Shows
Educational DiagnosticiansIn Memory of Lynn Fuchs | Nazzie Pater-RovClubhouse members gather to discuss the contributions of Lynn Fuchs in memory of her at the time of her passing. She passed away on May 7, 2025. He leaves behind her husband, Doug, son, and grandson, in addition to numerous mentees and research colleagues. Her memory will live on in her contributions to CBM development, reading and math interventions, and the RTI model of SLD assessment. Here are some research articles and book chapters that she is known for:https://academic.oup.com/minnesota-scholarship-online/book/29366/chapter-abstract/244323372?redirectedFrom=fulltexthttps://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.2307/1511189
2025-05-2244 minEducational DiagnosticiansGive it to me Straight from the Heart: TX State Guidance for SLD Evaluations | Candace Vielma & Nazzie Pater-RovA new, revised version of the Guidance for the Comprehensive Evaluation of SLD in Texas is now available. We will get a training on this from TEA. In the mean time, Candace, Nazzie, and some others on Clubhouse discuss their impressions. Candace goes over her Top 10 Takeaways from reading the document. Here's a link to her notes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/19ZC1daO72dx0h8NT5vrG0QwqJ3qRrHKKLgHZo1P8TKE/mobilebasic
2025-03-201h 12Educational DiagnosticiansHear Ye! Texas' 89th Legislative Session! | Nazzie Pater-Rov & GangNazzie Pater-Rov, Candace Vielma, and Zarvonia Gibbs chat with others in the Educational Diagnostician Clubhouse about proposed bills for this legislative session. Would more money be appropriated for special education? Would the Diagnostician profession fade away into school psychology? What is the future of our careers?
2025-01-1642 minEducational DiagnosticiansThe ANCR is Blowing in the Wind: Fluid Reasoning of Diverse Learners | Carl Romstad & Milton DehnThis episode is a follow up to a discussion we had on 2/4/2022. At the time Dr. Dehn was helping Mr. Romstad to norm this new test that evaluates the fluid reasoning of culturally and linguistically diverse learners without discrimination or bias. We did a follow up because the test is now normed and is available on Dr. Dehn's Schoolhouse Education Services website. Here's the website if you'd like to learn more. https://www.schoolhouseeducationalservices.com/assessment-of-nonverbal-contextual-reasoning-ancr/
2024-12-0459 minEducational DiagnosticiansCall it What it IS: Say Dyslexia! | Tiffany PiltierDr. Piltier drops in to help us out as we discuss the difference between an SLD in Basic Reading and Dyslexia. She says it's like saying H20 for water. Let's stop arguing about it and get to work helping kids learn to read!Thanks Dr. Frith for the suggestion to invite Dr. Piltier on to address this topic!
2024-11-2059 minEducational DiagnosticiansLet's Talk About It! | Ed Schultz, Amy Thompson, Zaronia GibbsSome current professors and professors in training join to discuss features of various conferences for educational diagnosticians and dyslexia therapists. Some of the conferences discussed are TEDA, HuMat, the CLD, and the IDA.
2024-10-1644 minEducational DiagnosticiansTurn FIEs into Gold with the MIDAS Touch | Branton ShearerDr. Branton Shearer utilizes the Howard Gardner's theory of intelligence to help educators help students find their strengths. Helping children find their strengths is a great way to add a special touch to our FIEs and hack deficit thinking. As long as we are focused on deficits, that's all we will see. Everyone has something the world needs, and families are depending on us to help the world see how children with disabilities can add to our society once we help them identify and build their strengths. His test, the MIDAS, is not a personality test or a learning...
2024-10-021h 01Educational DiagnosticiansSlow Learner? Why Does it Have to Be So Complicated | Stefan DombrowskiDr. Dombrowski joins to tell us about the low achievement model for identifying SLD and the criticisms he has for PSW methods. Here are some links to articles he has written:
1) A Systematic Review of the PSW Diagnostic Accuracy Evidence: Is it Time to Abandon PSW?
2) After the Demise of the Discrepancy: Proposed Learning Disabilities Diagnostic Criteria
3) Beyond the Rhetoric of Evidence Based Assessment: A Framework for Critical Thinking and Clinical Practice
2024-09-201h 02Educational DiagnosticiansMaybe We Work Too Hard Because What We Are Doing is Not Working?The new team of Diagnostician Clubhouse reporters, Candace Vielma, Candace James, and Valencia Ashley join Nazzie to share various tidbits of information that is on their minds. Dr. Schultz joins to comment as well.
