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The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of supplemental word recognition strategies on students receiving intensive (Tier III) remedial reading instruction. Two-hundred and thirteen middle school students with reading difficulties received an intensive reading intervention (i.e., Corrective Reading Decoding strand) delivered by trained school staff (n = 21) at three middle schools. The 213 fifth through eighth grade students (121 males, 92 females) enrolled in three northwestern school districts (two rural and one urban). Of the 213 students, one-hundred and seven also received supplemental word recognition instruction using Reading Excellence: Word Attack and Rate Development Strategies (REWARDS). Using a pre-post quasi-experimental design, the effects of the Corrective Reading Decoding (CRD) program was compared to CRD combined with the REWARDS program. The REWARDS program produced statistically and educationally significant changes in the basic reading skills of students over and above Corrective Reading Decoding alone. Students in the REWARDS condition demonstrated statistically significant mean changes on the WJ-III Basic Reading Skills cluster and associated subtests and the DIBELS ORF probe compared to those in the comparison condition. Results, implications, and limitations are discussed.

In this article, we describe practical, usable ways teachers can build rapport with students, particularly students with and at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders. By establishing rapport, teachers can increase the effectiveness of the social and emotional learning curriculum and interventions delivered. Specifically, the warm welcomes, transitions, emotion checks, two by 10, and optimistic closures strategies are described.

Teachers of students with or at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) may face obstacles and feel isolated when implementing social and emotional learning (SEL) programming with students. The teacher study group (TSG) offers an effective way to overcome barriers and improve SEL. These groups provide a gathering space for teachers to investigate problems of practice, celebrate points of pride, and strengthen professional learning in a focused area. In this article, we summarize existing research on SEL and TSGs and describe available SEL programs that incorporate TSGs. We provide an example of SEL-focused TSGs in practice, offering guidance and tips for early elementary school teachers--and the administrators who support them--who work with students with or at risk for EBD.

The collection of student data through screening and progress monitoring of social and emotional learning (SEL) skills is just as important as the implementation of curriculum and practices. Monitoring skill acquisition allows teachers to identify effective practices, provide intervention, and intensify support for students who need it. In this article, we provide a practical demonstration of how to make instructional decisions based on screening and progress monitoring of student SEL skill acquisition.

This article reports on a pilot study of the "Integrated Literacy Study Group," a digitally delivered professional learning intervention to prepare elementary school teachers to provide evidence-based reading instruction and behavioral strategies to students with or are at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders. Using broadcast methods, we recruited 72 teachers across five states in the western United States to participate in the randomized controlled trial. Intervention teachers, relative to controls, made significant gains in self-efficacy and use of the reading and behavioral strategies learned in the professional learning program. Students with or at risk of emotional and behavioral disorders served by participating teachers made significant improvements in academic competence and engagement. Teacher professional learning can improve teacher knowledge of evidence-based reading and behavioral strategies for students with (or at risk for) emotional and behavioral disorders, teacher self-efficacy, and teacher practice, with positive impacts on student early literacy and academic competence.

This study investigates how teacher burnout symptoms can be explained by childhood trauma and perceived resilience. Self-assessment surveys, designed to measure adverse childhood experiences, ability to bounce back after hardship, and burnout symptoms, were completed by 146 kindergarten through 12th-grade U. S. public school teachers. Structural equation modelling analysis revealed a significant indirect relationship between burnout symptoms and childhood maltreatment mediated by perceived resilience, with 49% of the variation in self-reported burnout symptoms accounted for by the model. Results suggest that a perceived sense of resilience helps teachers diminish the negative impact of childhood trauma and lessen symptoms of burnout.

Teachers of students with emotional and behavioral disorders face unique challenges in the classroom that are often not addressed in teacher preparation, which may result in diminished outcomes for teachers and students. The Integrated Literacy Study Groups professional development was designed to support the needs of teachers of students with or at-risk for emotional and behavioral disorders by integrating components of social-emotional learning and literacy instruction. The present study uses structural equation modeling to evaluate how and to what extent teacher beliefs, targeted in training through collaborative work groups and coaching experiences, mediate the relationship between the Integrated Literacy Study Groups and student reading achievement. Among a sample of 74 elementary school teachers, we found a directional relationship such that training influenced (1) beliefs pertaining to action, (2) beliefs pertaining to self, and (3) student reading outcomes. Beliefs pertaining to self was a significantly stronger mediator of the relationship between professional development and student reading outcomes. We discuss potential reasons for these findings as well as their implications for the design of training of teachers of students with or at-risk for emotional and behavioral disorders. [For the corresponding grantee submission, see ED624128.]

