In this article, the authors present two models of intensive instruction for students with and without disabilities who are having difficulties with Response to Intervention (RTI) currently in practice (Tier 1: general instruction that all students receive in mainstream classrooms, and Tier 2: programs often involving small group instruction). The…

In this article, the authors consider the power and limitations of responsiveness-to-intervention (RTI) for reducing the need for ongoing and intensive services for the segment of the school population traditionally identified as having a learning disability in mathematics. To assess the robustness of RTI, the authors describe four studies with…

This article provides an overview of Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS) for reading. First, specific activities and research supporting PALS for Grades 2 through 6, High School, Kindergarten, and First Grade are described. Then, research addressing the characteristics of students who have not responded to PALS, as well as approaches to…

The focus of this article is recent CBM work that incorporates diagnostic reading assessment. The goal is to help general and special educators tailor more effective reading instruction for developing readers. The development process for this CBM diagnostic reading assessment is described; the resulting assessment is presented; and preliminary…

Responsiveness to intervention (RTI) is an innovative approach to the identification of learning disabilities (LD). The central assumption is that RTI can differentiate between two explanations for low achievement: poor instruction versus disability. If the child responds poorly to validated instruction, then the assessment eliminates…

The focus of this article is intervention for third-grade students with serious mathematics deficits at third grade. In third grade, such deficits are clearly established, and identification of mathematics disabilities typically begins. We provide background information on two aspects of mathematical cognition that present major challenges for…

The purpose of this article is to describe how increasingly intensive, multilevel interventions can be used to ensure the increase in number of children who learn to read. We first review the promise and limitations of empirically validated best practices for mainstream classrooms. We then discuss results from a recent multilevel intervention…

A historical perspective of the role of school psychologists is outlined, including a discussion of recent developments that encourage a reconceptualization of school psychologists' traditional assessment activity. (Author/LMO)

This article proposes a dual-discrepancy approach to identifying children who do not respond to generally effective reading instruction. Curriculum based measurement is suggested as an effective tool for detecting dual discrepancies and an example is provided from an ongoing program of research that uses the dual-discrepancy approach to identify…

This article provides an overview of identification of appropriate testing accommodations for students with learning disabilities (LD). First it defines the concept of testing accommodations and review research on test accommodations commonly used with students with LD. Next it examines the validity and fairness in accommodations, as well as the…

On December 3, 2004, President Bush signed into law the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA, 2004). The revised law is different from the previous version in at least one important respect. Whereas practitioners were previously encouraged to use IQ-achievement discrepancy to identify children with learning disabilities…

The Peabody Reintegration Project utilizes curriculum-based measurement (CBM) to help integrate pupils with mild and moderate disabilities into mainstream math instruction. CBM is seen to be particularly relevant to a transenvironmental programing process involving environmental assessment, intervention and preparation, promoting transfer across…

Curriculum-based measurement (CBM) bridges traditional psychometric and classroom-based observational assessment paradigms to forge an innovative approach to measurement, with several advantages over traditional and other forms of classroom assessment. This article provides a framework for extending CBM in two ways. First, the authors explain how…

This final report, covering the period September 1, 1997 to August 31, 2001, discusses the development, activities, and outcomes of Upgrading Preparatory Work To Augment Reading Development: UPWARD for Students with Disabilities, a multi-faceted program for providing children with disabilities intensive, phonological awareness and other early…

This article describes "Hot Math," a third-grade intervention conducted with small groups of students with disabilities or in inclusive classrooms that fosters mathematical problem solving. Hot Math integrates two promising practices to promote mathematical problem solving, explicit instruction about transfer and self-regulation strategies.…