Candace Vielma: Talks about a court case that found the school district liable when a dyslexia program was not implemented with fidelity.
Candace James: Gives us a new diag tip for converting PDFs to word documents.
Valencia Ashley: Tells us about the upcoming IDA conference.
Nazzie Pater-Rov: Shares a review of the Sattler book.
2024-09-0637 minEducational DiagnosticiansWhat Does Evidence Based Assessment Require? | Nazzie Pater-RovNazzie presents 3 sources that attempt to describe what constitutes Evidence Based Assessment. Amy Smith and Becky Robinson join in to comment.
The 3 sources are:
1. Psycho-educational Assessment and Report Writing by Stefan Dombrowski.
2. Identifying and Teaching Students with Significant Reading Problems by (Vaughn & Fletcher, Winter 2020-2021)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OUiZywTZkTS38OgRItggARaxE1XmWXf8/view?usp=drive_link
3. Evidence-Based Assessment of Learning Disabilities in Children and Adolescents (Fletcher et al., 2005)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Z2djJn__14zeR3Ayy8iSaDbfcZ4UqkDE/view
2024-08-2355 minEducational DiagnosticiansTexas 2024 Dyslexia Handbook FAQsAmy Smith, Candace Vielma, Lori Melton, and Zarvonia Gibbs pitch in to add commentary to Nazzie's summary of the FAQs of the the dyslexia handbook.
2024-08-1658 minEducational DiagnosticiansChanges! To the Operating Guidelines (pt.1) | Amy SmithTexas yet again is starting the school year off with changes to the operating guidelines. The new moderators and Amy Smith, Region 10 representative charged with diagnostician continuing education, joins to talk about the changes. There's so much to talk about, that we are dividing it into two parts.
2024-08-0251 minEducational DiagnosticiansFight'n Words? The Dyslexia Debate Revisited | Julian ElliottDr. Julian Elliott joins to tell us about his new book: The Dyslexia Debate Revisited, co-authored with Elena Grigorenko from the University of Houston, this book gives a summary of the research in dyslexia and proposes that we use the term dyslexia to describe a persistent problem in basic reading skills rather than as a medical diagnosis.
2024-06-0554 minEducational DiagnosticiansHere Comes the Sun: Shedding Light on Dyslexia with the NCIL | Nancy NelsonDr. Nancy Nelson leads the National Center on Improving Literacy to support states and districts to provide the information that leads to evidence-based practices and policies for improving literacy. Check out their website with this link. She and Nazzie talk about assessment for dyslexia, the prevalence of dyslexia, and how the role of the diagnostician is challenged by changes in the way we think about dyslexia.
2024-05-3145 minEducational DiagnosticiansReach for the Stars: The Constellation Model for Dyslexia Identification | Joe Torgesen and Richard WagnerJoe Torgesen and Richard Wagner, authors of the CTOPP II describe the challenges related to direct assessment of dyslexia and their proposal for using statistics to evaluate risk. Dr. Torgesen shared an article that summarizes the LD summit of 2001 that is mentioned in the discussion. Dr. Wagner also shared an article about the Constellation Model.
2024-05-1751 minEducational DiagnosticiansIdentification of SLD: What Were They Thinking? | Nazzie Pater-RovNazzie provides a summary of the book: Identification of Learning Disabilities from Research to Practice, edited by Bradley, Danielson, and Hallahan (2001), which is a compilation of 9 white papers that resulted from the LD Summit of 2001 and led to the reauthorization of IDEA in 2004. She also shares a summary of email conversations with Jim Walsh regarding WBFWR (Way Behind For Whatever Reason), in an attempt to understand the context of his reference to that initialism.
2024-05-111h 02Educational DiagnosticiansHelping Kids Be Understood: Assessing Social Skills that Matter | Steve ElliottDr. Steve Elliott is one of the authors of the Social Skills Improvement System (SSIS). Check out free resources on his website: https://ssiscolab.com/. He also shares that https://developingchild.harvard.edu/ describes the impact of stress for young children. Elizabeth Shanley also joins to tell us about free training resources from Pearson related to the SSIS. Use this link to get to one of those presentations: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fujeO-QhMOA.
2024-05-041h 00Educational DiagnosticiansAssessment of Dyslexia in Kindergarten? | Candace Vielma and Valencia AshleyFor how long do students need to be exposed to tier 1 instruction before an assessment is appropriate? What tools can we use to test children in kindergarten? What should we be looking for in our evaluations? These are all hard questions that diagnosticians on Clubhouse attempt to answer.
