Response to intervention (RTI) involves ongoing evaluation of children's responsiveness to different levels of evidence-based interventions as a basis for eligibility determination. If students fail to make expected rates of progress, instruction is changed and, in most cases, intensified. Based on behavior-analytic models of effective instruction…

The purpose of the current investigation was to determine if the experimental analysis of antecedent variables conducted in English and in Spanish would identify effective and ineffective instructions for response accuracy for Spanish-speaking English language learners. An antecedent variable (i.e., directive complexity) arranged in a hierarchical…

This study examined teachers' implementation of treatment plans following consultation. Interventions were implemented for 45 elementary school students referred for consultation and intervention due to academic concerns, challenging behavior, or a combination of the two. The consultation follow-up procedures examined were brief weekly interviews,…

The purpose of this article was to examine the effect of base rate occurrence of race, sex, and student achievement on the accuracy of a problem-solving model of assessment and teacher referral. All students in first and second grade (n = 182) at a participating school were exposed to four screening measures. Students who performed poorly on at…

A primary problem with special education placement is that it is a solution that comes too late for children who are first noticed by their kindergarten teachers as lacking prerequisite skills. It is of critical importance that these students, whose reading skills are low in comparison to their peers, be accurately identified through universal…

This study examined an approach for assessing and intervening with academic concerns that is conceptually derived from the distinction between skill deficits and performance deficits. A class-wide assessment was used to describe the students' functioning in the context of their peers and to help select a target concern for intervention. An…

This article describes a systematic process for finding and resolving problems with classroom-based behavioral interventions in schools. Described is a step by step process for identifying and resolving issues that reduce intervention effectiveness. The article is organized around the Behavioral Intervention Troubleshooter, which is a checklist…

This article describes efforts to examine the validity of a screening process that provides objective data for multidisciplinary team meetings where consideration is being given to teacher referral of a student for assessment and possible placement in special education. In this study, the accuracy with which this process, called Problem Validation…

Legal mandate and limited resources provide an impetus to increase the utility of functional assessment. The goal of this study was to develop a brief assessment that could be conducted in the natural setting to identify naturally occurring, high-frequency subsequent events that may serve as maintaining consequences for disruptive behavior using…

A series of group-administered curriculum-based measurement (CBM) probes were developed to assist in the identification of kindergarten students exhibiting deficient readiness skills. Acceptable reliability and validity estimates were obtained for three of the probe measures. Proposes the use of kindergarten CBM probes as a potential screening…

Investigates the effects of performance feedback on implementation of reinforcer-based classroom intervention. Measures the degree to which each teacher (primary treatment agents) implemented a prereferral intervention. Student data demonstrates that improvement was more variable than teacher data throughout the study. Discusses limitations of…

Describes simple conceptual framework for academic intervention that extends functional-analysis procedures to basic academic skills. Organizes research into five hypotheses that can guide interventions. Presents treatment for six academic interventions and procedures for testing effectiveness. Discussion of procedures includes design issues,…

Reasons for the increasing emphasis on including an adaptive behavior evaluation when assessing children considered mildly mentally retarded are reviewed. The relationship between measures of adaptive behavior and intellectual ability and the issue of declassification are discussed. The educational relevance of adaptive behavior for nonbiased…

A critical reexamination of problem-solving through client-centered case consultation is presented for use by school psychologists. It is argued that the focus of consultation should emphasize helping teachers identify and mobilize existing resources and develop self-sustaining competencies in classroom management. (TJH)

This paper describes the initial phase of behavioral consultation and presents nine objectives to be accomplished during the initial consultative interview. (Author/PN)