Special education teachers must have the skills to design and deliver intensive interventions for students with severe and persistent learning and behavioral needs. To ensure effective instruction for these students, preservice preparation programs must provide their teacher candidates with opportunities to learn, apply, and practice intensive…

Although twice exceptional students are gradually receiving more recognition and intervention, they are still a grossly underserved segment of the school population. "A Call to Action: Identification and Intervention for Twice and Thrice Exceptional Students" begins with basic information about twice exceptional students--students who…

This case focuses on a novice principal who advocates for a student who was assigned to the first grade for 3 consecutive years. As the instructional leader of the school, the novice principal is troubled by ethics and social justice issues involved to make the decision to assign the student to his age-appropriate grade. The student was placed in…

Federal legislation allows local education agencies to use a student's response to scientific research-based interventions as a method of identifying specific learning disabilities. As a result, educational leadership is challenged to implement response to intervention (RTI). Despite increased literature addressing RTI, no consensus on…

Identifying which K-12 English Learners (ELs) should receive special education services has historically been challenging and fraught with error. Educators are commonly puzzled as to whether an EL student's academic difficulties are the result of insufficient academic English language, inappropriate instruction, or an intrinsic learning…

Recent years have brought many changes to the ways in which schools in the United States address learning disabilities in their students. In an attempt to provide all students with appropriate reading instruction and to identify struggling students in a more timely manner, the 2004 revision of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act…

General and special educators have used many instructional strategies to help students with learning disabilities (LD) succeed in school. One of those strategies is cue cards. As a vehicle for supporting evidence-based practices, cue cards help students (a) learn academic and behavioral steps, principles, procedures, processes, and rules; (b)…

Response to Intervention (RTI) is an instructional framework through which schools can provide early intervention for students experiencing academic and behavioral difficulties. It is also promoted as an alternative to the IQ-discrepancy model for identifying students with learning disabilities. Most states have developed, or are developing,…

Response to Intervention (RTI), as a model for improving services to all students, has been a growing phenomenon since the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 2004. The National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE) defines RTI as "the practice of (1) providing high-quality…

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC) Master's degree in learning disabilities is delivered via distance education to surrounding rural counties. Describes the UNCC-community college partnership, technology selection and resources, faculty and student training for using distance education technology, costs, funding, student…

Described is Project APSE (Action Planning in Special Education), an alternative approach to special education teacher training in which graduate students plan a diagnostic and remedial program for children referred with possible learning disabilities within the school setting. (CL)

Describing a program aimed at learning disabled boys aged 11-15, this article presents the program's purpose and goals (mainstreaming), activities, and main focus (a maple syrup operation and guide development project). (JC)

Described are components of the competency based teacher training program in learning disabilities at the University of North Florida. Presented are the program's thirteen generic competencies, including statement of objectives in observable terms, identification of pupil interest and motivation, modality assessment, developmental sequence of…

This is a one year evaluation of Project BUILD, a program combining bilingual and special education and providing services to 100 children from grades 1-6 in East Harlem, New York. Section I of the evaluation gives descriptive and background information on this special program for the bilingual learning disabled. Section II sets forth the…

The College for Living is an educational program for adults with developmental disabilities. It is based on the theory that everyone can learn something and has the right to an education in a positive setting. The program is characterized by high morale, nontraditional teaching methods emphasizing experiential learning, and individualization.…