The purpose of this study was to assess the relative contribution of teacher and tutor ratings of inattentive behavior in two different instructional settings in predicting students' performance on fraction concepts and whole-number calculations. Classroom teachers rated each student's attentive behavior in a whole-class setting and…

The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of curriculum-based measurement (CBM), with and without diagnostic feed-back, on general and special educators' instructional planning in reading. Participants were 19 second-grade teachers with their 309 students without disabilities and 16 resource teachers with their 127 first-through…

A study examined effects of peer-assisted learning strategies (PALS) and curriculum-based measurement (CBM) on the mathematics performance of 92 secondary students with disabilities. PALS/CBM was implemented twice weekly and CBM weekly for 15 weeks. PALS/CBM students improved their computation math skills significantly more than controls, but not…

A study involving 111 secondary students with learning disabilities investigated differential reading performance on narrative versus expository text. Students had more difficulty with expository text than with narrative text in terms of reading fluency and comprehension. However, effects for comprehension were mediated by the type of question…

This study evaluated a six-step strategy for solving mathematical word problems and partnered practice with 24 third-grade students with mild disabilities. Measures of process (use of the strategy regardless of correctness of answer) and product (finding correct answers) was significantly better than controls. Students' and teachers' attitudes…

This article describes downward and upward extensions of Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS) in reading, originally developed for Grades 2-6. Extensions have occurred for kindergarten, first grade, and high school. The rationale for development of PALS and why additional PALS activities were required to address younger and older students are…

This article explores different viewpoints on special education reform, including conceptualizations of disability, the purpose of special education, beliefs about the expected outcomes of special education, and understanding of the current state of knowledge. How these different views can be bridged by focusing on early detection and prevention…

This study examined effects of peer-assisted learning strategies (PALS) on students' literacy development and beliefs about reading in nine secondary remedial and special-education classes. Analyses of variance indicated that, compared to control groups, PALS students grew more on reading comprehension and reported more positive beliefs about…

This article explores the underutilization of consultation in educating students and the challenges consultation faces as an educational technology. The article also explains the politics of school reform and their impact on the research-to-practice gap. Recommendations are made on how to reconcile the fundamental differences separating…

Formative evaluation focuses on program modification based on ongoing measurement of student progress. The literature on formative evaluation for mildly handicapped students indicates that four measurement dimensions are critical: (1) focus of measurement; (2) frequency of measurement; (3) data display; and (4) data utilization methods. (Author/CB)

The importance of instrumental use of curriculum-based measurement in planning reading programs was investigated with 53 mildly handicapped students and 29 teachers. Students whose measured reading performance was used to design instructional reading programs achieved better than control group students and students whose reading performance was…

Twenty special education teacher trainees and 20 special education cooperating teachers following the implementation of instructional lessons, estimated levels of children's performance. Chi-square analyses and tests on teachers' estimates suggested that, despite confidence in their own judgments, teachers tended to be inaccurate and to overrate…

The study examined use of a curriculum-based measurement computer program to first, evaluate phonetic patterns in four spelling curricula and second, help special education teachers (N=27) identify students' phonetic spelling errors. Results indicated similarities among curricula and effectiveness of the ongoing feedback on teachers' skills. (DB)

This paper highlights the salient, and sometimes invisible, features of the standard format for reporting special education research and provides guidelines for novice writers. The paper offers general considerations about planning and writing for publication, discusses components of the research report, and reviews the editorial process and…

The study assessed the criterion, construct, and concurrent validity of four informal reading comprehension measures (question answering tests, recall measures, oral passage reading tests, and cloze techniques) with 70 mildly and moderately retarded middle and junior high school boys. Results indicated that correct oral reading rate score…