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“PSW” – What’s It All About?”

Borrowed from:Lee Ann Sharman, M.S.Lewis and Clark College

Graduate School of Education/Counseling

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Remember the Statutory Definition of LD

• The term “specific learning disability” means a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, which may manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen, speak, read, write, spell, or to do mathematical calculations. The term includes such conditions as perceptual handicaps, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia.

• The term does not include children who have learning disabilities which are primarily the result of visual, hearing, or motor handicaps, or mental retardation, or emotional disturbance, or of environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage (USOE, 1968).

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Simply Put…..

• A learning disability is a neurologically based problem that affects how someone processes information.

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Information Processing:The Central Nervous System

• Refers to how we PERCEIVE or UNDERSTAND spoken or written language.

• INPUT PROCESS OUTPUTAuditory Thinking SpeakingVisual (Abstract-Concrete) ReadingTactile Memory WritingOlfactory (Auditory-Visual) MotorGustatory (Long Term-Short Term) (Fine-Gross)

Sequencing Fluency/Speed

Organization AccuracyAttention

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Remember…

• We’ve tried to “operationalize” this construct in different ways, without the accuracy we need:

RtI + PSW (Processing!)

RtI

DiscrepancyProcessing

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Brought to You From the Folks Who Brought Us the IRS: Changes to SLD

eligibility

•Added option of RtI (based on district model)

•Added progress monitoring component (both)

•Changed “Severe discrepancy” to “Pattern of Strengths and Weaknesses” (PSW)•Observation, before or during (both)•Exclusionary factors remain (both)

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SLD Evaluation Components – Both RTI & PSW

• Academic assessment (academic achievement toward age and/Oregon grade level standards)

• Review of cumulative records, IEPs, teacher collected work samples

• Observation in learning environment (by qualified professional) – before or during

• Progress monitoring data – Look at the instruction student has received– Examine their progress – how much and

how fast?

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SLD Evaluation Components – Both (if needed)

• Developmental history• Assessment of cognition, fine motor,

perceptual motor, communication, social-emotional, memory (if student exhibits impairment in one or more of these areas)

• Medical statement• Impact of disability on educational

performance

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Just What IS “Patterns of Strengths and Weaknesses”?

• Based on CHC theory and a Cross-Battery approach

• Differs from the discrepancy model in that the data we are looking for is more relevant to the areas of underachievement

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PSW, cont’d.

• Examines specific cognitive processes that are related to the academic area of concern; reduces focus on FS IQ or GIA

• Cognitive abilities that do not relate to the area of concern should be average or above

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PSW Criteria – Or, Building the Plane While We Are Flying It…

• Standard score in one of the achievement areas that is below the average range (below SS = 85)

• At least one cognitive “critical ability” for the targeted area is below average range (below SS = 85)

• Cognitive abilities (2,3,4?) that do not relate to area of concerns are average or above (suggested score of above 92)

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So What “Critical Abilities” Are We Talking About?

• CHC Theory classifies abilities according to three levels (handout):

– General (GIA)– Broad (The “Big 7” Factors)– Narrow (70 “feeders”)

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CHC Theory – The ‘Octopus’ of Intelligence

Factors 7

Narrow Abilities 70

GIA

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Suggested CHC “Critical Cognitive Abilities”

• For Reading: Comp/know., auditory processing, long-term retrieval, processing speed, working memory

• For Math: Fluid reasoning, Comp/know., working memory, processing speed

• For Writing: Comp/know., fluid reasoning, long-term retrieval

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Best Practice SLD Identification?

• ODE now suggests that districts craft a model that uses BOTH RtI and Pattern of Strengths and Weaknesses for evaluating students suspected of having a learning disability.

• WJ-III lends itself well for the purpose of looking at patterns strengths and weaknesses based on CHC Theory

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An Integrated Model

• An integrated model for a comprehensive assessment might look like this:

First, SB reading curriculum for all, universal screening!Tier 1:

Additional reading instruction, progress monitoringTier 2:

Increase intensity/frequency of intervention, progress monitoring; change programTier 3:

Move to a special ed evaluation to pinpoint Pattern of Strengths and Weaknesses.

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A Real-Life Example

• After Tier 2 of RtI, Sally has not responded to intervention…she is referred for an evaluation:Academic Subtests Cognitive Subtest

LWID = 79 Comp/Know = 96Pseudoword = 74 Aud. Proc. = 69Fluency = 72 Long-TR = 94

Proc. Spd = 91Fluid. Res. = 89

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A Different Scenario• Student fails to respond to intervention, and is

referred for an evaluation:

Academic Subtests Cognitive SubtestsLWID = 73 Comp./Know. = 79

Pseudoword =69 Ga = 74Fluency = 78 Gsm = 85Passage Comp. = 81 Gf = 78

Gv = 86Glr = 82Gs = 92

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PSW – The Pros

• Addresses “processing” component of SLD definition (not identified by RtI)

• Provides valuable information about your student’s learning profile and how they process information

• Leads to better accommodations and if necessary, modifications

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PSW - Limitations

• Aptitude-Treatment Interaction research shows we can’t fix it!

• Guard against returning to outdated “learning styles” language

• Designed to change what we do instructionally – will it actually make a difference to kids in the classroom?

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Tune In Next Time….

Will RtI + PSW = AYP in the LRE?