Positive Approach to Student Success: Review of a Program for Reaching Students with Emotional Disturbances

A number of schools in the southern portion of Texas, primarily in and around the Houston metropolitan area and Kentucky have started using a program known as Positive Approach to Student Success, or PASS.？ PASS is a program designed to provide educational services within the mainstream classroom setting for students identified with emotional disturbances and behavior disorders (EBD).？ The program was founded on the belief that youth benefit behaviorally from educational experiences with their non-handicapped peers and academically from participation in the general curriculum where there is access to a “highly qualified” (NCLB, 2001) instructors (Poole and Caperton-Brown, 2005).？ The author will begin with an introduction and a brief program description, and conclude with the author’s suggestions and concerns regarding this program.？ This author’s primary goal is to review this program in an effort to better understand and explain its goals, objectives, and success