Purpose. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between Student Study Team (SST) training, the functioning of student study teams, and changes in special education referral and placement percentages. Problem. The study was designed to examine whether or not (a) SST training resulted in schools having fewer referrals for assessment and minimized inappropriate referrals to special education, (b) the structure and function of student study teams differed as a result of SST training, (c) the structure and function of these teams, school enrollment, socio-economic factors, and available school resources contributed to differences in special education referral and placement percentages, and (d) SST training provided a cost effective approach to reducing the number of students assessed and placed in special education programs. Procedures. Teams representing 27 of the 51 elementary schools in the San Juan Unified School District were trained in the SST model. Student study team chairpersons of the SST-trained and non-trained schools responded to a telephone questionnaire designed to gather information related to the composition and operation of their teams. Inferential and descriptive analysis techniques were utilized to describe the relationship among schools receiving SST training, the structure and function of the teams, the availability of school resources, and special education referral and placement percentages. The school district's 5-year referral and placement profile and the expenses associated with providing SST training were also described. Findings. In most instances, changes in the schools' special education referral and placement percentages were not found to be related to whether or not teams (a) received training in the SST model or (b) included specific team composition and operation variables. The study revealed that SST training did contribute to some changes in the structure and function of the schools' student study teams. Recommendations. This dissertation recommends procedural changes which could serve to further clarify the relationship between pre-referral interventions and subsequent IEP team placement decisions and outcomes. It also presents suggestions for future replication and follow-up studies.

This study examines discursive assessment practices in a special school for girls identified with a disability in an Arabian-Gulf country. The study is driven by a notable absence of research on girls with disability in the Arab world, and the need for analysing practices that shape their identities and future trajectories. To disclose the mechanisms, processes, and tools influencing the coconstruction of girls' identities by members of a multidisciplinary team, I developed an analytic framework that draws on three theories: systemic functional linguistics, critical genre analysis and sociocultural theory of discourse and identity production. The main data source is the audio-record of conversations that took place at case-conference meetings (CCMs). To describe the genre of a CCM and to disclose what went on, who was involved, and what outcomes were achieved, I constructed three narratives: 'The most relevant thing about us', 'Much ado about everything', and 'Not so great expectations'. These narratives revealed the object, goals, and the outcomes of talk. With respect to the object of talk, or the knowledge underpinning assessment practices, there was much focus on girls' diagnostic histories and scores in IQ tests; they were given a high priority and perceived as key to understanding the girls. Analysis also revealed a resistance to move beyond dichotomous thinking (i.e. girls are either trainable or educable). The goals of talk were to pass on information, to share assessment results, and to list objectives for intervention, each practitioner within her domain of expertise. This mode of passing on - rather than - discussing information and assessment results limited the prospect to benefit from the distributed knowledge of practitioners. The outcomes of talk were mediated by the two preceding discursive actions. A preoccupation with girls' medical diagnosis, and a focus on passing on rather than discussing assessment reinforced deficit thinking. Further, categories assigned to girls stood as self-fulfilling prophesies, and as predictors of girls' future performance. The space to create more positive identities was evident, however, where practitioners knew little about girls' genetic or developmental disabilities. The implications of these objectifying practices are serious with respect to Gulf-Arabian countries and to similar Muslim sociocultural contexts. Perceiving diagnosis as the absolute truth feeds fatalistic beliefs further and results in inactivity and invisibility. Implications are offered for policy and practice and for future research.