math, language arts, science, and social studies; (2)…

This book provides comprehensive information on the assessment of children with disabilities. It describes formal and informal procedures for assessing student abilities and achievement, and assessment considerations for special populations. The text is divided into six major parts. Part 1, "Introduction to Assessment: Issues and Concerns,"…

This guide for those in the "High Schools That Work" initiative is designed to help teachers use classroom assessment to motivate students to work harder to meet challenging standards; to get students to organize information, make interdisciplinary connections, synthesize new knowledge, and draw conclusions from what they learn; to…

This book provides information from experienced teachers on constructivist teaching, offering examples of preservice teachers' projects, lesson plans, and real-life advice. The 11 chapters are: (1) "Writing Case Studies: Constructing an Understanding of Student and Classroom" (Bettejim Cates); (2) "Educating Children Who are Racial…

School restructuring movements have gained a great deal of national attention. This guidebook addresses the multi-age classroom movement, in which a mixed-age group of children stays with a given teacher for a number of years. The work provides a complete design for the mixed-age primary classroom, from philosophy and rationale to sample lesson…

This handbook for tech prep practitioners in Texas consists of loose-leaf documents from the performance assessment areas currently available to tech prep practitioners. The first part of the handbook consists of 10 sample assessment documents that were selected from over 900 performance assessment based on a quantitative rating system. The…

While some proponents of testing rest their hopes for stronger learning on the expectation that tests alone will motivate students to work harder, most posit that better learning will result primarily from better teaching--due to curriculum changes, greater attention to student needs, stronger teacher motivation, or focused investments in…

A project was conducted to identify outcomes and procedures for measuring the occupational competency of students completing a coherent sequence of courses in career and technology education (C&TE) programs throughout Texas. The major objectives of phase 2 of the project were as follows: validate criteria for a career portfolio, integrate the…

The 20 chapters of this book on teaching students with disabilities in inclusive settings are arranged into four parts on curriculum and instruction, assessment, classroom management, and collaboration. Individual chapters and their authors are: (1) "Curriculum Considerations in an Inclusive Environment" (Cynthia D. Warger and Marleen C. Pugach);…

This document presents materials and guidelines for evaluating Colorado high school students' attainment of the 10 state standards for consumer and family studies that pertain to life management and relationships. Part 1 begins with the content standards for the following curriculum areas: (1) life management (managing job and career; managing…