2024-04-2657 minEducational DiagnosticiansWorking on the Rewrite: CBMs for Writing | John RomigDr. Romig shares the research behind validating the best CBM variables for reliably assessing writing.
Use this link to read one of his journal articles summarizing the reliability of various variables of writing CBM.
He also mentions the 6 +1 rubric for measuring writing that can be reached through this link.
2024-04-1950 minEducational DiagnosticiansLet's Use Everything In the Book to Help Kids Read | David KilpatrickCandace Vielma interviews Dr. Kilpatrick about how understanding how kids learn to read helps us to be better evaluators of reading.
For a copy of Dr. Kilpatrick's book: Use this link.
For his PAST test, use this link.
2024-04-1256 minEducational DiagnosticiansHere Comes the Judge: Defending Your FIE in Court | Robert LackeyWe all fear the day we have to defend our FIE in court, but Dr. Lackey helps us to keep perspective by giving us things to consider and be confident in our conclusions.
2024-04-051h 01Educational DiagnosticiansTimes, They are a Changin': Revisions to the Dyslexia Handbook | Nazzie Pater-Rov with Aimee Seaberry and others on ClubhouseNazzie summarizes for the group both proposals for items removed and added to the Texas Dyslexia handbook. Aimee Seaberry also adds a summary of the Dyslexia Academies expected to be provided by TEA. Others also joined to comment. Thanks to Lori Melton for offering the perspective of a dyslexia therapist as well.
See this link for the text of the proposed handbook.
2024-02-2354 minEducational DiagnosticiansWhat Does the "Specific" Mean in Specific Learning Disability? | Nazzie Pater-Rov with Others on ClubhouseThe "Specific" in Specific Learning Disability can be confusing. A number of articles attempt to address this topic. Diagnosticians on Clubhouse examine articles by Mather (2023), Pennington (2015), Wadsworth et al. (2010), and Peterson et al. (2021) are reviewed to explore this term.
2024-02-1653 minEducational DiagnosticiansCiting Research in Your FIE | Nazzie Pater-Rov with Amy SmithCiting research in our FIEs can make us look more professional, help us learn about the research behind the assessments we choose, and support our interpretation with evidence. The tool mentioned in this episode can be accessed through this link. Check back by clicking on the link in the future for updates to the link.
2024-02-0944 minEducational DiagnosticiansHey! What's Goin' On? Assessment: Hope for a Destination | Jim Ysseldyke & Amanda VanDerHeydenDr. Ysseldyke and Amanda VanDerHeyden share their vision for the role of evaluators in special education. Together they wrote the 14th edition of Assessment In Special and Inclusive Education, the go-to textbook on evidence based assessment practices. They call on evaluators to make a paradigm shift away from a focus on IQ tests and towards a focus on assessment of the basic academic skills. This is a MUST HEAR, if you haven't listened live, or even if you did, you will want to listen again.
https://www.proedinc.com/Products/40006/assessment-in-special-and-inclusive-education14th-edition.aspx
2024-02-021h 11Educational DiagnosticiansThe Art of Teaching the Science of Reading | Timothy RasinskiHere's a link to Dr Rasinski's website where you can read more about his books: https://www.timrasinski.com/index.html
He talks with us about his newest book, Artfully Teaching the Science of Reading.
You can purchase the book here: https://www.routledge.com/Artfully-Teaching-the-Science-of-Reading/Young-Paige-Rasinski/p/book/9781032080864
2024-01-2657 minEducational DiagnosticiansGotta Be Start'n Something: RTI, Hold Your Head Up High! | Lynn & Doug FuchsWe wonder why RTI doesn't really take place in schools. Maybe it's because people would rather discredit the system rather than commit to actual school improvement? How do we assess in the context of a system that uses RTI by name only? What are the discussions around how to diagnose learning disabilities?
2024-01-1856 minEducational DiagnosticiansGet With The Program! Diagnostician Training Programs in TexasDr. Schultz from MSU, Dr. Cavin from Tarleton State, Dr. Rueter from UT Tyler, and Becki Robertson from Region 10 join to tell us about some of benefits various programs offer and some of the challenges they are faced with.
2024-01-121h 08Educational DiagnosticiansCBM: A Step in the Right Direction | Nazzie Pater-RovCBM may not be the answer to bringing an intervention frame of mind to education, but they certainly are a step in the right direction! Nazzie Pater-Rov discusses reasons for using CBM in our FIEs, misunderstandings about CBM, and the various types of CBM that are available.
