Eric D. Jones

The Effectiveness of Data-Based Instruction by Student Teachers in Classrooms for Pupils with Mild Learning Handicaps

This study examined the effectiveness of a data-based instructional procedure when applied by student teachers in classrooms for children with mild learning handicaps. Student teachers were randomly assigned to training and supervision in either the data-based problem-solving approach to instruction or a conventional training and supervision treatment. Analyses of pupil performances revealed that student teachers in the data-based condition had significantly greater effects upon achievement in reading and greater control of off-task behavior during both seat-work and teacher-led instruction than student teachers in the comparison condition. There was no difference between groups for pupil performance in arithmetic.

Programming, Grouping, and Acceleration in Rural School Districts: A Survey of Attitudes and Practices

The development of gifted education programs is influenced by the characteristics of communities, values of residents, constraints that work against change and forces that impel change. The levels and types of programming offered to gifted students in rural and urban school districts were compared in this study. Rural and school districts were compared in this study. Rural and urban districts were also compared on their uses of ability grouping in regular education programs and academic acceleration. The results of the study revealed that rural school districts are less apt to use ability grouping or academic acceleration to provide a developed range of options for gifted and talented students. Sporadic extracurricular activities tend to play more important roles in rural programs. Factors that influence the nature and quality of education of gifted and talented students in rural areas are discussed.

Curriculum-Based Assessment Testing What Is Taught and Teaching What Is Tested

Over the last 15 years empirical studies have documented positive effects resulting from the use of curriculum-based assessment (CBA) procedures on the achievement of students with special education needs. Several approaches to CBA are described in the literature. Although there have been discussions of distinctions that should be made between different approaches to CBA, some common features contribute substantially to the instructional value of CBA procedures. In this article we discuss the features of CBA that are common to all approaches and that appear to contribute most to instructional effectiveness.

A Comparison of Concurrent and Sequential Instruction of Four Types of Verbal Math Problem

Twenty-nine third grade students were trained in teacher led direct instruction to use a generalizable strategy to solve four structurally different types of addition and subtraction verbal math problems. One group (n = 13) received training on the different types of problems in an ordered sequence. The other group (n = 16) received daily training on a random assortment of the different types of problems. The interaction between the training conditions and preposttestings was statistically significant [F(1, 27) = 12.78, p < .01]. There was a significant difference between posttest scores of the two training conditions, due primarily to gains of the students in sequential training. Implications for instructional design are discussed.

Technology Infusion: Preparing Teachers for Transition Services through Web-Based Cases

To support the integration of technology in the K-12 special education classroom, teacher preparation programs must infuse technology across existing special education curricula. The purpose of this article is to provide a discussion and illustration of the possibilities for using microcomputer technologies and Internet access to enhance teacher education in transition-related issues. The article discusses the development of microcomputer applications for teacher preparation and proceeds with a description how transition-related curricula can be enhanced through multimedia web-based technologies. An online module using case-method instruction will be described, which is designed to help current and future teachers and school-to-work transition specialists confront issues and problems related to the transition of students with special needs to the postsecondary environment. The transferability of instructional programming to other teacher preparation situations and other cases studies is also discussed.

Japanese Special Education Policies and Practices

The quality of Japans educational system has contributed to increasingly successful bids for dominance in international business and industry. Although the quality of Japanese education for average and above average students has received considerable international attention, there has been little discussion of programmes for handicapped children. This paper reviews the development of Japanese policies and services for the handicapped, and considers the importance of the differences in cultural contexts that would account for the differences between special education policies and practices in Japan and the United States. Although western countries have often stimulated and influenced Japanese policies and practices, substantial differences exist. It may be more accurate to consider that instead of lagging behind the West, Japanese special education is following a course of development that is adapted to the society it serves.

Ernest L. Pancsofar, Edward Fiscus, Eric Jones, Robert Blackwell, and James Krouse: Preparing Teachers to Move Students with Severe Handicaps From School to Adult Service Options

are strategies to assist students with severe handicapping conditions make a successful transition to postschool environments. One characteristic of these students is lack of ability to generalize from school to out-ofschool settings. Specifically, training strategies must be implemented to carefully plan for generalization (Sailor & Guess, 1983; Snell & Renzaglia, 1982). The purpose of this article is to describe a Master’s degree program at Bowling Green State University that contains a sequence of coursework to provide teachers with the necessary skills to become effective agents in facilitating a successful postschool experience for students with severe handicaps. The four concentration areas provided through the program have been approved by the Ohio Department of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities as certification criteria for a Master’s in Habilitation in Adult Services. Specifically, the Master’s concentration includes preparation for specialists in vocational curriculum development, on-the-job supervision for community work experience programs, vocational evaluation, and transition/liaison for facilitating students into adult service programs.