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hensive evaluati<strong>on</strong>, in which her category was<br />
changed from EMD to O<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r Health Impaired<br />
(OHI) due to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> impact of VCFS <strong>on</strong> her<br />
learning. On <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> current evaluati<strong>on</strong>, Amy<br />
dem<strong>on</strong>strated a full-scale IQ of 77, reading<br />
scores <strong>on</strong> an upper sec<strong>on</strong>d grade level, <strong>and</strong><br />
math <strong>and</strong> writing scores <strong>on</strong> a lower sec<strong>on</strong>d<br />
grade level. Due to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> VCFS, Amy dem<strong>on</strong>strates<br />
significant speech <strong>and</strong> language impairments.<br />
Her speech is often unintelligible;<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>refore she uses a combinati<strong>on</strong> of c<strong>on</strong>venti<strong>on</strong>al<br />
speech <strong>and</strong> assistive technology to communicate.<br />
She used both speaking <strong>and</strong> a computer<br />
to interact with <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> researcher during<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> study. Testing accommodati<strong>on</strong>s <strong>on</strong> Amy’s<br />
IEP included testing in a separate setting, extended<br />
time, read aloud for math, student<br />
reads aloud to self for reading, <strong>and</strong> multiple<br />
test sessi<strong>on</strong>s.<br />
Setting<br />
The setting was a self-c<strong>on</strong>tained classroom<br />
(grades three to five) for students with mild to<br />
moderate disabilities. All students in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> class<br />
functi<strong>on</strong>ed significantly below <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir peers in<br />
academics, intellectual ability, <strong>and</strong> adaptive<br />
skills. The classroom housed <strong>on</strong>e special educati<strong>on</strong><br />
teacher, <strong>on</strong>e classroom teacher assistant,<br />
<strong>and</strong> eight students. Classroom instructi<strong>on</strong><br />
focused <strong>on</strong> each student’s IEP goals <strong>and</strong><br />
objectives <strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir instructi<strong>on</strong>al level al<strong>on</strong>g<br />
with <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> state curriculum st<strong>and</strong>ards in reading,<br />
math, <strong>and</strong> writing.<br />
Experimenter<br />
The primary experimenter, trainer, <strong>and</strong> data<br />
collector (first author) for this study was a<br />
graduate student <strong>and</strong> excepti<strong>on</strong>al children<br />
program specialist in a rural school district.<br />
The experimenter had been previously<br />
trained in learning strategy instructi<strong>on</strong> <strong>and</strong><br />
taught learning strategies to students with various<br />
high incidence disabilities during her two<br />
years of classroom teaching experience.<br />
Data Collecti<strong>on</strong> Procedures<br />
Dependent variables. Two dependent variables<br />
were measured in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> study. The first<br />
dependent variable was <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> student achievement<br />
scores <strong>on</strong> reading <strong>and</strong> math multiple<br />
400 / Educati<strong>on</strong> <strong>and</strong> Training in Developmental Disabilities-September 2008<br />
choice probes (i.e., achievement probes), as<br />
measured by <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> percentage of items answered<br />
correctly <strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> probes. Each probe<br />
had 20 items organized into four secti<strong>on</strong>s: (a)<br />
reading words, (b) reading <strong>and</strong> answering<br />
questi<strong>on</strong>s, (c) math problems, <strong>and</strong> (d) math<br />
word problems. The secti<strong>on</strong> <strong>on</strong> reading words<br />
included fill-in-<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>-blank items in which <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
students read sentences <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>n supplied <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
missing word from four choices (e.g., “Every<br />
night I go to bed at a _____ time. My parents<br />
say that getting enough rest is very important.<br />
(a) certain, (b) several, (c) circus, (d) sure”).<br />
The reading <strong>and</strong> answering questi<strong>on</strong>s secti<strong>on</strong><br />
included a passage followed by literal <strong>and</strong><br />
n<strong>on</strong>-literal comprehensi<strong>on</strong> questi<strong>on</strong>s. The<br />
math problems secti<strong>on</strong> included computati<strong>on</strong><br />
problems <strong>and</strong> numerati<strong>on</strong> tasks (e.g., place<br />
value, numbers in st<strong>and</strong>ard form) <strong>and</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
final secti<strong>on</strong>, math word problems, included<br />
applied math problems involving various<br />
math skills (e.g., geometric shapes, interpreting<br />
tables <strong>and</strong> graphs). Each secti<strong>on</strong> had five<br />
questi<strong>on</strong>s. For each questi<strong>on</strong>, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> participants<br />
were to choose <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> most appropriate answer<br />
from a choice of four. The first author c<strong>on</strong>structed<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> probe items in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> reading words,<br />
math problems, <strong>and</strong> math word problems secti<strong>on</strong>s<br />
of each probe by adapting practice endof-grade<br />
exams items provided by <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> state.<br />
Passages in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> reading <strong>and</strong> answering questi<strong>on</strong>s<br />
secti<strong>on</strong> of each probe were taken from<br />
five practice st<strong>and</strong>ardized tests (Coan, 2003)<br />
used by <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> classroom teacher. The test items<br />
represented skills taught throughout <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> reading<br />
<strong>and</strong> math curriculum <strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> state’s St<strong>and</strong>ard<br />
Course of Study for each participant’s<br />
specified grade level. Probes were administered<br />
individually. The first author scored<br />
each student’s probe up<strong>on</strong> completi<strong>on</strong>.<br />
The sec<strong>on</strong>d dependent variable was <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> percent<br />
of steps applied correctly <strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> pretest,<br />
five c<strong>on</strong>trolled practice tests, <strong>and</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> posttest,<br />
designed to measure students’ correct use of<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> test-taking strategy, as well as additi<strong>on</strong>al<br />
five advanced practice tests (i.e., achievement<br />
probes). The pretest, c<strong>on</strong>trolled practice tests,<br />
<strong>and</strong> posttest were directly retrieved from The<br />
Test Taking Strategy instructor’s manual<br />
(Deshler, Hughes, Mercer, & Schumaker,<br />
1993). Each of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> tests had four secti<strong>on</strong>s<br />
comprised of true/false items, multiple choice<br />
questi<strong>on</strong>s, fill-in-<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>-blank items, <strong>and</strong> <strong>on</strong>e