2024-01-0557 minEducational DiagnosticiansLet's Stop Fooln' Around and Start Assessing Basic Skills | Nathan ClemensDr. Nathan Clemens describes the concepts presented in his newest edition of a book he co-authored with his late mentor, Dr. Edward Sharpiro. The book, Academic Skills Problems, demonstrates how a good quality academic assessment has the potential to drive intervention.
2023-12-081h 00Educational DiagnosticiansDon't Just Stand There On the Wall, Move with Adapted PE | Linda HilgenbrinckCollaboration between the diagnostician and the Adapted PE teacher has the potential to add richness to Full Individual Evaluations. Dr. Linda Hilgenbrinck is a leader in her field at a national level.
2023-12-011h 03Educational DiagnosticiansA Professor Goes to Washington, What Have We Learned? | Deborah Speece & Nathan JonesIn this episode we talk to Dr. Deborah Speece, a leading researcher in learning disabilities who later went on to be the commissioner of the National Center on Special Education Research under the Institute of Educational Sciences. She is introduced by Dr. Nathan Jones, the current commissioner.
2023-11-101h 05Educational DiagnosticiansLet's Play it Safe! The Reynolds Dyslexia Risk Assessment | Cecil ReynoldsDr. Cecil Reynolds joins to tell us about how to prevent dyslexia through early and systematic screening and progress monitoring.
2023-11-031h 15Educational DiagnosticiansWe are the CORE, C-Sep Updates | Ed SchultzDr. Ed Schultz tells us about the important features of C-SEP that we need to keep in mind to be sure that we are implementing C-SEP with fidelity.
2023-10-271h 12Educational DiagnosticiansWith a Little Help From our Friends: Related Services | David Bateman and Lisa GoranIn their book: Related Services in Special Education: Working Together as a Team, Dr. Bateman and Goran give guidance on making sure that related services are provided with good justification. Dr. Hope McCarroll, OT, gives her reflections as well on how to use our related service specialists to help all students in the school.
2023-10-2045 minEducational DiagnosticiansBreaking Silence: Assessing the Nonverbal Child | Jyutika MehtaDr. Mehta from TWU tells us about a study she's conducting using imitation therapy to help nonverbal children learn to talk. She also discusses issues around assessing these students.
2023-10-131h 06Educational DiagnosticiansWe Are Survivors: Impact of Trauma on Children | Wendi Johnson & Steven FeiferDr. Johnson and Dr. Feifer explain that trauma can impact brain neurology. Children who experience trauma over experience changes in their attention and emotional regulation. The slightest triggers can remind them of the trauma that they experienced.
2023-10-061h 04Educational DiagnosticiansThat's Just the Way it Is: Disproportionality in Special Education | Russell SkibaDr. Russell Skiba joins to talk with us about the way disproportionality is measured, what it says about our society, and how it can be improved.
2023-09-2959 minEducational DiagnosticiansMisunderstood and Mistreated: Disproportionality P 2 | Hani MorganSome countries around the world have less resources but better outcomes than the US. Disproportionality resulting from inequitable funding in education is a big reason for this outcome.
2023-09-2234 minEducational DiagnosticiansFor What It's Worth: Disproportionality in Special Education | Byron McClureDr. Byron McClure joins us to talk about the impacts of disproportionality in special education and how we can make a difference by focusing on what's strong, not what's wrong.
2023-09-151h 05Educational DiagnosticiansGive It To Me Baby! Essential Parts of the Referral Packet | Sarah HolmanSarah Holman is tells us how various questions from the referral can help to influence our hypothesis and choose the tests we want to use to verify that hypothesis. We talk about what resources to refer to for a standard referral, how prevalence of referrals and disability identification relate to the quality of systems of supports, and the barriers to receiving good information in our referral.
2023-09-0848 minEducational DiagnosticiansLet the Good Times Roll: Celebrating Dyslexia Legislation | Robbi CooperRobbi Cooper is one of the parents who pushed HB 3928 through the legislature last spring. She joins to tell us why this legislation was important, what the parent advocates hoped to achieve, and all of the work that went into creating the bill.
2023-09-011h 13Educational DiagnosticiansSelective Assessment: Let's Be Choosy | Dan MillerDr. Miller uses correlations to create profiles of strengths and weaknesses of WJ IV cognitive and achievement subtests for various ages for each disability area. He answers questions about how he uses scientific statistical methods to achieve the evidence of these patterns. He cautions against not using IQ tests and explains how neuropsychological studies and psycho-educational have started to overlap. He wants us to understand the theory behind the tests we use and go beyond the standard scores to interpret the results.
