Because of recent changes in general and special education policies, special educators who previously worked with secondary students in self-contained academic classes, resource rooms, or cotaught classes find themselves assigned to new roles that demand different collaborative skills. Based on 2 years of interviews, field notes, and observations…

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of "Picture Exchange Communication System" (PECS) training, using a multiple baseline design on the independent initiations of three adults with developmental disabilities and severe communication deficits. All participants increased their independent initiations, although at different levels of…

Patterns of identification for special education services across three cohorts of students in kindergarten through third grade before and after implementation of a schoolwide, three-tier reading prevention model in one large school district are reported. The first cohort of students represents a historical control group that did not participate in…

Despite the growing body of research validating the use of curriculum-based measurement, few studies have focused on using this type of assessment with English learners. Proper assessment of English learners is essential for progress monitoring, determining language proficiency, predicting achievement, and identifying students with disabilities.…

Over the past 10 years increasing numbers of charter schools have been considered a viable option for many students seeking to obtain a quality education. Public charter schools and their administrators and teachers are obligated to follow the principles enshrined in federal mandates, such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement…

The purpose of this study is to examine the extent to which two specific elements of fidelity of implementation (i.e., adherence and quality of delivery) enhanced or constrained the effects of a reading intervention for middle school students experiencing reading difficulties. A total of 281 middle school students with reading difficulties…

Two approaches to systematic word review were integrated into an 18-week program of extended vocabulary instruction with kindergarten students from three high-need urban schools. Words in the embedded and semantically related review conditions received systematic and distributed review. In the embedded review condition, brief word definitions were…

The purpose of this synthesis was to examine the relationship between Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM) and statewide achievement tests in reading. A multilevel meta-analysis was used to calculate the correlation coefficient of the population for 27 studies that met the inclusion criteria. Results showed an overall large correlation coefficient…

The authors describe findings from a research synthesis on content area instruction for students with disabilities. Seventy studies were identified from a comprehensive literature search, examined, and coded for a number of variables, including weighted standardized mean-difference effect sizes. More than 2,400 students were participants in these…

Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is a picture-based communication strategy used to teach communication skills to persons with developmental disabilities including autism. This article systematically reviews 13 published single-subject studies to examine the effectiveness of PECS, the effects of PECS on speech and problem behaviors,…

The number of children who would be eligible for, and benefit from, early intervention programs has dramatically increased during the past several years. However, those programs would have to meet the U.S. Department of Education's criteria for being evidence based. Some programs that have proven successful would not be eligible but rather be…

This synthesis examined the effects of peer tutoring on academic performance of students with disabilities in Grades 6 through 12. Twelve studies met all the criteria for this synthesis: (a) original studies, (b) published in peer-reviewed journals between 1997 and 2007, (c) investigated peer tutoring in special education students in Grades 6…

Social validity refers to participants' perceptions regarding the goals, procedures, and effects of a practice. The collection and report of social validity data can serve an important role in understanding, and possibly remedying, obstacles affecting the successful adoption of empirically based practices by the field. Studies published between…

Meta-analysis procedures were employed to synthesize findings of research for improving reading comprehension of students with learning disabilities published in the decade following previous meta-analytic investigations. Forty studies, published between 1995 and 2006, were identified and coded. Nearly 2,000 students served as participants.…

The reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act has initiated changes that are affecting early literacy assessment, and it has prompted the growing use of measures that incorporate phonological and alphabetic fluency. However, the question of how phonological and alphabetic fluency can inhibit (or promote) reading…