Exceptional Children最新文献

This study was undertaken to determine whether a preschool screening instrument could predict whether kindergarten students would later be retained, referred to special education, or placed in special education. The results of Early Prevention of School Failure (EPSF) screening on 161 kindergarten students were examined. Students who had been retained, referred to special education, or placed in special education demonstrated significantly lower EPSF pretest scores except in the gross motor modality. All EPSF modalities were statistically significant predictors of students' status; however, other factors such as family support network, preschool experiences, and motivational factors must be considered in evaluating whether a student is "at risk" of later school failure.

It is imperative that special education enable children with disabilities to achieve at high levels. Problems of equity and pedagogical validity have hindered our efforts thus far, and many children of minority cultures are far overrepresented in classrooms for students with learning disabilities and mild mental retardation. Studies have shown the importance of culturally and linguistically inclusive programs and of heterogenous groupings, as well as more effective diagnostic, remedial, and assessment practices. This article discussed a model and basic principles for such techniques to ensure that the educational outcomes of all children are improved.

This article discusses the cultural and educational needs of African-American learners with disabilities. Six theoretical assumptions establish some basic suppositions about culturally and linguistically diverse learners and effective instructional practices. A review of the literature describes African-American cultural practices, interests, and cognitive styles; highlights the attitudes, perceptions, and instructional practices of effective teachers of African-American students; and includes patterns of teacher-student and peer-group interactions that promote high academic achievement among African-American learners. Recommendations include organizing teaching, learning, and performance in ways that are compatible with the social structure of African-American students with disabilities.

The extensive literature on the overrepresentation of adolescent African-American male learners in classes for students identified as behavior disordered has essentially not addressed the problems caused by teacher reactions to adolescent conversational language use, the qualitative differences in language choices, or the impact of the conversational choices of adolescents on their educational treatment. This article explores how the dramaturgical perspective of selected Theatre Rehearsal Technique (TRT) activities can be used as learning experiences in communication with this student population. If these students gain quantifiable success in their social communication interactions, reassessment of their special education placement might facilitate their entrance into less restrictive educational environments.

Competing demands of school and home can thrust adolescent mothers into stressful situations. Meeting the requirements to achieve academically can be a challenge, especially for students previously identified as "slow learners." These students may conclude that academic achievement is an impossibility. How can special educators and service providers help? What environmental variables affect these young mothers' learning capabilities? This study used a case study research approach to study 10 African-American adolescent mothers who were already at risk of dropping out of school programs. Successful strategies to keep these students in school include school-based clinics, teacher training, sex education, and school-community support.

This article describes the development and preliminary psychometric properties of the Transition Competence Battery for Deaf Adolescents and Young Adults (TCB). The TCB includes three subtests on employment and three subtests on independent living, in a 3-option multiple-choice format and with both written and videotaped instructions. The TCB was standardized on students from both mainstreamed and residential settings (n ranged from 180 to 230 for the different subtests). Overall, the item statistics and subtest reliabilities were adequate. An initial study of the battery's construct validity was conducted. Results demonstrated the power of all of the TCB subtests to differentiate among various groups.

A 2-year project to improve the writing skills of children who are deaf included instruction for teachers in the process approach to teaching writing. The project encompassed 10 public school programs for students who are deaf and included 325 students in Grades 4-10 and 52 teachers. The project included specific training goals for teachers, a self-report procedure for the teachers, and a data-collection and analysis phase to assess short-term effects on students' writing. Teacher self-reports indicated widespread involvement in the project, and pretest and posttest results showed dramatic improvement in students' writing--particularly in grammatical skills. Scoring systems for students' papers are included.

A nationwide purposive sample of secondary vocational educators completed a questionnaire that examined practices and perceptions toward grading students with disabilities. A variety of grading methods was reportedly used, but over two-thirds of respondents included a competency-based grading component. An overwhelming majority believed that student effort should be used to determine grades. Two-thirds of vocational educators had never been involved in their students' IEP development. The most common changes teachers have made over time in their grading practices included becoming more flexible and individualized in grading. Overall, teachers displayed moderately positive attitudes toward grading students with disabilities.

This study investigated the use of the Task Demonstration Model (TDM) of group instruction for students with severe or moderate retardation. This model and the Standard Prompting Hierarchy (SPH) were tested against each other (and baseline) across three teachers and groups of students. Results on teacher variables showed that demands and praise were roughly equivalent for both procedures, but prompts were 12 times higher in SPH than in TDM. Data on student variables showed task engagement to be the same for SPH and TDM, percent correct to be 10% higher in TDM, but rate correct to be twice as much in TDM as in SPH.