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This phenomenological study explored how five participants used their Texas state-approved definition of dyslexia to identify children with dyslexia as different from those with other global reading difficulties. Drawing on theories from disability studies in education and dis/ability critical race theory, I interviewed participants who identified dyslexia in terms of sociocultural differences, beliefs about intelligence, and reading ability. They frequently left unexamined concerns of race and how explanations of dyslexia privileged white, middle-class children over children of color and children in low-income schools. This study contributes to research that critically examines how these definitions of dyslexia segregate students with reading difficulties based on beliefs about intelligence, sociocultural factors, and the lack of conversations about race. Implications suggest that a growing focus on dyslexia may exacerbate inequalities already present in school systems. Stakeholders should critically examine their identification practices of reading difficulties to ensure that all children receive reading support.

Drawing on evidence and example legislation, this policy research brief identifies school-based policy options for Texas to prevent and mitigate toxic stress caused by Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). The term ACEs refers to the 10 common categories of adversity included in a landmark study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Kaiser Permanente (Felliti et al., 1998). These include physical, emotional, or sexual abuse; physical or emotional neglect; and household challenges such as living with a person who is experiencing mental illness (Felliti et al., 1998). Of great concern is that even before the COVID-19 pandemic, ACEs were already widespread in the state, cutting across lines of race and income and potentially affecting constituents from every region and demographic group (Texas Department of State Health Services, n.d.). Over the past two years, COVID-19-related school and child-care center closures coupled with an economic recession have increased children's risk of hunger, homelessness, and neglect (Welch & Haskins, 2020). The effects of ACEs are particularly concerning in Texas which is home to over 7.5 million children under 18--more than any state other than California--and children under 18 make up more than 25% of the population of Texas--more than any other state other than Utah (Population Reference Bureau, n.d.). Therefore, Texas's school-based policies to mitigate the effects of toxic stress are particularly consequential now and in the future. The purpose of this policy research brief is to identify and describe nationwide legislative efforts to help Texas school district officials and Texas policymakers consider legislative remedies to reduce or mitigate the detrimental impact of ACEs.

The Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (TTCT) is the most widely used norm-referenced creativity test used in gifted identification. Although commonly used for identifying talent, little is known about how creativity tests, like the TTCT-Figural, contribute to the probability of being identified as gifted especially with underrepresented populations. Using nominated students (n = 1,191) from a diverse midsized urban school district, this study examined the differential predictive validity among student demographics (i.e., race/ethnicity, free/reduced price lunch status, English learning status, sex) and the TTCT-Figural to the probability of being identified as gifted. Results of a multilevel hierarchical generalized linear regression indicated underrepresented groups showed no difference in the probability of being identified after controlling for cognitive ability and academic achievement; the same was true when the TTCT-Figural was included within the model. The inclusion of the TTCT-Figural does contribute to the probability of identification; however, the disproportionality of underrepresented student groups remains in this school district. Gifted administrators looking to enhance equity may not find the solution with the mere inclusion of a creativity assessment. Implications for practice and future directions are discussed.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare speech-language pathologists' (SLPs) and teachers' perceptions of collaborative service delivery in a school setting. Method: We created a survey for SLPs and teachers that included demographic questions and questions about the use of collaborative service delivery models, identification of collaborative partners, and perceived barriers to collaboration. Eighty-seven SLPs and 77 teachers responded to the survey from 28 states. We analyzed the data using mixed methods. Results: The majority of SLPs reported that they used a combination of collaborative and noncollaborative service delivery models. Teachers also reported that the SLP at their school used collaborative and noncollaborative service delivery models. When asked to report on their collaboration experience generally, teachers rated their experience with collaboration more positively than SLPs. Teachers also were not as likely to identify SLPs as collaborative partners when compared with SLPs who identified teachers as collaborative partners. Finally, teachers and SLPs reported similar barriers to implementing a collaborative service delivery model. However, SLPs identified roles and responsibilities and training on collaboration as barriers to collaboration more than teachers. Conclusions: This study compared SLPs' and teachers' perceptions of collaborative service delivery in schools. The similarities and differences between SLPs and teachers can be used to help facilitate change in the use of collaborative service delivery models.

