Response to intervention (RTI) can be considered an everyday practice in many parts of the United States, whereas, in Finland, only recently has a new framework for support in learning taken shape. Choosing Finland as the comparative partner for this policy paper is justified as its educational system has been widely referenced on the basis of…

The position statement of the Board of Trustees of the Council for Learning Disabilities opposes the inclusion of nonhandicapped low achievers and underachievers in learning disability programs and recommends that these students be served within the regular education program. (DB)

The paper outlines educational options for learning disability students. Five options (from regular class placement with consultation to special education programs in residential facilities) are described along with seven recommendations for improved services (including continuity of programs and services, variety of instructional approaches, and…

On-site reviews of California school districts suggest inadequate assessment, evaluation, placement, and re-evaluation of limited-English proficient Hispanic students. Sixteen policy considerations concerning such aspects as equal access, screening, multidimensional assessment, testing guidelines, and language competence are discussed. (Author/DB)

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 paper delineates three observable and measurable variables in the regular classroom (response opportunity, teacher-student interaction, and social acceptance) which the placement team can use to make the initial placement decision and to evaluate educational progress in the future for learning disabled students. (Author)

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 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…

Results of the California study indicated that Black students continued to be overrepresented in mental retardation and learning disability programs, that American Indians were underrepresented in the categories of speech impaired and seriously emotionally disturbed, and that the Asian group was underrepresented in learning disabilities. (DB)

Learning disabled students (N=638), students receiving remedial Chapter 1 instruction (N=451), and regular students (N=2,337) were sorted by reading skill level. Reading achievement emerged as the best single predictor of group membership supporting school social policy of allocation of service delivery on the basis of classroom achievement.…

This article examines a 1995 treatment validity model as a framework for identifying learning disabilities. This model: (1) examines both student performance and responsiveness to instruction; (2) delays special education referral until the effects of individual student adaptations in the regular classroom have been explored; and (3) verifies that…

A survey of 301 randomly selected local education agencies was undertaken in order to estimate the availability and types of special services currently provided to specific learning disabled adolescents, the identification and placement procedures used, and the primary problems in service delivery. (PHR)

Results of the study of the relative effects of two previewing procedures on oral reading (listening to the teacher reading or listening to a taped recording) with four elementary-aged learning disabled boys found both previewing procedures superior to no previewing and the teacher reading previewing more effective than the taped previewing.…

Results indicated that Ss in the vocational training class were superior to the other two groups in social maturity and career attitudes. Additionally, significant differences in social maturity and career attitudes were found among the three learning disabled groups. (Author/SBH)