"Imagine a world in which every single person on the planet is given free access to the sum of all human knowledge. That's what we're doing." --Jimmy Wales With more than 2,000,000 individual articles on everything from Aa! (a Japanese pop group) to Zzyzx, California, written by an army of volunteer contributors, Wikipedia is the #8 site on the World Wide Web. Created (and corrected) by anyone with access to a computer, this impressive assemblage of knowledge is growing at an astonishing rate of more than 30,000,000 words a month. Now for the first time, a Wikipedia insider tells the story of how it all happened--from the first glimmer of an idea to the global phenomenon it's become. Andrew Lih has been an administrator (a trusted user who is granted access to technical features) at Wikipedia for more than four years, as well as a regular host of the weekly Wikipedia podcast. In The Wikipedia Revolution, he details the site's inception in 2001, its evolution, and its remarkable growth, while also explaining its larger cultural repercussions. Wikipedia is not just a website; it's a global community of contributors who have banded together out of a shared passion for making knowledge free. Featuring a Foreword by Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales and an Afterword that is itself a Wikipedia creation.

A practical, applied approach to assessing learners with special needs from early childhood through transition Assessing Learners with Special Needs: An Applied Approach, 8/e provides readers with a practical, step-by-step approach to learning about the complex procedures of the assessment process. This new edition provides a new presentation format and a new format for assessing student mastery of material through interactive learning activities. The Enhanced Pearson eText features embedded video, assessments, and exercises.

At last, a practical guide to the what, how, when, and where of effective assessment! When determining whether or not a student should receive special education services, what the specific nature of the student′s instruction should be, or the extent to which a student is making educational progress, it is critical to know not only what sort of assessment method is most appropriate, but how, when, and where it should be administered. Including a pretest, posttest, and key vocabulary terms, Effective Assessment for Students With Special Needs helps educators make these weighty decisions with highly practical information such as: Formal and informal methods of data collection When to use various assessment practices and what they can show an evaluator Standards for conducting assessments to ensure accuracy Using data to make decisions about the education of students with disabilities and those who are gifted and talented

Learning disabilities are among the most common disabilities experienced in childhood and adulthood. Although identifying learning disabilities in a school setting is a complex process, it is particularly challenging in low- and middle-income countries that lack the appropriate resources, tools, and supports. This guide provides an introduction to learning disabilities and describes the processes and practices that are necessary for the identification process. It also describes a phased approach that countries can use to assess their current screening and evaluation services, as well as determine the steps needed to develop, strengthen, and build systems that support students with learning disabilities. This guide also provides intervention recommendations that teachers and school administrators can implement at each phase of system development. Although this guide primarily addresses learning disabilities, the practices, processes, and systems described may be also used to improve the identification of other disabilities commonly encountered in schools.

Make the best decisions about the design and development of AA-MAS, so students can reach their full potential and schools can meet adequate yearly progress requirements. A comprehensive, research-based guide for policymakers and administrators.

Assessing Students with Special Needs to Produce Quality Outcomes promotes outcome-based evaluation to guide the Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) in selecting appropriate Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals, classroom modifications and accommodations, as well as optimal instructional strategies. It advances the development of assessment-based IEPs to enable the MDT to pinpoint and address specific needs to improve student outcomes. Obtaining data from a variety of perspectives and settings improves the opportunity for identifying overall competencies and needs in preparation for higher functioning in all settings. Assessing Students with Special Needs to Produce Quality Outcomes presents an integrated look at a variety of assessment methods in an easy to read book. FEATURES: Recommends student-centered, strength-based assessment techniques by providing reality-based stories to aid the reader in understanding how the tools of formal, informal, and authentic assessment merge to provide a more complete understanding of the student. Provides special features for linking IEP development and daily instruction to highlight the fundamental relationship between assessment and the IEP. Emphasizes the growing role of technology in the assessment process as identified by IDEA 2004 to utilize assistive technology in evaluation and instruction. Includes innovative, research-based techniques not extensively explored in other assessment textbooks. Explains the impact of cultural diversity on assessment issues and provides specific recommendations for addressing nondiscriminatory, culturally-sensitive evaluation to prepare the reader to meet the needs of a diverse society. Proposes authentic strategies to increase parent, teacher and student participation in the IEP process as mandated by IDEA 2004.