Accounting for learning environments in academic screening.

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• Learning Sciences
• Applied Behavior Analysis

Background:

• Multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) are widely used to identify students needing academic intervention.
• Student need is typically determined by comparing screening scores to predetermined cut scores.
• The influence of classroom environments and instructional strategies on this identification process is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine how classroom learning environments and core instructional strategies affect the relationship between early academic screening data and later state test performance.
• To investigate the role of teacher instructional strategies in the accuracy of MTSS screening decisions.

Main Methods:

• Analyzed fall screening data (Measures of Academic Progress) and spring state test outcomes in English/language arts (ELA) and math.
• Utilized multilevel logistic regression with data from 1554 third-grade students and 72 teachers.
• Examined the interaction between student fall screening scores and teacher instructional strategy use.

Main Results:

• The association between fall screening scores and spring state test outcomes varied significantly across classrooms.
• A significant interaction was found between fall ELA screening scores and teacher instructional strategy use in predicting state test outcomes (p = .03).
• Teacher strategy use contributed to false positives in ELA screening decisions but not in math.

Conclusions:

• Classroom learning environment and instructional strategies are critical moderators in the MTSS framework.
• Sole reliance on screening cut scores may lead to inaccurate identification of students needing ELA intervention.
• Further research is needed to refine screening and intervention practices within diverse classroom contexts.