Having the ability to read is an essential skill for an individual. However, comprehension, the aim of reading, is a complex cognitive process that involves constructing meaning through deliberate thinking. Unfortunately, students with learning disabilities (LD) often struggle with reading, which impairs their comprehension abilities. Repeated…

Dyscalculia is a Specific Learning Disorder that affects ones' ability to comprehend, retain, and recall mathematical principles and basic facts. Approximately five million students in the United States have dyscalculia; these students are eligible to receive interventions and accommodations in math class. This study examined the efficacy of extra…

The U.S. Department of Education, under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, underscores every child's right to integrate, receive support, and fully participate in school life. The problem is that significant disparities exist in reading growth scores between students with disabilities taught in special-education resource settings and…

Schools are tasked with ensuring that students with disabilities are educated within general education classrooms, alongside non-disabled peers, to the maximum extent possible. This study investigated the influence of classroom placement on academic achievement in reading and mathematics for a group of students with mild learning disabilities, who…

Supporting students with mathematics learning difficulties (MLD) as they transition from arithmetic to algebra remains a challenge within the special education and mathematics education research communities. This dissertation includes 3 manuscripts focused on how fifth graders with MLD develop algebraic understandings related to equivalence and…

This exploratory case study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of Voyager Sopris' Read Well program when implemented as a reading intervention in elementary self-contained special education classrooms. This research expands on previous research investigating the implementation of the Read Well with target populations, including those…

Teachers across the United States have implemented the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in math since their release in 2010. These standards were created for all students, both in general education and special education settings; yet, the findings of this study showed one set of standards for every student does not make every student…

A meta-analysis of single-case design research was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of mathematics interventions for elementary grade (K-5) students with mathematics difficulties (MD) and mathematics learning disabilities (LD). The study examined whether intervention effectiveness varied as a function of participant characteristics (i.e.,…

Research suggests that special education teachers lack the pedagogical expertise and content knowledge needed to teach core mathematics standards and to develop the mathematical reasoning of fifth- and sixth-grade students with a mathematics learning disability (MLD). This study used a multiple-baseline design with randomization to examine the…

Extensive research has been conducted on summer reading loss among children from low-SES families and children who are struggling readers (Alexander, Entwisle, & Olson, 2001; Allington, et al., 2010; Compton-Lilly, Caloia, Quast, & McCann, 2016; Cooper, Nye, Charlton, Lindsay, & Greathouse, 1996; Heyns, 1978; Parker & Reid, 2017).…

Students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) have academic and behavioral deficits that impact their school success. For example, reading achievement of students with EBD is lower than typically developing peers and fails to improve over time without intervention. Despite this, the academic deficits of students with EBD often get…

Study purpose includes the collection, examination, and comparison of school district office discipline referral data records for fifth grade students with learning and emotional disabilities for a five-year school year timeframe from 2008-2013 for one school district with PBIS implementation starting with the 2008-2009 academic year. A research…

Existing research studies had analyzed the perceptions of read-aloud accommodations (RAAs) on both students with learning impairment and students without learning impairment at the elementary level; however, the results were mixed. RAAs had been recommended as an aid to help eliminate difficulties faced by students with learning impairments mainly…

Students with learning disabilities (LD's) in inclusion classrooms often face both academic and social difficulties (Alesi, Rappo, & Pepi, 2014; Clever, Bear, & Jovonen, 1992; Lavoie, 2005; Madge, Affleck, & Lowenbraun, 1990; McIntosh, Vaughn, Schumm, Haager, & Lee, 1993; Mercer & Pullen, 2009; Nowicki, 2003). Research on…

The adoption of Common Core State Standards by many states prompted the development of new standardized writing assessments. A limited number of studies investigated the predictive ability of curriculum-based measurements (CBMs) as related to state assessments in writing, and none have analyzed the Mississippi Assessment Program (MAP) for writing.…