Alternative
Uses of Ability Grouping: Can We Bring High-Quality Instruction to Low-Ability
Classes?
Gamoran, A. (1992).
Madison, WI: Center on Organization and Restructuring of Schools.
Findings of a study that investigated whether or not ability grouping can be implemented more effectively are presented in this paper, with a focus on exploring possible instances of high-quality instruction in low-ability classes. Methodology involved observation, teacher questionnaires, and interviews of eighth- and ninth-grade English classes in 25 midwestern schools. The two schools that exhibited effective instruction in low-track classes were Catholic schools, which in general are characterized by an ethos of caring, academic rigor, and seriousness of purpose. Findings indicate that variability exists in the implementation of student grouping and that such differences are tied to student outcomes. Examples of effective uses of ability grouping for students in low-ranked classes in the two Catholic schools are presented. The two cases are characterized by: (1) high expectations by teachers; (2) extra exertion by teachers to foster extensive oral classroom discourse; and (3) no system for assigning weak or inexperienced teachers to lower tracks. A limitation of the study is that Catholic students tend to come from more economically advantaged backgrounds. (24 pages, ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 351 808, cost varies by document)
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Child
Language Disability (Volume III)
Mogford-Bevan, K., & Sadler, J. (Eds.). (1993).
Bristol, PA: Multilingual Matters Ltd.
Hearing impairment, whether mild and transient or lifelong and severe, can potentially undermine a child's learning because successful communication is at the heart of the educational process. This book provides information that mainstream teachers and support teachers can utilize in adjusting classroom practice to the specific needs of hearing-impaired children. It is also for speech and language therapists involved in the management of hearing-impaired children in both mainstream and special provision. Topics discussed include practices and provisions for hearing impaired children, different types of hearing loss, implications of hearing impairment for social and language development, acoustics considerations for hearing-impaired children, educational management of hearing-impaired children in mainstream schools, and speech and language therapy support of hearing-impaired children in an integrated educational setting. A list of organizations that can offer specialist help and/or advice is included. (68 pages, $21.00)
Address:
Multilingual Matters Ltd.
1900 Frost Road, Suite 101
Bristol, PA 19007
Curriculum
Adaptation for Inclusive Classrooms
Neary, T., Halvorsen, A., Kronberg, R., & Kelly, D. (1992, December).
Sacramento, CA: PEERS Project.
This manual on curriculum adaptation for inclusive classrooms was developed as a collaborative effort between the California Research Institute and the Systems Change Projects in California and Colorado. Information in the manual reflects information offered by practicing full-inclusion sites. The goal of the manual was to make this information accessible to parents, teachers, special support personnel, and administrators so they can support programs that are developing inclusive schools in their communities and states. The manual is divided into six main sections: (1) an introduction; (2) service delivery models for inclusive education; (3) building-level support and strategies; (4) classroom-based strategies; (5) student-specific strategies; and (6) closing. Three appendices include National Full Inclusion Site Network, PEERS Project Inclusive Education Guidelines, and Individualized Program Development Forms. (182 pages, ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 358 637, cost varies by document)
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A
Curriculum Development Process for Inclusive Classrooms. Focus on
Exceptional Children, 25(4)
York, J., Doyle, M. B., & Kronberg, R. (1992, December).
Denver, CO: Love Publishing Company.
Both general and special education are at a critical crossroad for determining what schools should do for all students. This article discusses a curriculum design to be applied in inclusive school communities. The authors state that an inclusive school community is one in which all members of the community--adults and children belong. In an inclusive school community, all members can support one another and maximize individual potential. The authors suggest the following process of curriculum development for inclusive classrooms: (1) planning the transition; (2) taking the plunge . . . determining needs in context; (3) envisioning a desirable future; and (4) bringing it together and moving forward . . . one class at a time. The article concluded with a challenge for all educators and community members to break out of old paradigms and, in turn, provide the best teaching-learning experience possible for all students. (16 pages)
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Love Publishing Company
Executive and Editorial Office
1777 S. Bellaire Street
Denver, CO 80222
(303) 757-2579
Integration/Inclusion
Needs Assessment (Rev. Ed.)
Halvorsen, A. T., Smithey, L., Neary, T., & Gilbert, S. (1992).
Sacramento, CA: PEERS Project.
