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 position statement of the Board of Trustees of the Council for Learning Disabilities opposes the use of discrepancy formulas to determine eligibility for learning disability services and recommends instead comprehensive diagnostic evaluations. (DB)

Normal (N=58) and learning disabled (N=52) primary grade children were classified into five groups (overachievers, target achievers, under achievers, slow learners, and disabled achievers) based on IQ-achievement and age-achievement discrepancies and followed over a 3-year period. Learning disabled students became more disabled with age in spite…

Comparison of psychometric profiles of learning disabled and non-LD students (total N=223) across LD status, district, and age variables indicated that only severity of academic underachievement consistently differentiated the LD and non-LD pupils. Comparison across districts revealed different LD profiles despite use of identitical eligibility…

Beginning in 1983 with the Connecticut Longitudinal Study (Shaywitz, Shaywitz, & Fletcher, 1992), with additions to the NICHD research program in 1987 (Lyon, 1996), educators were able to initiate new multidisciplinary prospective, longitudinal studies to define and classify LDs, to identify the multiple factors responsible for their presentation,…

Third and fourth-grade learning disabled boys were compared to low-achieving third and fourth graders (N=24) matched on sex, race, grade, classroom, and reading achievement. No significant differences were found between these two groups in terms of levels of classroom acceptance, social knowledge, and social behavior as rated by their regular…

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…

Two studies examined underachieving and control children's beliefs about the causes of their successes and failures. In Study 1, children (N=186) were administered a scale measuring locus of control in achievement situations. In Study 2, children rated the importance of ability, effort, task difficulty, and luck for success and failure in reading,…

Among the many factors associated with Latino students' educational outcomes, two stand out: culture and bilingualism. The first manifests itself in multiple national origins, traditions, and histories. These interact with American culture, producing unique sociocultural and socioeconomic outcomes. More than anything, however, what impacts Latino…

Historically, researchers, policy makers, and practitioners have sought improved solutions to the issues associated with LD identification decisions. Since the passage of P.L. 94-142, numerous identification methods has been proposed, implemented, and studied. While each new method has been successful, at least partially, in addressing some of the…

As regulations are rewritten regarding school-based learning disabilities identification practices, the components of those practices are likely to change. For example, cognitive assessment and aptitude-achievement discrepancy might be less important. A student's responsiveness-to-intervention (RTI) is emerging as an important construct for…

This interview study examined the perceptions and beliefs about cognitive strategy instruction of 31 classroom teachers of underachieving students and 9 strategy researchers. Teachers and researchers generally agreed about components of strategy instruction and when to teach them; one difference was the tendency of researchers to relegate each…

Information from 290 school psychologists was compared to Frankenberger and Fronzaglio's 1991 data on state education department recommendations on evaluating discrepancies between ability and achievement. A trend toward more appropriate methods of quantifying discrepancies between ability and achievement was noted, but considerable questionable…