A Comparison of the Prevalence Rates of Language Impairment Before and After Response-to-Intervention Implementation

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 703-709 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shannon Hall-Mills
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Response To Intervention ◽  
School Districts ◽  
Language Impairment ◽  
The United States ◽  
Prevalence Rates ◽  
Prevalence Data ◽  
Rti Implementation ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Primary Disability

Purpose This research note presents a secondary data analysis of language impairment (LI) prevalence rates of children in public schools before and after a statewide mandate for response-to-intervention (RTI) implementation. Method Statewide and district-level LI prevalence rates were compared across 10 school years. Prevalence data from 67 school districts located in 1 state in the United States are reported as the proportion of the general student population (students ages 3–21 years) who were identified with a primary disability of LI. Results The mandated implementation of RTI within special education prereferral, evaluation, and eligibility processes coincided with significant changes in LI prevalence as a primary disability for most of the school districts. The majority of school districts experienced an increase in LI prevalence within 1 school year following RTI implementation. However, the degree and direction of change in prevalence rates varied across some of the school districts. Similar degrees of change were not evident across the other years of prevalence data review, suggesting the systemic change that occurred via RTI requirements coincided with fluctuations in the LI prevalence rates for the majority of school districts in the state. Conclusion A causal relation between RTI and LI prevalence cannot be established with the current data; however, this study establishes a temporal connection between the timing of RTI implementation and changes in LI prevalence in public schools of 1 very large state. Implications are presented for further research investigating the potential impact of systemic mandates on the identification of school-age children with LI. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.8968676

scholarly journals Response to Intervention (RTI) and Changes in Special Education Categorization

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 59-71
Author(s):  
Kasandra Raben ◽  
Justin Brogan ◽  
Mardis Dunham ◽  
Susana Bloomdahl
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
School District ◽  
Response To Intervention ◽  
School Districts ◽  
The United States ◽  
Similar Proportion ◽  
Special Education Eligibility ◽  
Special Education Referral ◽  
Treatment Providers ◽  
Rti Implementation

Response to intervention (RTI) is used as a prerequisite to referring children for special education eligibility for learning disabilities (LD). RTI provides schools with a framework for helping students with learning challenges. In the United States, while the number of students receiving services through RTI has remained consistent, the overall number of students receiving some educational intervention through an alternate path has increased. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence that the RTI model had upon eligibility numbers in a large special education co-operative spanning 21 rural school districts in southern Illinois that represented 15,128 students. Each of the school districts maintained its own policies and procedures governing RTI implementation, special education referral, and special education eligibility. The study revealed that while the number of students with LD dropped significantly over the past decade, the numbers of children eligible for other disability categories increased in a similar proportion. This changing trend may be the result of several factors including changes in school district policy, parent advocates pressing for quicker paths to treatment, treatment providers shifting categories for a wide variety of reasons, or some yet unknown factor. These possible explanations suggest that family issues, time, finances, and procedural dynamics may play a role in the changing categorizations and should be better understood. Future studies should focus on the inclusion of more culturally and economically diverse students, within and outside the Unites States. Last, school district policies and RTI implementation procedures should be investigated to better uncover any potential relationship to this shifting data trend.

Narrative Assessment and Intervention: A Clinical Tutorial on Extending Explicit Language Instruction and Progress Monitoring to All Students

2014 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas Petersen ◽  
Trina D. Spencer
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Language Impairment ◽  
Progress Monitoring ◽  
Linguistically Diverse ◽  
The United States ◽  
Language Instruction ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Narrative Assessment ◽  
Narrative Intervention ◽  
Language Growth

The majority of children who are culturally and linguistically diverse in the United States read below grade level. This disproportionate prevalence of reading difficulty is likely due to language-related factors. Although most of these children do not have language impairment, they do need explicit instruction in the use and comprehension of complex, academically-related language that is expected in public schools. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are particularly well suited to help guide this needed explicit language instruction and help implement language progress monitoring. In this clinical tutorial, we propose ways in which narrative assessment and intervention within a response to intervention framework can be carefully aligned and realistically carried out. We propose that narrative assessment and narrative intervention should become standard practice in schools to monitor language growth and provide explicit language instruction to students.

