Reviewed 48 studies of sight-word research (SWR) from 1980 to 1997 with individuals with disabilities to determine the overall effectiveness of SWR and its impact on individuals with moderate and severe disabilities. Most students had moderate mental retardation (mean IQ=55) and were elementary school students, but a wide age range was represented, including adults. A meta-analysis using the percentage of nonoverlapping data points revealed that sight-word instruction has been highly effective across individuals for people with moderate and severe disabilities. New strategies have included giving instructive feedback for additional learning, applying constant time delay in group formats, and using more elaborate feedback procedures in a post-response prompting format. These innovations also included teaching sight words in the context of the community and in general education classes using either heterogeneous groups or peer tutoring. A persistent limitation of SWR is the failure to measure functional use. |
Students with special needs are increasingly being served in the general education classroom. Co-teaching is one service delivery option designed to meet those needs. The purpose of this article is to synthesize data-based articles pertaining to co-teaching between general and special education personnel. Of 89 articles reviewed, only 6 provided sufficient quantitative information far an effect size to be calculated. Effect sizes for the individual studies ranged from low (0.24) to high (0.95), with an average total effect size of 0.40. Dependent measures were varied and included grades, achievement scores, and social and attitudinal outcomes. Results indicate that further research is needed to substantiate that co-teaching is an effective service delivery option for students with disabilities. |
Social skills deficits are a central feature of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This meta-analysis of 55 single-subject design studies examined the effectiveness of school-based social skills interventions for children and adolescents with ASD. Intervention, maintenance, and generalization effects were measured by computing the percentage of non-overlapping data points. The results suggest that social skills interventions have been minimally effective for children with ASD. Specific participant, setting, and procedural features that lead to the most effective intervention outcomes are highlighted, and implications for school personnel are discussed. Finally, the results are compared to the outcomes of similar meta-analyses involving social skills interventions with other populations of children.
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This article reports on a comprehensive literature review and meta-analysis of 68 experiments on teaching mathematics to individuals with significant cognitive disabilities. Most of the studies in the review addressed numbers and computation or measurement. Within the computation studies identified, most focused on counting, calculation, or number matching. For the measurement studies, nearly all focused on money skills. Of the 54 single subject design studies, 19 were classified as having all quality indicators for research design (13 representing the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Measurement standard and 6 representing the Numbers and Operations standard). These studies offer strong evidence for using systematic instruction to teach mathematics skills and for using in vivo settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
Presents the selective synthesis of instructional research with children and adolescents with learning disabilities, analyzing studies across instructional domains, sample characteristics, intervention parameters, and sampling procedures. Synthesis indicates that reading is the most researched domain, and intervention studies that produce the highest effect sizes were related to derivations of cognitive and/or direct instruction.
From NASP:
A Selective Synthesis of Intervention Research for Students with Learning Disabilities" by H. L. Swanson, Cristi Carson, and Carole M. Sachse-Lee
EDUCATIONAL INTERVENTIONS FOR CHILDREN WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES: H. L. Swanson, Cristi Carson, and Carole Sachse-Lee of the University of California, Riverside, reviewed the results of 78 studies that tested educational interventions for children with learning disabilities. They reported several findings: First, reading is the most widely researched academic area, whereas mathematics interventions are not well researched. Second, interventions that yielded the highest academic gains taught cognitive strategies, followed by those using direct instruction and remedial instruction. Third, the higher the number of intervention sessions per week, the higher the gains in academic functioning. Fourth, cognitive strategy instruction is most effective when taught within an academic domain, rather than as isolated skills. Fifth, the effectiveness of specific strategies may vary as a function the academic domain. That is, Swanson and his colleagues reported that cognitive a strategy instruction and direct instruction are the most effective interventions for teaching reading comprehension: whereas phonetic (decoding) strategy training and remedial instruction are most effective for improving word recognition and spelling skills. Cognitive strategy instruction also is effective for improving communication and language skills. School psychologists are well advised to consider such research findings when making recommendations for students with learning disabilities. |
The purpose of this study was to synthesize research on the effects of interventions to improve the mathematics achievement of students considered low achieving or at risk for failure. Meta-analytic techniques were used to calculate mean effect sizes for 15 studies that met inclusion criteria. Studies were coded according to 5 categories of mathematics interventions, and effect sizes were examined on a study-by-study basis within each of these categories. Results indicated that different types of interventions led to improvements in the mathematics achievement of students experiencing mathematics difficulty, including the following: (a) providing teachers and students with data on student performance; (b) using peers as tutors or instructional guides; (c) providing clear, specific feedback to parents on their children’s mathematics success; and (d) using principles of explicit instruction in teaching math concepts and procedures. |
Review of research of between-class and within-class ability grouping on the achievement of elementary students. The review technique--best-evidence synthesis--combines features of meta-analytic and narrative reviews. Overall, the evidence does not support assignment of students to self-contained classes according to ability (median ES = 0.00), but grouping plans involving cross grade assignment for selected subjects can increase student achievement. Research particularly supports the Joplin Plan, cross-grade ability grouping for reading only (median ES = 0.45). Within class ability grouping in mathematics is also found to be instructionally effective (median ES = 0.34). Ability grouping is maximally effective when done for only one or two subjects, with students remaining in heterogeneous classes most of the day; when it greatly reduces student heterogeneity in a specific skill; when group assignments are frequently reassessed; and when teachers vary the level and pace of instruction to students’ needs. Ability grouping appears most effective for specific subjects with students remaining in heterogeneous classes most of the day. Cross-grade assignment for selected subjects can increase achievement. |
A "best evidence" review synthesis, which incorporates features of meta-analytic and traditional literature reviews, is used in this review of studies on the effects of ability grouping on secondary school students’ achievement. The focus was on 29 studies that compared between-class ability grouping to heterogeneous placements. Effect sizes were used to characterize study results. Findings indicate that comprehensive between-class ability grouping plans, different forms of ability grouping, and ability grouping by subject (except in social studies) had no effect on student achievement. The finding of zero effects of grouping for all ability levels contradicts earlier conclusions that demonstrated benefits of ability grouping for high-level students and detriments for low-level students. Explanations for this discrepancy are discussed. An implication is that policy decisions about ability grouping must be based on criteria other than effect on academic achievement. A recommendation is made for reduction of between class ability grouping practices and consideration of cooperative learning methods. An extensive bibliography and statistical tables are included. (LMI) |
Once a child’s needs are identified, the IEP team works to develop appropriate goals to address those needs. Annual goal describe what the child is expected to do or learn within a 12-month period. |
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