The PEERS (Providing Education for Everyone In Regular Schools) Project--a California project to integrate students with severe disabilities who were previously at special centers into services at regular school sites and students who were in special classes in regular schools into general education--developed this needs assessment instrument. The first section of the needs assessment is for use with local education agencies (LEAs) that have developed a written plan for integration/inclusion transitions. It is intended to help evaluate plan components in the following areas: least restrictive environment policy, student placement, physical plant availability and selection, accessibility criteria, staff assignments, administrative roles/ responsibilities, interagency and/or inclusion, and facilitation of peer interactions. Section two is designed to assist in identifying the history and goals of the LEA in regard to attitudes toward integration and inclusion; existing resources to support transitions; space concerns within accessible schools; personnel role changes; site preparation needs; and parent reactions to the integration/inclusion plan. The third section is intended for on-site review and covers environmental considerations, school climate, special education teacher integration, general education classroom environment, student integration, and the curricular and instructional model. (38 pages, ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 358 634, cost varies by document)
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Practical
Considerations in the Use of Technology to Facilitate the Inclusion of Students
with Severe Disabilities. Technology and Disability, 3(2)
Carey, D. M., & Sale, P. (1994, May).
Stoneham, MA: Butterworth Heinemann.
For students with severe disabilities, inclusion in the regular classroom requires physical accommodation, curricular accommodation, and communication enhancements. This article reviews a study completed with 28 teachers of students with severe disabilities with the intent to assess the outcome of technology use by students with severe disabilities. The teachers reported student use of technology in the classroom and the barriers to effective use of technology. Barriers mentioned included complexity and lack of familiarity with technology, equipment breakdown, early abandonment, student interaction with others only at site of the technology, cost of specialty items, necessity of the student being located near power outlets or often needing battery changes, students using technology to interrupt or act out, and individual education programs lacking curricular objectives related to learning or using technology. The authors suggest some procedures for minimizing or overcoming barriers to technology use for students with severe disabilities. (10 pages)
Address:
Butterworth Heinemann
225 Wildwood Avenue
Woburn, MA 01801
(800) 366-2665
The
Role of the Classroom Teacher as a Curriculum Leader. NASSP Bulletin,
76(547)
Haberman, M. (1992, November).
Reston, VA: National Association of Secondary School Principals.
Although teachers have little voice in textbook selection or standardized test content, they still retain the most powerful influence on students' learning and can serve as curriculum leaders. The author of this article examined the role of the classroom teacher as this curriculum leader. Many past analyses of the classroom teacher's role in curriculum development have made the following mistakes: (1) defining curriculum too broadly, (2) defining curriculum development as an authoritarian administrative process, (3) claiming curriculum development to be a local activity without support, (4) defining classroom teachers as "merely" implementers, (5) defining the teacher as a crusader, and (6) defining the teacher as someone in need of motivation rather than opportunity. The author feels that classroom teachers need to be viewed as part of the solution, not as part of the problem. It was proposed that classroom teachers, as curriculum leaders, focus on three areas: (1) detracking, (2) real teaching, and (3) making Americans. (9 pages)
Address:
National Association of Secondary School Principals
1904 Association Drive
Reston, VA 22091
(703) 860-0200
Successful
Mainstreaming: Proven Ways to Detect and Correct Special Needs
Choate, J. S. (Ed.). (1993).
Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
This book addresses the diverse learning and behavior needs of special students and offers practical suggestions for correcting problems in structuring, managing, and enhancing the instruction of these students. A handy and comprehensive resource guide on mainstreaming, it includes the detection of 101 special needs and more than 1,000 corrective strategies. It is divided into three major parts, which provide a positive overview and understanding of the detection and correction process. Ultimately, the book is intended to increase the achievement of special needs students in both regular and special education classrooms. (478 pages, $39.95)
Address:
Allyn and Bacon
A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Department 894
160 Gould Street
Needham Heights, MA 02194-2310
(800) 852-8024
The
Comprehensive Local School: Regular Education for All Students with Disabilities
Sailor, W., Anderson, J. L., Halvorsen, A. T., Doering, K., Filler, J., &
Goetz, L. (1989).
Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.
The comprehensive local school (CLS) model is based on the belief that no student is so severely disabled that a free, appropriate public education cannot be delivered at the local school--the same school the child would have attended if he or she had no disabilities. This book describes the five phases of this model that help promote the development of unified, comprehensive educational delivery that is consistent with federal policies and extends benefits from preschool through high school and beyond for students with disabilities. The five phases of the CLS model are as follows: (1) mainstreaming young children with disabilities; (2) integrated educational services in the elementary school years; (3) community intensive instruction in the intermediate and middle school years; (4) transition from school to work and community service; and (5) the postschool years: integrated support work and community living. (288 pages, $33.00)
Address:
Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.
