<p> With the passage of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EAHCA) in 1975, parents were provided the right to a hearing if they did not agree with the special educational services being provided to their child. However, it was not until the IDEA 1997 amendments that tuition reimbursement was specifically offered when a school district failed to provide a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) to a child with a disability. In current times, when parents disagree about the services provided to their child, they often do not wait for the due process procedure to resolve the issue. Instead, they withdraw their child from the public school and place them in a specialized private school. After unilaterally placing their child in the private school, parents are then able to seek tuition reimbursement and compensatory educational services from the public school system. </p><p> As school districts attempt to provide special education students with a free and appropriate public education, they are forced to accomplish this within budgetary realities. Considering that individual cases of tuition reimbursement have cost districts over one million dollars, it is essential that school administrators are familiar with each aspect of unilateral private placements. In order to provide school administrators with a relevant legal history of unilateral private placements, a legal research methodology was employed for this study. The resulting review and analysis will provide public school educators with information on current trends, as well as potential new provisions during the next reauthorization of IDEA.</p>

Video modeling (VM) is an evidence-based intervention for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The purpose of this study was to analyze the relative effect of video modeling with versus without play narrations for children with ASD who demonstrate delayed echolalia. An experimental single-case adapted alternating treatments design was employed to compare the relative effects of video modeling with versus without play narrations on toy play for three children with ASD who demonstrate delayed echolalia with screen media. Overall, VM was effective at teaching novel toy play actions to all three children in the study. However, the relative effect of narrated versus unnarrated VM was differential across the three children in the study. For the first child, there was a slight relative effect in favor of narrated over unnarrated VM, but the VM interventions may have had a negative effect on overall toy play. For the second child, there was a clear relative effect in favor of unnarrated over narrated VM, which might have been associated with his low levels of spontaneous vocalizations and verbalizations. For the third child, the clearest relative effect for narrated over unnarrated VM was observed. However, the VM intervention was associated with increases in repetitive, stereotypic play behaviors for this child.

Childrens ability to use a spoon facilitates increased independence during mealtimes and greater control over the pace and quantity of food intake. Children with multiple disabilities including visual impairment (MDVI) have significant communication, cognitive, and motor delays that put them at risk during mealtimes of choking, aspirating, overeating, or undereating when adults control childrens food intake. Therefore, for this group of learners, independent spoon use has important implications for health and self-determination. For this study, I used graduated guidance (GG) to teach spoon use to three children with MDVI in a pullout setting during afternoon snack at school. Efficacy of GG was tested using a multiple probe design across participants; however, a functional relation was not established. Results were analyzed visually, displayed as percentage of prompted and unprompted correct trials (i.e., bites of food) per session, and unprompted correct responses for each step of spoon use per session. All three students data at the step level showed a slow, gradual increase in independent spoon use above baseline levels, beginning 3-5 sessions after introduction of the intervention. Two students data at the trial level showed a positive trend change, beginning 9-17 sessions after introduction of the intervention. Student data at the step and trial level were highly variable, and students did not reach mastery criterion. Efficacy of GG and generalization of learning as well as implications for practice and future research are discussed.

The purpose of the present study was to examine the cognitive predictors of calculations and number line estimation with whole numbers and fractions. At-risk 4th-grade students (N = 139) were assessed on 7 domain-general abilities (i.e., working memory, processing speed, concept formation, language, attentive behavior, and nonverbal reasoning) and 1 incoming calculation skill at the beginning for 4th grade. Then, they were assessed on whole-number and fraction calculation and number line estimation outcome measures at the end of 4th grade. Structural equation modeling and path analysis were conducted to identify unique cognitive correlates that predicted each outcome measure. Results indicated that processing speed, attentive behavior, and incoming calculation skills were the significant predictors of whole-number calculations whereas language, in addition to processing speed and attentive behavior, significantly predicted fraction calculations. In contrast, nonverbal reasoning significantly predicted both whole-number and fraction number line estimation with numerical working memory uniquely predicting whole-number number line estimation and language uniquely predicting fraction number line estimation.

