TORUS, a prototype technology-based educational diagnostic program, is described. The usefulness of TORUS to identify and remediate the mathematics misconceptions of students with learning disabilities is reported. Results suggest the need for greater emphasis on conceptual understanding in mathematics instruction. (Author/DB)

An inductive assessment model for developing individualized instructional programs for special needs students is reviewed, followed by a discussion of how computer programs can help teachers solve logistical and technical problems of inductive assessment models and how expert systems can provide instructional advice. Expert systems for…

Two versions of a criterion-referenced videodisc-based instrument, SHIPS (Self-Help InterPersonal Skills), have been developed for high school students with hearing impairments. Students can choose either American Sign Language or English-based sign versions of assessment items. Field testing found that use of SHIPS enhanced data validity and…

The Transition Competence Battery for Deaf Adolescents and Young Adults consists of six subtests related to employment and independent living, and uses booklets and videotapes/videodisks with questions presented in sign language. Comparison of alternative formats indicated that group administration of the multiple-choice format produced acceptable…

This article describes an assessment approach for students with severe and multiple disabilities, SMH.PAL, that employs expert system technology. The system matches behavior topography with studies describing treatment approaches and then generates case-specific, annotated descriptions of potentially useful articles. It also models an approach to…

This article reviews the content and procedural requirements of social competence assessment for children with disabilities and presents information on multiperspective prototype assessments using a videodisc and a microcomputer with a "touch screen." Preliminary psychometric data on sensitivity, reliability, and construct validity are reported.…

The Ecobehavioral Assessment Systems Software (EBASS) is a computer-assisted student observational system which contains three instruments widely used in special education research. This article describes the background, instruments, supporting technology, validation research, and barriers to the use of computer-assisted observational assessment.…

Special education faces three tasks created by pressures toward change: (1) keeping the issue of physical place in perspective, (2) choosing idea over image, and (3) avoiding fanaticism. Achievement of substantive reform calls for disaggregating special education populations, elaborating conceptual foundations, and strengthening the empirical…

Twenty-eight students (ages 9-12) with learning disabilities were taught a spelling study procedure (SSP), followed by instruction in self-monitoring of performance (SMP) and self-monitoring of attention (SMA). On-task behavior was significantly higher in both SMA and SMP than in SSP. Neither SMP nor SMA were inherently superior across subjects,…

Four high school students who were peer tutors to students with severe disabilities received social interaction training and were then compared to four controls. The training increased the frequency of initiations of interactions from tutors, increased the proportion of social rather than task interactions, and increased targeted social behaviors…

This research examined the career paths of 2,700 former special educators hired by Michigan public schools between 1972 and 1985. An estimated 34% of the former educators reentered a Michigan classroom within five years of leaving, and an estimated 58% of these stayed for more than seven years. (Author/JDD)

This study of 325 adolescents with deafness found that students who attended more classes and more academically demanding classes had higher achievement levels across placement categories. The cumulative effect of mainstream placement may be, in part, a product of different patterns of educational programing. Race was also a factor in achievement.…

The executive director of the Council for Exceptional Children introduces this special issue devoted to attention deficit disorder (ADD). He notes the role of the council in providing a forum for researchers, in identifying resources, and in developing a position on the issue of whether ADD should be a separate educational diagnostic category. (DB)

This special issue introduction identifies major issues in educating students with attention deficit disorder, including the definition of attention deficit disorder, congressional actions, and Department of Education actions. It also previews articles in the special issue and considers the leadership role of the federal Office of Special…

This article discusses the history of revisions to the category of "attention deficit hyperactivity disorder" (ADHD) in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM); results of field trials for the forthcoming fourth edition of the DSM; and the relevance, functions, and limitations of DSM-IV diagnosis for educational assessment…