This article describes how actuarial methods can supplant discrepancy models and augment problem solving and Response to Intervention (RTI) efforts by guiding the process of identifying specific learning disabilities (SLD). Actuarial methods use routinized selection and execution of formulas derived from empirically established relationships to…

The preliminary report--two-thirds of which consists of tabular data--describes an early identification system used in London, Ontario (Canada) for kindergarten and first grade high risk students, and provides some data bearing on the internal consistency and concurrent validity of the system. Simple descriptive summaries of some characteristics…

In this introductory article, a response-to-instruction approach to learning disabilities (LD) identification is discussed. An overview of the promise and potential pitfalls of such an approach is provided. Benefits include identification of students based on risk rather than deficit and early identification. Questions concern the integrity of the…

The paper reports on a 1 year followup study to establish the short term predictive validity of an early identification system used in London, Ontario (Canada) for kindergarten and first grade high risk students. Ratings of the students by the evaluation teams in January were compared with the students' actual placements as of the following…

There is a growing body of literature linking curriculum based measurements and general outcome measures to state test outcomes. With an increasing focus on the early identification of students at risk for academic failure, the present study investigated the predictive validity of preschool early literacy general outcome measures (GOMs) in a low…

The Early Prevention of School Failure Program (EPSF) was initiated in Peotone, Illinois, in 1971. The stated purpose was to prevent school failure through early identification and remediation of developmental learning deficiencies in four- to six-year-old children. The project components were team screening, team conference, education planning,…

This article describes the two basic versions of the responsiveness-to-intervention (RTI) approach for identifying learning disabilities, the problem solving model and the standard-protocol approach. It reviews evidence on effectiveness and feasibility and concludes that more needs to be understood before RTI may be viewed as a valid…

This article describes the problem-solving model (PSM) used in the Minneapolis Public Schools to guide decisions regarding intervention in general education, special education referral, and evaluation for special education eligibility for high-incidence disabilities. Program evaluation indicates students received special education services earlier…

Three studies investigated children's responsiveness to general education reading instruction as an indicator of need for more intensive interventions and found that the response-to-instruction model tested was valid. Results indicated that children at-risk (n=47) who received specially designed general education instruction had better outcomes…

This article explores conceptual and technical issues associated with options for specifying three assessment components for implementing an intervention responsiveness approach to the identification of learning disabilities: the timing of the measurement of student response to intervention; the criterion for demarcating learning as inadequate;…

This report presents four studies summarizing results of Project SEARCH, which attempted to identify characteristics of children at risk, apply risk analysis procedures, and identify effective educational practices. The first study examined the presence or absence of risk factors in 25 first graders (and 10 controls) referred by their teachers to…