This paper provides a framework for use by education agencies in developing rules and guidelines for use of paraprofessionals within programs serving individuals with learning disabilities, by postsecondary institutions and related agencies in developing education and professional development programs, and by administrators and teachers/service…

This report evaluates special education program expansion in the Saginaw (Michigan) school district with federal funding under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The program expansion involved: employment of 16 special education certified teachers to teach students with learning disabilities (LD), emotional impairments (EI), and…

With this inaugural edition of "Evidence for Education," NICHCY launches a new publication series exploring the best evidence-based practices education has to offer. "Strategy Instruction" is a powerful student-centered approach to teaching that is backed by years of quality research. In fact, strategic approaches to learning…

The way in which 261 learning disabilities professors rated their proficiency on Council for Learning Disabilities' competency statements in 11 areas was investigated. Results revealed that reading was the most important competency area. Competence in cognition and career/vocational education was not viewed as particularly important. (Author/SEW)

The case typing, or student profile, method of assessing learning disabilities is discussed, along with guidelines for adequate assessment, obstacles to adequate assessment, the characteristics of good remedial instruction, and pitfalls of individualized education programs. (SEW)

Found that mildly learning disabled elementary school students obtained significantly higher reading achievement in a self-contained special learning disabilities classroom than did students in a regular classroom with outside support from a learning specialist and students in a learning center setting. (FL)

The status of programs serving students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) was investigated via questionnaires completed by 144 SLD teachers in Virginia. Findings raise serious questions concerning instructional intensity and scope in addition to procedural issues related to compliance with federal and state regulations. (Author)

Characteristics, across categories, of 198 students previously identified as educable mentally retarded, learning disabled, and emotionally disturbed were analyzed in order to validate their relevance in distinguishing among the three groups of children. (Author)

The study examined the efficacy of systematic team placement and individualized educational plans (IEPs) on enhancing the social integration of 200 educable mentally retarded and learning/behaviorally disturbed children into regular elementary classrooms. (Author)

Verbal interactions of 46 special education teachers in specific language and learning disability (SLD) classrooms, educable mentally retarded (EMR) classrooms, and trainable mentally retarded (TMR) classrooms were described and compared. The teachers varied, by classroom type, in their use of direct or indirect teaching styles, but the former…

A study compared the effect of two different lecture pause procedures (pauses used for reflection and notetaking; pauses used for discussion) on the recall and note completeness of 27 college students with learning disabilities. Results show independent reflection meant fewer ideas partially recorded in notes, but otherwise no significant…

Examines eight methods that teachers can use to help students with learning problems deal with spelling obstacles: collaboration, precueing, word books, asking the teacher, invented spelling, peer collaboration, self-checking, and computer-assisted writing. Methods are evaluated on how they improve the content and readability of the composition.…

Seven college students who were achieving academically but had been identified as having learning disabilities ("resilient" subjects) and four similar "nonresilient" subjects were interviewed. Common themes between groups were success in a group/team experience, particular areas of strength, an encouraging teacher, a special friend,…

Whether text comprehension strategies could be taught to children with poor decoding and reading skills was studied with 428 fourth graders (poor readers) and 167 students from schools for the learning disabled. Clear benefits of training were apparent at posttesting, but maintenance test performance did not show prolonged benefits, suggesting a…

This study compared two beginning reading programs, Integrated Reading-Writing (IR-W) and DISTAR in comparable urban schools with students "at risk" for literacy problems. Although the two programs resulted in comparable gains in word recognition and overall reading achievement by the end of first grade, children in IR-W tended to…