In this report, we summarize research on the identification of SLD and make recommendations for practice. The report begins with a summary of the legal requirements for SLD identification and what constitutes a comprehensive evaluation. It then discusses the attributes of SLD according to different conceptual frameworks and reviews research on the…

Presenting major advances in understanding learning disabilities (LDs) and describing effective educational practices, this authoritative volume has been significantly revised and expanded with more than 70% new material. Foremost LD experts identify effective principles of assessment and instruction within the framework of multi-tiered systems of…

We evaluated the technical adequacy of oral reading fluency (ORF) probes in which 1,472 middle school students with and without reading difficulties read fluency probes for 60 s versus reading the full passage. Results suggested that the reliability of 60-s probes (rs = 0.75) was not substantively different than full passage probes (rs = 0.77)…

Few empirical investigations have evaluated learning disabilities (LD) identification methods based on a pattern of cognitive strengths and weaknesses (PSW). This study investigated the reliability and validity of two proposed PSW methods: the concordance/discordance method (C/DM) and cross battery assessment (XBA) method. Cognitive assessment…

IQ test scores should be corrected for high stakes decisions that employ these assessments, including capital offense cases. If scores are not corrected, then diagnostic standards must change with each generation. Arguments against corrections, based on standards of practice, information present and absent in test manuals, and related issues,…

This article, which introduces six papers on the validity of distinguishing subgroups of children with language and learning disabilities based on discrepancies between academic attainment and intelligence test scores, comments on the papers' diversity in samples, measurement characteristics, and statistical approaches and outlines the studies'…

This study, involving 1,069 children (ages 9-14) referred for evaluation of learning disability, used 3 definitions of reading disability to provide criteria for 5 groups of children based on discrepancy between intelligence quotient (IQ) and academic achievement. Results question the validity of segregating children with reading deficiencies…

The reliability and validity of 4 approaches to the assessment of children and adolescents with learning disabilities (LD) are reviewed, including models based on (a) aptitude-achievement discrepancies, (b) low achievement, (c) intra-individual differences, and (d) response to intervention (RTI). We identify serious psychometric problems that…

The reliability and validity of 4 approaches to the assessment of children and adolescents with learning disabilities (LD) are reviewed, including models based on (a) aptitude-achievement discrepancies, (b) low achievement, (c) intra-individual differences, and (d) response to intervention (RTI). We identify serious psychometric problems that…

The reliability and validity of 4 approaches to the assessment of children and adolescents with learning disabilities (LD) are reviewed, including models based on (a) aptitude-achievement discrepancies, (b) low achievement, (c) intra-individual differences, and (d) response to intervention (RTI). We identify serious psychometric problems that…

This article reviews the validity of models based on (a) aptitude--achievement discrepancies, (b) low achievement, (c) intraindividual differences, and (d) response to instruction for the classification and identification of learning disabilities (LD). Models based on aptitude--achievement discrepancies and intraindividual differences showed…

This paper reviews research on the classification of students with learning disability (LD). It first examines the evolution of LD definitions and the evidence for three components of LD classification: discrepancy, heterogeneity, and exclusion. It suggests that classification hypotheses involving discrepancy and exclusion have weak validity and…

For successful classification of children with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, major issues include (1) the need for explicit studies of identification criteria; (2) the need for systematic sampling strategies; (3) development of hypothetical classifications; and (4) systematic assessment of reliability and validity of hypothetical…

To examine the validity of distinguishing children with reading disabilities according to discrepancy and low-achievement definitions, 4 assessments of expected achievement and 2 of actual achievement were obtained for 199 elementary school students. Results do not support the validity of the discrepancy versus the low-achievement definition.…