The New SLD Criteria: Parts D

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The New SLD Criteria Parts D E of the
Eligibility forms

• Teresa Fritsch, Julie Solberg Evelyn Johnson
• February 25, 2010

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Session Overview Agenda

• The purpose of todays session is to demonstrate
  the changes to the SLD eligibility policy. This
  is a continuation of the webinar from Feb 10.
• Case Study 1 Trent, 3rd grader with a math
  disability
• Case Study 2 Cedric, 7th grader with a reading
  disability
• Case Study 3 Dominique, 3rd grader who is an
  English language learner with a reading
  disability

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Case Study 1 Trent

• 3rd Grade Student with a Math Disability

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Eligibility Determination

• In this step of the process we are summarizing
  the evidence gathered throughout the prereferral
  and evaluation stages to answer the following
  questions
• Does the student have a disability?
• Is there an adverse impact on educational
  performance?
• Does the student require specially designed
  instruction?

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Part D of the SLD Eligibility Form
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Part E. Eligibility Determination

• Does the student have a disability?
• After receiving Tier I and Tier 2 research-based
  interventions and instruction in mathematical
  problem solving for an extensive period of time,
  Trent did not demonstrate an adequate rate of
  improvement or performance level when compared
  with his peers. Trents peers demonstrated a
  slope of gt.70 on norm-referenced progress
  monitoring data over the course of many weeks,
  whereas Trent showed a slope of .25 (see the
  attached graph). In addition, evidence of low
  achievement in the area of math problem solving
  is seen on Trents performance on the Woodcock
  Johnson III Tests of Achievement and Key Math
  tests. Trent scores at the 1st percentile in
  Math Reasoning and 24th percentile in Math
  Calculation Skills on the WJ-III and at the 4th
  percentile on Basic Concepts and 6th percentile
  on Applied Problem Solving on the Key Math. He
  demonstrates a relative strength in Mathematical
  Operations (39th percentile) as seen on his
  performance on the Key Math test.

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Part E. Eligibility Determination

• Does the student have a disability?
• A pattern of strengths and weaknesses is noted in
  psychological processing skills by Trents
  performance on the Woodcock Johnson III Tests of
  Cognitive Abilities and Tests of Visual
  Perceptual Skills-3. Trent demonstrates
  strengths in his verbal communication and
  knowledge (50th percentile) and in his auditory
  processing (46th percentile) and auditory memory
  skills (46th percentile). His greatest
  difficulties are in processing visual information
  (8th percentile), particularly in solving novel
  visual problems and holding and manipulating
  mental images in his head (5th percentile).

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Part E. Eligibility Determination

• Does the student have a disability?
• Observations of Trent completed in his general
  education classroom show that he has difficulties
  solving mathematical problems independently. He
  frequently asks for assistance and when he
  becomes overwhelmed by an assignment or activity,
  Trent will shut down and withdraw into his
  notebook to draw.

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Part E. Eligibility Determination

• Is there an adverse effect on educational
  performance?
• Trents inability to perform mathematical problem
  solving skills greatly impacts his performance in
  the general education setting. Trent struggles
  with making sense of information presented in a
  visual format and then retaining the information
  over a period of time. He performs significantly
  below his peers and has demonstrated an
  inadequate rate of growth over a long period of
  time even with research-based interventions and
  instruction. Trent has shown signs of becoming
  overwhelmed and is withdrawing during math time.
  In addition, Trents most recent ISAT score in
  math places him in the Below Basic range (179),
  whereas the majority of his class is in the
  Proficient to Advanced range.

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Part E. Eligibility Determination

• Does the student require special education
  services?
• Trent demonstrates the need for long-term support
  and intensive interventions in the area of
  mathematical problem-solving. He would benefit
  from specially designed instruction and
  curriculum in the area of math problem solving
  with an emphasis on using his strengths in verbal
  comprehension and auditory processing skills to
  compensate for his weaknesses in visual
  processing and fluid reasoning.

