This article examines three legal and policy issues affecting students with emotional and behavioral disorders: placement in the least restrictive environment; discipline of students who present a danger to staff and students; and inclusion of students with disabilities in accountability and assessment programs. (DB)

Notes that the practice of delaying school entrance for summer-born children, especially boys, to give them some academic advantage, is not substantiated by sufficient research. Describes a subsequent study indicating higher achievement for children held-out than those entering school on time. Argues for more research and consideration of the…

Focuses on the problems accompanying the transition of students between secondary and postsecondary levels of foreign language study. Points out that the inconsistencies found in placement procedures among Florida's universities and community colleges suggest a need for discussion and collaboration. (23 references) (Author/CK)

This article reviews special education in Ireland and concludes that despite greater resources in special education as a result of critical reports and legal judgments, Ireland has retained the parallel systems of special and mainstream education and placement of students with disabilities is still principally determined by a categorical approach.…

Forty students with severe disabilities were evaluated across two years of either inclusive or self-contained educational programming. Comparison of child development and social competence found the inclusive group made statistically significant gains on the developmental measure and realized higher social competence scores in comparison to the…

The abbreviated (less-than-two-year) advanced-standing program in social work education was evaluated based on studies indicating that holders of bachelors' degrees in social work perform better than others in graduate social work programs. Admissions office record data allowed proper assessment of undergraduate grade inflation and graduate record…

A framework is presented for applying error analysis of oral reading to decisions about placement and instruction. The focus is on assessment practices that rely on the stimulus material of daily instruction and that facilitate decision making on both what and how to teach reading. A case study illustrates application of the procedure. (JDD)

The accuracy with which expert systems (ESs) score a new nonmultiple-choice free-response test item was investigated, using 734 high school students who were administered an advanced-placement computer science examination. ESs produced scores for 82 percent to 95 percent of the responses and displayed high agreement with a human reader on the…

A survey questionnaire was distributed to admissions officers at 63 undergraduate institutions in the northeastern U.S. and Ohio to assess the range of practices and points of view concerning the effect of advanced placement course work and examination scores on the admission process at these institutions. Results suggest considerable variance in…

Describes a study conducted at Kirkwood Community College, Iowa, to determine if student scores on the American College Testing Program's Assessment of Student Skills for Entry Transfer (ASSET) placement test could help identify potential dropouts among vocational students and to compare the predictive validity of high school grades and ASSET…

Describes an alternative method of placing students in reading groups which reduces reliance on achievement tests, yet remains manageable enough for large groups of students. Describes the six formal and informal measures used in placement: achievement test scores, IQ scores, attitude scores, current placement, grade in reading, and teacher…

Argues that the best alternative to assigning children to grades on the basis of birth date alone is to implement a child-centered and process-oriented curriculum for younger children and push back the academic curriculum to the upper grades. Suggests this allows children to develop at their own pace. (RS)

Discusses background information, research, and educational implications related to kindergarten readiness. Topics that receive particular attention are testing, placement, and curricular practices and age of entry into school. (BB)

Discusses a study of the effectiveness of employing multiple measures and sources of data to place students in appropriate mathematics courses. Considers the use of achievement test scores, high school mathematics grades, clinical evaluation techniques, and content-oriented examinations in assessment. (DMM)

A comparison of the French language proficiency of high school students taking the Advanced Placement (AP) Examination for French against college students in their sixth semester of French study found that the college students did slightly less well than the high school students. AP grading standards were more stringent than those used by college…