ERIC Number: EJ1421977
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024-May
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-2194
EISSN: EISSN-1538-4780
Response to Intervention and Specific Learning Disability Identification: Evidence from Tennessee
Allison F. Gilmour; Justin Harper; Blair Lloyd; Alyssa Van Camp
Journal of Learning Disabilities, v57 n3 p168-180 2024
Response to intervention (RTI) is a method for providing academic support to students and for identifying specific learning disabilities (SLDs). Using interrupted time series and hazard models, we examined if statewide RTI adoption in the U.S. state of Tennessee was associated with changes in rates of SLD and first-time SLD identification in elementary schools, and if these associations varied across student groups. Response to intervention was associated with an initial decline in the percentage of students with SLD in the state that continued over time, with larger decreases for students who were Black or economically disadvantaged. Response to intervention was associated with a 61% average decrease in the odds of first-time SLD identification by third grade (about a 0.006 change in the predicted probability), with greater declines for students who were Black or economically disadvantaged. We discuss these results in the context of disproportionality in special education and the need for research examining whether declines in SLD were due to improved academic outcomes, as opposed to delays in identification.
Descriptors: Students with Disabilities, Learning Disabilities, Disability Identification, Intervention, Elementary School Students, Student Characteristics, Response to Intervention, Academic Support Services, Racial Differences, Achievement Gap, Economically Disadvantaged, Special Education, Disproportionate Representation, Educational Legislation, Equal Education, Federal Legislation
SAGE Publications and Hammill Institute on Disabilities. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2993
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Tennessee
Identifiers - Laws, Policies, & Programs: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A