Intervention in School and Clinic

General and special educators are frequently confronted with the problem of how to provide spelling instruction that meets the needs of all their students, especially their students with mild disabilities. The purpose of this article is to combine two effective instructional methods (Classwide Peer Tutoring and a spelling strategy) to help students acquire and maintain spelling competence both inside and outside of the classroom.

Curriculum-based measurement and Gickling's model of curriculum-based assessment have been proposed as approaches that more closely link assessment and intervention. Research has clearly supported the independent use of these two models in improving student learning, but some have argued for a more comprehensive approach that combines the different curriculum-based metrics. This article demonstrates procedures for implementing the two models concurrently in a comprehensive assessment and intervention system by discussing three case studies. The first is an example of reading difficulties in a general education setting, the second is a student experiencing mathematical difficulties in a general education curriculum, and the third is a student participating in special education for reading difficulties. Suggestions and cautions for practice are included.

Culturally diverse exceptional learners have consistently encountered multidimensional problems that range from misidentification to misinstruction. Rather than focus on innovative intervention techniques that could help them maximize their fullest potential, the focus has been on unidimensional techniques that highlight teachers blaming parents and parents blaming teachers. The critical question is, How can the self (i.e., learner), families, schools, communities, and governments work together for the common good? This article responds to this question by discussing the Comprehensive Support Model (CSM) as an intervention technique for culturally diverse learners with exceptionalities. Embedded in this discussion are cases that buttress the dynamic functions of the CSM.

Text adaptations have a significant impact on a student's success in the general education classroom. This article examines a process for teachers to use when deciding whether or not to adapt a particular text for an individual student. The following five options for text adaptations are described: (a) bypass reading, (b) decrease reading, (c) support reading, (d) organize reading, and (e) guide reading. Text adaptation is a strategy that should be considered in a variety of settings for students with disabilities and their nondisabled peers, from the prereferral stage in the general education classroom to the continuum of placements available through special education services.

Services for students who are gifted and have learning disabilities vary in type by school district. General education teachers rarely have the training to work with students who have multiple exceptionalities in the general ed- ucation classroom. Conversely, special educators typically are not trained to address the unique needs of students with gifts and talents. Because of this disparity in training, it is imperative that collaboration among general edu- cators, special educators, and teachers of students who are gifted occurs throughout the school year. This article suggests strategies and ideas to help build collaborative partnerships among all teachers who work with stu- dents who are gifted and have learning disabilities.

Both special and general education teachers must work closely with paraprofessionals who support students with learning disabilities (LD) in general education classrooms. Knowing how to make the most of the paraprofessional resources at hand is not easy, however. As a special educator, you are really a program manager, and you are most likely to make the most of paraprofessional services when you are able to efficiently carry out certain executive functions (French, 1997). The suggestions that follow will help you be a more effective manager and will improve the way the paraprofessional works with your students.