A Problem Solving Assessment Model for Remediating Academic Deficits
Location
Group One Sessions: Room 106
Start Date
23-2-2024 10:00 AM
End Date
23-2-2024 10:50 AM
First Presenter's Brief Biography
Tyler-Curtis is a doctoral student at the University of Georgia with 9 years of experience with applied behavior analysis across many settings (home, camp, school, clinic, etc.). He has two bachelors in Spanish and Special education, has a masters in behavior analysis, is a certified Special education teacher and Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Tyler-Curtis experience spans across a wide range of applications including addressing severe problem behavior, teaching functional communication, creating individualized academic interventions, increasing children’s physical activity, changing performance in the workplace, and implementing interventions based on acceptance and commitment therapy.
Presentation Type
Concurrent Session
yes
Any
Abstract
Even the best academic interventions may need to be adapted to meet the idiosyncratic needs of the student. We will present 6 common “causes” of an academic failure (based on operant conditioning), assessment methods used to identify the cause, and how teachers can use this information to make instructional adaptations.
Conference Strands
Effective Teaching Strategies for Students with Disabilities
Description
There are many historical (i.e., learning history), biological, and environmental variables that may factor into a students academic behavior (Austin, 2023). Educators who focus on learning history or biological factors (i.e., disability) may find that these variables are not under their direct control. On the other hand, academic interventions based on environmental factors are manipulable by the teacher and thus an ideal path to remediate academic deficits through instructional modifications. This environmental approach is analogous to functional behavior assessment, in which environmental factors contributing to a behavior problem are analyzed in order to create a functionally matched intervention (Crone et al., 2015). Unfortunately, academic deficits often do not receive the same rigorous level of environmental evaluation as problem behavior. This presentation seeks to provide teachers with peer reviewed methods for doing so.
To begin, the presenter will introduce attendees to the interrelated concepts of reinforcement and stimulus control, as these mechanisms are the basis of all academic responding (Daly et al., 2007). Next, the presenter will discuss each of the six “causes” of academic deficits (Daly et al., 1997) and provide examples from research in which these environmental adaptations successfully increased correct academic responding (Coolong-Chaffin & McComas, 2016). There are two methods for determining which of these “causes” is responsible for a student’s lack of progress. First, the presenter will introduce the attendees to the functional analysis method, which involves systematically manipulating environmental conditions and evaluating the effects on the student’s academic performance (Daly et al., 1997; Gibb & Wilder, 2002). After presenting the benefits and downsides to this method, the presenter will introduce the Academic Diagnostic Checklist (ADC), an open access indirect assessment (i.e., questionnaire) for determining possible causes for the academic deficit. The presenter will review research that has used this tool (Elliott et al., 2023; Bartlett et al., in progress) and how teachers can use this assessment method in their own practice.
Austin, J. (2023). Results: The science-based approach to better productivity, profitability, and safety. Reaching Results Press.
Bartlett, A., Garman, J., Elliott, T.C. Comparing Results of the Academic Diagnostic Checklist Across Various Academic Operants. [Research in Progress]. Department of Communication Sciences and Special Education, University of Georgia.
Coolong-Chaffin, M., & McComas, J. J. (2016). Introduction to problem analysis to identify tier 3 interventions: Brief experimental analysis of academic problems. In Handbook of Response to Intervention (pp. 361–373). Springer US.
Crone D. A., Hawken L. S., & Horner R. H. (2015). Building positive behavior support systems in schools: Functional behavior assessment (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford.
Daly, E. J., Martens, B. K., Barnett, D., Witt, J. C., & Olson, S. C. (2007). Varying intervention delivery in response to intervention: Confronting and resolving challenges with measurement, instruction, and intensity. School Psychology Review, 36(4), 562–581. https://doi.org/10.1080/02796015.2007.12087918
Daly, E. J., III, Martens, B. K., Witt, J. C., & Dool, E. J. (1997). A model for conducting a functional analysis of academic performance problems. School Psychology Review, 26(4), 554–574. https://doi.org/10.1080/02796015.1997.12085886
Elliott, T.C., Zawoyski, A. M., & Ayres, K. M. (2023). Using direct and indirect functional assessments to guide the selection of individualized academic interventions. Journal of Behavioral Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10864-023-09511-x
Gibb, G. S., & Wilder, L. K. (2002). Using functional analysis to improve reading instruction for students with learning disabilities and emotional/behavioral disorders. Preventing School Failure: Alternative Education for Children and Youth, 46(4), 152–157. https://doi.org/10.1080/10459880209604414
Creative Commons License
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A Problem Solving Assessment Model for Remediating Academic Deficits
Group One Sessions: Room 106
Even the best academic interventions may need to be adapted to meet the idiosyncratic needs of the student. We will present 6 common “causes” of an academic failure (based on operant conditioning), assessment methods used to identify the cause, and how teachers can use this information to make instructional adaptations.
