The purpose of this review was to synthesize research on the effect of professional development (PD) targeting data-based decision-making processes on teachers' knowledge, skills, and self-efficacy related to curriculum-based measurement (CBM) and data-based decision-making (DBDM). To be eligible for this review, studies had to: (1) be published…

Spelling is one of the most challenging areas for students with learning disabilities (LD), and improving spelling outcomes for these students is of high importance. In this synthesis, we examined the effects of spelling and reading interventions on spelling outcomes for students with LD in Grades K through 12. A systematic search of peer-reviewed…

This review investigates effective interventions for teaching algebra to students with learning disabilities and evaluates the complexity and alignment of skills with the Common Core State Standards in math. The review includes the results of 10 experimental and 5 single-subject designs (N = 15) producing a moderate overall effect size (g = 0.48).…

Much is known about short-term--but very little about the long-term--effects of reading interventions. To rectify this, a detailed analysis of follow-up effects as a function of intervention, sample, and methodological variables was conducted. A total of 71 intervention-control groups were selected (N = 8,161 at posttest) from studies reporting…

This meta-analysis synthesizes the literature on interventions for struggling readers in Grades 4 through 12 published between 1980 and 2011. It updates Scammacca et al.'s analysis of studies published between 1980 and 2004. The combined corpus of 82 study-wise effect sizes was meta-analyzed to determine (a) the overall effectiveness of reading…

In this longitudinal study, we investigated the role of word reading and mathematical difficulties measured in 9th grade as factors for receiving educational support for learning in upper secondary education in Grades 10 to 12 (from ages 16 to 19) and furthermore as predictors of dropout from upper secondary education within 5 years after…

Cognitive behavior modification (CBM), Direct Instruction (DI), and holistic approaches to the education of students with learning disabilities are compared for purposes of identifying similarities and differences in instructional practice. Comparative discussions are organized around four distinctions: specific vs. general, bottom-up vs.…

The review examines evaluations of the efficacy of special education programs for mildly disabled children. The author suggests that serious methodological flaws make our present knowledge in this area very weak and proposes a methodology to address and overcome many of the limitations of previous research. (Author)

Forty-five children with various handicaps, aged 3-15, were screened for motor delays and assigned to therapy with occupational or physical therapists. Results were that developmental therapy affected gross motor gains in preschool children with moderate delays, and that one treatment per week was effective. (Authors)

The feasibility of an instructional management program for learning disabled (LD), incarcerated youths was examined in a comparison of peer tutors and LD teachers in a computational mathematics program for 38 LD delinquents (12 to 17 years old). Pre- and posttest results indicated no significant difference between the tutors' and teachers' groups.…

An in-service program for secondary learning disabilities teachers was based on three premises: adolescents can be motivated, and instruction can be individualized with innovative curriculum materials; contingency management can improve social conduct and academic achievement; and expensive gadgets and large consulting staffs are not prerequisties…

The study reports the findings of a meta-analysis, the application of statistical methods of data synthesis from individual studies, reviewing 180 studies assessing the efficacy of perceptual motor training. Perceptual motor training was not found to be an effective intervention technique for improving academic, cognitive, or perceptual motor…

This article critically examines issues of whether children with learning disabilities differentially exhibit concomitant problems in sensory integration (SI) and whether such children are helped by SI therapy. It concludes that research findings indicate that SI therapy is not merely unproven but a demonstrably ineffective remedial treatment for…

The article raises questions about the resource room model as an educational delivery system for handicapped students. (Author)

Efficacy of a brief cognitive-affective intervention to enhance motivational readiness for participating in a psychoeducational decision-making conference was evaluated with 32 school-age children with possible learning disabilities. Although outcomes specific to the preconference intervention were not found, a positive relationship between…