2023-08-251h 03Educational DiagnosticiansWhere Does Special Education Go to Die? | Nazzie Pater-RovSpecial Education was built on the vision of Evelyn Deno. She wanted us to fully realize separate is not equal and had a vision of an inclusive education system that saw special education as a safety net that would bring up the rear of those who fall behind in general education. However, there are those who blame her vision for issues in special education like defining LRE and what makes special education special. Nazzie shares the commentary the article by Hoffman, Where Special Education Goes to Die and the reaction from Norena Hale, a long time friend and coauthor...
2023-08-181h 02Educational DiagnosticiansThere's No Such "Thing" as Dyslexia | Martin BloomfieldDr. Martin Bloomfield from Dyslexia Bytes and Dyslexia Compass tells us about his mission to create discussion and awareness regarding the challenges that various countries and cultures present when faced with the challenge of literacy and dyslexia. Candace Vielma joins to help with the interview.
2023-08-111h 02Educational DiagnosticiansLegal Updates 2023Representatives from Region 10, Region 11, and clubhouse regulars put our heads together to find a way to summarize the new legal updates resulting from the last legislative session.
2023-08-0438 minEducational DiagnosticiansKeep the Ball Rolling in Texas and Put MTSS to Work with DBI | Deanna Clemens12 new courses are available on the TEA website to help you be in the know about DBI and it's role in MTSS. We talk to Deanna Clemens, the Director of Integrated Special Programs at TEA about these.
2023-06-031h 01Educational DiagnosticiansAt the End of the Day, What's Your Why? | Tammy StephensTammy says people often don't understand why we decide to be diagnosticians, and we often forget ourselves. Our profession is in a crisis from the increased numbers of referrals. We struggle to focus on the child's story and put too much focus on scores. We've been through a lot of changes and we can go through these changes over time. CSEP was a lead in making the changes that TEA is now making. She'd like to create a book of our stories and why we chose to be diagnosticians.
2023-06-011h 01Educational DiagnosticiansWhen Things Are Up in the Air, Where Do You Land on SLD? | Katie MakiDr. Katie Maki does research on the elements that influence our decisions as evaluators and how consistent we are in our decisions.
2023-05-121h 09Educational DiagnosticiansTimes a Waisten' Let's Bring Clockwork RTI to Texas Y'all! | Erica LembkeDr. Erica Lembke is pioneer researcher, creating CBMs and developing RTI research at the University of Missouri. She tells us about her work with the NCII to bring better RTI to Texas. Texas is one of 9 states taking on the DBI system of interventions and support for our students.
2023-05-0559 minEducational DiagnosticiansLet's Stop Beating Around the Bush, There's No Smoking Gun for SLD Identification | Ryan McGillDr. McGill wrote When Theory Trumps Science in 2016, an article about the lack of statistical reliability for our assessment methods. Since then, he's written similar articles examining the reliability and validity of cognitive assessments for predicting academic performance.
2023-04-281h 16Educational DiagnosticiansTeleAssessments | Anise FlowersAnise Flowers, Ph. D, has moved on from Pearson learning and now works for Presence. Presence uses telecommunication technology to match evaluators with districts who need evaluations. She tells us about the benefits of the platform and the validity of using it.
2023-04-2127 minEducational DiagnosticiansStay in the Loop, but Don't Get Tied up in Knots with the LDA | Monica McHale-SmallDr. Monica McHale-Small tells us about the position of the Learning Disabilities Association of America's position on identifying a learning disability and the work of the LDA to bring awareness to the issues surrounding learning disabilities.
2023-04-1654 minEducational DiagnosticiansTake Aways From TEDA 2023The Texas Educational Diagnostician Agency celebrated its 50th Anniversary and became golden this year. Many didn't get to go because the conference was quickly sold out. I share my take aways from the conference for those of you who didn't get to attend.
2023-03-3155 minEducational DiagnosticiansGetting it Down to a Science | Sarah BrasielDr. Sarah Brasiel joins for Educational Diagnostician Week to tell us about the Institute for Educational Sciences. The organization offers lots of information and services to teachers and evaluators. Because they encourage the science of education, their work provides hope that one day, we will use science to find ways to prevent learning disabilities. In recognition of Educational Diagnostician Week, she wrote a blog about our Clubhouse and the researchers that have been interviewed through this project who have also been awarded grants for research from the IES.
2023-03-1032 minEducational DiagnosticiansAssessing Children with Low Incident Disabilities | Marnee LoftinMarnee Loftin is has had the unique position of being the LSSP for the School for the Blind. She tells us about the special considerations we should have when testing children who have significant visual impairments. She also shares her view on co-morbid diagnosis for children who are visually impaired.
