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RTI and Special Education

Would a huge discrepancy in verbal and perceptual IQ (28 points) and in working memory and processing speed (30 points) be indicative of a learning disability? If a student scores in the upper percentile for reading and math, but tested low with comprehension should the low comprehension score be  a flag for concern? What about those areas that are not "scored" on a test, such as hand writing, spatial concepts, coordination, etc.? If a child is years advanced in reading and math, yet cannot draw or write at their grade level, should this discrepancy be a concern? When is ignoring a discrepancy in such cases appropriate? What happens with the student who scores at or just above the percentile for RTI model? We are told that if a child does not score in the 5-10th percentile a child does not have a learning disability. If a child does not score in the top 3 percent a child is not gifted. Can you clarify any of this and reassure us that a child with such a discrepancy would not have a learning disorder?


Responses from Jack Fletcher, Ph.D., Distinguished University Professor of Psychology at the University of Houston:

Would a huge discrepancy in verbal and perceptual IQ (28 points) and in working memory and processing speed (30 points) be indicative of a learning disability?

No- profile patterns without an achievement discrepancy are of questionable significance. There are multiple studies in the literature that fail to find relations of Wechsler subtest and factor score profiles with LD. Look at the achievement subtests and see if you see discrepancies in achievement test scores that align with this pattern.

If a student scores in the upper percentile for reading and math, but tested low with comprehension should the low comprehension score be a flag for concern?

If Comprehension is the Wechsler subtest, no, it's probably not meaningful. If comprehension means listening comprehension or receptive language, then an assessment of reading comprehension is very important because these domains usually parallel one another. If they don’t, question the test, not the child.

What about those areas that are not "scored" on a test, such as hand writing, spatial concepts, coordination, etc? If a child is years advanced in reading and math, yet can not draw or write at their grade level, should this discrepancy be a concern?

Yes, absolutely in the drawing/writing domain. But it likely reflects a problem with motor coordination and not LD. Problems like this are also seen in children with ADHD and no LD.

When is ignoring a discrepancy in such cases appropriate?

Why would these discrepancies be ignored? In a RTI model, they may emerge in the comprehensive evaluation.

The student is left with struggling, because he/she is classified neither gifted nor learning disabled.
LD and gifted are not the only reasons kids may struggle. Even in a RTI model, a child can be considered for accommodations through 504 or even through special education.

What happens with the student who scores at or just above the percentile for RTI model? We are told that if a child does not score in the 5-10th percentile a child does not have a learning disability. If a child does not score in the top 3 percent a child is not gifted. Can you clarify any of this and reassure us that a child with such a discrepancy would not have a learning disorder?

Rigid cut points that don’t account for measurement error are difficult to defend. I presume you are talking about performance on a progress monitoring test and the determination of LD or gifted cannot be reliably made just on the basis of these methods.


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