This article presents the findings from a pilot study exploring the use of video as a self-reflection tool combined with high-quality, collaborative professional development (PD). Participants were in-service, upper-elementary, special education instructors teaching word study and fluency to students with learning disabilities. Participants…

The reading and mathematics achievement and specific mathematics competencies of 74 children were followed during second and third grades. Although children with moderate mathematics deficiencies (MMD-only) and children with moderate mathematics and reading difficulties started out at the same level in mathematics, the MMD-only group surpassed the…

Twenty-four students with reading difficulties (grade 4) and 85 skilled readers completed a reading comprehension test, read aloud a folktale, and read aloud a list of the folktale's words. Skilled readers read three times more correct words per minute in context and showed higher accuracy and rates on all measures. (Contains references.)…

Three studies investigated children's responsiveness to general education reading instruction as an indicator of need for more intensive interventions and found that the response-to-instruction model tested was valid. Results indicated that children at-risk (n=47) who received specially designed general education instruction had better outcomes…

This article explores conceptual and technical issues associated with options for specifying three assessment components for implementing an intervention responsiveness approach to the identification of learning disabilities: the timing of the measurement of student response to intervention; the criterion for demarcating learning as inadequate;…

This article analyzes factors related to bringing research-validated practices to scale to enable implementation of responsiveness-to- intervention models in special education. Key components of effective literacy programs are discussed, along with findings from reading intervention research. The need for professional collaboration among…

A study compared the global self-concept, academic self-perception, social competence, and behavioral problems of 19 children (ages 8-13) with learning disabilities with their siblings. Although, children with learning disabilities did not differ in global self-concept and academic self-perception, parents rated them as less socially competent and…

A 2-year study evaluated the relationship among psychosocial adjustment, changes in academic skills, and contextual factors in 100 children (ages 7-11) with learning problems. Contextual variables were significantly associated with psychosocial adaptation, including the effectiveness of the clinical assessment, extent of academic support, and the…

Twenty-six children (ages 11-13) with spelling deficits, 31 younger spelling-level-matched children, and 31 age-matched children were asked to spell verbs with past tense and progressive markers in dictated sentences and list form. Children with spelling deficits had significant difficulty with inflections as well as spelling inflections and base…

In this introductory article, a response-to-instruction approach to learning disabilities (LD) identification is discussed. An overview of the promise and potential pitfalls of such an approach is provided. Benefits include identification of students based on risk rather than deficit and early identification. Questions concern the integrity of the…

This article describes the two basic versions of the responsiveness-to-intervention (RTI) approach for identifying learning disabilities, the problem solving model and the standard-protocol approach. It reviews evidence on effectiveness and feasibility and concludes that more needs to be understood before RTI may be viewed as a valid…

This article describes the problem-solving model (PSM) used in the Minneapolis Public Schools to guide decisions regarding intervention in general education, special education referral, and evaluation for special education eligibility for high-incidence disabilities. Program evaluation indicates students received special education services earlier…

A study collected sociometric data in 39 second- through sixth-grade classrooms, 22 of which were engaged in Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS), a form of peer tutoring. Students with learning disabilities in PALS classes were more socially accepted than those in no-PALS classes and enjoyed the same social standing as controls. (Contains…

A study involving 28 fourth-graders in a reform mathematics classroom, 3 with learning disabilities, investigated changes in teacher and student discourse over nine-weeks. Clear patterns of change in teacher and student discourse occurred. Nonetheless, intentional efforts to include target students in whole-class discussions yielded instructional…

This article reports on an interactional ethnographic study of three professional-development conversations on the participation of students with special needs in guided inquiry science instruction. It focuses on how teachers' thinking about the use of small-group work changed over the course of the conversations and led to modifications in…