scholarly journals Developmental Language Disorder: Applications for Advocacy, Research, and Clinical Service

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karla K. McGregor ◽  
Lisa Goffman ◽  
Amanda Owen Van Horne ◽  
Tiffany P. Hogan ◽  
Lizbeth H. Finestack
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Language Impairment ◽  
Specific Language Impairment ◽  
Language Disorder ◽  
Scientific Progress ◽  
The United States ◽  
Developmental Language Disorder ◽  
Specific Language ◽  
Language Deficit ◽  
English Speaking

Purpose The CATALISE group (Bishop, Snowling, Thompson, Greenhalgh, & CATALISE Consortium, 2016; Bishop, Snowling, Thompson, Greenhalgh, & CATALISE-2 Consortium, 2017) recommended that the term developmental language disorder (DLD) be used to refer to neurodevelopmental language deficit. In this tutorial, we explain the appropriate application of the term and present advantages in adhering to the CATALISE recommendations. Conclusion Both specific language impairment and DLD refer to a neurodevelopmental condition that impairs spoken language, is long-standing and, is not associated with any known causal condition. The applications of the terms specific language impairment and DLD differ in breadth and the extent to which identification depends upon functional impact. Use of the term DLD would link advocacy efforts in the United States to those in other English-speaking countries. The criteria for identifying DLD presented in the CATALISE consensus offer opportunities for scientific progress while aligning well with practice in U.S. public schools.

School Personnel Knowledge and Perceived Skills in Diabetic Emergencies in Georgia Public Schools

2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 304-312
Author(s):  
Alesha Wright ◽  
Joanne Chopak-Foss
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
School Districts ◽  
Diabetes Management ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
School Personnel ◽  
The United States ◽  
Management Skills ◽  
School Day ◽  
Health Complications ◽  
Elementary School Personnel

Diabetes affects tens of thousands of school-aged children in the United States. The ability to appropriately manage their diabetes is essential to preventing life-threatening health complications if occurring during the school day. The purpose of this study was to assess school personnel’s knowledge of diabetes (types 1 and 2) and perceived self-competence in performing diabetes management skills. A non-probability sample of elementary school personnel ( N = 809) from five different school districts in Georgia completed a diabetes knowledge and competence questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, one-way analysis of variance, and principal component analysis were performed to analyze the data. School personnel reported limited knowledge of diabetes basics and an overall low perceived self-competence in performing many of the diabetic management skills. Despite state legislation enacted to assist children with diabetes in school and available training for school districts, the study found that school personnel are not well trained and lack confidence in performing diabetes management.

scholarly journals Does Greater Autonomy Improve School Performance? Evidence from a Regression Discontinuity Analysis in Chicago

2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew P. Steinberg
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
School Districts ◽  
School Performance ◽  
Regression Discontinuity ◽  
Reading Proficiency ◽  
The United States ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Charter School Principals ◽  
School Based ◽  
And Performance

School districts throughout the United States are increasingly providing greater autonomy to local public (non-charter) school principals. In 2005–06, Chicago Public Schools initiated the Autonomous Management and Performance Schools program, granting academic, programmatic, and operational freedoms to select principals. This paper provides evidence on how school leaders used their new autonomy and its impact on school performance. Findings suggest that principals were more likely to exercise autonomy over the school budget and curricular/instructional strategies than over professional development and the school's calendar/schedule. Utilizing regression discontinuity methods, I find that receipt of greater autonomy had no statistically significant impact on a school's average math or reading achievement after two years of autonomy. I do find evidence that autonomy positively affected reading proficiency rates at the end of the second year of autonomy. These findings are particularly relevant for policy makers considering the provision of greater school-based autonomy in their local school districts.

scholarly journals Shifting Prevalence Patterns for Special Educational Needs in the Era of Response-to-Intervention Policy