Most students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) have significant reading difficulties, but educators have few in-service professional learning opportunities geared to reading instruction for these students. The "Integrated Literacy Study Group" was developed as an online professional development program to prepare elementary teachers to meet the literacy needs of students with or at risk of EBD. In this study, the authors use a within-subjects design to evaluate the feasibility of the 10-week digital program with 13 elementary teachers. From pretest to posttest, teachers made statistically and educationally significant gains in knowledge of evidence-based social and emotional learning and reading strategies for students with EBD, as well as significant improvements in general teacher self-efficacy, reading self-efficacy, and social and emotional self-efficacy. Pretest-to-posttest change in teacher burnout and classroom management was educationally significant, but statistically nonsignificant. Most teachers perceived the program content as relevant to their needs and those of their students.

Most students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) have significant reading difficulties, but educators have few in-service professional learning opportunities geared to reading instruction for these students. The "Integrated Literacy Study Group" was developed as an online professional development program to prepare elementary teachers to meet the literacy needs of students with or at risk of EBD. In this study, the authors use a within-subjects design to evaluate the feasibility of the 10-week digital program with 13 elementary teachers. From pretest to posttest, teachers made statistically and educationally significant gains in knowledge of evidence-based social and emotional learning and reading strategies for students with EBD, as well as significant improvements in general teacher self-efficacy, reading self-efficacy, and social and emotional self-efficacy. Pretest-to-posttest change in teacher burnout and classroom management was educationally significant, but statistically nonsignificant. Most teachers perceived the program content as relevant to their needs and those of their students. [This article was published in "Teacher Education and Special Education" (EJ1351614).]

A growing body of research suggests that children with language disorders are at risk for social adjustment problems and school failure. This paper provides further evidence regarding this situation, assessing the strength of the relationship between receptive language and social adjustment in a sample of the general population of public school children grades K-2. In addition, variables that predict the social adjustment of elementary-aged public school children are investigated. The results of this study indicated that small to moderate correlations between measures of receptive language and social adjustment were significant. Moreover, receptive language scores, particularly receptive vocabulary, predicted the social skills and academic competence of children. The findings, limitations, and future research needs are discussed. (Contains 3 tables.)

This paper provides a description of three-tier intervention models for reading and behavior. Although there is scientific evidence that the implementation of interventions at one or more levels of these models leads to improved reading or behavior performance, there is a paucity of research detailing the integration of three-tiered reading and behavior models. A future direction in the area of reading and behavior intervention models should be the integration of these models. This future direction is briefly discussed.

The purpose of this evaluation was to examine the effectiveness and feasibility of a summer learning program for students at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). We used a quasi-experimental design with pre and post assessments for both the treatment and comparison groups. Participants were fourth grade students (N = 92) below proficient on the state standardized literacy assessment and had social emotional/behavioral difficulties. Baseline equivalence on key factors (e.g., age, ethnicity) was established. Both the treatment and the comparison groups received the same dosage of intensive literacy instruction for five weeks, while the treatment group received embedded or explicated social emotional learning opportunities through a variety of enrichment activities related to self-regulation skills, appropriate peer interaction skills, emotional regulation skills, and conflict resolution strategies. Results indicated that both groups improved their literacy skills. Moreover, the treatment group significantly improved their emotional symptoms and peer problem scores, while the comparison group's social emotional behavior remained stable or slightly declined. The results of this study demonstrate initial evidence to support the use of an integrated (i.e., academic and enrichment activities) summer learning model for students at risk for EBD.

In our previous research (Benner, Nelson, Sanders, & Ralston, 2012), elementary schools were randomly assigned to either a primary-level behavior intervention directed at externalizing behavior (treatment, n = 7 schools) or to business-as-usual condition (control, n = 6 schools). A screening procedure was used to identify K through 3-grade students who exhibited externalizing behavior. The results showed that treatment students (n = 44) exhibited lower levels of problem behavior (ES = -0.99) and higher rates of on-task behavior (ES = 0.61) compared to controls (n = 26). The results also suggested that individual baseline behavior and school context as measured by free and reduced-priced meal rates moderated the findings. Given this latter finding, our interest in the current study was to test whether individual and school aggregate baseline behavior levels moderate students' response to two years of the behavior intervention. Schools originally assigned to treatment continued to implement the intervention during the subsequent academic year; schools in the control condition continued with their business-as-usual behavior management approaches. During the winter of the second year, students who remained in their schools were re-assessed on their behavior (n = 35 and n = 19 in treatment and control conditions, respectively). Analyses involving multilevel context modeling showed that students with relatively high initial baseline behavior levels (pretreatment) were more responsive to the intervention if they were in schools with higher school aggregate baseline behavior levels. Conversely, students tended to be less responsive to intervention if they were in schools with lower school aggregate baseline behavior levels. Limitations and practical implications are discussed. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)

This article examined the efficacy of a primary-level, standard-protocol behavior intervention for students with externalizing behavioral disorders. Elementary schools were randomly assigned to treatment (behavior intervention) or control (business as usual) conditions, and K-3 students were screened for externalizing behavior risk status. The final sample included 7 treatment schools (n = 44 students) and 6 control schools (n = 26 students). Results of multilevel models showed that students with externalizing behavior in the treatment schools had significantly lower levels of problem behavior than those in the control schools. A positive but statistically nonsignificant treatment trend was observed for increased on-task behavior. No effects were observed for academic skills. The positive effects of the behavior intervention were smaller in schools serving higher proportions of students with low socioeconomic status and for students who had higher baseline levels of externalizing behavior. The discussion includes the results, practical importance, and limitations. (Contains 4 tables and 2 figures.)

