In the era of 21st century learning, many secondary students with learning disabilities continue to struggle with mathematics problem solving. Emerging evidence suggests self-regulated strategy development can be combined with existing evidence-based and promising practices during mathematics instruction. These practices include explicit…

Assessment is fundamental to school psychology, but its purpose has shifted from making predictions about children to improving outcomes for children. This commentary on the special issue focuses on screening and progress-monitoring decisions that can be used to solve student problems. We outline several psychometric and practical issues that…

Data-based problem solving within a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) can help state education agencies and local education agencies (LEAs) improve graduation rates for students with disabilities. To facilitate problem solving within an MTSS, states and LEAs need efficient systems and processes for analyzing and integrating data across…

Proficiency in mathematics involves the seamless synchronization of conceptual understanding, procedural knowledge, computational fluency, and problem solving (NMAP, 2008). Clearly, fluency with mathematics facts is one element embedded within mathematical proficiency and important for students with disabilities to develop. As more and more…

Well-developed, problem-solving skills are essential for any student enrolled in a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) course as well as for graduates in the workforce. One of the most essential skills is the ability to monitor one's own progress and understanding while solving a problem. Successful monitoring during the…

There are two approaches for providing Tier 2 interventions within Response to Intervention (RtI): standard treatment protocol (STP) and the problem-solving approach (PSA). This article describes the multi-tiered RtI prevention model being implemented across the United States through an analysis of these two approaches in reading instruction. It…

In today's world, much of what used to be individual work has become collaborative. Moreover, complex change initiatives often require individuals within and across organizations to team up to set and achieve meaningful goals. The role of researchers and evaluators is to offer support that can be used to strengthen the work of organizations and…

Research regarding the role of the school psychologist in response-to-intervention (RTI) and other multitiered systems of support is minimal (Ball & Christ, 2012). However, the National Association of School Psychologists' (NASP) "Model for Comprehensive and Integrated School Psychological Services" (2010), "Best Practices in…

This guide is a revised and updated edition of "Making It Count." This version contains much of the information from the earlier publication but also includes strategies for using project-based learning and Web-based instructional programs to support the development of mathematics proficiency for youth in short-term juvenile correctional…

Three-tiered models of academic and behavioral support are being increasingly adopted across the nation, and with that adoption has come an increasing message that designing and implementing effective practices alone is not enough. Systems are needed to help staff to collectively implement best practices. These systems, as well as effective…

Problems with handwriting can negatively impact the writing of students with learning disabilities. In this article, an example is provided of a fourth-grade special education teacher's efforts to assist a new student by using a problem-solving approach to help determine an efficient course of action for special education teachers who are trying…

Watch one of the Japan videos from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS)--more specifically, mathematics video 3 on solving inequalities1--and you'll see that after giving his students a word problem to solve, the 8th grade math teacher strolls among the students' desks for almost 15 minutes, leaning over to see what…

Efforts to promote self-determination have been a principal focus of transition planning in support of students with disabilities for nearly two decades. However, research and recommendations related to self-determination have been primarily centered on promoting student participation in the IEP process and ensuring broader preparation for…

There is no shortage of challenges in school education. Some of the biggest challenges we face can appear frustratingly intractable. Despite reform efforts, regular government reviews and ongoing calls for change, progress in addressing our most significant challenges is often slow and solutions continue to elude us. In this paper Professor Geoff…

Within an RtI problem-solving context, assessment and decision making generally center around the tasks of problem identification, problem analysis, progress monitoring, and program evaluation. We use this framework to discuss the current state of the literature regarding curriculum based measurement, its technical properties, and its utility for…