Educational Diagnosticians

The Meadows Center has a long history of leading the research community to find instructional strategies and interventions to reduce academic risk. 

Jeremy Miciak and his colleague, Jack Fletcher, from the University of Houston Texas Center for Learning Disabilities argue that cognitive testing is not necessary for the identification of SLD through an SLD Manual with the TEA logo on it.  He argues that cognitive testing through any of the 5 PSW methods are not reliable or valid, and that cognitive testing does not do a good job of effectively guiding instruction.  As an alternative, he poses a TCLD or Hybrid Model that incorporates but formal achievement assessments and detailed progress monitoring data.  

Dr. Nathan Clemens talks to us about the use of screeners for pinpointing children who need intervention.  He explains what makes an assessment a screener, how to compare the quality of screeners, and why we might have some of the screeners we use today.  A student of Edward Shapiro, he hopes to continue the message that the assessment of basic skills is the most relevant information needed when determining SLD and guiding instruction. 

Dr. Amanda VanDerHeyden has done extensive research in Rti, and in the use of CBMs, especially for math calculation skills. She talks about the importance of building calculation fluency, using evidence-based interventions, and the vision of RTi for school improvement. 

Dr. Thea Woodruff headed the Building RTI Capacity project and one of the developers of the Reading Academies.  She describes all the challenges she has experienced in trying to bring progress monitoring through CBMs and other measures to the schools.  She also describes the success stories of some schools who did use the information she taught.  She tells us where to find the RTI resources that she helped to compiled, helps us define RTI, the importance of the role of core instruction, and how data should be used to guide instruction.

To have RTi means to have progress monitoring using CBMs and evidence based interventions available for all students. However, most Texas schools lack the kind of RTi practices that were originally intended for school improvement and to prevent specific learning disabilities.  What has been happening in Texas regarding the status of RTi? Nazzie Pater-Rov does a search and review of the TEA website and other resources for RTI guidance and resources for RTI practices.

Executive functions play a big role in our ability to attend, empathize, and initiate action to make a change.  Join us as we talk with George McCloskey, Ph. D, who has plans to travel around to various Muslim countries. 

RTi plays an important role in determining the difference between students who are just EL and students who are both EL and have SLD.  Dr. Eric Haas and Dr. Julie Esparza Brown have researched and written about the administrative and instructional techniques that are needed to ensure good evaluation practices for EL students who may also be EL. 

Dr. Julie Alonzo is a pioneer of design for Curriculum Based Measures. CBMs were designed to get the best results with the most conservative use of resources. These quick tests not only give us an idea of where a child is performing, but also provide us with a way to track progress over time. 

Dr. Cherry Lee developed the Dysgraphia Informal Writing Assessment tool while working at TEA.  She tells us how we can use this tool to not only to help us diagnose dysgraphia, but also to track progress.