Processing speed plays an important role in numerous facets of life functioning. Language, academic achievement, and behavior are all associated with processing speed; however, researchers have yet to investigate the effect of interventions, particularly language-based interventions, on the processing speed and the behavioral functioning of students with emotional and behavioral disorders. This study examined the effects of a language-based intervention program, Language for Thinking, on the processing speed and emotional and behavioral functioning of students with emotional and behavioral disorders served in self-contained settings. At posttest, the authors found significant reductions on the Child Behavior Checklist: Teacher's Report Form, along with statistically significant gains on the Woodcock-Johnson III NU Tests of Cognitive Abilities Processing Speed Cluster. The authors discuss the limitations and present the implications for future research. (Contains 2 tables.)

Building on research showing the interdependence of language skills and reading proficiency, this study examined the effects of using the "Language Arts" strand of the "Reading Mastery Signature" 2008 series program as a supplement to non-Direct Instruction reading programs with English Language Learner (ELL) students. Seventy-six kindergarten through fifth-grade ELL students received the intensive intervention delivered by trained school staff (n = 5) at three elementary schools. Multiple classroom-based fidelity of implementation monitoring demonstrated that the Language Arts strand was well taught on a consistent basis by all teachers and paraprofessionals. Statistically significant gains were made in the word recognition, oral reading accuracy, silent reading comprehension, spelling, and word meaning percentile ranks of participants from pre- to posttest (p less than 0.01). Absolute change and effect size estimates (see Gresham, 2005) indicated reliable changes in the reading and language skills of participants. Results, implications, and future research priorities were discussed. (Contains 2 tables.)

Although fundamental beginning reading skills are highly related to later reading success (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 2000), it remains unclear how these beginning reading skills impact the social adjustment of kindergarten through second grade children. Therefore, the purposes of this study were: (a) to examine the strength of the relationship between beginning reading skills (i.e., letter-word identification, word attack, passage comprehension, and auditory comprehension) and social adjustment (i.e., social skills, problem behaviors, and academic competence); and (b) to assess the beginning reading skills that predict the social adjustment of elementary aged public school children (K-2). A range of significant correlations was present between measures of beginning reading skills and ratings of social adjustment. In general, early literacy skills and skills of auditory comprehension were significantly and positively associated with measures of social skills and academic competence. In addition, early literacy skills and vocabulary were negatively associated with measures of problem behaviors. Letter-word identification was the best predictor of social skills (? = .41), problem behaviors (? = -.31), and academic competence (? = .66). In addition, vocabulary (? = .17) and overall auditory comprehension (? = .18) predicted social skills and academic competence, respectively. Findings, limitations, and future research needs are discussed.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of the "Corrective Reading Decoding B1" program on the basic reading skills, social adjustment, and treatment responsiveness of elementary and middle school students with high-incidence disabilities (N = 51). Students were provided an average of 3 40-45 min lessons per week over the course of nearly 4 months. Statistically and educationally significant improvements were found between students who received "Corrective Reading Decoding Level B1" (n = 28) and those in the comparison condition (n = 23) on measures of basic reading skills and social adjustment. Statistically significant differences were found in the pretest and posttest percentages of the "Corrective Reading" condition nonresponders (i.e., students who fail to acquire beginning reading skills within the normal range) on measures of reading fluency (pretest = 79% and posttest = 36%) and basic reading skills (pretest = 50% and posttest = 25%). Thus, a large percentage of students who experienced below average basic reading skills (i.e., nonresponders) at pretest performed in the average range at posttest (i.e., responders). Results, limitations, and implications are discussed. (Contains 3 tables.)

Uses a quasi-experimental design to compare the social adjustment of 21 children who received the Language for Learning program with those of 24 children enrolled in a comparison school. Finds that the Language for Learning program produced statistically and educationally significant effects, including improvements in social skills and reductions in problem behaviors. (Contains 21 references.) (CAK)

A study examined the office disciplinary referrals of 103 children who met the borderline or clinical cut-off scores of the Teacher Report Form. Results indicate there was a low-to-moderate degree of correspondence between children identified via a systematic gating procedure that included the form and office disciplinary referrals. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

In this article, we describe practical, usable ways teachers can build rapport with students, particularly students with and at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders. By establishing rapport, teachers can increase the effectiveness of the social and emotional learning curriculum and interventions delivered. Specifically, the warm welcomes, transitions, emotion checks, two by 10, and optimistic closures strategies are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]