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However, in accordance with <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> NCLB Act,<br />
more states now require students with mild<br />
mental disabilities to participate in state-wide<br />
testing programs. Many students with mild<br />
mental disabilities have traditi<strong>on</strong>ally been<br />
placed in more restrictive, separate settings<br />
(Henley et al., 2006) which may have led to<br />
less access to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> general curriculum, <strong>and</strong><br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>refore less exposure to st<strong>and</strong>ardized test<br />
formats or test-taking strategies typically used<br />
in general educati<strong>on</strong> classrooms.<br />
Prior research has shown <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> importance<br />
<strong>and</strong> effectiveness of teaching test-taking strategies<br />
to students with <strong>and</strong> without disabilities.<br />
Studies c<strong>on</strong>ducted with general educati<strong>on</strong> students<br />
dem<strong>on</strong>strate that students benefit from<br />
test-taking instructi<strong>on</strong> that includes training<br />
<strong>on</strong> test formats, reas<strong>on</strong>ing <strong>and</strong> deducti<strong>on</strong><br />
strategies, time management, practice, <strong>and</strong><br />
coaching (Beidel, Turner, & Taylor-Ferreira,<br />
1999; Bunting & Mo<strong>on</strong>ey, 2001; Kenny &<br />
Faunce, 2004; Towns & Robins<strong>on</strong>, 1993). Additi<strong>on</strong>ally,<br />
several research studies have found<br />
that students with LD (Lee & Alley, 1981;<br />
Scruggs, Mastropieri, & Tolfa-Veit, 1986; Winnery<br />
& Fuchs, 1993) <strong>and</strong> EBD (Hughes &<br />
Deshler, 1993; Scruggs & Marsing, 1988) outperformed<br />
students in c<strong>on</strong>trol groups in<br />
achievement <strong>on</strong> c<strong>on</strong>tent areas after being<br />
taught test-taking strategies.<br />
One effective approach for applying testtaking<br />
strategies is <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> use of mnem<strong>on</strong>ic learning,<br />
which has shown its efficacy in improving<br />
testing-taking skills <strong>and</strong> achievement of students<br />
with high incidence disabilities such as<br />
LD <strong>and</strong> EBD (Hughes & Deshler, 1993;<br />
Hughes & Schumaker, 1991; Mas<strong>on</strong>, Snyder,<br />
Sukhram, & Kedem, 2006; Scanl<strong>on</strong>, 2002;<br />
Wehrung-Schaffner & Sap<strong>on</strong>a, 1990). For example,<br />
Hughes <strong>and</strong> Schumaker taught a mnem<strong>on</strong>ic<br />
test-taking strategy to 6 seventh <strong>and</strong><br />
eighth graders with LD. Students were taught<br />
a sequence of cognitive <strong>and</strong> behavioral testtaking<br />
strategy steps using a first-letter mnem<strong>on</strong>ic<br />
device (i.e., PIRATES: Prepare to succeed,<br />
Inspect <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> instructi<strong>on</strong>s, Read,<br />
remember, <strong>and</strong> reduce, Answer or ab<strong>and</strong><strong>on</strong>,<br />
Turn back, Estimate, Survey). Using a multiple<br />
probe across participants design, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> authors<br />
measured <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> percent of items correct<br />
<strong>on</strong> 10 probes designed to measure students’<br />
use of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> test-taking strategy. All students<br />
scored at or above mastery criteri<strong>on</strong> <strong>on</strong> all<br />
398 / Educati<strong>on</strong> <strong>and</strong> Training in Developmental Disabilities-September 2008<br />
probe tests <strong>and</strong> maintained <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir mastery of<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> test-taking strategy after 3 to 11 weeks.<br />
Additi<strong>on</strong>ally, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> generalizati<strong>on</strong> data showed<br />
that <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> students improved <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir performance<br />
<strong>on</strong> regular class tests by an average of 14%<br />
after <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> interventi<strong>on</strong> was implemented. Similar<br />
results were observed in a systematically<br />
replicated study with 6 seventh- <strong>and</strong> eighthgrade<br />
students with EBD (Hughes & Deshler,<br />
1993).<br />
Empirical evidence supporting <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> efficacy<br />
of mnem<strong>on</strong>ic strategy-based instructi<strong>on</strong> for<br />
students with mental disabilities is relatively<br />
limited. Morin <strong>and</strong> Miller (1998) delivered<br />
mnem<strong>on</strong>ic strategy instructi<strong>on</strong> to teach multiplicati<strong>on</strong><br />
facts <strong>and</strong> word problems to three<br />
7 th -grade students with mental disabilities.<br />
Students were first instructed how to compute<br />
multiplicati<strong>on</strong> facts, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>n were taught to use<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> mnem<strong>on</strong>ic DRAW (Discover <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> sign,<br />
Read <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> problem, Answer, Write <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> answer)<br />
to complete multiplicati<strong>on</strong> word problems.<br />
Using a multiple baseline across subjects design,<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> authors evaluated students’ performance<br />
<strong>on</strong> 21 probes <strong>and</strong> reported that all<br />
students achieved mastery <strong>on</strong> all except four<br />
probes. Similarly, Mastropieri <strong>and</strong> Scruggs<br />
(1994) used mnem<strong>on</strong>ic strategies to teach science<br />
<strong>and</strong> social studies c<strong>on</strong>tent to students<br />
with mild mental disabilities who had not mastered<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> c<strong>on</strong>cepts after various methods of<br />
instructi<strong>on</strong> (e.g., textbook materials, outlining,<br />
computer programs) from <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> special educati<strong>on</strong><br />
teacher. Instructi<strong>on</strong> <strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> mnem<strong>on</strong>ic<br />
devices greatly improved all students’<br />
mastery in naming state capitals <strong>and</strong> body<br />
parts.<br />
Despite <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> positive outcomes of mnem<strong>on</strong>ic-based<br />
instructi<strong>on</strong> <strong>on</strong> test-taking strategies<br />
for students with <strong>and</strong> without disabilities, research<br />
is limited in two areas. First, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> majority<br />
of studies c<strong>on</strong>tained teaching test-taking<br />
strategies to students with high incidence disabilities<br />
with limited evidence supporting <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
effects of strategy instructi<strong>on</strong> for students with<br />
mental disabilities. As <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> dem<strong>and</strong> of including<br />
students with mental disabilities in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
state-wide <strong>and</strong> district-wide assessments increases,<br />
so does <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> need for strategy instructi<strong>on</strong><br />
for <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>se students. Sec<strong>on</strong>d, scarce research<br />
addressed test-taking instructi<strong>on</strong> with<br />
elementary aged students. In order to prepare<br />
students for l<strong>on</strong>g-term st<strong>and</strong>ardized test tak-