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TABLE 1<br />
Instructi<strong>on</strong>al Stages<br />
Stages Descripti<strong>on</strong><br />
1. Pretest Students take pretest measuring strategy use.<br />
2. Describe Instructor gives purpose <strong>and</strong> rati<strong>on</strong>ale for strategy <strong>and</strong> briefly<br />
previews each step.<br />
3. Model Instructor directly <strong>and</strong> explicitly models each step of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
PIRATES strategy.<br />
4. Verbal rehearsal Instructor leads students in verbal repetiti<strong>on</strong> of each step <strong>and</strong><br />
sub-step of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> strategy to aid memorizati<strong>on</strong> <strong>and</strong> acquisiti<strong>on</strong>.<br />
5. C<strong>on</strong>trolled practice Students apply strategy to practice tests designed to measure<br />
strategy use.<br />
6. Advanced practice <strong>and</strong><br />
Students apply strategy to “real” tests.<br />
feedback<br />
7. Posttest Students take posttest measuring strategy use.<br />
8. Maintenance Instructor evaluates whe<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r students have maintained strategy<br />
use at <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> end of 2-week post training <strong>on</strong> tests designed to<br />
measure strategy use.<br />
9. Generalizati<strong>on</strong> Instructor teaches students to generalize strategy to o<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r settings<br />
(e.g., different subjects or courses).<br />
In stage three participants were trained to<br />
apply <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> “PIRATES” first letter mnem<strong>on</strong>ic<br />
test-taking strategy as listed below:<br />
The first author modeled each step of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
strategy <strong>on</strong> a sample test while enlisting a cognitive<br />
think aloud strategy. First, students were<br />
instructed to write <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> acr<strong>on</strong>ym “PIRATES” <strong>on</strong><br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> fr<strong>on</strong>t top of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir test page. Then, in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
“P” step of PIRATES, “Prepare to Succeed”,<br />
students were taught to write <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir names <strong>on</strong><br />
each page of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> test <strong>and</strong> count <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> number of<br />
secti<strong>on</strong>s <strong>and</strong> types of questi<strong>on</strong>s <strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> test.<br />
Next, students learned to order <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> secti<strong>on</strong>s of<br />
a test by level of difficulty to help <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>m determine<br />
where to start <strong>on</strong> a test. Participants were<br />
shown how to begin working <strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> test by<br />
starting with <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> secti<strong>on</strong> determined by <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
test-taker to be easiest (See Figure 1).<br />
In step two of PIRATES, participants were<br />
trained to “Inspect <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Instructi<strong>on</strong>s” by reading<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> directi<strong>on</strong>s <strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> test <strong>and</strong> underlining<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> words that tell <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> test-taker what to do. In<br />
step three, participants learned to “Read, Remember,<br />
<strong>and</strong> Reduce” by reading each test<br />
item <strong>and</strong> eliminating answer choices that were<br />
clearly incorrect. In step four, “Answer or<br />
Ab<strong>and</strong><strong>on</strong>,” <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> participants were trained to<br />
answer <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> questi<strong>on</strong> if <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>y were sure of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
answer, or ab<strong>and</strong><strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> questi<strong>on</strong> if <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>y were<br />
unsure of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> answer. Participants learned to<br />
402 / Educati<strong>on</strong> <strong>and</strong> Training in Developmental Disabilities-September 2008<br />
mark ab<strong>and</strong><strong>on</strong>ed items with a symbol (e.g., a<br />
star). Participants were taught to repeat all<br />
previous steps for all remaining test items in<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> secti<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>y were working <strong>on</strong>, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>n to go<br />
<strong>on</strong> to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> secti<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>y indicated to complete<br />
next (based <strong>on</strong> order of difficulty). Participants<br />
were instructed to again “Inspect <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
Instructi<strong>on</strong>s” for <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> next secti<strong>on</strong> <strong>and</strong> c<strong>on</strong>tinue<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> strategy for <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> remaining secti<strong>on</strong>s<br />
<strong>and</strong> test items. In step five, “Turn Back,” participants<br />
were trained to return to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> beginning<br />
of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> test, locate <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> symbol for ab<strong>and</strong><strong>on</strong>ed<br />
items, <strong>and</strong> ei<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r answer, or “Estimate.”<br />
Participants learned several estimating techniques<br />
including: avoiding absolute words,<br />
choosing <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> l<strong>on</strong>gest answer, <strong>and</strong> estimating<br />
similar choices. In <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> last step, “Survey,” participants<br />
were instructed to look over all <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
test items to make sure <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>y had answered<br />
each item, but not to change any answers<br />
unless <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>y were certain it was incorrect.<br />
During stage four, verbal rehearsal, participants<br />
repeated each step <strong>and</strong> sub-step of PI-<br />
RATES using flash cards <strong>and</strong> fading prompts<br />
until <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>y memorized it <strong>and</strong> had been individually<br />
checked for mastery using <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> checklist<br />
provided in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> test-taking instructor’s manual.<br />
When participants reached 90% mastery<br />
<strong>on</strong> memorizati<strong>on</strong>, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>y proceeded to stage five<br />
of instructi<strong>on</strong>, which involved participants’ ap-