This article describes the use of a transition portfolio to help a student with severe, multiple disabilities make the transition from middle school to high school. It describes the information gathering process and desirable portfolio components including personal and medical information, positioning, educational programming, adaptations and…

This article describes the Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale (BERS), a measure designed to identify the emotional and behavioral strengths of children and adolescents. The 52-item BERS assesses five areas: interpersonal strength, family involvement, intrapersonal strength, school functioning, and affective strength. A case study of a…

This report of the Council for Exceptional Children's Bright Futures initiative identifies barriers to high-quality special education and lays out an agenda for ensuring that every student with an exceptionality has a highly qualified teacher who is able to practice under optimal professional conditions and in suitable settings. The agenda is…

This article discusses how a first-grade inclusive classroom immersed students in multiple sign systems to foster literacy, including art, drama, and music, science, and movement activities. The second part profiles a boy with learning difficulties and what was learned about him in an attempt to take an aesthetic stance toward assessment.…

This article provides some basic foundation of family systems concepts for school professionals who work with students with disabilities. It addresses communication skills and psychological issues that can result in barriers to implementation of family systems concepts and describes a five-step process leading to conflict resolution. (Contains…

This article offers guidelines to help agencies develop and write interagency agreements covering the transition of young children with disabilities from early intervention programs to public special education services. Guidelines cover the content and process of writing an agreement and finalizing, signing, and monitoring the agreement. Sample…

Discussion of the role of play in development of young children with disabilities considers the different forms of play as the child develops, the social nature of play, contexts and play materials, and the value of including play goals and strategies in the individualized family service plan or individual education program developed cooperatively…

This article describes six service features honoring diversity in early childhood special education (ECSE) programs as identified and piloted in the 3-year federally funded demonstration program, CROSSROADS. CROSSROADS provided technical assistance to ECSE programs with children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Examples…

This article proposes a new model offering a hierarchy of supports in special education and rehabilitation that incorporates three traditional models of assistance: the custodial-welfare model, the scientific-medical model, and the humanistic-educational model. The hierarchy is based on the principle that human rights to dignity, freedom, and…

A special educator recounts lessons learned from her first year of teaching, in her case in a special class of students with multiple disabilities. Lessons include analysis of early mistakes and the importance of student file review, direct student observation, utilizing the advice of experienced educators, and planning for change. (DB)

Discussion of the importance of induction and support programs for new special education teachers notes the substantial additional demands placed on new special educators in addition to the frustrations and stresses that all new teachers experience. The article notes the high numbers who leave teaching after the first year and identifies national,…

This article explores common issues facing beginning special educators and discusses ways to support the transition from prospective teacher to professional teacher based on responses by 13 such teachers to a survey about induction and support programs, professional challenges, coping strategies, and advice for others. (Contains references.) (DB)

This article identifies classroom resources recommended for beginning special education teachers. Resources are grouped into six categories: (1) developing professionalism; (2) basics for effective instruction; (3) academic instruction; (4) cognitive-behavioral instruction; (5) behavioral management; and (6) classroom extras. Resources include…

Analysis of focus groups of beginning special education teachers, teacher mentors, and administrators considers the needs of beginning special education teachers, forms of needed support, content of needed support, and the sense of isolation and need for support. Implications for teacher induction and teacher mentoring programs are drawn, also…

Discussion of mentoring of beginning special education teachers considers: how mentors can help, matching mentor with new teacher, first-year teachers' comments about their mentors, and alternative sources of mentor support. Topics mentors should discuss with new teachers and useful Web sites for new teachers are discussed. (Contains 12…