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Case Study 2 Cedric

• 7th grade student with a reading disability

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Part D of the Eligibility Form
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Part E. Eligibility Determination

• Does the student have a disability?
• Cedric has been provided core instruction at Tier
  I and additional interventions at Tier II in the
  area of reading comprehension and reading fluency
  for 16 weeks and has not demonstrated adequate
  improvement or performance levels when compared
  with his grade-level peers. Three other students
  receiving similar interventions demonstrated a
  median slope of improvement of 0.43 whereas
  Cedrics slope of improvement was a 0.14 (see
  attached graph). On a recent CBM Maze benchmark
  assessment of Cedrics class, the median score
  was 23 correct responses showing an increase of 7
  correct responses from the beginning of the year
  Cedric remained at 10 correct responses showing
  no growth. The national norm for the 50th
  percentile on this particular CBM is 23 correct
  responses.

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Part E. Eligibility Determination

• Does the student have a disability?
• In addition to insufficient progress, Cedric
  demonstrates low achievement based on his
  performance on the Woodcock Johnson III Tests of
  Achievement and the GORT-4. Cedric scores at the
  12th and 14th percentiles in reading
  comprehension on the WJ-III and GORT-4,
  respectively, and at the 16th and 20th
  percentiles in reading fluency on the same tests,
  respectively. His score in the area of basic
  reading skills is at the 33rd percentile and in
  the average range.

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Part E. Eligibility Determination

• Does the student have a disability?
• On a recent ability test, Cedric demonstrates
  average abilities in his verbal comprehension
  (25th percentile) and visual perceptual reasoning
  (45th percentile). His areas of difficulties
  appear to be with auditory working memory (9th
  percentile) and processing speed (18th
  percentile). Cedric demonstrates average skills
  on the CTOPP in the area of phonological
  awareness (50th percentile) but struggles
  significantly in the areas of phonological memory
  (8th percentile) and rapid naming (10th
  percentile). On the WRAML-2, Cedric shows a
  relative strength in the area of visual memory
  but difficulties in verbal memory (11th
  percentile) and attention and concentration (21st
  percentile).

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Part E. Eligibility Determination

• Does the student have a disability?
• In an observation of Cedric in his
  English-Reading class, he appeared to be
  attentive and on-task for the lesson but
  struggled in performing the tasks. He read
  slowly and haltingly and struggled in keeping up
  with the pace of instruction.

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Part E. Eligibility Determination

• Is there an adverse impact on performance?
• Cedrics significant difficulties in his auditory
  working memory skills greatly impact his reading
  comprehension and fluency skills. Secondary to
  his auditory memory difficulties, Cedric also has
  difficulties in processing speed indicating that
  his pace of learning new information will be
  slower than his peers. These difficulties
  greatly impact his performance within the general
  education setting making it difficult for him to
  improve in his reading comprehension and reading
  fluency skills.

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Part E. Eligibility Determination

• Does the student require specially designed
  instruction?
• Cedric demonstrates the need for specially
  designed instruction in the areas of reading
  fluency and reading comprehension. He appears to
  need long-term intensive support and instruction
  in these areas as he has not made adequate growth
  thus far with the interventions hes received.
  Cedric would benefit from a curriculum that would
  focus on his strengths in visual reasoning and
  memory in order to compensate for his weaknesses
  in auditory working memory and processing speed.

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Case Study 3 Dominique

• 3rd grade student who is an English language
  learner with a reading disability

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Information about Dominique

• Concerns about basic reading skills and fluency
• Native language is Spanish
• 3rd grade student who has been receiving services
  for ELL since kindergarten

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Part A of the Eligibility Form
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(No Transcript)
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(No Transcript)
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(No Transcript)
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Observation
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Part B. Academic Assessment
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Summary of Evidence
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Summary of Evidence
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Summary of Evidence
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Part C. Psychological Processing Skills
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Part C. Psychological Processing Skills
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Part C. Psychological Processing Skills
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Part C. Psychological Processing Skills
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Part C. Summary

• Results of the psychological processing
  assessment indicate that Dominique demonstrates a
  significant weakness in Processing Speed within
  an otherwise average ability level. Her cluster
  scores in the processing areas of Verbal
  Comprehension, Perceptual Reasoning, and Working
  Memory are all within one standard deviation of
  the mean. However, her low score on the
  Processing Speed cluster indicates a significant
  normative weakness in the ability to perform
  automatic, speeded cognitive tasks under pressure
  to maintain focused attention. Research has
  indicated a weakness in processing speed has a
  moderate relationship with reading achievement
  during the elementary school years.

