DO INTERVENTION‐EMBEDDED ASSESSMENT PROCEDURES SUCCESSFULLY MEASURE STUDENT GROWTH IN READING?

Effective intervention delivery requires ongoing assessment to determine whether students are learning at the desired rate. Intervention programs with embedded assessment procedures (i.e., assessment that occurs naturally during the process of delivering intervention) can potentially enhance instructional decisions. However, there is almost no psychometric research on this type of assessment procedure. This study was designed to examine the psychometric characteristics of three types of progress measures that are embedded within a commonly used reading intervention program. Results indicated that generalized gains across different oral reading fluency passages predict concurrent gains on common and comprehensive tests of reading fluency, and that immediate instructional gains measured during instruction were significantly different from zero and thus sensitive to intervention effects. Overall findings suggest that at least some embedded assessment procedures demonstrate predictive validity and that these types of procedures have the potential to assist educators with data‐driven instructional decisions about students’ responsiveness to intervention.     

COGNITIVE COMPONENTS OF DEVELOPMENTAL WRITING SKILL

A significant number of studies have examined the cognitive components of basic academic skills, which has led to major changes in both teaching and early identification assessment practices. However, the majority of previous research has focused solely on reading. This study examines the cognitive components of academic writing skills across early grade levels (1–4) while controlling for basic word identification skills. Results from this study suggest writing skill requires several cognitive skills of differing emphasis depending on the level of writing skill. Perceptual and rapid perceptual processing skills are important during the early acquisition of writing skills followed by a transition to language and language retrieval skills and later still to working memory skills. Applications for education and cognitive assessment are discussed.     

Can a dog be used as a motivator to develop social interaction and engagement with teachers for students with autism?

Research into children with autism indicates that therapeutic sessions with dogs might provide a way of encouraging social interaction and reducing solitary or repetitive behaviours. With recent educational ASD interventions aimed at providing ways of encouraging intrinsic motivation to socially engage, it is possible that sessions with dogs could be used in a similar way. The present study involved three students with ASD who were given five sessions with a dog and their teacher. Sessions followed a semi‐standardised approach and were recorded and coded on social behaviours, with qualitative observations made. Pre and post measures entailed ADOS‐2 assessments and teacher questionnaires. Results suggest that students' responses in sessions were highly individual; all showed an increase in meaningful social interactions with dog and teacher, reduction in solitary or repetitive behaviours within the sessions and reported generalisation effects in some areas. The study lends support to the research base on the beneficial impact of dogs for children with autism and suggests that sessions with dogs in school could act as a way to strengthen interactions and engagement with teachers.     

Computers and Education: the software production problem

Following an analysis of the stages in software production this paper argues that team production remains the only satisfactory method of providing high quality software but that the key to a higher quantity of reasonable quality computer-assisted learning production lies in the development of support technology adequate to permit individual teachers to develop software within their existing curriculum framework. Three promising approaches—software toolboxes, CAL program shells and software CAL analysts—are described.