Abstract
The report of the National Academy of Sciences' Panel on Placement of Students in Programs for the Mentally Retarded is reviewed with a special emphasis on assessment and programming for special education students. A particular naivete regarding the relationship between past and proposed “new” practices is noted and the model proposed by the panel critiqued in light of its failure in past years. An alternative model that builds on students' strengths and that melds apparently disparate psychological models of academic behavior is introduced.