01.08.2013 Views

Download the Journal (PDF) - Division on Autism and ...

Download the Journal (PDF) - Division on Autism and ...

Download the Journal (PDF) - Division on Autism and ...

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

Teaching Test-taking Strategies to Improve <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Academic<br />

Achievement of Students with Mild Mental Disabilities<br />

Allis<strong>on</strong> G. Kretlow, Ya-yu Lo, Richard B. White, <strong>and</strong> LuAnn Jordan<br />

University of North Carolina at Charlotte<br />

Abstract: This study examined <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> effects of teaching a test-taking strategy to 4 fourth- <strong>and</strong> fifth-grade students<br />

with mild mental disabilities <strong>on</strong> reading <strong>and</strong> math achievement. The interventi<strong>on</strong> c<strong>on</strong>sisted of a direct <strong>and</strong><br />

explicit instructi<strong>on</strong>al method using a mnem<strong>on</strong>ic strategy. The participants’ acquisiti<strong>on</strong> <strong>and</strong> applicati<strong>on</strong> of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

test-taking strategy <strong>on</strong> reading <strong>and</strong> math probes were evaluated using a multiple probe across participants<br />

design. All participants dem<strong>on</strong>strated <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> ability to apply <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> strategy <strong>on</strong> probes during <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> interventi<strong>on</strong>, 2-week<br />

maintenance, <strong>and</strong> generalizati<strong>on</strong> c<strong>on</strong>diti<strong>on</strong>s. Significant gains in achievement were observed for all participants.<br />

Implicati<strong>on</strong>s of teaching test-taking strategies to students with mild to moderate mental disabilities were<br />

discussed.<br />

As achievement accountability measures c<strong>on</strong>tinue<br />

to increase in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> public educati<strong>on</strong> system,<br />

so do <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> expectati<strong>on</strong>s for students with<br />

disabilities. Current legislati<strong>on</strong> enforces <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

need for students with disabilities to have access<br />

to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> general educati<strong>on</strong> curriculum, <strong>and</strong><br />

in turn for states to assess those students<br />

through st<strong>and</strong>ardized achievement measures.<br />

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of<br />

2001 requires that all students in grades three<br />

through eight take state-wide achievement<br />

tests in reading <strong>and</strong> math (Goertz & Duffy,<br />

2003). The NCLB Act in combinati<strong>on</strong> with <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

amendments to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Individuals with Disabilities<br />

Educati<strong>on</strong> Improvement Act (IDEIA,<br />

2004), which states that all students must be<br />

included in state <strong>and</strong> district assessments,<br />

present challenges of test-taking to students<br />

with disabilities (Washburn-Moses, 2003).<br />

The performance of students with disabilities<br />

<strong>on</strong> st<strong>and</strong>ardized achievement tests is at<br />

least, in part, resp<strong>on</strong>sible for states attaining<br />

what <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> federal government outlined in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

NCLB Act as Adequately Yearly Progress<br />

(AYP). To meet AYP, schools must attain goals<br />

related to achievement for certain targeted<br />

groups of students, including students with<br />

Corresp<strong>on</strong>dence c<strong>on</strong>cerning this article should<br />

be addressed to Allis<strong>on</strong> G. Kretlow, 11027 Heritage<br />

Green Drive, Cornelius, NC 28031. Email:<br />

awgraves@uncc.edu<br />

Educati<strong>on</strong> <strong>and</strong> Training in Developmental Disabilities, 2008, 43(3), 397–408<br />

© <str<strong>on</strong>g>Divisi<strong>on</strong></str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>on</strong> Developmental Disabilities<br />

disabilities. As a result, performance <strong>on</strong> st<strong>and</strong>ardized<br />

achievement tests has high stakes for<br />

students with disabilities. Additi<strong>on</strong>ally, school<br />

districts may use test scores of students with<br />

disabilities to decide placement, grade level<br />

promoti<strong>on</strong>, or to determine whe<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r or not a<br />

student graduates (Heubert & Hauser, 1999).<br />

By <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> nature of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir disabilities, many students<br />

in special educati<strong>on</strong> programs have difficulty<br />

dem<strong>on</strong>strating knowledge through<br />

st<strong>and</strong>ardized achievement tests. Specifically,<br />

students with disabilities have difficulty with<br />

cognitive <strong>and</strong> metacognitive task dem<strong>and</strong>s.<br />

They often need help to approach a learning<br />

activity (such as test taking), <strong>and</strong> require systematic<br />

methods of training to acquire thinking<br />

skills (Henley, Ramsey, & Algozzine,<br />

2005). Students with disabilities also often<br />

have difficulty organizing informati<strong>on</strong> <strong>and</strong> resp<strong>on</strong>ding<br />

to complex questi<strong>on</strong>s. For example,<br />

a student with a learning disability may have<br />

c<strong>on</strong>tent knowledge (e.g., in math or science),<br />

but have difficulty dem<strong>on</strong>strating <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> knowledge<br />

in a st<strong>and</strong>ardized format. In o<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r words,<br />

students’ lack of test taking skills may appear<br />

as academic deficiencies (Scruggs & Marsing,<br />

1988).<br />

In many states, students with learning disabilities<br />

(LD) <strong>and</strong> emoti<strong>on</strong>al <strong>and</strong> behavioral<br />

disabilities (EBD) have l<strong>on</strong>g been participating<br />

in st<strong>and</strong>ardized achievement tests with or<br />

without modificati<strong>on</strong>s <strong>and</strong> accommodati<strong>on</strong>s.<br />

Teaching Test-taking Strategies / 397

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!