The use of adaptive behavior information for classification and placement of African-American and white students (n=707) with mental retardation was compared. Comparisons on general intellectual functioning and several indices of adaptive behavior yielded few differences, suggesting equal treatment was achieved despite substantial…

Teacher ratings on the Aberrant Behavior Checklist were collected on 666 students with mental retardation attending special classes. Classroom placement and age had significant effects on subscale scores, whereas sex failed to affect ratings. The study concludes that the original scoring method, developed for individuals in residential facilities,…

Examines the extent to which parents get their children into the schools they choose by studying assignment of 38,700 students in the Boston (Massachusetts) schools. The majority (88.6 percent) received their first-choice school assignments, and 3.8 percent received an assignment for which no request had been made. (SLD)

Returning mildly mentally handicapped students to regular classrooms is not the least restrictive or most appropriate program. These students require a slower paced curriculum, more social behavior remediation, and a smaller pupil/teacher ratio than regular classrooms offer. Mainstreaming may lead to a higher dropout rate and subsequent need for…

This paper discusses the terms "right to an education,""appropriate education," and "equality of treatment" within the framework of recent Canadian and American court cases and literature. It is concluded that students are guaranteed some educational benefits but not necessarily maximum benefit and that a continuum of…

This survey of 125 parents and 95 teachers of typically developing children found that respondents perceived important benefits accruing to these children because of their involvement in preschool and kindergarten classes with students with disabilities. The specific nature of benefits centered on changes in social cognition, prosocial personal…

Full inclusion is a confusing topic. Many people misunderstand the "least restrictive environment" provision of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Districts need not educate every disabled child in a regular classroom for the entire day, but have numerous options, so long as each child is carefully evaluated. Recent…

During inclusion discussions, board members must remember their goal--ensuring that schools meet the needs of all students, including those with disabilities. Boards should ask themselves how they decide where to educate disabled students, how other diverse populations are taught, what training is provided to help teachers address diverse needs,…

This article examines available literature on a variety of options for accelerated learning in middle school. Different forms addressed include concurrent enrollment, guided independent study, combined enrollment, out-of-school acceleration, self-paced instruction, grade skipping, and differentiated or advanced class enrollment. A list of…

Assessment of age, disability severity, developmental status, functional abilities, and behavioral characteristics of 162 children (ages 11 to 102 months) found that children enrolled in inclusive programs were more mildly disabled and functioned at higher levels than counterparts in programs exclusively for children with disabilities.…

Presents results of a nationwide survey to determine measures being used to diagnose reading difficulties and place students in learning disability or Chapter 1 classes. Finds that calls for change in assessment and placement practices have largely been ignored and implications suggest a need for reform. (MG)

The experience of one handicapped boy and his family at a Concord (New Hampshire) elementary school that practices inclusive education highlights obstacles the parents met with regard to placing their son at the local school, early successes, social and academic progress for the student, and changing attitudes. (JB)

This study of 905 academically talented students (ages 12-16) who completed a 1-year course in high school biology, chemistry, or physics in a 3-week summer program found that the fast-paced courses effectively prepared subjects to accelerate in science and that talented students could begin high school sciences earlier than generally allowed.…

Regular and special educators (n=192) were assigned a case study describing a student having a learning and/or behavior problem and made a placement decision. Results indicated that regular and special educators were most likely to agree with regular class placement when they were high in both personal efficacy and teaching efficacy. (Author/JDD)

Teacher ratings on the RISK scale for 2,306 kindergarten students were used to predict which children were ultimately placed in resource rooms or regular education. All five RISK factors were significantly related to future school performance. Most predictive items were child ability, current performance, and teacher investment. Overall RISK scale…