The purpose of this study was to investigate a predictive model of online learners' learning outcomes through machine learning. To create a model, we observed students' motivation, learning tendencies, online learning-motivated attention, and supportive learning behaviors along with final test scores. A total of 225 college students who were taking online courses participated. Longitudinal data were collected over three semesters (T1, T2, and T3). T3 was used as training data given that it contained the largest sample size across all three data waves. To analyze the data, two approaches were applied: (1) stepwise logistic regression; and (2) random forest (RF). Results showed that RF used fewer items and predicted final grades more accurately in a small sample. Furthermore, it selected four items that might potentially be used to identify at-risk learners even before they enroll in an online course.

Accurate and efficient universal screening is a foundational component of multi-tiered systems of support for reading. By the time students reach middle school, educators often have extant data available to inform screening decisions. Therefore, the decision to collect additional data to inform screening should be considered carefully. The classification accuracy of aimswebPlus reading, a newly updated version of a popular suite of screening tools, has not been independently examined in middle school since its release. We used districtwide data from a midsize city in Texas to retrospectively examine the classification accuracy of aimswebPlus reading composite scores from the fall and winter benchmarking periods. The criterion measure was the annual statewide reading test administered in spring. To provide a comparison for the aimswebPlus results, we also evaluated the accuracy of screening decisions made based on prior year statewide reading test scores. Decisions made based on the aimswebPlus "default" cut-scores resulted in unacceptable sensitivity for universal screening. Following the aimswebPlus recommended method to establish local cut-scores improved the sensitivity of decisions in each grade and benchmarking season but the sensitivity values still fell below recommendations for minimally acceptable sensitivity. In comparison, decisions made based on prior year state test scores demonstrated adequate sensitivity and specificity in Grades 7 and 8. Directions for future research and recommendations for practice are discussed within the context of study limitations.

Transfer students are a significant and growing population on campuses across the US. However, little is known about students' perceptions of themselves as transfers and how these may be informed by their experiences. In this study, we used an in-depth qualitative case study approach and the intersectional model of multiple dimensions of identity to explore transfer student identity. Drawing from interviews with 52 transfers at two selective four-year institutions in Texas, we discovered that transfer carried multiple meanings and, for many students, identities beyond transfer had greater salience during and impact on their transition to campus.

Acadience Reading (AR) is a screener for early detection of reading problems in elementary students. Limited research exists, however, on its technical adequacy for evaluation of English Learners (ELs). In this study, we tested the long-term predictive validity and diagnostic accuracies of AR and examined the differences between native English-speaking and EL students. A sample of 305 students (94 ELs, 31% of the sample) completed AR at three time points in kindergarten and the statewide reading test in third grade. Hierarchical regression models confirmed good long-term validity for AR with end of the school year scores outperforming the other two time-points and EL status along with ethnic background not playing a significant role. Findings also revealed that AR at the end of the school year provided moderate long-term diagnostic accuracy for students well below benchmark. Implications for research and practice as well as limitations of the study are discussed.

Literacy development involves not only the cultivation of new practices but also of new identities. Drawing on theories of stance and positioning, this study examines the identity negotiations of one first-grade student with his teacher across a semester. Through close analysis of the stance bids and negotiations within a series of writing conferences, it demonstrates how the pair negotiated between four stances (feedback, instruction, management and collaboration) in disrupting the student's initial institutional positioning as a struggling writer. These findings illustrate how teachers might use stance as a pedagogical tool, highlighting three patterns of negotiation between the pair that supported the development of the student's literate identities while showing how new discursive patterns and positions emerged as the pair interacted across a semester. This analysis suggests the necessity of negotiation as a pedagogical orientation in (re)positioning students, as well as the need to look across multiple timescales in examinations of identity.

School improvement research has insufficiently considered the importance of intervening in schools with declining academic performance. Fields such as engineering and medicine have prioritized predicting decline to save structures or patients before they are in peril. Unfortunately, in education, school improvement policies and interventions are only enacted once schools reach low levels of academic performance. In this study, we apply sophisticated statistical models to analyze more than 10 years of longitudinal student achievement data in English/language arts and mathematics in the US state of Texas. We find that a considerable number of schools consistently decline over time. Some significant predictors of decline included shifting student demographics and changes in the percent of economically disadvantaged students. Higher starting percentages of students labeled as English language learners also increased the likelihood of decline, but increasing percentages of English language learners over timereduced the rate of decline. Leadership stability also appears to be important to impeding decline. We close by discussing implications for research, policy, and practice.