Order Department
P.O. Box 10624
Baltimore, MD 21285
(410) 337-9580
(800) 638-3775
Fax: (410) 437-8539
Creating
Individual Supports for People with Developmental Disabilities: A Mandate for
Change at Many Levels
Bradley, V. J., Ashbaugh, J. W., & Blaney, B. C. (Eds.). (1994).
Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.
The vision of inclusion must move beyond rhetoric and become a reality for people with disabilities in the United States. This book is for policymakers, systems administrators, program developers, service coordinators and providers, social workers, advocates, consumers, and others committed to interdependence and inclusion in the community of all people with disabilities. It attempts to capture the major steps necessary to bring about systemic changes, including the continuing reconfiguration and reshaping of the legal and regulatory superstructure that governs the provision of services as well as the development of new service delivery and administrative strategies to enable individuals with disabilities to thrive as active members of their communities. It offers insights into designing community support at the individual, agency, local, state, and regional levels; and presents in-depth case studies on successful transformations across the nation. (532 pages, $35.00)
Address:
Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.
P.O. Box 10624
Baltimore, MD 21285-0624
(410) 337-9580
(800) 638-3775
Fax: (410) 337-8539
Employment
of Persons with Dual Sensory Impairments: Strategies for Inclusion. The
Journal of the Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps, 16(3)
Goetz, L., Lee, M., Johnston, S., & Gaylord-Ross, R. (1991).
Seattle, WA: The Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps.
Case study examples of persons with dual sensory impairments and other multiple disabilities who have been involved in an integrated community employment program are discussed in this article. The authors provide strategies they feel are critical to ensure facilitated, integrated work for persons with dual sensory impairments: (1) heterogeneous group placements, (2) job restructuring, (3) volunteerism, (4) natural supports, (5) the facilitation of social and communication interactions, and (6) future directions. (9 pages)
Address:
The Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps
29 W. Susquehanna Avenue, Suite 210
Baltimore, MD 21204
(410) 828-8274
Parent
Primer: Secondary Programs for Students with Severe Disabilities
Slovic, R., Ferguson, P., Lynch, B., & Wilcox, B. (1988).
Eugene, OR: Parents' Graduation Alliance.
This publication is for parents who wish to be involved in their adolescent's transition program. It focuses on components of quality high school programs, including integration, age-appropriate programming, community-based curriculum, futures orientation, comprehensive coverage of adult life issues, opportunities for parent involvement, and documented effectiveness. The importance of parent involvement during the IEP process, transition planning, and monitoring and advocacy is also emphasized. ($5.00)
Address:
Roz Slovic
Specialized Training Program, 1235
University of Oregon
Eugene, OR 97403-1235
(503) 346-5311
The
School Counselor and Comprehensive Programs for Work-Bound Youth
Jepsen, D., et al (Herr, E. L., Ed.). (1992, November).
Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association.
The commitment of the American Counseling Association is to the career development of all children and young adults--including the noncollege-bound. This paper presents comprehensive programs that address the career and occupational needs of work-bound students. In addition, it discusses the multiple roles of school counselors in implementing effective, comprehensive programs. The American Counseling Association suggests that career counseling be part of five needed programs combining vocational education with traditional academics: (1) cooperative education, (2) apprenticeships, (3) internships, (4) pre-employment training, and (5) youth-operated enterprises. (53 pages, no charge)
Address:
American Counseling Association
801 N. Fairfax Street, Suite 310
Alexandria, VA 22314
(800) 306-4722
Vocational
Counseling for Special Populations
Schiro-Geist, C. (Ed.). (1990).
Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas Publisher.
This book is meant to enhance and clarify vocational issues for vocational counselors of nontraditional clients. Nontraditional clients include the following special populations groups: (1) displaced homemakers, (2) veterans, (3) women in competitive market, (4) older workers, (5) persons with disabilities, and (6) disadvantaged workers. Each chapter ends with review questions and references. Five case histories of clients with special needs are presented at the end of Chapter 5. The last chapter on supported employment (Chapter 7) is an important one for counselors in the 1990s because supported employment will often be the vocational outcome for special populations, especially for individuals with severe disabilities. (161 pages; $32.95, plus shipping and handling)
Address:
Charles C. Thomas Publisher
2600 S. First Street
Springfield, IL 62794-9265
(217) 789-8980