Recounts the experience of one family whose son's August birthday was close to the September kindergarten cutoff date and their decision to delay his kindergarten entry. Discusses the family decision to enroll the child in an alternative kindergarten program designed for children with summer birth dates. Reports that although the decision was…

Examined the relationship between kindergarten attendance and seventh-grade school placement of children in West Germany, differentiating associations for children of citizens from those of immigrants' children. Found a significant relationship between kindergarten attendance and later school placement for children in immigrant households but not…

University of Ulster students undertake mandatory 1-year paid work placements. A survey of those in informatics and math/science/computing indicated they developed skills and a realistic concept of work. A web portal is being developed to provide placement resources for students and faculty. (Contains 17 references.) (SK)

Examines the complexities of decisions about special educational services including pull-out placements and retention. Makes that complexity personal through the stories of six children whose school lives were examined for 4 years. Concludes that there are devastating human consequences to standardized solutions. (SG)

Describes a process for developing placement tests for English-as-a-Second/Foreign-Language learners. The process includes assembling an assessment team, focusing on test takers, defining test objectives, choosing a test type, choosing the test content, creating the test, developing scoring guides, testing the test, and training the testers.…

Like many educational innovations, mainstreaming has suffered from inflated promises and inadequate resources. Effective prereferral consultation can help address these problems if supported by a comprehensive plan including consultant selection, consultation training and support, administrative sanction, teacher training and support, parent…

This discussion of prereferral intervention looks at the major components of the approach; contrasts it with traditional methods of service delivery; outlines advantages, unresolved issues, and potential barriers; and presents a case illustration demonstrating its important aspects. (Author/MSE)

Presents the comments of six teachers concerning ability grouping, also known as "tracking." Reports that no reply on the issue supported tracking. Argues that cooperative learning, teaching teams, and the class-within-a-class are the most effective ways for helping students achieve academic success. (RS)

Describes Central Piedmont Community College's (North Carolina) tracking system for underprepared college students. Explains the system's components and characteristics, including pre-enrollment college visits, skills assessment, orientation, placement, formal and informal contacts between instructors and support services staff, and end-of-quarter…

Describes the design, development, and validity of the Force Concept Inventory (FCI), a test designed to assess student understanding of the most basic concepts in Newtonian physics and to evaluate the effectiveness of instruction. Discusses various uses of the FCI and the interpretation of the FCI score. (JRH)

Describes the factor analysis and validity of the Force Concept Inventory (FCI), a test designed to assess student understanding of the most basic concepts in Newtonian physics and to evaluate the effectiveness of instruction. Discusses problems in the use of the FCI and urges caution in interpreting and using FCI scores. (JRH)

A mother discusses the experiences of accelerating her gifted daughter's education through summer programs, grade skipping, and course skipping. Acceleration broadened the daughter's experience and sense of accomplishment and enabled her to participate in decision making about her future. Advice is offered to parents who are considering…

Presents a method that uses computers for writing placement exams, a "structured decision system." Argues that it is more economical and efficient than the process that uses real people as readers. (SR)

Special education faces three tasks created by pressures toward change: (1) keeping the issue of physical place in perspective, (2) choosing idea over image, and (3) avoiding fanaticism. Achievement of substantive reform calls for disaggregating special education populations, elaborating conceptual foundations, and strengthening the empirical…

A teacher educator--former teacher and principal, and mother of a developmentally delayed 12-year-old girl--discusses placement of special children from 3 perspectives. Under the best of circumstances, inclusion is a very good idea. With too little funding, training, or development, it can be a disaster. Selecting the right children for inclusion…