Readiness for change is an important factor in successful implementation and scale-up of a new practice or program in schools. The process of assessing and developing readiness for change is a key feature of the Exploration Stage, which is the first of four implementation stages identified by the Active Implementation Research Network. Data-based…

Data-based individualization (DBI) is a systematic approach to intensifying and individualizing interventions for students who require more support. Diagnostic data represent the third step in the DBI process. When progress monitoring data indicate that a student is not making adequate progress in an intervention, educators use diagnostic data to…

In a multiyear, multisite, randomized control trial, we examined the effects of comprehensive professional development designed to support teachers' data-based instruction (DBI) for students with intensive early writing needs. Teachers (N = 154; primarily special educators or intervention specialists) were assigned randomly to a treatment group (n…

There is evidence that data-based decision-making (DBDM) can improve outcomes for a wide range of students. However, less is known about how special education teachers are trained to use data to inform instruction that targets academic progress for students with extensive support needs (ESN). The purpose of this systematic literature review was to…

During spring 2020, educators quickly adapted to providing interventions and collecting data virtually despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Parents were critical partners in supporting opportunities for students with intensive needs to data-based individualization (DBI) Process practice and receive feedback and sharing what was working…

If you are like most educators, you agree with the idea of providing intensive intervention for students with the most intractable academic and behavior problems. The question you may be asking is, how do I find the time? Intensive intervention requires time for planning and delivering individualized instruction, as well as time for collecting and…

Special education administrators at both the district and school level are serving in critical roles that uniquely position them to improve academic and behavioral outcomes of students with disabilities by ensuring the special education teachers under their supervision are prepared to deliver an evidence-based form of intensive…

This brief is one in a series aimed at providing K-12 education decision makers and advocates with an evidence base to ground discussions about how to best serve students during and following the novel coronavirus pandemic. It addresses one central question: How can schools intervene to reduce learning gaps between students with disabilities and…

Although peer-mediated interventions have emerged as an evidence-based practice for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), little attention has focused on approaches for tailoring these interventions to meet individual students' unique needs. In this systematic literature review of 29 studies, we identified assessment procedures used to…