When using response to intervention (RTI) for special education eligibility decisions, multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) may use performance level and rate of improvement (ROI) as two metrics when evaluating student responsiveness. Although examining student responsiveness to instruction is a critical component of an evaluation using RTI, previous…

This article addresses the nature of dyslexia and best practices for identification and treatment within the context of multitier systems of support (MTSS). We initially review proposed definitions of dyslexia to identify key commonalities and differences in proposed attributes. We then review empirical evidence for proposed definitional…

This paper addresses the nature of dyslexia and best practices for identification and treatment within the context of multi-tier systems of support (MTSS). We initially review proposed definitions of dyslexia to identify key commonalities and differences in proposed attributes. We then review empirical evidence for proposed definitional…

In this single-case study, we examined the impact of a simple response card intervention on student engagement during math lessons. An ABA reversal across-subjects design was used to establish a causal relationship between the treatment and the expected outcome. Five adolescents with learning disabilities from a seventh-grade classroom were…

Educators use curriculum-based measurement of oral reading (CBM-R) to measure student response to instruction. Current decision-making frameworks assume students demonstrate linear growth across a school year. However, growth appears nonlinear for at least a subgroup of students. We assessed the degree to which grade two (n = 800) and grade three…

Instruction in history is important for all students. However, students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) often struggle to learn information in this content area. Instructional strategies proven effective for students with SLD are those that include active student responding (ASR), which are observable, measurable responses to…

Teaching science to students with special needs requires different approaches. A program at the study site supplemented packaged science kits with animal-assisted instruction, but such an approach was never evaluated. The purpose of this study was to provide a formative program evaluation documenting students' reactions to the use of animals…

The Idaho State Department of Education (SDE) recently revised its SLD identification policy to include a requirement to document a student's response to intervention coupled with a comprehensive evaluation. To implement this policy, the SDE is using multiple implementation drivers. In this article, we describe how and why the new policy was…

This study examined the effects of testing accommodations on eighth-grade students' performance on large-scale achievement tests and also on their attitudes and reactions to the tests. Findings revealed significant differences in the ways students with and without disabilities experienced testing and how testing accommodations affected students'…

This article introduces a framework for the remediation of number combination (NC) deficits. Research on the remediation of NC deficits is summarized, and research program studies are used to illustrate the 3 approaches to remediation. The Framework comprises a 2-stage system of remediation. The less intensive stage implementing 1 of 3…

No matter how one formally define response to intervention (RTI), most definitions contain common components: scientific, research-based instruction; the use of learning rate and level as the basis for determining effectiveness of intervention; and decisions about intensity and duration of interventions based on a student's response to…

This study investigated the assessment practices used by resource room teachers in Jordan to determine eligibility for learning disability, and to identify assessment obstacles. The study also investigated whether assessment practices and obstacles of assessment differ among resource room teachers as a function of gender and academic…

Two studies examined response to varying amounts of time in reading intervention for two cohorts of first-grade students demonstrating low levels of reading after previous intervention. Students were assigned to one of three groups that received (a) a single dose of intervention, (b) a double dose of intervention, or (c) no intervention.…

The reauthorization of IDEA (the Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004) includes potential use of a response to intervention (RTI) model for the identification of learning disabilities. Using this model, a variety of academic interventions may be implemented with a low-achieving student, with the results monitored to…

Twenty learning disabled students (average age 11) were given a simply written personal report explaining the reason for their referral to the clinic, test results, and next steps in their remedial program. Nineteen children who responded to a mailed follow-up questionnaire were overwhelmingly in favor of the practice. (Author)