2023-03-0339 minEducational DiagnosticiansFork in the Road | Mark ShinnDr. Mark Shinn could be considered one of the Founding Fathers of special education. He led the way in research to find ways to measure progress for children with disabilities. His work on developing CBMs lead to the development of DIBELS and AIMSweb, both of which are widely used in schools today. Together with other pioneer researchers, he and others helped influence the federal IDEA and its revision in 2004. He sees interventions as the tool to closing the gaps between the haves and the have nots, but he feels like strict adherence to giving IQ tests stands in the wa...
2023-02-171h 22Educational DiagnosticiansAre We Repeating History? | Edward SchultzDr. Schultz tells us about the President's Commission on Excellence in Special Education report from 2002. The recommendations in this report drove the revision of IDEA in 2004. At the time, SLD identifications were reported to have grown by 300%. The recommendation was to include Response to Intervention. The question here would be, with the lack of focus on good RTI practices, is our rise in referrals a sign that we are Repeating History? Dr. Schultz argues that CSEP is the answer in the context of the state of RTI at this time.
2023-02-101h 15Educational DiagnosticiansThe Transition Assessment | Allison HollisAllison Hollis joins to tell us about all the special considerations when managing a transition assessment.
2023-02-0345 minEducational DiagnosticiansThe Test of Dyslexia from WPS | Nancy Mather & Ashley ArnoldNancy Mather tells us about the Test of Dyslexia and how to assess for dyslexia.
2023-01-2753 minEducational DiagnosticiansIntroducing the 88th Legislative Session | Jim WalshThe Law Dawg tells us about the Texas Legislature and we discuss what we can look forward to in this legislative session.
2023-01-2028 minEducational DiagnosticiansAre Subtypes of Dyslexia Real? | Jack FletcherDr. Fletcher explains how he attempts to establish that Learning Disabilities are real. Likewise, he also describes the hypotheses in research surrounding subtypes of dyslexia.
2023-01-131h 08Educational DiagnosticiansWelcome Back! News and UpdatesMeet our OSEP director. Hear about recent cases heard in courts regarding child find and LRE, and get ready for subtypes of dyslexia!
2023-01-0653 minEducational DiagnosticiansNAEP Report Card: Are our norms still valid?According to the NAEP published on October 23, 2022, 66% of fourth graders are not reading proficiently to make good scores on college entry exams by the time they get into high school. Covid reflects low scores across the country. This begs to question: are our norms still valid?
2022-12-0935 minEducational DiagnosticiansRising AU Identifications | Amanda Gray & Wendi JohnsonLast year the number of AU identifications surpassed the number of OHI identifications. What are some the reasons for rising numbers of AU identifications? Is this a good thing or should be concerned?
2022-12-0244 minEducational DiagnosticiansLet's Make a Deal | Hannah PaulusSo you want to be a contractor? There are a lot of choices today. Join us as we talk with Hannah Paulus from Accountable staffing. Let's keep our profession competitive.
2022-11-1833 minEducational DiagnosticiansShould RF be an SLD?Jack Fletcher argues in his book, Learning Disabilities from Identification to Intervention, that subcategories of learning disabilities are arbitrary, and that based on what we know about learning, Reading Fluency should not be an SLD because all areas of learning require automaticity. Meanwhile, reading fluency across the nation is lacking proficiency. Considering reading fluency in this current climate may be a serious lack of consideration for these trends in general education.
2022-11-0446 minEducational DiagnosticiansSnapshot DayAll around Texas, diagnosticians scramble to lock or activate their IEP documents on the last Friday of each October. What do we learn from PEIMS? Listen to find out.
2022-10-2815 minEducational DiagnosticiansStealth Dyslexia?Where did the term stealth dyslexia come from? Hear the opinions of experienced diagnosticians talk about the idea of the twice exceptional child.
2022-10-211h 12Educational Diagnosticians7 Considerations for a Good ObservationThe classroom observation is often something we save for the last minute, but new wording in the Texas state regulations sheds new light on the importance of including a good observation in an SLD evaluation.
2022-10-1416 minEducational DiagnosticiansDid TX Turn a New Leaf on the SLD Diagnosis Criteria? | Matthew BurnsDr. Matthew Burns wrote the white papers for the NCLD on the state of methods for identifying SLD across the US in 2019. He included TX as an example of a state that uses PSW, but Texas has since re-written its regulations. Hear his opinion on what he thinks this means for Texas. Dr. Schultz joins the dialogue as well in the argument for IQ tests while Dr. Burns stands strongly against the use of IQ tests to identify children with SLD.
