Abstract

The objective of this study is to assist school psychologists and school districts in understanding the cost of implementing the Dual Discrepancy/Consistency (DD/C) method, which is the most widely used PSW method of SLD identification. A literature review was conducted to obtain national data on variables needed to estimate the cost of implementing DD/C (e.g., school psychologist to student ratio, a district’s assessment infrastructure). A national survey of school psychologists was conducted to gather information not found in the literature. Based on the obtained data, we modified existing assumptions and recalculated the cost of implementing DD/C. Our literature review found only one study, authored by Williams and Miciak, that addressed the cost of PSW and it was specific to DD/C. Responses from 468 school psychologists revealed that most districts have an assessment infrastructure. Our recalculated cost of implementing DD/C is approximately $190,000 less than Williams and Miciak’s estimate. Our recalculated cost of an evaluation ranged from $368.56 to $376.22, which is $1,671.24 and $1,570.55 lower than William and Miciak’s estimates, respectively. Research on learning and learning disabilities indicates that specific cognitive processes are relevant to the acquisition and development of academic skills. Evaluations that follow DD/C encourage assessment of these cognitive processes. We conclude that the cost of adopting DD/C should be based primarily on the software needed to implement it ($65.00/ psychologist) and at least one day of professional development training. Because the cost seems reasonable for most districts, DD/C should be given serious consideration.

摘要

本研究的目的是帮助学校心理学家和学区了解实施双重差异/一致性 (DD/C) 方法的成本，这是最广泛使用的 SLD 识别 PSW 方法。进行文献回顾以获得估计实施 DD/C 成本所需变量的国家数据（例如，学校心理学家与学生的比例，学区的评估基础设施）。对学校心理学家进行了一项全国调查，以收集文献中未发现的信息。根据获得的数据，我们修改了现有假设并重新计算了实施 DD/C 的成本。我们的文献回顾发现只有一项由 Williams 和 Miciak 撰写的研究解决了 PSW 的成本，并且是针对 DD/C 的。468 名学校心理学家的回复显示，大多数学区都有评估基础设施。我们重新计算的实施 DD/C 的成本比 Williams 和 Miciak 的估计低约 190,000 美元。我们重新计算的评估成本从 368.56 美元到 376.22 美元不等，分别比 William 和 Miciak 的估计低 1,671.24 美元和 1,570.55 美元。对学习和学习障碍的研究表明，特定的认知过程与学术技能的获得和发展有关。DD/C 之后的评估鼓励对这些认知过程进行评估。我们得出结论，采用 DD/C 的成本应主要取决于实施它所需的软件（65.00 美元/心理学家）和至少一天的专业发展培训。因为对于大多数地区来说，成本似乎是合理的，