Assistive technology
White Paper
The Research Case Against the Use of Patterns of Strengths and Weaknesses in Determining Eligibility
Prepared by Dr. Kathleen Rotter
Professor Emeritus, The College of New Jersey
Executive Summary
1. PSW assumes an individual with SLD has a specific pattern of cognitive processing deficits that are causally and predictably linked to their learning difficulties, and that those deficits are relevant to educational planning.
2. This is not supported by research.
3. There is no specific set of cognitive processing deficits identified in research.
4. Any individual cognitive processing deficits found (as opposed to a set) are not causally and predictably linked to learning difficulties and are correlated at best.
5. Cognitive processing deficits have not been found to be relevant to educational planning.
6. Identification rates vary by model which will result in different standards for eligibility in different school districts. Student eligibility would be dependent on student district of residence.
7. The method lacks validity and reliability.
8. The original supportive literature was flawed.
9. There has been little to no research to support the proposal since it was made.
10. The model includes the use of clinical judgment which will vary across individuals responsible for eligibility decisions, resulting in poor decision making.
Read the Full Research
New standards
LDA Publishes SLD Evaluation Principles and Standard for Educational Assessments
Taken from LDA website:
The Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA) announces the publication of a groundbreaking research paper titled “Specific Learning Disabilities Evaluation Principles and Standards.” LDA and an interdisciplinary team of researchers and practitioners partnered to develop new SLD Evaluation Principles and Standards in response to alarming achievement gaps between students with learning disabilities and their non-disabled peers.
The purpose of these standards is to guide best practices for the evaluation and identification of specific learning disabilities. The standards will guide professionals in developing a comprehensive evaluation and written report that describes the nature of the specific learning disability, the area and levels of impairment, and specific considerations for practitioners to develop individualized interventions designed to meet the unique academic, linguistic, social, emotional, and behavioral needs of the student.
“The LDA SLD Evaluation Principles and Standards represent an interdisciplinary and international research-to-practice lens, to provide the LD field guidance in implementing a comprehensive whole-child approach to the SLD evaluation connected to informed individualized instruction/intervention for struggling learners,” said Dr. David Allsop, a co-author of the research paper.
The SLD Evaluation is guided by seven foundational principles; the SLD Evaluation is 1) interdisciplinary, 2) research-informed, 3) consequently valid, 4) dynamic and iterative, 5) whole-child focused, 6) strengths-based, and 7) universally benevolent. LDA believes these principles serve as a foundation for establishing a common ethos among stakeholders with respect to the SLD evaluation and its connection to practice.
Dr. Elsa Cardenas-Hagan, one of the authors of the research paper, stated “The LDA Assessment Standards serve as a roadmap for accurate diagnosis of learning disabilities, among all students including English learners/Emergent Bilinguals.”
This research paper serves as a valuable resource for educators, psychologists, policymakers, and anyone interested in enhancing the quality of education and support for individuals with specific learning disabilities.
Discipline
New Discipline Law in NJ
By: Tina Kelley | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
New Jersey school leaders received clear guidance Monday on disciplining students without discriminating against them, as the state attorney general and acting state education commissioner released a document helping schools ensure their policies do not treat protected students differently — intentionally or unintentionally.
The resource guide, created with the help of Sundeep Iyer, director of the state Division on Civil Rights, directs schools on ways to make sure they do not treat students differently from their peers based on race, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, and disability, classes protected by the state’s Law Against Discrimination. The guide’s goals include eliminating discipline that has not only a discriminatory intent, but discriminatory impact as well.
Click here for full story: https://www.nj.com/education/2023/08/stop-discriminating-against-kids-when-disciplining-them-state-warns-nj-schools-in-new-rules.html