The authors examined the extent to which classroom teachers in naturalistic settings used a Goal-Setting Tool to set instructional goals for struggling students, the kinds of goals they set, their progress monitoring practices with and without goals, and the extent to which students gain more when a goal-setting tool is used. The goal-setting tool…

Two investigations were conducted to ascertain teachers' expectations for the performance of the younger siblings of learning disabled students. Results indicated that teachers held lower expectations for younger siblings of LD than of non-LD students. (Author/CL)

School records of 124 students at a private day school for learning disabled (LD) children (average age 12 years) were examined in an attempt to describe one group of students labeled LD. Information available included demographic data; medical history information; parental estimates of child's ability to inteact with others, child's developmental…

The study compared 50 school-identified learning disabled (LD) children with a group of 49 low achieving students (nonLD) not identified as LD. Analysis indicated considerable similarities between the groups; an average of 96 percent of the scores were within a common range, and the performances of LD and low achieving children on many subtests…

The validity of the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery was evaluated with a sample of 50 learning disabled fourth graders. In general, the Battery has some convergent validity but little discriminant validity relative to various cluster scores or specific uses. (Author)

Two studies were conducted to examine the extent to which the category "learning disabilities" (LD) meets the major criterion for classification systems, specifically that the category demonstrates at least one universal and one specific characteristic. Analyses were conducted on psychometric data for 248 students in regular 3rd, 5th,…

The paper considers problems in current assessment and evaluation practices with learning disabled students and discusses forces for change. Among the weaknesses noted are inadequate conceptual and definitional frameworks, practitioner bias, and technical inadequacies of currently used norm referenced tests. The authors outline three factors…

In response to Hallahan et al, the authors suggest that variability in prevalence is a function of the methods used to examine prevalence differences and that the effect specific discrepancy criteria for learning disabilities have on the number of students identified is the critical issue. (Author/DB)

Observation of 17 learning disabled (LD) and 17 regular education students (grades three and four) during reading revealed few differences in the nature of instructional ecology (task, structure, teacher location, and activity), although LD Ss were given significantly more time for individual structures and received more teacher approval.…

The Minnesota Institute studied the assessment of LD (learning disability) children, including such topics as characteristics of referred children and of those found eligible for special education placement, methods of planning instructional interventions, evaluations of the extent to which children profited from instruction, and of effectiveness…

Twenty videotapes of placement team meetings were analyzed relative to the kinds of data presented relative to making decisions about learning disability services. The relationship between the final decision and the amount of information presented was positive: greater likelihood of identification was evident at meetings in which more information…

The study compares the performance of 50 fourth grade learning disabled students on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) and the Tests of Cognitive Abilities from the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery (WJTCA). Results indicated that learning disabled Ss performed more poorly on the Tests of Cognitive Abilities…

School identified learning disabled (LD) fourth graders (N=50) were compared with 49 fourth graders who were underachieving in school (non-LD) but were not identified as LD. Both groups were administered a battery of psychoeducational tests and their performances were compared on all measures. Results indicated considerable similarities between…

The article looks at the concept of discrepancy between ability and achievement in conceptualizations of learning disabilities. Comparison of ability and achievement scores found generally small average discrepancies, though some wide ranges were evident. Implications of the findings for current and future use of discrepancies as estimators of…

The assessment and decision-making practices used by 44 child service demonstration centers, which provide services to learning disabled (LD) children, were investigated in a national survey. Results suggested that assessment and decision making in the field of learning disabilities are characterized by variability and inconsistency. (Author/DLS)