Each spring, the New York City Public Schools conduct evaluations of first-graders to determine which students are in need of remedial reading and mathematics programs. A new measure was designed to be more reliable than the multiple-choice, standardized tests used previously. A checklist of 20 items relating to language arts, reading, and…

Designed for use by volunteers in the program, this handbook describes the "Rockin' Readers" program, in which senior-citizen volunteers are matched with specifically targeted at-risk children in Alachua County, Florida, who tested below their peer group in language development and reading readiness skills. The handbook notes that each…

The Family Involvement Triangle (FIT), developed by Project APIP (Alexandria Preschool Intervention Program), is a family-focused, family-directed, school-home partnership for integrated preschool intervention programs. The major goals of the FIT model are to promote parent participation in the schooling of their child, to support parents in…

A program was developed for improving the reading skills of 22 first-grade bilingual students in a suburban K-6 elementary school located northwest of Chicago. The problem was detected because the first grade bilingual students had not achieved reading fluency at the conclusion of the academic school year and, consequently, did not exhibit strong…

This guidebook was developed to assist Wisconsin parents, educators, and other professionals who deal with young children in the early identification of hearing problems. Section 1 provides an overview of the topic and discusses the importance of early identification and treatment of hearing problems. Section 2 examines state and federal laws,…

This report critically examines special education in Baltimore (Maryland) public schools and proposes major reform of Baltimore's special education system. Criticisms focus on: poor instructional quality (there is little "special" about special education); segregation of special education students from regular education; special…

In 1990, the World Conference on Education for All renewed the world's commitment to ensuring the rights of all people to education and knowledge. This theme issue of the "Coordinator's Notebook" introduces the Education for All initiative and surveys what has been done (and needs to be done) to address the education needs of young…

This monograph presents identified best practices in the development of Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSP) as required for families who have young children with disabilities, by Public Law 99-457, the Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments (1986). Chapter One presents an overview of the monograph's development and use. Chapter Two…

The purpose of the 1990-91 Reading Recovery Program in the Columbus, Ohio public schools was to provide early intervention to underachieving first-grade pupils who appeared unlikely to read successfully without intensive instruction. The program featured individualized one-on-one lessons provided by specially trained teachers. The lessons were…

This paper reviews the current literature on the suggested uses of play for assessment, prevention, and intervention with special needs children. The paper also uses case studies to illustrate the ways play is being used to facilitate achievement of early intervention goals and discusses advantages and disadvantages of these uses of play. The…

This report describes the Federal commitment to improve early intervention services that enhance development and minimize the later dependence of infants and toddlers with handicaps. It presents the results of a joint study, completed by the Department of Education (DoE) and the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), of early intervention…

This booklet presents principles of Project DAKOTA, a demonstration project to provide services to infants and young children with disabilities via their families and community. Project goals are listed, including a focus on those needs considered essential by parents and the use of natural settings and resources for intervention. Guidelines are…

This newsletter issue is about the growth of programs that serve infants, toddlers, and their families, and the management of that growth. The articles address early intervention programs with infants and young children with disabilities. The first article, "Implementing a Multi-site, Multidisciplinary Clinical Trial: The Infant Health and…

This paper describes funding mechanisms used in six states to implement early intervention services under Public Law 99-457, Part H, of the Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments (1986). An introduction reviews surveys of state progress in implementing the law's financial provisions. The six case studies present examples of successful…

This survey sought to identify the status of state policies on Individual Family Service Plans (IFSP) required by Public Law 99-457. The survey found that every state plans to develop or review IFSP policies, even the three states who said they had existing policies which they thought might currently meet the Part H requirements on service…