This review of legislation, including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and court cases concludes that IDEA does not compel placement of students with disabilities in regular classrooms but, rather, fully supports the continuum of placements. Principles extrapolated from these cases offer guidance to special educators making…

Although special units for students with emotional and behavioral difficulties are supposed to be integrated within British comprehensive schools, study of one unit revealed a complex process of labeling and stereotyping that marginalized these students, a large proportion of whom were from minority groups. (SK)

This article describes the Laptop Computer Initiative (LCI), a program in a Delaware school district to enhance referral-to-placement practices and to develop individualized education programs for special education students. The six steps in the program's development are recounted and positive results of the LCI, such as increased staff efficiency…

Examines the question of whether variables associated with middle school classroom practices and instructional emphasis would contribute to a prediction of science course placement in later grades. Concludes that what happens in early schooling does have a direct and substantive impact on later education. (ZWH)

Discusses the development of a foreign language (Spanish) test battery that was designed for two purposes: to place students in study-abroad programs appropriate to their language ability and to provide information on designing useful instruction for prospective study-abroad students. Results are presented into task and rater variability in the…

Guidelines are offered for making mainstreaming placement decisions for students with emotional or behavioral disorders. Characteristics of effective teachers of mainstreamed students are listed, and a classroom observation form and student/teacher match form are presented for use by the special education teacher in determining optimal mainstream…

This second discussion of a survey of library schools and library education examines a variety of topics, including student applications and enrollment; student placement and student satisfaction; budgets; external funding; economic problems; faculty research productivity; faculty retirements; position of the library school within the university;…

Shows that students from some minority groups are much more likely to be designated for mental retardation programs than non-Hispanic white students. Blames biased testing, socioeconomic factors, and teachers' difficulties with cultural differences. (SR)

This comparison of a nationally representative sample of 269 adolescents with severe emotional disturbances and 49 nonhandicapped students focuses on subjects' personal characteristics (family structure, medication status), educational characteristics (placements, extent of mainstreaming, related services, years in special education), and…

Academically talented high school students (n=239) evaluated a three-week individualized, flexibly paced precalculus summer course as more challenging than their ensuing school placement course. Results support the use of such courses, followed by appropriate placement, as a means of meeting the special academic needs of talented students. (DB)

This paper examines objective and subjective fairness of due process hearings in special education disputes and reports findings from a study of parents' and school officials' subjective experience of the fairness of their hearings. Results showed that neither school officials nor parents felt positively about the experience. (Author/JDD)

Comparison of university students' scores on the University of Illinois' English Placement Test revealed that English-as-a-Second-Language students scored much higher on the dictation section and English-as-a-Foreign-Language students scored much higher on the structure (grammar) section, suggesting a need for cautious interpretation of such…

Curriculum-based measurement (CBM) is recommended as an efficient, objective, flexible, and reliable way to compose ability-based instructional groups in both regular and special education settings. Steps for using CBM and specific applications for grouping in reading and mathematics instruction are offered. (DB)

The University of Hawaii Department of Special Education conducted the Preschool Preparation and Transition Project, a federally funded demonstration program, to support families and their children with special needs in the transition from infant programs to least restrictive preschool placements. The program addressed this goal through three…

This study identified the nature and frequency of contacts that case managers had with families and adult service providers for 90 young adults with developmental disabilities during school-to-community transition. Frequency of contacts was examined by participants' gender, type of disability, and placement outcomes. (JDD)