2022-10-071h 04Educational DiagnosticiansIs Special Education Working? Postponed due to hurricane in FloridaDr. George Batsche was scheduled to join us from the NCLD to tell us about trends in special education effectiveness, but unfortunately, he lives in Florida and the hurricane hit the night before this episode. Attempts will be made to reschedule.
2022-09-3010 minEducational DiagnosticiansWhat is the RDSDP? | Amanda TefertillerDeaf and Hard of Hearing is one of the lowest incidence disabilities, but there's a lot to remember for this population.
2022-09-2335 minEducational DiagnosticiansWhy have a Prior Written Notice?It might feel redundant and aimless to create a Prior Written Notice after every meeting, but the pesky form does have its purpose.
2022-09-1623 minEducational DiagnosticiansHacking Deficit Thinking by Being Sassy for Social Justice | Kelsie ReedLearn about the impact of deficit thinking. This thinking has long lasting effects on both behavior and academic success for children. This concept will blow your mind.
2022-09-0348 minEducational DiagnosticiansTest Your Knowledge of Assistive Technology Assessments | Penny ReedDr. Penny Reed is a pioneer in the field of assistive technology assessments. She wrote the WADI, one of the only tools for assessing assistive technology, developed out of a grant for an assistive technology initiative.
2022-08-2649 minEducational DiagnosticiansAssistive Technology Assessments- An Overview of the WADIThe WADI is considered one of the only assessment tools for reporting on assistive technology needs. Find out how to complete free continuing education credits for assistive technology that can be used toward a college certified credits.
2022-08-1914 minEducational DiagnosticiansWelcome Transfers to Special Education in TexasNew regulations in Texas allow schools to carry over transfers for summer enrollments with less paperwork and meetings.
2022-08-1219 minEducational DiagnosticiansRise in MDRs and Outcries Prompts US Dept of Ed. InitiativesAre MDRs and Outcries eating your lunch? $130 Billion is being allocated to improving mental health in schools. Listen in to the ideas that are being considered.
2022-08-0545 minEducational DiagnosticiansPotential changes to section 504?The federal government is asking for people like you and me to give your opinion on how Section 504 should be changed. 130 Billion dollars is being allocated for improving mental health in schools. The idea is that this would happen through 504 plans, but how? Go to the website and give your 2 cents.
2022-07-2933 minEducational DiagnosticiansNews in Reading: Is Fountes and Pinnell the Problem?American Public Media published a series of investigative articles that revved up the Reading Wars. Despite research that has supported phonics-based programs, Guided Reading programs that depend on the three cuing system continue to be implemented across the nation. The APM articles have created a push to expose the ineffectiveness of these programs. Lucy Calkins and Fountas and Pinnell have been targeted in this campaign. It will be interesting to see how much of an impact this movement will have on improving reading education.
2022-07-2234 minEducational DiagnosticiansEfforts to Reduce Academic Risk at the Meadows Center | Dr. Sarah Powell.The Meadows Center has a long history of leading the research community to find instructional strategies and interventions to reduce academic risk.
2022-06-1730 min
Educational DiagnosticiansBringing the Dyslexia Definition into Focus | Jeremy MiciakJeremy Miciak and his colleague, Jack Fletcher, from the University of Houston Texas Center for Learning Disabilities argue that cognitive testing is not necessary for the identification of SLD through an SLD Manual with the TEA logo on it. He argues that cognitive testing through any of the 5 PSW methods are not reliable or valid, and that cognitive testing does not do a good job of effectively guiding instruction. As an alternative, he poses a TCLD or Hybrid Model that incorporates but formal achievement assessments and detailed progress monitoring data.
2022-06-031h 09Educational DiagnosticiansPinpointing Needs with Academic Screeners | Nathan ClemensDr. Nathan Clemens talks to us about the use of screeners for pinpointing children who need intervention. He explains what makes an assessment a screener, how to compare the quality of screeners, and why we might have some of the screeners we use today. A student of Edward Shapiro, he hopes to continue the message that the assessment of basic skills is the most relevant information needed when determining SLD and guiding instruction.
2022-05-2750 minEducational DiagnosticiansCurriculum Based Measures for Math | Amanda VanDerHeydenDr. Amanda VanDerHeyden has done extensive research in Rti, and in the use of CBMs, especially for math calculation skills. She talks about the importance of building calculation fluency, using evidence-based interventions, and the vision of RTi for school improvement.