Cheating and unethical behavior in the context of high-stakes accountability has been well documented. Recently, the US Department of Education found Texas schools failing to comply with the nation's special education law as a result of a state accountability policy. This article examines how a group of principals recognized for their effectiveness in special education (a) understood the state policy and (b) the social and psychological forces that influenced their leadership. Bounded ethicality and behavioral ethics research are used as a theoretical model to examine principal perceptions and actions. Conclusions inform next generation research and new approaches to leadership development.

Given the importance of math in today's society, it is critical that children who are at risk for math difficulty are identified early. We developed and validated a prekindergarten math subtest (i.e., CIRCLE Progress Monitoring [CPM] Math Subtest). This teacher-completed measure evaluates domains considered important for later math development. Evaluation of validity was undertaken in a longitudinal sample of 383 children (M[subscript age] = 4.9 years), and a follow-up sample of 3,691 children (M[subscript age] = 4.4 years). The measure demonstrated adequate psychometric properties, including strong internal consistency reliability ([alpha] = 0.94) and test-retest reliability (r = 0.78). Evaluation of concurrent and predictive validity demonstrated scores on the CPM Math Subtest were correlated with scores on other assessments at high levels (rs from 0.55-0.65). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses revealed that the subtest conforms to a well-defined five-factor model that parallels areas considered to be important in the math literature.

Inspired by critical race and feminist perspectives, this paper complicates the conversation on preparing arts educators for diversity and equity. The authors ground their research on the premise that arts educators committed to challenging social inequalities must understand sociocultural influences on art, curriculum, teaching, and learning. The paper reports a qualitative study that investigated how pre-service arts educators make sense of sociocultural differences (i.e., the dynamics of race, class, gender and sexuality). Findings articulate key curriculum flashpoints that emerged when art teacher candidates engaged with sociocultural knowledge. These flashpoints include identity formation, questioning knowledge, and discourses of offense. The authors argue that these flashpoints present curricular provocations that can assist in developing the critical capacities of art educators. The conclusion explores the implications of these findings for organizing and teaching sociocultural content as foundational knowledge for arts educator preparation.

This mixed methods study examines factors associated with student learning outcomes for Mexican American students in the public elementary schools. The problem of disproportionate identification of cultural and linguistically diverse students in special education is addressed. This study looks at 23 third and fourth grade students by means of a retroactive educational records review; an interview with a sub set of educators and parents and the use of member checks with a select group of adult participants to evaluate the validity of the interpreted results. The results from this study affirm the effect of categorical factors previously described in the literature as having positive or negative effects of academic achievement and identifies specific team practices associated with academic student outcomes for thirteen educational teams.

