Interventions based on the results of functional behavioral assessment (FBA) have been the topic of extensive research and, in certain cases, mandated for students with disabilities under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act. There exist a wide variety of methods for conducting such assessments, with little consensus in the field. The…

During the past decade, responsiveness to intervention (RTI) has become popular among many practitioners as a means of transforming schooling into a multilevel prevention system. Popularity aside, its successful implementation requires ambitious intent, a comprehensive structure, and coordinated service delivery. An effective RTI also depends on…

The author responds to a previous article (EC 122 795) explaining and critiquing various efficiency index formulas to quantify the effectiveness of intervention in preschool program for the handicapped. (DB)

The Proportional Change Index (PCI), a numerical statement of the relationship between children's rate of development during intervention with the rate of development at the time intervention began, is proposed as a way of expressing child progress from developmental data. (Author/CL)

Guiding principles of precision teaching are reviewed, the use of the Standard 'celeration chart illustrated, and implementation aspects involved in pinpointing, counting, charting, and evaluating are described. The article concludes with a brief summary of effectiveness research. (CL)

Intervention programs claiming to benefit young handicapped children are increasingly being required to provide evidence of their effectiveness. An intervention efficiency index (IEI) is proposed as a method of measuring child progress and program impact by relating changes in children's developmental capabilities to time spent in a program.…

Two studies document benefits of implementing CBM (curriculum-based measurement) in both special and regular education settings. In Study 1 CBM is demonstrated to be a valid and reliable measurement system that aids teacher decisions regarding student placement, progress, and intervention effectiveness in an elementary school. Study II outlines…

The attainment of curricular goals, rather than improved IQ scores, was the basis for evaluation of the effectiveness of a program for disadvantaged preschoolers. Featured is the development of an Inventory of Cognitive Skills and Visual-Motor Functioning to evaluate the child's level of functioning in curriculum-related areas. (KW)

The study evaluated developmental progress in three groups of infants (9-30 months) presenting Down syndrome (n=28), mild disability (n=16), or moderate/severe disabilities (n=16). To evaluate intervention impact, formulas that measure rate of development and change in rate of development were computed. Findings indicated rate change formulas were…

Using data from 28 mildly retarded high-school graduates, the economic costs and outcomes resulting from special education services were determined. Results indicated that with appropriately identified, measured, and valued costs and benefits, it is possible to employ a formal benefit-cost framework to assess the efficiency of special education…

This article reviews promises, practices, and provisos of alternative assessment as a basis for illustrating what is known about measuring progress of students with disabilities in statewide assessment programs. Nineteen data-based studies have been used to begin to document the effects of alternative assessment. However, it is concluded there are…

This article provides a case study (an eighth-grader with autism) within a case study (an urban middle school) in terms of the implementation of positive behavioral support (PBS). Information is provided on the characteristics of three key components of schoolwide PBS, universal support, group support, and individual support. (Contains…