Gerald Tindal

The purpose of this project is to develop an individualized web-based professional development (PD) program to support teachers' effective implementation of Response to Intervention (RTI) and improve student outcomes. Effective implementation of RTI requires ongoing evaluation of the relation between implementation of interventions and change on student measures over time in order to determine whether interventions are successful or in need of modification to improve outcomes for students wi...

The increased demand for accountability in education focused on improved student academic performance has led to many questions about the most accurate method for capturing individual student progress, particularly for students with disabilities. In addition, although a substantial amount of research exists about the characteristics of students with disabilities and about assessment of their abilities and skills for purposes of classification and intervention, far less is known about the nat...

Continued poor performance in mathematics has indicated a need for more sensitive progress measures that can assist with the early identification of struggling students. Currently, there is a lack of high quality progress measures that are readily available, technically adequate, and aligned to appropriate content. More robust progress monitoring measures, independent of curriculum, could more objectively measure student progress on critical mathematics content. In addition, there is a need ...

This research is designed to validate decision-making based on use of easyCBM, a free online curriculum-based benchmark and progress monitoring assessment system that documents early literacy acquisition. Developed in 2006, easyCBM currently has registered users from all 50 states using the system as part of their Response to Intervention (RtI) programming; yet the technical adequacy of the system has not yet been sufficiently studied.

This postdoctoral fellowship program trained five fellows to conduct research on in measurement tools used to document progress with learning to read and solve mathematics problems in U.S. elementary and middle schools.

The No Child Left Behind Act requires that students with disabilities be included in state assessments and accountability. Federal regulations issued in April 2007 have given states new flexibility by allowing them to develop "modified academic achievement standards" that are challenging for eligible students, measure mastery of grade-level content, but are less difficult than grade-level achievement standards. Modified achievement standards are intended for a small group of students whose...