The ultimate goal for many choral directors is to develop independent musicians within the ensemble. The ability to sing a series of pitches and rhythms at first sight is widely understood to be a fundamental building block of independent musicianship. Yet sight-reading is not simply a holistic skill. There are separate components of sight-reading, including pitch, rhythm, and harmonic context which must be considered when deciding how to teach sight-reading in the choral classroom. Recently, significant strides have been made in the development of instructional technologies utilizing voice-recognition capabilities. As a result, this opens up a new field of inquiry for choral and vocal researchers. The advent of new technologies and voice recognition software, along with the previously determined effective use of individual assessment as a teaching strategy, calls for an exploration into the possible benefits of using technology both to teach and to assess vocal sight-reading skills. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of technology and individual practice on the vocal sight-reading achievement of beginning choir students. Research questions include: (1) What is the ability level of beginning choir singers in sight-reading? (2) Is there a significant gain in sight-reading scores after an 8-week instructional period using technology and/or individual practice? (3) Is there a significant difference in the scores of those who use technology versus those who do not use technology in instruction and individual practice time? and (4) What is the effect of applied music instruction or previous choral experience on vocal sight-reading ability in for beginning choir singers? Participants in this study were sixth grade beginning choir students attending a suburban intermediate school in central Texas (N= 83). Participants were randomly assigned to gender-specific choir classes. Two classes were designated as technology classes (n = 47) and two classes were designated as non-technology classes (n = 36). Each choir class met daily for approximately 48 minutes. Prior to any sight-reading instruction, each participant was given a pretest to determine initial sight-reading ability. The pretest consisted of one of two similar 4-measure melodies and a written survey concerning previous musical experience. During the treatment period, all choir classes received teacher-directed instruction in sight-reading. Using identical materials, technology classes received instruction using the 2012b version of SmartMusic software and a headset microphone, while non-technology classes received instruction using a projection camera. Throughout the eight-week treatment period, each participant underwent a weekly individual assessment session, either using SmartMusic or paper notation, and a continuously-running video camera. At the end of the treatment period, participants completed a posttest in the same format as the pretest, using the melody that they did not see during pretesting. All performances were digitally recorded for scoring at a later time. Two similar melodies containing basic pitch (scalar motion and tonic skips/leaps) and rhythm (quarter and eighth notes) skills were composed for testing purposes. Participants were randomly assigned one melody for pretesting, and received the other melody for the posttest. The two testing melodies each contained 12 notes. One point credit was awarded for each correct pitch and for each correct rhythm, resulting in a potential total score of 24 for each melody. The participants in this study had minimal sight-reading skill prior to instruction, as evidenced by the mean score of 5.77/24 on the pretest. After the eight-week treatment period, the mean score on the posttest was 14.02/24, an increase of 143%. It is clear that vocal sight-reading skill improved throughout the treatment period. Between those who experienced instruction with technology and those who did not, no significant difference was found. [Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Texas Music Educators Association (San Antonio, TX, Feb 2014).]

The purpose of this article is to understand the decision-making processes by assessment personnel when choosing instruments to evaluate students with learning disabilities. Eight school personnel responsible for the evaluation of students in Texas participated in face-to-face, semistructured interviews. The instruments chosen were based on a variety of factors including the personnel's basic knowledge and training on the use of the instruments, the culture and climate of the district, and the overall characteristics of the child being tested. The findings of this study suggested that assessment personnel encounter many decisions when evaluating children with learning disabilities. Implications from this study include the need for frequent support in encouraging reflective thinking and assessment training for those responsible for the important decisions regarding the identification and placement of students who are learning disabled.

We critically examined the odds of earning a college preparatory diploma for African American high school seniors receiving special education services under Texas's Top 10% Policy (TTPP). Critical policy analysis was used to explore the meritocratic guise of college access for African American youth with disabilities, and through DisCrit, theorized TTPP's broader effect on the social stratification and creation of policy "winners" and "losers." Results from multilevel logistic regression models indicate African American students are nearly twice as likely to be identified with disabilities as their peers and are the least likely to earn a college preparatory diploma in Texas.

The Obama administration's recurring policy emphasis on high-performing charter schools begs the obvious question: how do you identify a high-performing charter school? That is a crucially important policy question because any evaluation strategy that incorrectly identifies charter school performance could have negative effects on the economically and/or academically disadvantaged students who frequently attend charter schools. If low-performing schools are mislabeled and allowed to persist or encouraged to expand, then students may be harmed directly. If high-performing schools are driven from the market by misinformation, then students will lose access to programs and services that can make a difference in their lives. Most of the scholarly analysis to date has focused on comparing the performance of students in charter schools to that of similar students in traditional public schools (TPS). By design, that research measures charter school performance only in relative terms. Charter schools that outperform similarly situated, but low performing, TPSs have positive effects, even if the charter schools are mediocre in an absolute sense. This analysis describes strategies for identifying high-performing charter schools by comparing charter schools with one another. We begin by describing salient characteristics of Texas charter schools. We follow that discussion with a look at how other researchers across the country have compared charter school effectiveness with TPS effectiveness. We then present several metrics that can be used to identify high-performing charter schools. Those metrics are not mutually exclusive--one could easily justify using multiple measures to evaluate school effectiveness--but they are also not equally informative. If the goal is to measure the contributions that schools are making to student knowledge and skills, then a value-added approach like the ones highlighted in this report is clearly superior to a levels-based approach like that taken under the current accountability system.

