This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by McLeskey, J. Articles by Waldron, N. L Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by McLeskey, J. Articles by Waldron, N. L Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Identifying Students with Learning Disabilities: The Effect of Implementing Statewide Guidelines

James McLeskey is an associate professor in the Department of Curriculum and Teacher Education, Indiana University, Bloomington. His current research interests relate to factors that influence teachers' decisions concerning students who are difficult to teach. Address: James McLeskey, Department of Curriculum and Teacher Education, 170 Smith Research Center, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405

Nancy L Waldron

Nancy L. Waldron, PhD, is a research associate and part-time assistant professor in the School of Education, Indiana University. Her current research interests include teacher referral practices, the development and evaluation of building-based teams, and identification of students with learning disabilities.

Methods for identifying students with learning disabilities continue to be an area of controversy. The present investigation examined the impact of implementing statewide guidelines for the identification of these students. Data were collected from multi-disciplinary team reports on 718 students with learning disabilities who were referred and labeled during the 1983-84 school year (before implementation of statewide learning disability guidelines) and 790 students who were identified during 1987-88 (after implementation of the guidelines). The results of the study revealed that the statewide guidelines significantly changed the characteristics of students who were identified. After the implementation of the guidelines, students with much more severe academic problems were identified. These students were much more likely to have a severe discrepancy and be chronically failing in the regular classroom. However, even with explicit, widely accepted guidelines, approximately one third of all students identified in 1987-88 failed to meet the stated criteria for identification. The implications of these findings for professional practice and future research are discussed.

Journal of Learning Disabilities, Vol. 24, No. 8, 501-506 (1991)
DOI: 10.1177/002221949102400810


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				L. V. I. Neal, A. D. McCray, and G. Webb-Johnson Teachers' Reactions to African American Students' Movement Styles Intervention in School and Clinic, January 1, 2001; 36(3): 168 - 174. [Abstract] [PDF]

				K. A. Kavale and S. R. Forness What Definitions of Learning Disability Say and Don't Say: A Critical Analysis J Learn Disabil, May 1, 2000; 33(3): 239 - 256. [Abstract] [PDF]

				J. S. Nelson, M. Jayanthi, M. H. Epstein, and W. D. Bursuck Student Preferences for Adaptations in Classroom Testing Remedial and Special Education, January 1, 2000; 21(1): 41 - 52. [Abstract] [PDF]

				R. Reid, J. W. Maag, S. F. Vasa, and G. Wright WHO ARE THE CHILDREN WITH ATTENTION DEFICIT-HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER? A SCHOOL-BASED SURVEY Journal of Special Education, January 1, 1994; 28(2): 117 - 137. [Abstract] [PDF]