The article describes the MAPS (Map Action Planning System) to plan for and facilitate successful placement of almost all children in regular classes. Application of the system with a severely mentally retarded child integrated into a Canadian seventh grade is reported. (DB)

The study evaluated the predictive validity of DIAL-R, which identifies children aged 2-6 with potential learning problems or giftedness. Based on longitudinal data for 312 elementary-level children, DIAL-R scores were found to have good concurrent sensitivity and specificity but did not correspond well with subsequent special education placement.…

In deciding "Honig v. Doe" the United States Supreme Court held that the unilateral exclusion of a handicapped student for conduct caused by the student's disability, for a period in excess of 10 school days, constitutes a prohibited change of placement. Identifies and discusses seven unanswered questions regarding disciplining…

As a sequel to an earlier case study, the article recounts the author's visit with a young man in the Nebraska penitentiary whose journey began 12 years before with special education services and subsequent placement in a variety of diagnostic and treatment centers. (JW)

Discusses the value of work experience for A-level students and describes some novel student placements. (JRH)

A 3-year study of 10 racially mixed schools implementing detracking shows how elite parents undermine the reforms by threatening flight, co-opting those educators who have power and authority, obtaining support of the "not-quite elite," and using bribes. (SK)

This paper reviews the advantages and disadvantages of testing for giftedness, the repercussions of testing and not testing, issues concerning intelligence quotients, and the effects of labeling children. (JDD)

A survey of 104 pupils (ages 5-19) with Down's syndrome in northern England revealed a dramatic increase in mainstreaming following implementation of the Education Act (1981) and subsequent integration strategies. Eighty-one percent of Down's syndrome students were placed in their local primary school at five years, with a gradual decline in the…

This paper reviews research on observational learning, including model characteristics and observers' responses, vicarious reinforcement as implicit punishment, vicarious effects on students with problem behavior, observers' other characteristics and vicarious effects, and aggression and vicarious processes. Regular class placement of students…

Describes how principals assign teachers and students to single-grade and combination classes. Presents research showing unexpected constraints that fundamentally changed the basis of class assignment and, consequently, the nature of classroom compositions. A case is made that multitrack calendars reduce principals' flexibility to make purposive…

This article examines the challenges and successes experienced over four years by three academically gifted students with deaf-blindness in inclusive educational programs, and presents recommendations about placement of students with similar needs in inclusive programs. (Author/DB)

Argues that special and segregating programs for students having difficulty learning focus on within-child deficits, keep students apart from their peers, and lower teacher expectations. The authors make a case for urban schools and teacher preparation that enhance skills in dealing with diverse learners and encourage inclusion. (GR)

This follow-up article reasserts the need for professionals to avoid hasty identification of children with unusual test performances as "learning disabled." A child diagnosed as "learning disabled" at age 7 transferred to a different school, was placed in a gifted program, and is performing well in grade 11. Implications for the evaluation of deaf…

The City University of New York's Lehman College requires entering transfer students to demonstrate writing proficiency for appropriate placement. Academic advising is used to help students understand the need for this assessment. The relatively complex system has been found to save students' time, promote academic achievement, and improve…

Selection data for all Medical University of South Carolina anesthesiology residency applicants (about 200 per year) and the 8 selected per year were compared for 4 years. Results showed standardized test scores, grades, and class ranks of those selected were not higher than of others, but interview and recommendation scores were higher.…