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shannon Hall-Mills
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Response To Intervention ◽  
Learning Disability ◽  
Language Impairment ◽  
Specific Learning Disability ◽  
Educational Needs ◽  
Prevalence Rates ◽  
Special Educational Needs ◽  
Intervention Policy ◽  
Specific Learning

In the United States, the Response to Intervention framework provides tiered levels of support in general education (kindergarten through grade 12) to improve student outcomes and may relate to special education determinations. While broadly applied to eligibility determinations for children with specific learning disability, the Response to Intervention model also presents an interesting consideration for children with language impairment. The requirement of the Response to Intervention framework in education policy may have a significant impact on the identification and eligibility processes for children with special educational needs. The aim of the present study was to explore whether this policy implementation altered the prevalence of students with disabilities ages 3–21 years who were determined to be eligible for special education under the categories of specific learning disability and language impairment. Longitudinal data was examined to determine whether significant changes occurred in the prevalence rates in a state that mandated implementation of Response to Intervention policy. The results revealed that significant changes occurred in the prevalence rates from pre-to post implementation of Response to Intervention policy; language impairment prevalence increased and specific learning disability prevalence decreased. Prevalence changes have maintained over multiple subsequent school years. The findings have important implications for policy and practices focused on the identification of these common disabilities throughout the school years.

Interests and Representation: Ethnic Advocacy on California School Boards

2009 ◽  
Vol 111 (3) ◽  
pp. 659-682
Author(s):  
Luis Ricardo Fraga ◽  
Roy Elis
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Public Schools ◽  
School Districts ◽  
School Boards ◽  
English Language ◽  
Latino Students ◽  
Original Data ◽  
The United States ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Latino Teachers

Background/Context Researchers have found that school districts with greater representation of Latinos and African Americans on their school boards tend to also have higher percentages of Latino and African American administrators and teachers. This increased presence of coethnics in the educational bureaucracy was then found to predict more favorable educational outcomes for these students. Purpose We determine if these relationships hold for Latinos in California, which has the largest Latino population in the United States and where Latino students make up just under half of all students enrolled in public schools. Research Design Using an original data set of all California school districts in the 2004–2005 school year, we tested these relationships for Latinos in California using multiple regression. Conclusion Contrary to previous research, we found that Latino representation on California school boards was not greater in systems of single-member district election. We did, however, find that the greater presence of Latinos on school boards did increase the likelihood that Latinos would be hired as administrators, but only in Latino-majority districts. After appropriate controls, districts with more Latino administrators also tended to have more Latino teachers. Last, and again contrary to previous research, we found no systematic impact of having more Latino teachers and administrators on enhancing student outcomes for either all Latino students or for English language learners.

The Politics of Diversity: Integration in an Era of Political and Legal Uncertainty

2013 ◽  
Vol 115 (11) ◽  
pp. 1-30
Author(s):  
Sarah Diem ◽  
Erica Frankenberg
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
School Districts ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Local Politics ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Public Support ◽  
The United States ◽  
Political Support ◽  
Jefferson County ◽  
Legal Uncertainty

