School Psychologists' Experiences of Identifying Specific Learning Disabilities

Jennifer Murphy, our Director of Assessment, successfully defended her dissertation on November 5th when she presented “School Psychologists’ Experience of Identifying Students with Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) in Urban Schools.” We are delighted to share her achievement with you.

Methodology

Jennifer completed a qualitative case study. It examined school psychologists’ experience of identifying SLDs in urban schools. Seven school psychologists from six different urban school districts in Cuyahoga County took part in this study. These school psychologists had at least 5 years of experience. Each participant was asked to complete a brief demographic questionnaire and to participate in two semi-structured interviews. Jennifer addressed the following research question in her study:

Research Questions

  • What resources and existing knowledge do school psychologists draw on in the SLD identification process; and

  • What challenges occur for them during the process?

Findings

Participants identified themes regarding resources and existing knowledge that they use in the identification process. They also acknowledged challenges related to:

  • Educator training

  • Professional development opportunities

  • Team dynamics

  • School and community resources

  • The legal definition of SLD

  • Inconsistent application of special education policy

  • State-level guidance and policy

Additionally, participants highlighted ways to address these challenges.

Recommendations

Themes formed from participant interviews emphasized the need for changes to:

  • University-level educator training programs

  • Professional development

  • Community outreach and inclusion

  • District- and state- level education policy

How Achievement Advantage Will Use This Information

As always, our goal is to continue to improve our services to best meet the needs of students, their families, and educators alike. Having a better perspective of the SLD identification process will allow us a deeper understanding as we review clients’ school evaluations and as we interact with school teams. Additionally, our long-term goal is to expand our resources for families and educators. We are working to create content that provides knowledge and skills to families in our community. Additionally, we are actively creating capacity to provide professional development opportunities that are aligned with educators’ needs.