In this study, 69 grade 4 students were randomly assigned to a writing to learn (n = 23), comparison (n = 23), or control (n = 23) condition. In treatment and comparison, students made predictions and recorded results for 30 balance trials which involved different configurations of weights on an equal arm balance beam. Treatment students wrote 4 short answer responses about what they were learning during the trials and wrote an extended response after the trials about what they had learned about balance. To control for writing time, comparison students wrote 4 short answer responses about their favorite parts of the trials and wrote an extended response about their favorite parts of science class. Students in the control condition (n = 23) participated in business as usual classroom instruction. There were no statistically significant differences between treatment and comparison conditions on a 20-item balance knowledge posttest. However, students in the control condition outperformed students in the treatment (ES = 0.89) and comparison (ES = 1.05) on posttest questions at the lowest level of balance understanding (i.e., level 1). For balance knowledge questions at the highest levels, levels 3 and 4, the treatment condition (ESs = 1.42 and 0.94, respectively) and the comparison condition (ESs = 1.62 and 1.37, respectively) outperformed the control. No statistically significant differences were found between conditions for total words written and level of balance understanding on a posttest extended writing prompt. Implications of these findings and directions for future research on writing to learn are discussed.

Dissertation under the direction of Professor Donald L. Compton In contrast to conventional static assessments measuring what students have learned, dynamic assessments (DA) measure how well students can learn; that is, their learning potential. Although DA has gained substantial attention for its utility in educational assessment, little is known about the nature of the learning potential construct measured by DA. The purpose of this study was (a) to test the construct validity of a DA of decoding and (b) to examine the incremental validity of the DA for explaining word reading and arithmetic performance beyond that which can be explained with conventional static measures. First grade students (N=112) were assessed on DA of decoding and various measures from reading- to math-related predictors as well as domain-general learning indicators. Confirmatory factor analysis supported that DA of decoding was distinct from general learning aptitude (intelligence) as well as from current level of decoding. Structural equation models showed that DA was necessary in explaining concurrent decoding skill beyond domain general learning measures and predictors of reading. DA was not a significant predictor of concurrent word recognition and arithmetic performance suggesting that learning potential measured by decoding DA was not generalizable across domains.

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of a dynamic assessment (DA) of decoding in predicting responsiveness to Tier 2 small group tutoring in a response-to-intervention model. First-grade students (n=134) who did not show adequate progress in Tier 1 based on 6 weeks of progress monitoring received Tier 2 small-group tutoring in reading for 14 weeks. Student responsiveness to Tier 2 was assessed weekly with word identification fluency (WIF). A series of conditional individual growth curve analyses were completed that modeled the correlates of WIF growth (final level of performance and growth). Its purpose was to examine the predictive validity of DA in the presence of 3 sets of variables: static decoding measures, Tier 1 responsiveness indicators, and pre-reading variables (phonemic awareness, rapid letter naming, oral vocabulary, and IQ). DA was a significant predictor of final level and growth, uniquely explaining 3% - 13% of the variances in Tier 2 responsiveness depending on the competing predictors in the model and WIF outcome (final level of performance or growth). Although the additional variances explained uniquely by DA were relatively small, results indicate the potential of DA in identifying Tier 2 nonresponders.

Instruction in early math is the subject of increasing attention in the literature and research. Response to intervention is a framework that can be used to guide how children receive instruction on early math skills. A recent review of the literature around math instruction found that there is some evidence that a variety of curricula can be effective as tier one interventions, but there is limited data on the effectiveness of tier two and tier three interventions. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a systematic instructional procedure on teaching early math skills to preschoolers who were at risk. Target math skills were selected based on the individual needs of each child and included counting, sorting, patterning, and shape manipulation. The systematic instructional procedure was adapted as necessary to meet the needs of the children. The instructional procedure was effective for two children. There were mixed results for generalization. Maintenance was measured in one child, and results were strong. Implications for a response to intervention framework, and limitations, and implications for research and practice are discussed.

The study had four purposes: (a) to describe fraction ordering errors among 227 at-risk 4th-grade students; (b) to examine performance differences among 3 cohorts; (c) to determine whether errors differed by problem type; and (d) to assess the effect of part-whole and measurement understanding on the probability of committing errors. Students completed a 9-item ordering test. There were no performance differences among cohorts. Students correctly answered 19% of problems. Same numerator problems were easier than problems with different numerators and different denominators. Part-whole and measurement understanding significantly predicted the probability of correctly answering a problem, although measurement understanding had a greater effect. The most common error was whole number ordering errors. This error was just as likely on both problem types. Superior measurement understanding dramatically decreased whole number ordering errors, but part-whole understanding had no significant effect. Smallest denominator biggest fraction ordering errors infrequently occurred. Practical implications are discussed.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Toronto, 2004. / Adviser: R. Sandwell.