The Koppitz developmental scoring system for the Bender-Gestalt: Is it developmental?

The Bender-Gestalt was administered individually to 652 children, aged 5 to 11 years. The protocols were subsequently scored using the Koppitz Developmental System. A sample of scores were fitted to various developmental curves using a computer program called DATAFIT. The data approximated a curvilinear regression line more than a linear regression line. The R² for the total sample and for various combinations of age groups was relatively low. Implications regarding the limitations of various interpretive procedures were discussed.     

Why do teachers refer pupils for special education? An analysis of referral records

Abstract

We studied the referral for special education records of children and youth to identify the problems for which referrers said pupils needed help. Coders examined 382 forms used by two school systems and recorded demographic information and referrers' statements describing individual pupils' difficulties. We found that (a) 69% of the referrals were for boys, (b) regular classroom teachers alone initiated 74% of the referrals and contributed to another 5%, and (c) over two‐thirds of students referred were in earlier grade levels, particularly kindergarten (16%), first (26%), second (15%), or third grade (11%). Problems most likely to be described on referral forms were general academic problems (found on 35% of referrals), reading problems (31%), and attention problems (23%) other problems such as fearfulness (2%), visual‐perceptual difficulties (1%), and depression (1%) were rarely included. Factor analysis of the referral reasons revealed five common types of referrals, some of which interacted with gender and level of students. The factors described problems in written language, externalizing behavior, internalizing behavior, overactivity, and sensory problems. The results of this study should help focus preservice and inservice preparation of teachers in addressing problems that are likely to cause pupils to be referred. In addition, combined with other findings, the results indicate regular education teachers' level of tolerance for pupils' problems.     

Special Education at the Crossroad: An Identity Crisis and the Need for a Scientific Reconstruction

Special education is losing its identity—its visibility, distinctiveness, budget, and basic functions are all at risk. Special education functions include (a) sorting, categorizing, and labeling students who need it; (b) making the right comparisons; (c) honoring diversity but changing particular differences; (d) managing stigma; (e) making subjective judgments and risking errors; (f) dealing with students’ failures; and (g) adequate financing in addition to maintaining visibility and status and having its own budget and personnel. It cannot exist without these functions, all of which are criticized or on the decline. Special education must also be reconstructed on the basis of sound science, not alternative narratives or nonscientific ways of knowing that do not help students with disabilities learn all they can. The need for a scientific reconstruction and implications for special education’s future are discussed.     

Supplementing floundering text with adjunct displays

Three experiments compared the learning potential of text versus outline and matrix displays. In Experiments 1 and 2, college students read or heard a passage about fish and then studied the text, an outline, or a matrix. In Experiment 3, students heard a passage about wildcats, and then studied text, outline, or matrix displays. In all experiments, the text, outline, and matrix formats were informationally equivalent. However, the two-dimensional matrix appeared more computationally efficient than the linear organized text or outline because it (a) positioned related information about fish or wildcats in closer proximity so that local relations within a single category (such as size) were learned, and (b) organized information spatially so that global relations across categories (such as size and diet) were learned. The learning potential of text, outline, and matrix displays was also examined in combination with variations in thematic organization, amount of study time, and time of testing. The most important and consistent findings were that (a) outline and matrix displays produced greater relational learning than the text, and (b) matrix displays produced greater relational learning than outlines.     

General and Special Educators' Perceptions of Preassessment-Related Activities and Team Members

The purpose of this study was to investigate the status of school preassessment teams in a midwestem state. Specifically, the study sought to determine perceptions of actual and preferred preassessment-related team activities and preferred permanent team members. This was accomplished through a preassessment questionnaire, distributed to randomly selected state-certified general and special educators, which was designed to identify general and special educators' actual and preferred rankings of preassessment-related activities. Survey results revealed agreement between general and special educators about their preferred permanent team members. Results of this investigation are discussed relative to their relation to prior studies of preassessment teams and directions for future research.     

What makes a matrix so effective? An empirical test of the relative benefits of signaling, extraction, and localization

What type of display helps students learn the most and why? This study investigated how displays differing in terms of signaling, extraction, and localization impact learning. In Experiment 1, 72 students were assigned randomly to one cell of a 4 × 2 design. Students studied a standard text, a text with key ideas extracted, an outline that localized ideas topically, and a matrix that localized ideas topically and categorically. One version of the displays signaled the displays’ organization and one version did not. The matrix display proved best for facilitating fact and relationship learning because of its ability to localize related information within topics and categories. Simply signaling or extracting text ideas was not helpful. Experiment 2 demonstrated that not all matrices are created equal because they can vary in terms of how information is localized. About 54 students were assigned randomly to one cell of a 2 × 2 design that varied localization of matrix topics and categories. Students studied matrices high or low in topical organization and high or low in categorical organization. Results confirmed that a high, natural ordering of matrix topics is necessary to highlight relationships and bolster relationship and fact learning.     

Enhancing School-Based Mental Health Services With a Preventive and Promotive Approach to Universal Screening for Complete Mental Health

Universal screening for complete mental health is proposed as a key step in service delivery reform to move school-based psychological services from the back of the service delivery system to the front, which will increase emphasis on prevention, early intervention, and promotion. A sample of 2,240 high school students participated in a schoolwide universal screening to identify behavioral and emotional distress as well as personal strengths. School psychologists, as part of a multidisciplinary team, coordinated the use of these screening data to engage in preventive consultation with administration to make decisions regarding the refinement and expansion of mental health service delivery options. Schoolwide and individual student prevention and intervention activities were tailored according to screening results. The roles of the school psychologist and multidisciplinary team members are discussed as critical components of this approach to service delivery change. Implications for future consultation research, practice, and training are provided.     

Better Thinking and Clearer Communication Will Help Special Education

The authors argue that insufficient attention has been given to foundational concepts in special education. Two classes of foundational concepts are discussed: human constructions and logico-mathematical facts. Four human constructions are examined: (1) making teaching most important, (2) discriminating among ideas, (3) choosing conceptual models, and (4) responding to diversity. Three logico-mathematical realities are detailed: (1) statistical phenomena, (2) sorting, and (3) labeling. The authors conclude with comments on the importance of better thinking and clearer communication, suggesting that the consequences of poor thinking and communicating are negative for both special educators and their students. Five recommendations for action are proposed.