Assessment of the adaptive behavior of public school children being considered for placement in the special education programs for the mentally handicapped in the Corpus Christi (Texas) Independent School District (CCISD) is discussed. Formal and informal assessment procedures are used, with a team of two associate school psychologists having the responsibility for the formal assessment of students. Assessment of the child incorporates review of the child's folder with a diagnostic team; an adaptive behavior test; an interview with parents; and a site visit to the child's school to speak with his/her teacher and observe the child in the classroom. A written report is made to the diagnostic team and a determination of placement is made. Instruments used in the assessment include the Texas Environmental Adaptation Measure (a locally developed experimental measure), the Adaptive Behavior Inventory for Children, the American Association of Mental Deficiency's Adaptive Behavior Scale--Public School Version, and the Vineland Social Maturity Scale. Assessment of adaptive behavior (as conducted in the CCISD) satisfies a number of the requirements of Public Law 94-142 (the Education for All Handicapped Children Act), such as the need for nondiscriminatory assessment techniques. Assessment has also proved useful in providing more information about students and involving parents, as well as resulting in the declassification of large numbers of students who would have been classified as mentally handicapped by previously used assessment criteria. (PHR)