This article provides a framework for portfolio assessment in which common benchmarks and rubrics provide explicit and shared criteria for judging both the collection of work in the portfolio and individual performance samples. Also addressed are efforts to achieve validity and reliability in teacher, student, and parent judgments while…

The Multimethods Model organizes the learning activities of preschool classes for gifted children and assures a differentiated curriculum geared to the individual student. Model components include prescriptive instruction, acceleration of content, building self-direction, creative divergent problem solving, affective guidance, cultivation of…

Implications of implementing full integration of special needs students are considered, noting the goal's basis in the belief that every child is unique, valued, and can learn. Responsibilities of participants in inclusive programs are identified, and two methods (adaptations and modifications) for altering the educational programs of students…

Working in partnership with parents is a guiding principle of Great Britain's Children Act 1989. Requirements cover care plans and reviews for children looked after by the local authority. This article examines whether working in partnership with parents has been translated into practice, using findings from a major research evaluation of child…

This article describes the functional assessment (FA) strategies used in Project DATA (Developmentally Appropriate Treatment for Autism), a school-based model program for young children with autism. These strategies consist of five interrelated steps: (1) gathering information, (2) brainstorming, (3) making a plan, (4) implementing the plan, and…

Twelve-year-old Aaron Zibricky, a member of the Lucky Clovers 4-H Club, entered his prize sheep, Star, in the 2005 Will County Fair in Illinois. Zibricky, who is diagnosed with autism, had worked and strived for this moment, putting in long hours feeding, cleaning and shearing the sheep and learning showmanship skills. No one was more elated at…

Newly hired secondary career and technical education (CTE) instructors are often surprised by the rate at which students with disabilities enroll in their classes. While many educators see CTE as a logical placement for students who are otherwise academically unsuccessful, the CTE teacher is too often unprepared for serving this population.…

Students with learning disabilities are entering postsecondary education in larger numbers, yet many lacks the self-advocacy skills needed to access services available to them. Explicit instruction in self-advocacy must begin in time for students to practice these skills before leaving high school. Currently, too many students with learning…

The purpose of this study was to explore the use of Individualized Education Programs (IEP) by general education teachers at the elementary level to develop instructional plans for students with disabilities included in the general education classroom. An additional purpose of the study was to determine what role general education teachers at the…

This study explored parents' views of the educational experience of children with Individual Education Plans. The research goal was to determine how parents are meaningfully involved and engaged in the development and monitoring of education programs for their children. The primary data source for the study was 31 interviews with parents, analysed…

"Rehabilitation," as a term in and of itself, implies a goal of bringing something back to its original state of being. However, for many people living with traumatic brain injury (TBI), rehabilitation means learning to live all over again. Through means of education and employment, this article explores the quest for inclusive community…

This study investigated the perceptions of 20 grandmother caregivers related to their concerns and needs in caring for their grandchildren with disabilities. The research focused on grandmother caregivers who had a grandchild with a disability between the ages of 3 and 12 years. Almost all the grandmothers reported they were involved in the…

Poor science achievement has been an educational issue for a number of years. Students with disabilities have traditionally fared worse. Research suggests that students with disabilities may respond better to instruction using an inquiry-based approach vs. traditional textbook instruction when measuring science achievement on standardized…

Based on interactions with general education teachers, observations of special education students in inclusion classrooms, and general education teachers' input during the Response to Intervention (RTI) process, a resource teacher found that many teachers were ill prepared to meet the diverse needs of special education students in the inclusion…

This article describes comprehensive, high-quality writing instruction for students with developmental disabilities. The Enriched Writers' Workshop combines differentiated writing process instruction with social communication instruction and cognitive strategy instruction for students with complex writing needs across a wide range of ages. It…