Background The demographic landscape in the United States has shifted dramatically since Brown v. Board of Education, leading to more complex diversity in many school districts than the diversity contemplated nearly 60 years ago. Desegregation research has shown that countywide districts are better able to maintain diverse schools, have less White flight where enclaves do not exist, and maintain political support for high-quality, equitable schools in ways very different from the politics that exist in metropolitan areas in which city schools are separate from neighboring suburbs. While demographic diversity may provide an advantage in accomplishing integration (or allow for the possibility), as court oversight for desegregation fades, it is unclear whether the advantage of countywide districts will persist if this diversity results in more political opposition to pursuing voluntary integration. Purpose This article explores the diversity policies and politics of two countywide school districts in the South experiencing enclave growth at a time of legal and political ambiguity: Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) and the Wake County Public Schools System (WCPSS). Both districts’ voluntary desegregation efforts have been highly publicized as they are increasingly being affected by changing demographics and local politics. In this article, we seek to analyze how demographic change influences public support for and implementation of the districts’ diversity policies. We also examine how political debates around diversity have shifted in response to the changing legal context and enclave formation in both districts. Data Collection and Analysis Data collection in our two case study sites focuses on similar variables in each. As this article focuses on our initial investigation of the two school districts, laying the groundwork for our future empirical research, our analysis is primarily based on data collected from each school district's website describing the diversity policies, demographic data trends within the district and community, as well as information on school board representation. We also used publicly available data from local, state, and federal data sources, including the American Community Survey and the 2010 Census, media articles from local newspapers (The Courier-Journal in Louisville and The News & Observer in Raleigh), legal documents such as court filings, and policy documents from the district. Through the document analysis, at each site we examined: (1) activities by district or community leaders to promote policies aimed at maintaining diversity; (2) any legal action and/or response affecting diversity policies, particularly the development of new suburban enclaves; and (3) past, present, and projected effects of diversity policies. Conclusions Whether JCPS and WCPSS are able to achieve diversity in a time of political and legal uncertainty has yet to be determined. As demographics change, enclave schools and communities increase, politics and policymaking become more and more influenced by politically savvy parents, and the future of diversity plans remains uncertain. However, the case for and benefits of integration may be clearer than ever. The question that remains is, to what depths are school districts willing to go to establish and maintain diverse environments that are key to achieving equity of opportunity for all students.

District Implementation of Research-Based Practices for Transition Planning With Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Youth With Disabilities and Their Families

2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 77-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
June E. Gothberg ◽  
Gary Greene ◽  
Paula D. Kohler
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
School Districts ◽  
Transition Planning ◽  
Linguistically Diverse ◽  
Transition Services ◽  
The United States ◽  
Culturally And Linguistically Diverse ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Youth With Disabilities ◽  
Research Based Practices

Post-school outcomes are poor for youth with disabilities, in general, but even more discouraging for certain subpopulations of individuals with disabilities, particularly those from culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) backgrounds. The authors discuss structural inequalities in public schools which potentially contribute to the poorer transition outcomes of CLD youth with disabilities compared with their White peers with disabilities and identify 11 research-based practices (RBPs) for supporting CLD youth with disabilities and their families during the transition planning process. A study is subsequently described involving the development and implementation of a survey measuring the degree to which these 11 RBPs are being implemented in public school districts. The survey was administered during 2011 to 2016 to interdisciplinary transition teams representing more than 90 school districts in the United States who were attending state capacity-building transition services training institutes. Group consensus was sought on the 11 items appearing on the survey. Results from the study found that most school districts were not implementing any of the RBPs to any significant degree, school staff were in need of cultural competence professional development training, CLD families of transition-aged youth with disabilities lacked access to quality resources and supports, and CLD youth with disabilities lacked opportunities to strengthen their self-determination skills. Implications for practice and future research on this topic is presented and discussed.

Prevalence of Student Dissection-Choice Policies in U.S. Schools

2016 ◽  
Vol 78 (7) ◽  
pp. 560-567 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samantha Suiter ◽  
Jan Oakley ◽  
Justin Goodman
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Public School ◽  
School Districts ◽  
District Of Columbia ◽  
State Level ◽  
The United States ◽  
Public School Districts ◽  
Opt Out ◽  
Animal Use ◽  
Choice Policy

Although animal dissection is common in classrooms, growing concerns for animal welfare and advances in nonanimal teaching methods have prompted the creation of policies that allow students to choose humane alternatives to classroom animal use. We assessed the prevalence and content of policies that allow students to opt out of animal dissection in states and large public school districts across the United States – data that have not previously been collected or analyzed. We found that such policies exist at the state level in 22 states (plus the District of Columbia) and in many large public school districts in the other remaining states. These data illustrate that at least 63% of students in U.S. public schools have access to some kind of dissection choice, although the content of these policies varies widely. We discuss these results and recommend components of a comprehensive student dissection-choice policy.

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