Many children experience challenges with learning and behavior. Educators can also face challenges in developing and implementing instructional and assessment systems to help students to improve in skills over time. To help address these issues, many schools have adopted multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS). As more schools attempt to implement MTSS practices, it is important to understand how educators apply them and what could help them more in this process. This study sought educators’ perspectives about MTSS. The research questions were: How familiar are teachers and school administrators with MTSS? What opportunities have they had for MTSS professional development? What do they see as their lingering MTSS professional development needs? For findings, participants perceived the effort devoted to MTSS-related training was insufficient. Participants desired professional learning focused on improving the quality of MTSS in their schools (e.g., research/evidence-based instruction, use of curriculum-based measurement, tiered programming). The authors share implications for practice and future research.
Efficiently identifying students with dyslexia in public schools is crucial for early intervention. Multidisciplinary collaboration for literacy screening is a valuable tool often left unused, especially with novel partnerships. Literacy and musical skills share common neurological pathways, and musical interventions have been shown to improve literacy skills. Beyond therapeutic interventions, music educators possess knowledge of students’ musical skills that is advantageous in screening students for literacy disabilities. This study utilized a descriptive research design to identify music educators’ roles in screening for reading disabilities in public schools. 92% of respondents had not screened for literacy disorders/dyslexia from within the music discipline, but the majority agreed that music educators should have a role. Their perceived familiarity with the connections between music and literacy was positively correlated with their attitude about having a role in identifying students [r(70) = .351, p = .0025]. Implications for educational leaders are highlighted, including providing literacy education for future music teachers in pre-service programs and proposed structures for multidisciplinary collaboration with music educators in literacy teams.
The current study provides an updated review of enacted dyslexia laws that includes specific implementation requirements for each state. Except Hawaii, all states and the District of Columbia now have a dyslexia law, and 41 states include a codified definition of dyslexia. Thirty-four state definitions specify that dyslexia is neurobiological in origin. There was considerable variability in key implementation requirements across states. Forty-four states mandate screening for dyslexia, and 37 states include intervention requirements. Regarding educator training, requirements for in-service training were more common than pre-service training. Given the ambiguity for implementation of dyslexia law requirements, a survey to gauge “dyslexia preparedness” was given to school psychologists in a specific state. Survey results suggested school psychologists generally perceived a lack of preparedness and insufficient training as major challenges for implementing dyslexia mandates. Implications for policy guidelines and broader school-level implementation of dyslexia mandates are discussed.
Children with specific learning disorders might experience difficulties in school tasks, leading to the development of internalizing problems (such as anxiety and depression) and school motivation reduction. Moreover, these problems might affect their motivation and executive functions. Therefore, the current study hypothesizes that internalizing problems and motivation would influence perception of their cognitive functioning in children with Developmental Dyscalculia (DD). Fifty-nine children (64.4% males; mean age: 10.98±1.54), 29 of which diagnosed with DD, were contacted and were asked to answer questionnaires about study motivation, internalizing problems (depression and anxiety), and perception of executive functioning. The ANOVA model showed that children with DD showed higher depressive and performance anxiety symptoms, higher amotivation and a worse perception of executive functioning than children with typical learning. The regression models reported that a worsened attention perception seems to be determined by the presence of depressive symptoms. Children with dyscalculia appear to suffer from a lack of motivation, a worse perception of executive function and higher depressive symptoms than children with typical development. The results suggest that teachers and parents should take care of children’s mental health, considering the psychopathological risk of children with DD, together with motivation and executive functioning impairment.
This study examined relations among learning strategies, academic motivation, and test anxiety in elementary students with or at risk for specific learning disabilities (SLD), attention‑deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), co‑occurring SLD+ADHD, and students without disabilities. Participants were 89 students in Grades 3–5 from two public schools. Groups included students with formal diagnoses and students identified as at risk for SLD and/or ADHD. Learning strategies, academic motivation, and test anxiety were assessed using the School Motivation and Learning Strategies Inventory (SMALSI). Results of this study indicated that students with SLD+ADHD demonstrated the greatest difficulties, including note‑taking strategies, lower academic motivation, and higher test anxiety compared with peers. Test anxiety in Grade 5 was associated with academic difficulties (SLD and SLD+ADHD), whereas students with ADHD showed higher test anxiety particularly in earlier grades. Across the groups, higher test anxiety was significantly associated with less effective study strategies and lower academic motivation. Findings underscore the need to address cognitive, metacognitive, and emotional factors concurrently. This study highlights the educational implication that incorporating cognitive, metacognitive, and emotional supports can enhance academic outcomes for students with or at risk for SLD and/or ADHD.
