Curriculum-based measures (CBMs), which allow educators to monitor progress over time and make instructional decisions based on student performance, represent a fixture of general approaches to reading and data-based instructional frameworks. However, evidence supporting the use of CBM for students with intellectual disabilities is limited. This study evaluated the criterion validity of a reading CBM battery. Multiple CBM and standardized criterion measures were administered to elementary-aged children (n = 56) with intellectual disabilities. Inferential analyses identified numerous domain-specific correlations between CBM and criterion measures; however, no single CBM emerged as a more effective predictor of reading performance. Findings provide qualified support for the use of CBM with children who have intellectual disabilities.

There have been a handful of studies on kindergarteners' motivational beliefs about writing, yet measuring these beliefs in young children continues to pose a set of challenges. The purpose of this exploratory, mixed-methods study was to examine how kindergarteners understand and respond to different assessment formats designed to capture their motivational beliefs about writing. Across two studies, we administered four assessment formats - a 4-point Likert-type scale survey, a binary choice survey, a challenge preference task, and a semi-structured interview - to a sample of 114 kindergarteners engaged in a larger writing intervention study. Our overall goals were to examine the benefits and challenges of using these assessment formats to capture kindergarteners' motivational beliefs and to gain insight on future directions for studying these beliefs in this young age group. Many participants had a difficult time responding to the 4-point Likert-type scale survey, due to challenges with the response format and the way the items were worded. However, more simplified assessment formats, including the binary choice survey and challenge preference task, may not have fully captured the nuances and complexities of participants' motivational beliefs. The semi-structured interview leveraged participants' voices and highlighted details that were overlooked in the other assessment formats. Participants' interview responses were deeply intertwined with their local, everyday experiences and pushed back on common assumptions of what constitutes negatively oriented motivational beliefs about writing. Overall, our results suggest that kindergarteners' motivational beliefs appear to be multifaceted, contextually grounded, and hard to quantify. Additional research is needed to further understand how motivational beliefs are shaped during kindergarten. We argue that motivational beliefs must be studied in context rather than in a vacuum, in order to work toward a fair and meaningful understanding of motivational beliefs about writing that can be applied to school settings.

Students with severe and persistent academic or behavioral challenges may benefit from data-based individualization (DBI). Starting with an evidence-based standard protocol and systematic progress monitoring, teachers can evaluate growth and implement individualized interventions to meet students’ needs. Specifically, this article addresses the systematic use of student data to determine content and pacing for intensive reading instruction. Insights from implementing this approach with struggling first grade readers in Tier 3 of an RTI framework are provided. Evidence-based standard protocols, strategic data collection and management, and team collaboration are crucial elements for successful implementation.

Sustainable use of academic classroom interventions is a cause for concern in the field of special education. This study examined factors that encouraged and/or deterred sustainable use of classroom interventions. Furthermore, data were collected on factors that assist teachers to implement new interventions with high perceived fidelity. A total of 174 special education teachers from two school districts completed a survey to provide feedback on interventions they had been trained on in the last two academic years. Results for both districts had several similarities. A majority of teachers sustained interventions that they perceived improved student academic outcomes and were easy to implement. Teachers identified lack of planning time followed by the need for regular training as the most important factors contributing to their perceived implementation fidelity. However, a majority of interventions teachers provided feedback on were not evidence-based practices.

Background Many children and adolescents with D own syndrome fail to achieve proficiency in mathematics. Researchers have suggested that tailoring interventions based on the behavioural phenotype may enhance efficacy. Method The research questions that guided this review were (1) what types of mathematics interventions have been empirically evaluated with children and adolescents with D own syndrome?; (2) do the studies demonstrate sufficient methodological rigor?; (3) is there evidence of efficacy for the evaluated mathematics interventions?; and (4) to what extent have researchers considered aspects of the behavioural phenotype in selecting, designing and/or implementing mathematics interventions for children and adolescents with D own syndrome? Nine studies published between 1989 and 2012 were identified for inclusion. Results Interventions predominantly focused on early mathematics skills and reported positive outcomes. However, no study met criteria for methodological rigor. Further, no authors explicitly considered the behavioural phenotype. Conclusions Additional research using rigorous experimental designs is needed to evaluate the efficacy of mathematics interventions for children and adolescents with D own syndrome. Suggestions for considering the behavioural phenotype in future research are provided.

The purpose of this study was to extend previous research on the use of curriculum-based measurement (CBM) for students with intellectual disability by having 19 special education teachers monitor weekly reading progress of 38 students with intellectual disability for approximately 15 weeks and examining whether students exhibited gains on the progress monitoring measures. In addition to the weekly CBM, teachers reported the type and duration of daily reading instruction. Data were analyzed to explore relationships between CBM performance and reading instruction. Our results indicate that teachers are capable of administering and scoring CBM on a weekly basis and that CBM does capture reading growth for some students with intellectual disability. Correlations between CBM performance and a teacher report of skills taught during reading instruction indicate that teachers may be differentiating instruction based on students' reading ability. Directions for future research as well as limitations of the study are discussed.

AbstractTeachers are often asked to implement research‐based instructional programs with fidelity and to ensure that all students reach high academic standards. These requests sometimes conflict when teachers find that not all their students are benefiting from the research‐backed programs. In this article, we suggest that researchers and teachers can work together to balance the importance of both program fidelity and instructional flexibility, based on findings from recent research on Peer‐Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS) for Reading in Grades 2‐6. We detail how teachers can learn to implement research‐based practices with fidelity, as well as customize these practices to fit their own purposes. We end with general recommendations for customizing research‐based practices.

Researchers conducting studies involving individuals with exceptionalities are often prevented from involving large numbers of participants in their study samples. When this is the case, some say significant correlations are likely to replicate because the relation between two variables must be robust enough to be detected even with low statistical power. Others say that significant correlations in the context of small sample sizes are not likely to replicate because one or two data points can have ‘undue influence’ over the fit of the data to the regression line. The purpose of this article is to review the relationship between sample size and the replication of significant findings in correlational research. Data simulations are used to illustrate the effect of sample size and correlation magnitude on obtaining statistical significance in randomly drawn samples. Considerations for researchers interested in replicating findings from correlational research are provided.