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Newly Published Research
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Processes and Challenges in Identifying Learning Disabilities Among Students Who Are English Language Learners in Three New York State Districts
To help districts accurately identify students who are English language learners (ELLs) and also have learning disabilities, this study examines practices and challenges in the processes applied in three New York State districts in identifying learning disabilities among students who are ELLs. Using interviews with district and school personnel and documents from state and district websites, the study finds both similarities and differences in practices, with more differences in the prereferral process than in the referral process. It also identifies eight challenges to the identification of learning disabilities in ELLs and five interrelated elements that appear to be important for avoiding misidentification of learning disabilities among students who are ELLs. (Posted 2/16/10)
Features of State Response to Intervention (RTI) Initiatives in Northeast and Islands Region States
The report analyzes the RTI-related initiatives, policies, regulations, and structures for support in all nine REL-NEI jurisdictions. Researchers scanned the state education agency (SEA) websites of the nine jurisdictions using a common set of keywords to collect policies, regulations, and guidance documents related to RTI. The report finds that the six New England states and New York support RTI as an overall school instructional improvement approach or an approach to determining special education eligibility. It also finds that RTI documents in the seven jurisdictions address the eight core features of RTI as defined by the National Research Center on Learning Disabilities. (Posted 11/30/09)
Focusing on student proficiency in reading and math from 2003/04 to 2006/07, this report from REL Northwest compares gaps in performance on state achievement tests between grade 8 American Indian and Alaska Native students and all other grade 8 students in 26 states serving large populations of American Indian and Alaska Native students. Of REL-NEI’s nine jurisdictions, only New York State met the inclusion criteria for this project. (Posted 7/6/09)
  Massachusetts policymakers have expressed concern about the consistently lower scores of Hispanic students, compared to other subgroups, on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS). This report examines Hispanic high school students' performance on the MCAS tests in English language arts and mathematics over 2002/03–2005/06. It compares the scores of grade 10 Hispanic and non-Hispanic students and uses multilevel regressions to examine associations between the Hispanic students’ scores and student- and school-level characteristics. Previously, no such analyses of this specific subgroup’s performance on the MCAS had been conducted. (Posted 6/1/09)
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