2022-05-0658 minEducational DiagnosticiansBeating the RTI Drum in Texas | Thea WoodruffDr. Thea Woodruff headed the Building RTI Capacity project and one of the developers of the Reading Academies. She describes all the challenges she has experienced in trying to bring progress monitoring through CBMs and other measures to the schools. She also describes the success stories of some schools who did use the information she taught. She tells us where to find the RTI resources that she helped to compiled, helps us define RTI, the importance of the role of core instruction, and how data should be used to guide instruction.
2022-04-291h 05Educational DiagnosticiansThe State or RTi in TexasTo have RTi means to have progress monitoring using CBMs and evidence based interventions available for all students. However, most Texas schools lack the kind of RTi practices that were originally intended for school improvement and to prevent specific learning disabilities. What has been happening in Texas regarding the status of RTi? Nazzie Pater-Rov does a search and review of the TEA website and other resources for RTI guidance and resources for RTI practices.
2022-04-2248 minEducational DiagnosticiansIntroducing the 31 Executive Functions of the MEFS | George McCloskeyExecutive functions play a big role in our ability to attend, empathize, and initiate action to make a change. Join us as we talk with George McCloskey, Ph. D, who has plans to travel around to various Muslim countries.
2022-04-0855 minEducational DiagnosticiansSLD, EL, or Both? How can we tell? | Eric Haas & Julie Esparza BrownRTi plays an important role in determining the difference between students who are just EL and students who are both EL and have SLD. Dr. Eric Haas and Dr. Julie Esparza Brown have researched and written about the administrative and instructional techniques that are needed to ensure good evaluation practices for EL students who may also be EL.
2022-04-0147 minEducational DiagnosticiansUsing EasyCBM in our Evaluation Reports | Julie AlonzoDr. Julie Alonzo is a pioneer of design for Curriculum Based Measures. CBMs were designed to get the best results with the most conservative use of resources. These quick tests not only give us an idea of where a child is performing, but also provide us with a way to track progress over time.
2022-03-0441 minEducational DiagnosticiansThe Dysgraphia Informal Writing Assessment | Cherry LeeDr. Cherry Lee developed the Dysgraphia Informal Writing Assessment tool while working at TEA. She tells us how we can use this tool to not only to help us diagnose dysgraphia, but also to track progress.
2022-02-2540 minEducational DiagnosticiansThe Neuropsychology of Reading Disorders | Steven FeiferWhat have we learned about the neuropsychology of reading disorders? What are the early signs? How do we test for dyslexia? What interventions should we consider?
2022-02-2153 minEducational DiagnosticiansNavigating Recommendations for InterventionWhen recommending interventions, there are gimmicks and there are real solutions. The federal government tells us that we have to use evidence-based interventions. ESSA gives us guidelines for understanding the quality of research outcomes for various intervention programs. The What Works Clearinghouse provides a great searchable sight to sort through what the research says.
2022-02-1148 minEducational DiagnosticiansFluid Reasoning in Minority Populations | Carl RomstadThe unconventional student has cultural experiences that create very different results for an area we traditionally thought was an innate construct of our cognition. Carl Romstad tells us how our assessments prove this wrong and helps us to consider what these subtests really tell us about a child's cognition. He explains how he is trying to find more reliable ways to assess a child's Fluid Reasoning, even among the most culturally diverse populations.
2022-02-0455 minEducational DiagnosticiansThe Implications of Executive FunctioningDr. Milton Dehn talks to us about the role of Executive Functioning in our Evaluations.
2022-01-2859 minEducational DiagnosticiansIncreasing our Professional Visability with Georgene MoonGeorgene Moon has served on the board of several professional organizations. She tells us why it is important to be involved in organizations like TEDA, TPED, and NCED.
2022-01-2144 minEducational DiagnosticiansCSEP 2.0 | Tammy Stephens & Sarah HolmanThe authors of CSEP would like to share tips and considerations for making our assessment reports better.
2022-01-1758 minEducational DiagnosticiansSpecial Considerations for the ABAS III | Ashley ArnoldAshley Arnold answers our questions about the administration and interpretation of the ABAS III.
2022-01-0739 minEducational DiagnosticiansIs Dyslexia Instruction Specially Designed Instruction?Who should serve children with dyslexia? On November 15, 2021, Mike Morath received a very important memo from the Office of Special Education that appears to have answered this question.
2021-12-0321 minEducational DiagnosticiansIs Attention Part of Cognition? | Tray StogsdillWhat role should attention play in our assessments of cognition
2021-11-1459 min