This study found little actual integration resulting from placement of 16 high school age students with severe multiple disabilities in special education classrooms within regular high schools. Guidelines for evaluating the integration of students are offered including a two-pronged test and examples of data appropriate for evaluating integration…

Acceleration may be an effective intervention in some cases of underachievement by gifted students. Lack of challenge is the primary indicator for consideration of accelerative options. Acceleration is not appropriate for all gifted students, and an adjustment period is common in successful acceleration. Brief case studies illustrate acceleration…

A discriminant analysis of characteristics of students with behavioral disorders in three progressively more intensive placements indicated that age at time of diagnosis was the strongest discriminating variable contributing to placement outcomes. Younger, brighter students tended to be mainstreamed, and older students with more externalizing…

This editorial by the president of the Council for Exceptional Children indicates the organization's support of a continuum of special education placements for students with special needs and calls for improving transition of students from one placement to another. (JDD)

It is inappropriate to judge high school teachers' failure rates without making appropriate modifications to reflect student-caused failures. Devising an adjusted failure rate addresses this problem. If properly placed students with 10 or more days absent and 10% or more missing homework assignments are removed from failure numbers, the…

Researcher and former teacher Jeannie Oakes enlarges on the message of her 1985 publication "Keeping Track," a research-based account of tracking's devastating effects in public schools. The widespread practice of tracking students will not be dismantled until educators truly realize that schools can help "make children smart."…

The equity audit is a new tool with remarkable power to identify, analyze, and evaluate a given school districts' quality control. In three case study school districts located in urban areas of New York, North Carolina, and Arkansas, considerable inconsistency and incongruity were documented in student placement practices, promotion and retention…

Examines the appropriateness of using the ABC Inventory and the Developing Skills Checklists to identify or label kindergartners for special education assistance. Data were collected on 92 subjects, including participants in a special instructional assistance program and a comparison group. Findings indicate that using either test for identifying…

This article presents principles, options, and factors to consider when determining the amount of time and the kinds of instruction that should be provided to students with severe intellectual disabilities in regular education classrooms and other settings. These include intellectual ability; chronological age; related services;…

Fifteen guidelines are proposed for families and school personnel placing a child who is medically fragile or technology dependent into the school environment. Guidelines address differing priorities of parents and teachers, the role of health care professionals, the transition from home or hospital to the classroom, communication between school…

Summarizes changes in out-of-home placements of children and youth with mental retardation since the implementation of the Supplemental Security Income program and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act entitlements. The statistics show a decrease from 90,942 children in residential settings in 1977 to 25,842 children in 1997. (CR)

An 18-month study of 18 children with disabilities attending inclusionary programs and 19 children (ages 24 months) attending classrooms in rehabilitation programs serving only children with disabilities, found that after one year of intervention there was no difference in developmental progress between the two groups of children. (Author/CR)

Whether random or nonrandom assignment to classes provides achievement benefits for students in grades 1 through 3 was studied with students, 499 randomly assigned and 658 not randomly assigned, from the Student/Teacher Achievement Ratio (STAR) study. Results favor random assignment by grade 3 as measured by Stanford Achievement Test and Basic…

Describes the homestay program, in which international students live with North American families to learn the language and culture. Examines reasons for the homestay program, how students are matched with families, challenges the homestay program faces, how the program helps students cope, and positive features of the homestay program. (SM)

Examined parents' influence in middle-school mathematics track placements on the organization of students and assignment of teachers. Found that parents' efforts to re-place students created large upper-level heterogeneous tracks. Upper-middle class, involved parents influenced the overall distribution of students on grade-wide teams. Parents'…