This article provides guidelines for effectively implementing the case method of instruction (CMI) in special education teacher preparation programs. Information is provided on how to write cases, how to access (and assess) commercially available cases, and how to present a case. Examples of inservice applications of CMI are provided. (Contains…

This article describes variables that may influence alternate assessment outcomes for students with disabilities and offers recommendations to enhance student achievement. These variables include technical quality, curriculum access, data collection, instructional effectiveness, risk factors, and resources allocated to instruction. Two of four…

Discusses the role of school library programs in the education of students with disabilities, especially in teaching them information skills for lifelong support in accessing information important to daily living. Describes examples from an Australian study on school library services for students with disabilities. (Author/LRW)

This article discusses Virginia's efforts to implement new educational standards coupled with high-stakes assessments. Students with disabilities have been fully included in reform efforts and participation in the high-stakes assessment program has been relatively active. The focus on only academic skills to the exclusion of life skills is…

A five-year longitudinal study of 531 incarcerated youth, more than half of whom had a disability, showed that those who were working or in school 6 months after release tended to stay involved in positive activities and had not returned to the juvenile facility 12 months after release. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

Head Start, special education, and general preschool teachers (n=586) completed a survey designed to examine their use of assessments and curricula. They provided a range of responses, including reported use of 21 commercial assessments and self-developed and program-developed checklists. A majority listed curriculum-based measures acceptable in…

This article presents a multi-step process and multi-level model to promote access to the general curriculum for students with mental retardation. It discusses the incorporation of the following universal design principles: equitable use, flexible use, simple and intuitive use, perceptible information, tolerance for error and low physical and…

This paper describes the Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) graduate training program at Kent State University (Ohio). Description of courses and practicum activities for the competency-based program is followed by outcomes data regarding student satisfaction with the curriculum and their capacity for providing family-centered services. Evaluation…

This review highlights issues in functional outcome assessment and describes educationally based functional outcome measures applicable to students with severe disabilities. Specific norm-referenced and criterion-referenced instruments are reviewed for their usefulness in describing functional independence and functional challenges across…

The play and language behavior of mothers with (n=49) and without (n=49) specific reading disabilities was investigated during play with their 14-month-old children. Typically reading mothers produced significantly more symbolic play and language in play interactions with their children than did the mothers with reading disabilities. (Contains…

A study involving 17 Belgian children with hearing impairments and 33 parents, 10 with deafness, found that parents with deafness differed significantly from hearing parents in the use of a visual communication style adapted to the developmental communication needs and abilities related to the 18- to 24-month age period. (Contains references.)…

Interviews with 15 ninth and tenth grade students with learning disabilities (LD), their parents, and their resource teachers determined that the Self-Advocacy Plan is an effective program clarifying students' perceptions of their roles as learners with LD, increasing their understanding of LD as a condition, and developing awareness of…

Discussion of the successful integration of technology to assist students with mild handicaps in mainstreamed classrooms highlights the role of the teacher. Three research studies are described: one with elementary schools, one with middle schools, and one with high schools. Curriculum objectives, student needs, group learning, and teacher…

The School Curriculum Industry Partnership in Great Britain aims to bring about change in school curriculum to promote students' understanding of industry and industrial society. This article discusses the program's rationale, operating principles, curriculum context, linkage between classroom and industry activities, and implementation in special…

A computer software package called Schools Information Management Systems (SIMS) is available in Great Britain for application to special education uses. The system stores, manipulates, and retrieves information on pupils, medical examinations, staffing, individualized education programs, local resource management, timetables, and attendance.…