Thermal imaging was used 60+ years ago to enable the targeting of heat-seeking missiles and seeing opposing forces at night. Today thermograpy is employed for myriad uses, from turning on faucets, to tracking and attacking enemies from aerial spy drones, to identifying the scope of moisture infiltration in building envelopes. Thermography for facilities management has gone through an evolution of camera technology and procedures starting six decades ago with hand-held cameras and men walking on roofs in the dark. The new technology involves aerial data collection and patented computer analysis that identifies wet materials invisible to the naked eye. The goal in all cases is to accurately see inside roofs and walls to enable the visualization of what is invisible. Florida State University (FSU), University of Central Florida (UCF), University of Houston (UH), and universities administered by the State of Mississippi are among campuses that have secured the patented reports and proven the accuracy of the diagnostic intelligence by validating the results through coring and lab testing.

Ambient energy harvesting is also known as energy scavenging or power harvesting, and it is the process where energy is obtained from the environment. A variety of techniques are available for energy scavenging, including solar and wind powers, ocean waves, piezoelectricity, thermoelectricity, and physical motions. For example, some systems convert random motions, including ocean waves, into useful electrical energy that can be used by oceanographic monitoring wireless sensor nodes for autonomous surveillance. Ambient energy sources are classified as energy reservoirs, power distribution methods, or power-scavenging methods, which may enable portable or wireless systems to be completely battery independent and self sustaining. The students from different disciplines, such as industrial technology, construction, design and development and electronics, investigated the effectiveness of ambient energy as a source of power. After an extensive literature review, students summarized each potential ambient energy source and explained future energy-harvesting systems to generate or produce electrical energy as a support to conventional energy storage devices. This article investigates recent studies about potential ambient energy-harvesting sources and systems. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)

In this descriptive and comparative study, we present results highlighting the complexity and scope of the challenges facing rural districts as they navigate the changing demographics of the students and families they serve. Rapid increases in the number and concentration of racially, culturally, and linguistically diverse students in rural areas may have significant implications for teaching and learning. In the face of these changes, rural districts may lack the financial, human, and logistical resources to meet these increasing demands. Viewed within the context of the salient literatures and attentive to the dynamics of organizational change, the results support recommendations for a variety of school- and district-based strategies and send a clear message to policymakers, educators, and others concerned with the education of rural youth, rural families, and rural communities: the need is real and growing in intensity, and there is a role and responsibility for all stakeholders to play.

This article examined the impact of a math-intensive summer academy for rising kindergartners (N = 17) enrolled in an elementary school with low socioeconomic populations. The program was designed to support student understanding of early number concepts. The research plan included the administration of the Texas Early Mathematics Inventory: Progress Monitoring (TEMI-PM), the validated assessment instrument that accompanies the research-based curriculum used in the summer academy. Participants showed statistically significant growth in the areas of magnitude comparison, number identification, and total score. Additionally, at the beginning and ending of the next school year, participants outperformed their peers in all areas measured by the TEMI-PM. Findings have implications for early number sense intervention strategies, including addressing summer learning loss.

School counselors are in a unique position to help at-risk students. Research indicates that teaching resiliency skills and emotional intelligence is a promising venture (Bernard, 1997; Chavkin & Gonzalez, 2000; Henderson & Milstein, 2002). Seventy identified at-risk seventh and eighth grade students enrolled in the Teen Leadership Program (Flippen Group, 2001) served as the population for this study. Initial analysis of the data did not reveal a difference between treatment and control groups. However, non-parametric tests indicate that the experimental group had a significant difference in office referrals. Findings and recommendations for future research are further elaborated in this study. (Contains 1 figure.)

The authors report on a yearlong investigation into similar schools that performed well and less well in the same district. They found that the higher-performing schools engaged in an intentional set of systemic practices that encourage Personalization for Academic and Social Learning (PASL) in one district and integrated structures of academic press and support that scaffolded the development of Student Ownership and Responsibility (SOAR) in another.