Social skills training practices for persons with mental retardation are summarized, along with reasons for their lack of maintenance and generalization. A cognitive-behavioral definition and model of social competence and social skills are described, which unify social learning concepts with recent research and practice and focus on their utility…

Elementary teachers (n=9) saw giftedness as having the common characteristic of creativity. However, in nominating students to gifted programs, teachers focused on classroom performance more than creativity. Thus, their observations more closely matched official definitions rather than their personal concepts, and they had not worked to align the…

Reviews William Clune's "The Shift from Equity to Adequacy" (in this same issue) as a provocative contribution to the policy questions on educational adequacy. Supports the overall concept, but identifies certain problems, including an inadequate knowledge base to produce high minimum outcomes, insufficient knowledge about the…

Item overlap coefficient (IOC) formulas are discussed, providing six warnings about their calculation and interpretation and some explanations of why item overlap influences the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory and the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory factor structures. (SLD)

Examines consequences of using alternative definitions for prevalence, sex ratio and heritability. Demonstrates that the characteristics of reading-disabled children vary with the way disability is defined. Concludes that the use of regression-based procedures for identifying reading disability is desirable. Suggests insufficient evidence exists…

Presented is an activity designed to help middle school students in their understanding of definitions in geometry. Five definitions involving complex quadrilaterals are discussed. Procedures and expectations for the activity are described. (CW)

A group of 19 inmates took 3 spelling tests: the first following study of a blackboard word list, the second following students' copying of words from the blackboard, and the third following definitions of the words. A recall test showed that inclusion of meanings enhanced retention of vocabulary and spelling. (SK)

The need for a more systematic and objective approach to determining the extent of employment handicap resulting from disability is considered. A computer-based approach, implemented in a large public corporation, is described, and areas of further research are noted, specifically the need for a less simplistic definition of employment handicap.…

This article examines factors influencing the provision of high-quality services to individuals who are deaf-blind. Various definitions of this population and the unique challenges in serving them are addressed, as are transitional services, gaps in services, the importance of interagency collaboration, and components of a successful service…

Normally hearing children (aged 4--10) and hearing-impaired children (aged 6--14) were tested on word awareness skills, such as the distinction between words and their referents, and their ability to provide explicit definitions of word. Older children performed significantly better than younger children, and normally hearing children performed…

The concept of quality in higher education is discussed, including ways of thinking about quality, its relevance to higher education, interrelationships, and philosophical/political bases. The relative nature of quality is examined, and five differing conceptualizations are identified: quality as exception, perfection, fitness for purpose, value…

Compares traditional and nontraditional curricula in the area of organization of information and proposes a new model for organization of information in which information is redefined and cataloging is perceived as a mode of organizational behavior. Some implications of this model on the core curriculum for organization of information are…

This rejoinder suggests that Conte and Andrews (EC 605 549) have come to the correct conclusion that social skills deficit should not constitute a specific learning disability, but for reasons which are seen as irrelevant. The paper concludes that all children with identified social skills deficits, regardless of eligibility criteria, should…

Presents a matrix-continuum of systemic change defining six developmental stages (old system maintenance, awareness, exploration, transition, emerging new infrastructure, and predominating new system) and six key change elements (vision, public and political support, networking, teaching and learning changes, administrative roles and…

Presents five definitions of "systemic change," ranging from "working with school districts or education departments to effect change" (vertical approach) to "working with every school in a system" or "working with every aspect of the school system (horizontal approaches). "Systemic" can also mean…