Qualifying a student for a learning disability can be difficult to know if they truly are learning disabled or is something else going on. Due to the IQ discrepancy model, to qualify a student with a learning disability, you must have an average IQ, but you are performing below grade level in achievement (Willis, 2019). However, there could be a…

Response to Intervention (RtI) is a tiered system that is designed to provide varied levels of support to students that may be at-risk for learning disabilities. These interventions are adjusted for students based on their progress and associated data. For students that are nonresponsive to interventions over time, a special education evaluation…

English Learners (ELs) have become a significant part of classrooms in the United States, posing a challenge for teachers to provide an equitable education. Inadequate training and a weak understanding of bilingual students' literacy and language development make it difficult for teachers to make instructional decisions for reading instruction.…

Students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) represent roughly five percent of U.S. public school students aged 3-21. Current federal policy outlines guidelines for identification of SLDs, while ultimately leaving specific procedures to the determination of state and local education agencies. Research into how the method used in…

Since the early 2000s, federal, state, and local lawmakers and educators have worked to combat the "wait to fail" mentality and support higher student grade level academic achievements. Educators were tasked with finding teaching methods that better served academically struggling students, some of whom had specified learning…

This qualitative inquiry explored district-based educators' sensemaking of an ongoing, statewide professional learning series focused on special education eligibility for students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) using a response-to-intervention (RtI) approach within a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS). Specifically, the professional…

The relationships between response to intervention (RTI) data, cognitive ability, academic achievement, identification methods, and specific learning disability (SLD) identification have been studied extensively in recent years; however, an empirically supported method of identifying a learning disability has yet to be agreed upon. Without a…

This qualitative case study focuses on implementations of response to intervention (RTI) to help African American and Hispanic students with learning disabilities in mathematics. The research problem addresses the achievement gap in mathematical competency's for African American and Hispanic students diagnosed with specific learning disabilities…

Fewer than half of students demonstrated proficiency on Michigan state-administered summative assessments at the end of third grade at a rural, Title I school in Michigan. The purpose of this quantitative study was to compare reading fluency gains between grade levels (i.e., kindergarten, first, and second grades) in an effort to better understand…

The very first federal law that affected a student with special needs was the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA: Public Law 94-142) established in 1975 by the United States Congress. PL 94-142 required all schools that received federal funds to accept students with physical and mental disabilities and to educate these children in the…

The purpose of this study was to determine to what extent two major specific learning disability (SLD) criteria, including a student's level of academic achievement and rate of improvement (ROI), predict multidisciplinary evaluation teams' decision-making regarding referral for special education evaluation and special education eligibility.…

A significant number of students receive special education services for mathematics learning disabilities, however, many additional students need mathematics intervention to support their learning in the regular education classroom. A Response to Intervention (RtI) model has been identified as effective in addressing these students' needs;…

Response to Intervention and Instruction (RTI) is now the process for providing and monitoring reading interventions for students. In Tennessee, RTI is also used to identify students who may have a learning disability in the area of reading. For this reason, school districts are continuously evaluating the success of their RTI efforts in order to…

Response to Intervention and Instruction (RTI) is now the process for providing and monitoring reading interventions for students. In Tennessee, RTI is also used to identify students who may have a learning disability in the area of reading. For this reason, school districts are continuously evaluating the success of their RTI efforts in order to…

Response to Intervention and Instruction (RTI) is now the process for providing and monitoring reading interventions for students. In Tennessee, RTI is also used to identify students who may have a learning disability in the area of reading. For this reason, school districts are continuously evaluating the success of their RTI efforts in order to…