Responses to EC 604 077 include "A Proposed Certification Model for Special Education" (Paul Sindelar et al.), "Categorical versus Noncategorical versus Cross-Categorical Teacher Certification in Special Education" (Ann Nevin), and "Do We Have to Choose Categorical versus Noncategorical?" (Judith Bondurant-Utz et al.), followed by a rejoinder by…

Use of a "days to learn" measure of progress in reading and arithmetic at the elementary level was found to be an effective measure for early identification, but the 183 students in the Chapter 1 or special education programs did not show acceleration in progress when receiving extra help from special teachers. (Author/DB)

This study involving 113 students identified factors (attentiveness, child's level of involvement, and feedback received from the teacher) differentiating children at risk for special education referral from other low achievers and low achievers from mainstreamed special education students and average achievers. Urban/suburban differences were…

Special education administrators (n=36) in Utah were surveyed concerning use of prereferral intervention with students having learning difficulties. Administrators were uncertain whether the approaches maintained students in general education. They did believe, however, that the process is followed by teachers and results in fewer referrals for…

Case studies of four secondary special education teachers indicate that coaching during implementation of a videodisc mathematics program brought positive changes in teaching techniques and enhanced use of motivational strategies and classroom management techniques. Results also suggest teachers may be more receptive to feedback on their teaching…

This case study of a nonverbal nine year old with physical handicaps examines the ethics and efficacy of using formal assessment instruments with such children, without procedural modifications or qualification of test results. Results of home and classroom observations suggested that the formal assessments did not reflect the student's actual…

General and specific strategies useful in facilitating an integrated educational environment for children with severe disabilities are presented. Strategies include, among others, identifying and facilitating natural supports, using a participation approach, demonstrating success locally, recruiting collaborators, communicating with all members of…

The relationship between state definitions of behavior disorders and the number of children being served was examined for one year prior to implementation of Public Law 94-142 and a year following full implementation. Definitional components accounted for less than a third of the variance in prevalence rates. Influences contributing to the…

School districts (N=145) were surveyed on program evaluation in special education, addressing preplanning, who evaluates special education programs, the focus of evaluation activities, methods for obtaining evaluative information, criteria for judging program effectiveness, and perceived benefits of the evaluation process. Plans for program…

The study identified practical problems related to microcomputer use by handicapped and nonhandicapped students in 73 elementary schools, addressing specifically instruction, monitoring, and integration of computer use with other instructional activities. Four alternative teacher roles are defined, varying in their expectations for teacher…

The study of curriculum-based measurement (CBM), involving 57 adults in a basic literacy program, found that narrative rather than expository passages exhibited higher reliability. Level of difficulty did not affect reliability. Validity data showed inconsistency between CBM and standardized test scores. The measures were sensitive to student…

This study found that constant time delay was effective in teaching word reading to four students (ages seven to eight) with mild handicaps. Individual attentional response was more effective and efficient in learning to spell words than in choral attentional response. Observational and incidental learning occurred for all students. (Author/JDD)

The study assessed the criterion, construct, and concurrent validity of four informal reading comprehension measures (question answering tests, recall measures, oral passage reading tests, and cloze techniques) with 70 mildly and moderately retarded middle and junior high school boys. Results indicated that correct oral reading rate score…

Thirty-nine states provided guidelines on student-teacher ratios for mildly handicapped students receiving special education services. Extreme variation was found in state recommended ratios and how ratios were defined. Ratios varied by special needs category, level of service, grade level, and age range; some states used weighted mathematical…

Twenty-nine high-school students were taught ratio and proportion word problems using either an interactive videodisc program incorporating empirically validated curriculum design principles or a teacher-taught program with basals. Both groups, composed of remedial and learning-disabled students, made substantial performance gains, with the…