In a survey of school learning and behavior problems manifested in a longitudinal study population of 967 children in kindergarten through third grade, it was found that 41 percent of the subjects (50 percent of the boys and 31 percent of the girls) were classified in one or more of the following categories: (a) special class placement, (b) retention, (c) receipt of special services, and (d) problems of behavior and attitude. Special placement or services had been instituted for 24.3 percent of the study population. Since previous testing yielded essentially normal scores on measures of school readiness, language development, and intelligence, the large proportion of educationally relevant problems identified raises serious questions regarding the ability of our present educational system to adequately accommodate the broad range of individual differences found within the typical school population.
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