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Part D. Exclusionary Criteria

• Dominique does not have a visual, hearing, or
  motor impairment. Assessment results indicate
  she does not have a cognitive impairment.
  Dominiques teachers report her behavior and
  social-emotional functioning in class is
  appropriate and classroom observations support
  that. Dominique does not have environmental or
  economic disadvantage that impact her learning
  her parents are supportive of her education and
  provide the resources she needs to be successful
  in school. Dominique shares cultural experiences
  that may be different from her peers due to her
  parents move to the U.S. from Mexico
  approximately 10 years ago. These cultural
  factors do not adversely impact Dominique in the
  educational environment but instead allow her to
  share her rich heritage to educate others

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6. Did LEP inhibit student progress?

• Although Dominiques native language is Spanish,
  she has been instructed in English since
  kindergarten and her parents report she is
  currently more fluent in English than Spanish.
  Results cited in the assessment section of this
  report document comparisons of Dominiques
  academic performance and English proficiency
  acquisition compared to same aged peers from
  similar cultural, ELL, and educational
  backgrounds. These results indicate that
  although limited English proficiency may be a
  factor in Dominiques difficulty in acquiring
  reading skills, it is not a determining factor.
  Assessment results indicate that a specific
  learning disability in basic reading skill that
  is likely due to a significant weakness in the
  psychological processing area of processing speed
  is the determinant factor that is adversely
  impacting her education performance.

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Part E. Eligibility Determination

• Does the student have a disability?
• Since the beginning of the 2009-2010 school year
  (past 20 weeks), she has been receiving core
  instruction and differentiated small group
  instruction in her third grade classroom,
  supplemental instruction in a small group with
  other ELL students in a companion curriculum
  designed for ELL students for 20 minutes daily.
  An individual intervention plan was designed by
  the Intervention/Problem Solving Team on 9/7/09.
  20 minutes daily with the reading specialist to
  increase reading fluency was added to her day.
  Dominiques progress was monitored weekly. After
  8 weeks, progress monitoring data indicated that
  Dominique was not making sufficient progress and
  her intervention was intensified. Dominique
  began working with the reading specialist with
  three other students using an intensive
  research-based comprehensive reading program
  called My Sidewalks.

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Part E. Eligibility Determination

• Does the student have a disability?
• The attached progress monitoring graph from the
  09-10 school year indicates that Dominique is
  making sporadic growth and her current rate of
  improvement in reading is not sufficient to close
  the gap between her current performance and grade
  level expectations.
• Dominique is currently reading 26 correct words
  per minute on CBM probes of oral reading fluency,
  despite intensive intervention. Peers with
  similar ELL, cultural, and educational
  backgrounds are reading from 50 cwpm to 85 cwpm
  with an average of 75 cwpm.

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Part E. Eligibility Determination

• Does the student have a disability?
• The results of the WJ III substantiate that
  Dominique demonstrates basic reading skills
  (phonemic awareness, phonics, and fluency) that
  are significantly below her same age peers
  (standard score of 82 percentile of 12).
• Psychological processing assessment results
  indicate that Dominique demonstrates a
  significant weakness in Processing Speed within
  an otherwise average ability level. Her cluster
  scores in the processing areas of Verbal
  Comprehension, Perceptual Reasoning, and Working
  Memory are all within one standard deviation of
  the mean. However, her low score on the
  Processing Speed cluster indicates a significant
  normative weakness in the ability to perform
  automatic, speeded cognitive tasks under pressure
  to maintain focused attention.

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Part E. Eligibility Determination

• Is there an adverse impact on educational
  performance?
• Dominique has a specific learning disability in
  basic reading skills that impact her ability to
  decode words and to read fluently in order to
  access written information. Her significant
  weakness in processing speed impacts her ability
  to perform automatic, speeded cognitive tasks
  under pressure to maintain focused attention.

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Part E. Eligibility Determination

• Does the student require specially designed
  instruction?
• Dominique requires extensive and sustained small
  group direct instruction in a comprehensive
  research based reading program from a highly
  qualified special education teacher in order to
  gain basic reading skills to meet grade level
  standards.

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Your Questions?
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series. You can view archived webinars at the
Idaho Training Clearinghouse http//itcnew.idah
otc.com/dnn/specific-learning-disability.aspx