Longstanding concern about how learning disabilities (LD) are defined and identified, coupled with recent efforts in Washington, DC to eliminate IQ-achievement discrepancy as an LD marker, have led to serious public discussion about alternative identification methods. The most popular of the alternatives is responsiveness-to-intervention (RTI), of which there are two basic versions: the “problem-solving” model and the “standard-protocol” approach. The authors describe both types, review empirical evidence bearing on their effectiveness and feasibility, and conclude that more needs to be understood before RTI may be viewed as a valid means of identifying students with LD.

Responsiveness-to-Intervention: Definitions, Evidence, and Implications for the Learning Disabilities Construct.

ABSIRACT:The relationship between efficacy and selected instructional vareables was explored for two types of special education teachers. Teachers were categorized either as direct service providers, who provided direct instruction or behavioral interventions to students with mild disabilities, or as indirect service providers, who spent at least 50% of their time consulting, collaborating, or team teaching with general educators. Significant positive correlations found between efficacy and three instructionally-relevant factors were for both types of teachers. Type of service was related to only one instructional component, Instructional Experimentation. Recommendations for teacher education are addressed.

The Relationship Between Efficacy and the Instructional Practices of Special Education Teachers and Consultants

T: Thirty-two qualitative investigations of co-teaching in inclusive classrooms were in- cluded in a metasynthesis employing qualitative research integration techniques. It was concluded that co-teachers generally supported co-teaching, although a number of important needs were iden- tified, including planning time, student skill level, and training; many of these needs were linked to administrative support. The dominant co-teaching role was found to be "one teach, one assist," in classrooms characterized by traditional instruction, even though this method is not highly rec- ommended in the literature. The special education teacher was often observed to play a subordinate role. Techniques often recommended for special education teachers, such as peer mediation, strategy instruction, mnemonics, and training of study skills, self-advocacy skills, and self-monitoring, were infrequently observed.

http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/001440290707300401

Co-Teaching in Inclusive Classrooms: A Metasynthesis of Qualitative Research

Background/Context: A review of the literature demonstrates that schools are frequently called upon to improve by developing high levels of teacher collaboration. At the same time, there is a paucity of research investigating the extent to which teachers’ collaborative school improvement practices are related to student achievement. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to review the literature and empirically test the relationship between a theoretically driven measure of teacher collaboration for school improvement and student achievement. Setting: The data for this study were drawn from students and teachers in a large urban school district located in the midwestern United States. Population: The population for this study came from the elementary schools in one large midwestern school district. Survey data were drawn from a sample of 47 elementary schools with 452 teachers and 2,536 fourth-grade students. Research Design: Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) was the primary analytic method. Survey data were collected approximately 2 months before students took the mandatory state assessments, which provided the scale scores that served as dependent variables in this research. HLM accounted for the nested nature of the data (students nested in schools). This was a naturalistic study that employed secondary data analysis. There was no intervention, treatment, or randomization. Naturally occurring differences in teachers’ levels of collaboration were measured, and statistical controls for school social context were employed. At the student level, the study employed controls for children’s social and academic backgrounds.

/pdf/a-theoretical-and-empirical-investigation-of-teacher-3e4sknv7hx.pdf

A Theoretical and Empirical Investigation of Teacher Collaboration for School Improvement and Student Achievement in Public Elementary Schools.

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/pdf/co-teaching-guidelines-for-creating-effective-practices-2v8tm6x0x9.pdf

Co-Teaching: Guidelines for Creating Effective Practices.

1. The Fundamentals of Collaboration. 2. Teams. 3. Co-Teaching. 4. Consultation. 5. Staff Development. 6. The Pragmatic Issues of Collaboration. 7. Interpersonal Problem Solving. 8. Interpersonal Communication. 9. Using Statements. 10. Asking Questions. 11. Difficult Interactions. 12. Perspectives and Issues.

Interactions: Collaboration Skills for School Professionals

(1993). Co-Teaching: An Overview of the Past, a Glimpse at the Present, and Considerations for the Future. Preventing School Failure: Alternative Education for Children and Youth: Vol. 37, Professionla Collaboriation in Support of Inclusive Education, pp. 6-10.

Co-Teaching: An Overview of the Past, a Glimpse at the Present, and Considerations for the Future

Although school reform has captured the attention of this country, considerable controversy exists regarding the feasibility of reform, appropriate strategies for implementing reforms, and the adequacy of preparation of school professionals who will work in reformed schools. We propose that collaboration is the theme which unites the various dimensions of school reform and that the potential of school reform success can be analyzed by examining the extent to which the conditions needed for collaboration can be created in schools. We apply this notion to three key reform issues: (a) professionalism; (b) empowerment; and (c) restructured schools, specifically as recommended in special education. We conclude that educators should more carefully deliberate the conditions required for collaboration, should more directly address the preparation of school personnel for collaborative activities, and should call for realistically matching expectations for reform with implementation opportunities and constraints.

Collaboration as a Predictor for Success in School Reform

The need for effective collaboration on behalf of students with disabilities has never been greater. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) and the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disa...

Lynne Cook

Papers

Interactions: Collaboration Skills for School Professionals

Co-Teaching: Guidelines for Creating Effective Practices.

Co-Teaching: An Overview of the Past, a Glimpse at the Present, and Considerations for the Future

Collaboration as a Predictor for Success in School Reform

The State of the Art of Collaboration on Behalf of Students With Disabilities