To improve the responsiveness of educational programs to the needs of low achieving, at risk students, Research for Better Schools (RBS) has developed an assessment procedure. This document is the portion of that procedure that addresses the involvement of students in their learning, or how low achieving students cognitively operate on content. The discussion is set in the context of various teaching styles that may be used to transmit this content to the students. This approach is a departure from what has been practiced and researched in the past, when the focus was on how teachers' beliefs, attitudes and expectations influence their dealings with students. This new approach adds an important student-centered dimension to the analysis of teaching and learning. Research literature related to the following topics is reviewed: (1) the definition, measurement, and predictive value of cognitive ability for student achievement; (2) the differences between low achievers and high achievers in the performance of cognitive tasks; (3) how students respond to success and failure, how they believe success and failure happen, and what they do as reactive behavior; and (4) how cultural differences affect academic achievement. A nine-page list of references is included. (VM)