Brant, Thank you for your always concise and informative information.

The fact that the discreptancy model is flawed leads to the question:  when
will the law be changed to be in accord with science.  Specifically, mandate
that literacy instruction must start in the formative years.

The RTI model?  where can I find more about that?

Lucille Cuttler
  -----Original Message-----
  From: learningdisabilities-bounces at nifl.gov
[mailto:learningdisabilities-bounces at nifl.gov]On Behalf Of Brant Hayenga
  Sent: Monday, November 02, 2009 11:20 AM
  To: 'The Learning Disabilities Discussion List'
  Subject: [LearningDisabilities 4215] Re: descrepancy model


  Nora:



  Could someone explain to me the reasoning behind this method?



  It's all about what the state regulations indicate. It is clearly not
logical. The IQ-discrepancy model has been widely demonstrated to be an
unreliable method for identifying students who have reading disabilities.
The discrepancy model has lots of problems, one of which is that it tends to
over identify higher IQ students, and under identify lower IQ students.
Articles about the problems were published in 1998, but many states continue
to at least include the discrepancy model in their regulations. After I read
the attached article, I was astonished that at the time (2005) most states
still required the use of the discrepancy method. We have to follow the
laws, even if they are deeply flawed. NM recently switched to an RtI model.



  This regression

  effect leads to observed discrepancies

  that are larger, on average, than

  the true discrepancy for individuals

  with IQ scores above 100 and, therefore,

  increases the chances that such

  children will be identified as IQ discrepant.

  For individuals scoring below

  the mean on IQ, the opposite tendency

  occurs, making the observed discrepancy

  smaller than the true discrepancy,

  on average, so that their chances for

  identification as IQ discrepant are

  reduced.



  Brant Hayenga

  Educational Diagnostician

  Stapleton Elementary/Rio Rancho Middle School

  (505) 896-0667 ext. 226 (District Office)

  (505) 891-8473 ext. 519 (Stapleton Elementary)

  bhayenga at rrps.net


-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/learningdisabilities/attachments/20091102/05b0b8a4/attachment.html