The purpose of this article is to understand the decision-making processes by assessment personnel when choosing instruments to evaluate students with learning disabilities. Eight school personnel responsible for the evaluation of students in Texas participated in face-to-face, semistructured interviews. The instruments chosen were based on a…

Response to Intervention (RtI) is a systematic approach that provides a framework for addressing student learning, allows for accountable decision-making based upon the individual skill level of each student, and gives schools a methodical way for special education determinations. RtI began as a framework for students suspected of having a…

The criteria regular education teachers use to determine which students to refer for evaluation not only vary, but are also unclear. In the best interest of children, it is important to understand what leads to a teacher referral of certain students and not others. Thus the primary objective of this study was to identify the factors that influence…

To analyze how schools place students into special education, 66 case discussions were transcribed and assessment team members interviewed. Ways in which team participants weigh statements were examined through a taxonomy of their perceptions of learning disabilities and a match of the meeting discussions to subsequent placement decisions in light…

The article delineates the training and competencies individuals should possess if they have primary responsibility for classification and placement decisions for the learning disabled. (Author)

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 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…

To assess a child's readiness to integrate, a "competency based assessment" is described. Here, the standards of a particular regular class are measured and the handicapped child's competencies are compared to those standards. (Author)

The paper describes an approach to developing systematic procedures for identifying handicapped children that leads to rational decisions regarding placement. An expert system is described which involves the user in a dialogue on data regarding individual children; this dialogue is similar in many ways to a consultation with an expert. After…

The history of the strategy of grade retention for low achieving students is briefly reviewed and conflicts concerning its efficacy are summarized. Current research aimed at identifying specific criteria (including some found to be correlates of learning disabilities) which aid educators in making retention decisions is described. (Author/DB)

The study applied a standard-score and regression-analysis procedure to achievement-potential discrepancy data for new learning disability placements of about 90 (LD) learning disabled students. Results indicated that only two-thirds of the initially placed students exhibited a severe discrepancy suggesting the frequent placement of slow learners…

Questionnaire data from 100 directors of special education were analyzed to examine the manner in which decisions are made about learning disabled (LD) children in school settings. Information was obtained on the membership of teams making screening, placement, and instructional planning decisions; major steps involved in the assessment and…

The study examined the ability of intellectual, achievement, and behavioral data to predict placement of 95 learning disabled students (ages 7 to 15) into a special program. Only 27-33 percent of the variance was accounted for by the battery of assessment instruments in student placement decisions. (Author/DB)

Teachers of the learning disabled (N=150) reported that major identification criteria in recent learning disability (LD) placements were intraindividual variability, achievement-potential discrepancy, below grade level academic achievement, and exclusion of other handicapping conditions. Teachers serving only LD students reported more emphasis on…

The article discusses legal and educational concerns with providing services for learning disabled students under Title 1 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act which provides services for schools with underachieving disadvantaged students. (DB)