Reading screening assessments help educators identify students who are at risk of reading and determine the need for intervention and supports. However, some schools screen and assess students more often than needed, and the additional information does not improve the accuracy of decisions. This may be especially true for students at the upper…

Introduction: Early Intensive Behavioral Interventions (EIBI) is an applied behavior analysis approach that can be effective for remediating autism spectrum disorder (ASD) symptoms for some individuals (Reichow, 2012). From a population perspective, timely access to early intervention services is assumed to be important for facilitating long term…

The current study explored multiple ways in which middle schools can use and integrate data sources to predict proficiency on future high-stakes state achievement tests. The diagnostic accuracy of (a) prior achievement data, (b) teacher rating scale scores, (c) a composite score combining state test scores and rating scale responses, and (d) two…

Currently, it is required that 2% of total Adult Basic Education (ABE) funding in Minnesota be set aside to provide statewide supplemental services such as staff development, technological development, support for disabled learners, support for communities of color, distance learning, and other innovative projects. Non-profit organizations or…

A questionnaire with demographic questions and questions concerning learning disability (LD) assessment and placement practices was developed and sent to all 341 practicing school psychologists in Minnesota. Focus was on determining: the school psychologist's role in the assessment and reevaluation of students referred for LD placement, the…

Current screening and diagnostic practices for identifying young handicapped children in Minnesota were surveyed. Information was gathered on the populations served, the professionals and tools employed in screening and diagnosis, decision criteria, and the perception of gaps and duplications in services. The results indicated a heavy reliance on…

A study examined the feasibility, reliability, and validity of two instruments designed to assess the degree to which postsecondary vocational students possessed those generalizable skills that are believed to be functionally relevant to success in a vocational program. The instruments, a student self-rating and a teacher rating form, contained 81…

A study was undertaken to develop valid and reliable test instruments for mildly mentally handicapped students enrolled in consumer and homemaking subject matter areas--child development/parenting, nutrition, and consumer education. Following a literature search and identification of subject matter concepts, a pool of four-option multiple-choice…

Investigating programs and full-time personnel which provide special needs services at the postsecondary level in Minnesota Area Vocational-Technical Institutes (AVTIs), a study assessed variability in practitioner use of individual student diagnostic information and prescriptive services in individualized education program (IEP) development and…

Considerable variation exists across response-to-intervention (RTI) approaches. There is currently insufficient research on outcomes associated with these different RTI approaches to inform decision-making. However, school psychologists who are asked to work within an RTI model need guidance to select an approach that has a high likelihood of…

Responsiveness-to-intervention (RTI) is the front-running candidate to replace current practice in diagnosing learning disabilities, but researchers have identified several questions about implementation. Specific questions include: Are there validated intervention models? Are there adequately trained personnel? What leadership is needed? When…