The purpose of this quantitative ex post facto study was to examine if a significant difference exists between the number of rural K-3rd grade student referrals to Evidence Based Instruction, EBI, prior to and post leaders' implementation of reading legislation bill in the Mid-Western United States. There is an increased awareness of the…

The purpose of this study was to describe the pre-training readiness and capacity of educators taking part in the IES-funded Evidence Based Intervention Training for Educators (EBITE). The "Every Student Succeeds Act" (ESSA) in late 2015 charged educational leaders and decision-makers with using evidence-based processes and interventions…

"Augmentative and alternative communication" (AAC) refers to a wide variety of communication devices, systems, tools, and strategies that support or replace spoken language. Augmentative and alternative communication users represent a range of ages, abilities, and communication needs. Support for AAC often begins in the public school…

The purpose of this study was to describe challenges identified by participants from three cohorts in a methods training workshop meant to strengthen evidence-based intervention knowledge and practice. Since passage of the "Every Student Succeeds Act" (ESSA), educational leaders and decision-makers have been charged with ensuring that…

There has been an increase in the number of students with high functioning autism who are mainstreamed and would, therefore be entitled to mandated counseling services (AFIRM, 2019). On the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) website, there are several evidence-based interventions that are listed for students with autism. One of…

This updated Louisiana Comprehensive Literacy Plan contains the following sections: (1) Louisiana's Literacy Pillars; (2) Literacy Data from the Fall 2021 Assessment Reports; (3) Louisiana's Literacy Mission & Goals; (4) Louisiana Believes We Can Achieve Improved Literacy Outcomes; (5) BESE Policies Supporting Literacy; (6) Louisiana State…

This report summarizes the results of a project by the Center on Education Policy (CEP) that explored how education leaders, practitioners, and the research community might work together more effectively to advance the use of evidence in school improvement. In particular, the project focused on how to support states and school districts as they…

The READ Act is the signature literacy legislation in Colorado that prioritizes early literacy by ensuring all students achieve early-grade reading proficiency for later academic success. In 2019, the Colorado General Assembly passed significant revisions to the READ Act in Senate Bill 19-199 (S.B. 19-199), which were signed into law by the…

The Reading to Ensure Academic Development (READ) Act is the signature literacy statute in Colorado. The READ Act prioritizes early literacy by ensuring all students achieve early-grade reading proficiency for later academic success. In 2019, the Colorado General Assembly passed revisions to the READ Act in S.B. 19-199, which were signed into law…

This Louisiana Comprehensive Literacy Plan contains the following sections: (1) Louisiana's Literacy Pillars; (2) Literacy Data from the Fall 2020 Assessment Reports; (3) Literacy Mission and Goal; (4) Early Literacy Commission (ELC) Recommendations; (5) Louisiana Believes We Can Achieve Improved Literacy Outcomes; (6) Current Legislation…

"The Every Student Succeeds Act" encourages educators to use school improvement strategies backed by rigorous research. This snapshot, based on national surveys administered in 2018, describes what guidance states provided on improvement strategies and how districts selected such strategies in lowest-performing schools. Most states…

The Colorado Reading to Ensure Academic Development Act (the READ Act) passed 10 years ago and provided Colorado educators with a roadmap for grade level reading by third grade. Over the past decade, there have been many opportunities to learn and evolve the state's implementation of this key legislation. With an emphasis on early identification…

The reauthorization of the U.S. Elementary and Secondary Education Act, referred to as the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), emphasizes evidence-based initiatives while providing new flexibilities to states and districts with regard to the use of federal funds, including funds to promote effective school leadership. This report describes the…

In the 2018-19 school year, 5,664 U.S. schools were identified as Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI), meaning that thousands of students attended schools that performed in the bottom 5% of their state's accountability framework and/or had a graduation rate below 67%. Across the nation, states, parents, educators, principals and…

Functional communication training (FCT) is a commonly used, often recommended intervention that involves teaching a functionally equivalent communicative response to replace challenging behavior. The purpose of this literature review was to evaluate the strength of the evidence for the use of FCT. A systematic review of the literature resulted in…