This training manual provides vocational rehabilitation and school counselors with background information and practical tools related to fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), with particular reference to the needs of Native Americans. The most recent reliable data (1990) for American Indians and Alaska Natives show a rate of FAS over 10 times the national…

This document summarizes the research on test changes to provide an empirical basis for defining accommodations for students with disabilities. It begins by providing an historical overview of special education accountability. It describes how separate special education accountability systems have evolved and summarizes information on the…

This bulletin provides guidance and direction to Missouri local education agencies (LEAs) and Individualized Education Program (IEP) teams regarding the U.S. Office of Special Education Program's findings that indicate Missouri students with disabilities were held to entrance requirements for vocational education programs without consideration of…

This document presents findings from a 5-year study of the effect of the standards-based reform movement on students with disabilities. The study used pragmatic evaluation strategies that integrated both quantitative and qualitative collection methods of data and site visits to 10 high schools in six districts (including urban, rural, and suburban…

Transitioning from high school to a postsecondary educational environment is exciting but challenging. There are new places, new faces, and new ways of doing things. Students now must advocate for themselves instead of having programs and services planned for them. These adjustments can at times be overwhelming. Minimize the challenges by planning…

Discusses the changing role and responsibilities of reading teachers and reading specialists in helping to plan and implement the Individualized Education Program (IEP) requirement of Public Law 94-142. (MKM)

Asserts that the Big Sisters Programme in Hong Kong provides a good example of a scheme that transcends personal and school issues and facilitates a more participative and democratic view of society. Characterizes the program as a benign form of a "hidden curriculum" and recommends establishing it in secondary schools. (MJP)

This article discusses instructional variables that contribute to a positive classroom climate and serve as setting events for more focused group-individual instructional programs for students with emotional/behavioral disorders. Nonacademic challenges that should be incorporated into these programs are identified and issues are examined that…

Two federal statutes govern the provisions for special education in public schools. Briefly describes these laws and some of the challenges to their compliance within the school choice context. Describes and analyzes four case studies representing four types of school choice plans currently in operation. Offers recommendations for policymakers.…

Reports on a study about mainstreaming issues in music education among 107 Arizona music educators. Finds that, in most schools, mainstreaming is the only music placement option, and regular music teachers are the sole providers of instruction for special learners. Concludes that effective mainstreaming does not exist in Arizona. (CFR)

Provides a brief overview of the legal context of litigation regarding whether children with disabilities are entitled to be placed in the regular education program with supplemental aids and services. Examines federal circuit rulings since 1990 that highlight the complexities involved. (39 footnotes) (MLF)

Summarizes presentations at an international symposium on "Autonomy and Foreign Language Learning." Topics include the good language learner; experiments in learner autonomy; individualized learning in Italian universities; adult language learning; learner autonomy in the classroom; cultural variation in learning styles; use of…

Discusses the implications of research findings that responsive teaching techniques improve the classroom interactions of preschool children with learning disabilities for classroom-based early intervention. Considers the use of responsive strategies in writing Individualized Education Plan and Individualized Family Service Plan goals and…

This article describes strategies for integrating alternate assessments into the context of ongoing instruction and for enabling students with disabilities to take a more active role in the construction and self-evaluation of their own assessments. Fourth-grade, seventh-grade, and middle school examples of integrating assessment and instruction…

Discussion of the principle of least restrictive environment (LRE) in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) reviews sociopolitical, legal, and educational data. The article suggests that concerns about LRE placement have obscured the preeminent issue of free and appropriate instruction, another IDEA principle. Some principles of…