Compares course offerings and placement procedures in mathematics and science in six high schools. Examines these practices in upper-, middle, and working class districts and among schools identified as "excellent" and "average." Discovers significant differences even among schools within the same social class. Includes brief literature review and…

Examines recent legal and programmatic changes in the education of the handicapped in Massachusetts. Highlights State standards in the areas of program delivery, identification and placement, and the use of individual educational plans. Raises issues of validation and possible inequity. (FMW)

Describes the switch taking place in many schools, especially middle schools, from grouping students by ability (tracking) to mixed-ability classrooms (untracking). Discusses components of untracking, student and teacher responses, and tracking as a public policy issue. (SLD)

Proposes to discover what "at risk" students and their teacher could do to bring meaning and life to a basic-track English curriculum. Relates findings that support the view that it is the quality of students' literary experiences, not their tracking placement, that influences the efficacy of these experiences. (DSK)

Identified the effects of gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status (SES), and basic skills performance on grade failure, course failure, scores on the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills, and attendance of middle school students placed in behavioral classrooms. Computerized data from two schools indicated that SES and basic skills performance…

A study was conducted of 255 Chicago teachers (132 general, 91 special education, and 32 other school personnel) at elementary, middle, and high school levels to measure attitudes towards inclusive classrooms. Findings indicated the general education teachers were less knowledgeable about special education law, less skillful in working with…

Reports results of the National Longitudinal Transition Study of Special Education Students data in the areas of employment success, dropout rates, and progression to higher education. Findings show that students with disabilities were more likely to be poor, thus affecting their advancement to higher education and eventual employment success.…

This study investigated the role of an early educational intervention and child-, family-, peer-, and school-level predictors on court-reported juvenile delinquency. Data were provided from the Chicago Longitudinal Study, an ongoing investigation of the scholastic and social development of more than 1,500 low-income youths (93% of whom were…

This handbook is designed to serve as a guide for vocational resource educators (VREs) in Missouri. It contains basic information that is helpful to VREs as they work with students with disabilities in vocational education programs. It begins with a discussion of the role of the VRE, a nonteaching position. The following section summarizes…

This study is the second in a series designed to explore the probable consequences of exceeding the prescribed time limits in the administration of standardized achievement tests. This study considered whether the test user could apply norms that accompany the test if departures were made from established time limits, and whether increased testing…

The Learning Outcomes Study, a 2-year investigation, evaluated four popular types of grouping arrangements for gifted students in grades 2 and 3 in 14 collaborative school districts in 10 states. The study compared within-class, pull-out, separate class, and special school instructional arrangements. Study participants (N=1000) included students…

This paper maintains that many language-minority children in the United States are being given dis-equalized services by schools through inappropriate test screening. It is asserted that schools often use inappropriate standardized instruments to determine the English language fluency of limited English proficient (LEP) and language minority…

The concept of integrating children with disabilities into public school classrooms has paralleled the movement to integrate children of different races. In 1975, Congress enacted the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 (EAHCA), which became effective in 1977. Through regulations detailing precise procedural guidelines, EAHCA has…

This paper reports the findings and recommendations of a task force of the Virginia Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (VDDHH) on current trends in the education of students who are deaf or hard of hearing (including deaf-blind students) and the implications of a proposed Deaf Child's Bill of Rights. The task force reviewed the literature…

This document reports on the purpose, implementation, and outcomes of a policy forum on strategies used to address the disproportionate number of students from minority ethnic/racial groups receiving special education. Participants included representatives of state education agencies, local education agencies, the university/research community,…