The purpose of this study was to evaluate the utility of out-of-level testing (OLT) when it is applied to the assessment of special education students with mild learning handicaps. This evaluation of OLT involved testing hypotheses related to: (1) the adequacy of vertical scaling, (2) the reliability and (3) the validity of OLT scores. Fifty-eight…

A reading instruction model that has proved to be successful with mildly handicapped students, regardless of their categorical label, is based upon three elements: curricular assessment, placement in an appropriate curriculum level, and data based instruction. For the curricular assessment, a sample passage (100 words) from each level (book) in a…

Based on a sample of 12 school sites in California, the report documents the effectiveness of the secondary Resource Specialist Program (RSP) which provides instruction and services for handicapped students--primarily the learning disabled--who are assigned to a regular classroom for a majority of the school day. A number of program components are…

Self esteem in the learning disabled (LD) child is considered in terms of family, school, and peer influences. A review of the literature points out that the LD child seems to have a greater need than the normal child for parental support which helps to establish high self esteem. Performance, and not potential, appears to be the more important…

The performance of 566 elementary students enrolled in grades 1-6 from Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Washington, on direct measures of reading, spelling, and written expression was analyzed to determine the rate of students who would be eligible for special education services by each of four discrepancy criteria. Measures were individually…

The accuracy of predictions of future student performance on the basis of graphing data on semi-logarithmic charts and equal interval graphs was examined. All 83 low-achieving students in grades 3 to 6 read randomly-selected lists of words from the Harris-Jacobson Word List for 1 minute. The number of words read correctly and words read…

This teacher's guide and an audiovisual presentation comprise an instructional package in the Small Engine Repair Series for special needs students, primarily the mentally retarded and learning disabled. (The audiovisual material--56 slides or a 35mm filmstrip with cassette--is not available here.) A section of notes to the instructor lists…

The paper reports on a national survey which included data on handicapped students in U.S. high schools, as part of a longitudinal study of 58,270 high school students. Findings are described from student self reports and teacher checklists on the existence of specific conditions (for students, learning disability, hearing impairment, speech…

This report presents 1979-80 evaluation findings of the Non-Public Schools Learning Resource Center, in Detroit, Michigan. The center, funded by Title I, provided diagnostic/prescriptive-learning techniques to 1,400 students (in 27 non-public schools) who had learning difficulties in mathematics and reading. The first section of the report…

For a school year, a language arts software program was used to help special needs children in Marblehead, Massachusetts who represented a range of learning disabilities and emotional, behavioral and physical disorders of varying degrees of severity. The program had three major components, entitled "Nouns,""Verbs," and "Adjectives." These…

Twelve papers address issues of attitudes towards handicapped persons. The authors were invited to summarize and critically evaluate the literature in their area of expertise, including their own research. Contributions touch on measurement and methodological issues as well as other topics. The following papers are included: "Attitudes and…

The Test of Language Development--Intermediate (TOLD-I) was administered to 26 learning disabled (LD) and 26 nonLD elementary aged black children. The subjects were matched for age, IQ, and class placement. Statistically significant differences were found between the two groups on four of the five subtests of the TOLD-I. The data also were…

The report examines the status of special education in St. Louis (Missouri) Public Schools. Census data are reported by primary handicap, age, and principle type of service received. Difficulties in the process of diagnosis and assignment of handicap category are revealed, including confusion over eligibility for learning disabled (LD) and…

As one of the components of the Project ACTIVE (All Children Totally Involved Exercising) Teacher Training Model Kit, the manual is designed to enable the educator to organize, conduct, and evaluate individualized-personalized physical education programs for prekindergarter through secondary level mentally retarded or learning disabled children.…