Effective science instruction involves opportunities for all students to do science, including engaging in the NGSS Science and Engineering Practices through inquiry-based learning. Many students with learning disabilities have the accommodation of shortened or reduced assignments in their Individualized Educational Programs to allow them equal…

Special education teachers must have the skills to design and deliver intensive interventions for students with severe and persistent learning and behavioral needs. To ensure effective instruction for these students, preservice preparation programs must provide their teacher candidates with opportunities to learn, apply, and practice intensive…

Reinforcing best practice techniques, the second edition of this specialist guide for the assessment of learners with dyslexic-type difficulties includes: (1) a new chapter on The Implications of Co-existing Specific Learning Difficulties; (2) updates to legislation including the SEND [Special Educational Needs and Disabilities] Code of Practice;…

"Learning Tracks" is an assessment tool to support the planning and assessment of learning for children and young people with severe and complex learning disabilities (SCLD). It was designed by Lindy Furby and Jilly Catlow while teaching at St Crispin's School for children and young people with severe and complex learning disabilities.…

Overrepresentation of Dual Language Learners (DLLs) in special education remains a problem even after 40 years of inquiry. One factor is that the U.S. federal government has neither clearly explained the definition of Specific Learning Disability (SLD) nor operationally defined it to identify children for special education services. This lack of…

Rubrics are an integral part of many writing programs, and they represent elements of good writing in essays, stories, poems, as well as other genres and forms of text. Although it is possible to use rubrics to teach students about the processes underlying effective writing, a more common practice is to use rubrics as a means of assessment, after…

Students with strong executive function skills hold the keys to school and social success--from attention and impulse control to time management and organization. Now K-12 teachers have a practical, highly readable guide to enhancing these critical skills for "all" students, with and without learning disabilities. Through the author's memorable…

Are your students engaged and motivated to read and write but hesitant during math instruction? Do you want your students to be as excited about math as they are about literacy? This unique resource explores how best practices for teaching reading and writing can help you become a better math teacher. Drawing on the work of such educators as…

Educators are provided with five suggestions for evaluating popular articles about learning disabilities. Suggestions include identifying the article's major focus, determining the perspective of the author, evaluating the theoretical soundness of the article, evaluating use of terminology, and evaluating the overall usefulness of the article. (DB)

This article addresses the use of curriculum-based measurement (CBM) techniques within regular education settings. Specific CBM decision-making strategies in the areas of mathematics operations are described. Successful application of these strategies in 40 elementary classes, each with at least 1 student with a learning disability, is also…

The paper describes a "mini-assessment" designed to help teachers understand the nature and extent of students' learning problems. A distinction is made between children with reading problems due to neurological differences and those with problems due to emotional, educational, or cultural factors. The importance of identifying and referring the…

This article includes a definition of grading rubrics, a rationale for their use, the benefits of rubrics, and ways to introduce rubrics to students with learning disabilities using the RUBRIC strategy. Rubric resources for teachers are listed, and common problems and suggestions for using grading rubrics are discussed. (Contains 9 references.)…

Presents a classroom method by which teachers can decide upon the placement of and type of instruction for reading disabled children. (FL)

This article presents suggestions for classroom teachers to help prevent and reduce math anxiety for students, particularly students with learning disabilities. The use of a "mathitude" survey to assess dispositions toward math is discussed, as well as using journal writing, cooperative learning, the Internet, and bibliotherapy to address anxiety.…

This article describes both portfolio assessment and curriculum-based measurement; offers a rationale for using these two assessment strategies together; and gives specific steps for combining these two approaches, using a case example of a learning-disabled boy with difficulties in written expression to illustrate the synthesis. (DB)