Existing educational assessments have typically been developed without appropriate attention to the intended and unintended consequences of measure implementation and interpretation. We are developing the Expanding Screening to Support Youth (ESSY) Whole Child Screener using a mixed methods approach that attends to the intended and unintended…

The long-term academic outcomes for many students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are strikingly poor. It has been decades since students with ADHD were specifically recognized as eligible for special education through the Other Health Impaired category under the Education for all Handicapped Children Act of 1975, and…

The Building a Brighter Future: Community Symposium Against the Preschool-to-Prison Pipeline addresses systemic inequities in early childhood education and the juvenile justice system. The symposium aims to combat the preschool-to-prison pipeline--a phenomenon disproportionately affecting children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds,…

This qualitative case study examined the role of three support advocates in an urban middle school setting when working with tier 3 students. Support advocates are support staff members who work with a specific caseload of students- identified because they are at risk of early drop out from high school- but defining their role as a wraparound…

Much research shows that teacher data use relates to increased achievement for students, but teacher capacity to use data can be limited. Recent investment in "the Science of Reading" provides opportunities to explore how teacher's data use through "Multi-Tiered Systems of Support in Reading (MTSS-R)" relates to instruction.…

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceived effectiveness of Intervention and Referral Services teams in New Jersey Elementary Schools. A review of literature focused on the background of prereferral teams, intervention team description and approach and I&RS in New Jersey. The survey instrument consisted of questions designed to…

This qualitative descriptive study explored which components of intervention programs, if any, influence grade retention of struggling readers at the elementary school level in one school district on the East Coast. Multi-tiered systems of supports (MTSS) is the theoretical framework that guided this study. The sample group consisted of 12…

School-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) is a multi-tiered system of student support that emphasizes the use of positive behavior strategies for a school's students. Schools are adopting SWPBIS because it gives staff the opportunity to teach desired behaviors to students and emphasizes the enhancement of instructional time…

Given the authority of state government over public education, one means of narrowing the best-practice to actual-practice gap in education is by putting forth clear state guidance and recommendations to schools. To date, however, little is known about the national landscape of procedural guidance that is readily available to practitioners looking…

This chapter describes Multi-tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), with a specific focus on Response to Intervention (RTI) and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). When outlining MTSS, authors address how MTSS evolved as well as operating characteristics of the framework. MTSS is an prevention-based framework for enhancing the…

This chapter will introduce readers to the history and current relevance of classroom discipline practices in U.S. public schools, the impact of inequitable practices on student outcomes, and the need for and implementation of equitable and culturally responsive classroom behavioral strategies. Using the three-pronged framework of equity and…

The transition from sounding out unfamiliar words to effortlessly reading connected text does not occur all at once nor at the same rate for students. The purpose of this study was to explore the accuracy of three decision rules (data point, median, and trend line) applied to progress monitoring outcomes of alphabetic principle (nonsense word…

The IDEA requires schools to evaluate and provide services to students who have a mental health issue that is deemed an educational disability or a mental health issue that is comorbid with an educational disability. Etscheidt and colleagues (this issue) propose a six component approach to securing school-based mental health services for students…

The transition from sounding out unfamiliar words to effortlessly reading connected text does not occur all at once or at the same rate for students. The purpose of this study was to explore the accuracy of three decision rules (data point, median, and trend line) applied to progress monitoring outcomes of alphabetic principle (nonsense word…

Schools and districts have long grappled with race- and disability-based exclusionary discipline inequities. Research on the topic has uncovered a variety of systems that maintain such disparities, including school policies and practices that exacerbate the problem. Researchers and practitioners have increasingly considered school context and…