As the special education research community continues to identify new evidence-based practices (EBP), educators will need to make choices regarding which EBPs to implement. This article provides educators with practical guidelines for selecting EBPs that will improve outcomes for students with learning disabilities (LD), emotional and behavior…

Reading is at the heart of education and it is the basic skill upon which all others are built. Reading difficulties underlie much of the differences in academic achievement between students with specific learning disabilities in reading and non-disabled students; addressing these challenges when children are young is the key for long-term success…

This brief examines California's Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS), which is a framework designed to identify and assist students performing below grade level. MTSS involves at least three tiers of support; Tier 2 includes personalized assistance. Unfortunately, Tier 2 services are not adequately resourced so it is not surprising that…

A learning disabilities coping program was implemented in the final year of two primary schools within the context of a whole class coping program and whole school learning disabilities professional development. Using data collected over three years from school surveys, reports, interviews, school documents and a field diary, this paper reports on…

This dissertation focused on the process of designing, implementing, and formatively evaluating an eight week Classroom Aide Professional Development Training Program (CAPD-TP) on behavior management and academic instruction within the context of a New Jersey state approved private special education school for students with behavioral and/or…

This volume focuses on evidence-based practices (EBPs), supported, sound research studies documenting their effectiveness with a target population. As such, EBPs have significant potential to improve the outcomes of learners with learning and behavioral disorders. However, a number of obstacles exist in identifying, conceptualizing, adopting, and…

Research indicates that the practice of grade-level retention may have negative effects on students; nevertheless it is often used in practice for students who fail to meet academic standards. In contrast to retention, response to intervention (RtI) is a sound practice that is based on a preventive framework and utilizes differentiated instruction…

Response to intervention (RTI) can be both a system for providing early interventions to struggling students and a special education diagnostic tool for evaluating and identifying students with specific learning disabilities. Contributing to the very limited literature on state-level approaches, this report describes how nine states define and…

The National Research Center on Learning Disabilities (Lawrence, KS) prepared this manual as a tool for implementing Responsiveness to Intervention (RTI). The manual can help schools understand, design, and evaluate the RTI features that they will implement. This RTI Manual is based on current research regarding the features of RTI. While striving…

This article describes a peer coaching model implemented in two elementary schools that included the following steps: identify coaches and their needs; identify learning buddies with similar needs; set up a schedule; determine supervision process; plan lessons; implement coaching sessions; reflect on lesson; and evaluate the model. (Contains…

The authors propose the ADPIE model. This model is based on a review of educational and health literature and involves five elements: Assessing factors within elders that affect their ability to learn, Diagnosing special barriers to learning, Planning modifications in learning conditions, Implementing new learnings, and Evaluating educational…

This manual describes an alternative service delivery model, developed at Park Hill School District in Missouri, that involves regular and special education secondary-level teachers in a collaborative instructional delivery system. Its three major components include: (1) "A Class within a Class" which places the teacher of mild/moderate learning…

The report documents third year activities of the Educational Center for Disabled Students serving college students with a broad range of both physical and learning disabilities at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Center goals include improving student academic performance and attitudes through the use of computer technology and academic skills…

Project TAPE (Technical Assistance for Postsecondary Education) was a two-year federal demonstration grant to provide technical assistance to personnel serving learning-disabled students in Illinois. The program involved training of support personnel, development and implementation of Specific Intervention Strategy modules, and a system of state…

The paper describes implementation and evaluation of the Bilingual Special Education Teacher Training program developed at California State University, Fresno. The program includes a summer intensive training program for teacher trainees to gain skills in assessing and instructing Spanish-speaking learning-handicapped children and in working with…