The Gradual Release of Responsibility (GRR) model for instructional delivery is well supported by research evidence and is often identified as a critical element of instruction for students with learning difficulties. However, there are challenges associated with effectively releasing responsibility to students. This may be especially true during…

The reading and writing challenges that students with learning disabilities (LD) face in academic classroom settings, such as social studies classrooms, are ever present because students are expected to read, understand, and use text-based language that they cannot access due to text-reading difficulties. Visual, performing or drama, music, and…

Although most students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) receive instruction in the general education setting (U.S. Department of Education, 2018), their academic outcomes have been found to be poor. Two evidenced-based practices that improve outcomes for students with SLD are explicit instruction and cognitive and metacognitive strategy…

Although the instructional strategy described in this article can be used to support all learners, the purpose of this article is to address the needs of students with learning disabilities, who are often several grade levels behind in reading comprehension. Specifically, this article explores how an explicitly taught instructional practice that…

Given the applicability of measurement to real-world problem solving and the importance of measurement understanding to accessing more advanced mathematics, improving instruction on foundational measurement skills for struggling learners is crucial. Although interventions targeting measurement have a smaller research base than other areas of…

The ability to comprehend informational texts is critical to students' academic success in a range of content areas. However, informational texts pose challenges to the reading comprehension of adolescents with or at risk for learning disabilities (LD). One such challenge is the use of multiple text structures in a single text. Text structure…

Retrieval practice may be a good fit for the needs of students with learning disability (LD) because it improves academic performance by strengthening memory (Roediger & Butler, 2011). Memory deficits are a central characteristic of LD and are linked to performance in both academic and cognitive areas (Toffalini, Giofrè, & Cornoldi, 2017).…

Structured Literacy (SL) approaches are often recommended for students with dyslexia and other poor decoders (e.g., International Dyslexia Association, 2017). Examples of SL approaches include the Wilson Reading System (Wilson, 1988), Orton-Gillingham (Gillingham & Stillman, 2014), the Lindamood Phoneme Sequencing Program (Lindamood &…

Many general and special education teachers teach mathematics word problems by defining problems as a single operation and linking key words to specific operations. Unfortunately, teaching students to approach word problems in these ways discourages mathematical reasoning and frequently produces incorrect answers. This article lists eight common…

A commonly used method for supporting the writing of students with learning disabilities (LD), graphic organizers have been shown to effectively support instruction for students with LD in a variety of content areas (Dexter & Hughes, 2011). Students with LD often struggle with the process of developing their ideas into organized sentences; the…

English language learners (ELLs) with learning disabilities (LD) can find navigating the content areas quite difficult due to challenges involving limitations in English language proficiency, gaps in English academic vocabulary, difficulties with working memory and long-term memory, and limited background knowledge on content area topics. However,…

Students with learning disabilities are often educated in inclusive classrooms alongside their typically developing peers. Although differentiated small-group instruction is ideal for students with learning disabilities, whole-group instruction continues to be the predominant instructional model in inclusive classrooms. This can create major…

Students are frequently expected to complete multistep tasks within a range of academic or classroom routines and to do so independently. Students' ability to complete these tasks successfully may vary as a consequence of both their working-memory capacity and the conditions under which they are expected to learn. Crucial features in the design or…

As the call for evidence-based programs and practices heightens (e.g., the Every Student Succeeds Act), there is little doubt about the urgency to bring solid research into the classroom. Implementing findings generated from rigorous research continues to be a viable, trustworthy, and necessary factor in preventing and addressing learning…

Social studies instruction in upper elementary school (Grades 3-5) is important for building foundational content knowledge to equip students for the secondary school curriculum. Due to numerous school initiatives and demands on the time of teachers, social studies instruction can play second fiddle to reading and mathematics instruction, which…