Major ongoing supported employment studies conducted at the Rehabilitation Research Training Center at Virginia Commonwealth University are profiled in this newsletter. The training center involves individuals with disabilities in the design, implementation, and interpretation of the research. The first research study examined the opinions of 110…

A study was conducted at Rochester Community College, in Minnesota, to compare pass rates in a college-level mathematics class for mathematically underprepared students who enrolled in developmental courses and those who did not. The study population consisted of 73 students enrolled in Math 103, while data were collected on the student's final…

The General Accounting Office examined the effectiveness of the vocational rehabilitation program administered by the Department of Veterans' Affairs (VA) in helping disabled veterans obtain and maintain employment. Data were obtained from the following sources: analysis of the VA's nationwide database on all program applicants and their progress;…

An evaluation was conducted of the first year (1990-91) of Project HIRE (Hiring into Rewarding Employment). Project HIRE was a 3-year federally-funded project designed to assist students with disabilities to gain and retain meaningful employment by maintaining secondary support services until this transition is completed successfully. During the…

This position paper of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) addresses issues related to the discipline of students with severe behavior disorders or other disabilities. It specifically considers: (1) placement of disruptive and/or dangerous students; (2) cost issues of alternatives to suspension and expulsion; (3) legal parameters under the…

This report provides information on the incidence of and services provided to students with disabilities or gifts and talents in Idaho in the school year 1995-96. Through charts, graphs, and text, information is provided on: (1) the number of students served by category of disability; (2) special instructional programs and services; (3) the…

As part of a larger study on differences between public and private schools in the education of gifted students, this study examined use of acceleration as an educational approach. The paper notes that although the weight of research evidence strongly supports the position that acceleration is a highly effective intervention technique with…

Intended for professionals working with people with mental retardation and their families, this manual begins with a summary of the principles and philosophy concerning family participation and agency responsibilities of the South Carolina Department of Mental Retardation (DMR). The importance of family involvement in determining the least…

Federal legislation for educating students with disabilities guides the selection of educational placements on the basis of the least restrictive environment, which must encourage the promotion of social interaction between students with disabilities and their nondisabled peers and must provide students an appropriate education. Some advocacy…

This packet contains materials about and by the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) for Vocational Special Education of the Irving Independent School District (IISD), Texas. It discusses benefits to the business sector, both corporately and individually: introduction of management to an untapped resource, employee involvement in worthwhile programs,…

Mediation in special education is a process intended to assist parents, schools, and agencies in resolving disagreements regarding the special education program of a student with disabilities. A trained mediator works with the parties to guide them toward a mutually satisfactory solution that meets the best interests of the student. This occurs at…

Concerns about student resegregation resulting from discriminatory student grouping practices are highlighted in this paper. Part 1 determines the characteristics of discriminatory ability grouping and tracking practices through a content analysis of 35 Office for Civil Rights (OCR) case file documents for the fiscal years 1983-89. Twenty-three…

The Spanish Skills Placement Test (SSPT) is the product of a need for a Spanish literacy placement instrument for use with literacy, adult basic education, and pre-General Educational Development program students. The need for the test was expressed by a variety of Illinois literacy organizations and agencies, particularly those in Chicago. The…

A study examined the expectations of incoming University of Tennessee at Chattanooga freshmen about an hour-long placement essay. Subjects, 96 randomly chosen students, responded to a series of 5 questions concerning what an essay is, what kinds of writing they had done, how they feel about writing tests, what topics they had written about in…

Matriculation regulations in California require that community colleges which adopt standardized placement tests demonstrate that the tests are valid predictors of future course success. A positive correlation of at least .35 between test score and subsequent student performance in a particular course is needed to demonstrate the predictive…