Providing appropriate academic evaluation and intervention services for English learners remains a challenging goal for school support teams. Understanding English language proficiency assessment and universal screening processes can help teams make better decisions when considering possible continued intervention or referral for a comprehensive…

In the 2020/21 school year, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) began an ongoing effort to collect and analyze literacy screening assessment data from schools and districts participating in certain state grants to inform improvement efforts. Grantee schools and districts that provide literacy screening…

Beginning with the 2020/21 school year, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) began an ongoing effort to collect and analyze early literacy screening assessment data from schools and districts participating in certain state grants to inform improvement efforts. Outcome data suggest that the current educational…

Between 50-80% of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have insomnia, which adversely affects their mental and physical health. However, there is no consensus to-date on suitable tools for insomnia screening and monitoring in daily clinical practice. An expert panel of child neuropsychiatry and sleep specialists, with expertise in children…

A Comprehensive early literacy policy establishes support and intensive reading interventions for K-3 students to ensure they read on grade level by the end of 3rd grade. The policy also requires 3rd grade students to demonstrate sufficient reading skills for promotion to 4th grade. For students severely below grade level and who do not qualify…

Universal screening and progress monitoring are evidence-based practices in early intervention/early childhood special education (EI/ECSE). Individual Growth and Development Indicators (IGDIs) for infants/toddlers are measures that programs can use for universal screening, progress monitoring, intervention decision-making, and accountability.…

The degree to which a student expresses a reading difficulty is always an interaction between the child's opportunity to learn (due to absences, instructional quality, or other issues) and the extent of the student's reading impairment. Thus, youngsters who are provided a genuine opportunity to learn to read--including high-quality, explicit,…

Teachers who work with students with targeted, co-occurring academic and behavior differences require the knowledge, tools, and support for effective interventions across both domains. This article provides a research-informed, three-step process to support teachers in designing and implementing integrated targeted interventions for mathematics…

Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) is a framework for organizing and providing a tiered instructional continuum to support learning for all students. MTSS has the potential to meet the academic and behavioral needs of all students. However students with the most significant cognitive disabilities often are not included in this framework even…

Assessment is fundamental to school psychology, but its purpose has shifted from making predictions about children to improving outcomes for children. This commentary on the special issue focuses on screening and progress-monitoring decisions that can be used to solve student problems. We outline several psychometric and practical issues that…

Many states struggle with collecting reliable and valid data that can be easily analyzed at the state level. This can be particularly challenging in states where schools and districts have local control over the selection of their assessment tools. This state spotlight presents the strategies that the Iowa Department of Education (IDE) used to…

Writing is an essential skill and outcome for academic and professional success, but the call for evidence-based practices and instructional differentiation to support all student-writers' needs has yet to be sufficiently addressed. The Common Core State Standards' Initiative resurfaced a focus on writing instruction and brought attention to…

The goal of a Comprehensive K-3 Reading Policy is to ensure all students read on grade level by the end of third grade. A comprehensive policy ensures early identification of struggling readers and establishes intensive reading intervention for K-3 students who need more support to become successful readers. The policy focuses on demonstrated…

More than half of North Carolina's grade 3 students struggle with reading. The percentage of students scoring below proficient in reading at the end of grade 3 was 55 percent in 2017/18. That percentage has remained largely unchanged, at above 50 percent, since 2013/14, when North Carolina passed its K-3 Read to Achieve literacy act. Read to…

More than half of North Carolina's grade 3 students struggle with reading. The percentage of students scoring below proficient in reading at the end of grade 3 was 55 percent in 2017/18. That percentage has remained largely unchanged, at above 50 percent, since 2013/14, when North Carolina passed its K-3 Read to Achieve literacy act. Read to…