BEHAVIORAL RESEARCH & TEACHING > BRT Publications > BRT Presentations

Here we present information about our research and findings disseminated at national conferences and other venues.

2022

American Educational Research Association (AERA) – April 21-26, 2022, San Diego, CA
The American Educational Research Association (AERA), founded in 1916, is concerned with improving the educational process by encouraging scholarly inquiry related to education and evaluation and by promoting the dissemination and practical application of research results.

2019

National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME) – September 18th-19th, 2019, Boulder, CO
The purpose of the National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME) is to foster dialog between education practitioners, policymakers and researchers around implementing principled approaches to developing and using classroom assessment for teaching and learning.  For this third special conference on classroom assessment, we emphasize the importance and role of Research-Practice Partnerships between researchers and education practitioners to advance coherent approaches in the design and uses of classroom assessment.

  • Assessment-Guided Decision-Making in Pre-Kindergarten: A Reconceptualization of Seminal Practices. (Poster Presentation). Irvin, P. S., & Sáez, L.

2018

International Conference on Learning Disabilities (ICLD) – October 11th – 12th, 2018, Portland, OR
The International Conference on Learning Disabilities (CLD) is committed to enhancing the education and quality of life for individuals with learning disabilities across the lifespan All individuals with learning disabilities are empowered to achieve their potential.

  • Data-based Decision-making: Exploring Preschool Teachers’ Role in Reading Disability Prevention. Hinkle, H. M., Pilger, M., Irvin. P. S., & Sáez. L.
  • Reading Disability Risk Prevention in Preschool: The LRA Approach. Sáez, L., Pilger, M., & Alonzo, J.

National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) – February 13-16, 2018, Chicago, IL
The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) is a professional association that represents more than 25,000 school psychologists, graduate students, and related professionals throughout the United States and 25 other countries. The world’s largest organization of school psychologists, NASP works to advance effective practices to improve students’ learning, behavior, and mental health. Their vision is that all children and youth thrive in school, at home, and throughout life.

2017

American Educational Research Association (AERA) – April 27th – May 1st, 2017 San Antonio, TX
The American Educational Research Association (AERA), founded in 1916, is concerned with improving the educational process by encouraging scholarly inquiry related to education and evaluation and by promoting the dissemination and practical application of research results.

  • Examining the Factor Structure and Measurement Invariance of a Large-scale Kindergarten Entry Assessment. Irvin, P. S., Tindal, G., &  Slater, S.

National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME) – April 27th – May 1st, 2017, San Antonio, TX
The National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME) is a professional organization for individuals involved in assessment, evaluation, testing, and other aspects of educational measurement. Members are involved in the construction and use of standardized tests; new forms of assessment, including performance-based assessment; program design; and program evaluation.

  • Examining the Relation Between Kindergarten Entry & Emerging Literacy & Math Achievement. Irvin, P. S., Tindal, G., & Slater, S.
  • Using Effect Size Measures to Estimate & Report Achievement Gaps. Stevens, J. J., Anderson,D., Nese, J. F. T., & Tindal, G.
  • Predictors of Low Agreement Between Automated Speech Recognition & Human Scores. Nese, J. F. T., Kamata, A., & Kahn, J. D.

Pacific Coast Research Conference (PCRC) – February 2nd – 4th, 2017, Coronado Bay, CA
The Pacific Coast Research Conference (PCRC) is for researchers concerned about teaching, learning, and schooling for students with mild to moderate disabilities. PCRC is a unique research meeting, characterized by intensity and informality. The meeting runs from Thursday evening until Saturday night; sessions are two hours in length. PCRC is distinguished by the high quality of research presented, an informality that promotes effective and vigorous participation and interaction, and an opportunity to discuss controversial topics or works in progress.

  • Field Testing a Test of Teacher RTI Knowledge and Skill (Poster Presentation). Irvin, P. S., & Alonzo, J. Field-testing a Test of Teacher RTI Knowledge and Skill_Irvin_Alonzo
  • What Does Reading Intervention Look Like (Poster Presentation). Nese, J. F. T., Farley, D., & Anderson, D.
  • Text Messages: Examing Different Estimates of Text Complexity (Poster Presentation). Nese, J. F. T.,  Alonzo, J., Biancarosa, G., Kamata, A., & Kahn, J. D.

2016

National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) – November 2-5, 2016, Los Angeles, CA
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is a professional membership organization that works to promote high-quality early learning for all young children, birth through age 8, by connecting early childhood practice, policy, and research. They advance a diverse, dynamic early childhood profession and support all who care for, educate, and work on behalf of young children.

Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) – Aug. 1-3, 2016, Washington D. C.
The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) is dedicated to improving results for infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities ages birth through 21 by providing leadership and financial support to assist states and local districts.

Confederation of Oregon School Administrators (COSA) – August 3rd – 5th, 2016, Eugene, OR
The Confederation of Oregon School Administrators (COSA) serves and represents more than 2,000 school administrators, managers and executives. COSA was founded in 1974 to give Oregon’s education leaders a united voice in helping to shape public policy, advocate for schools and speak on behalf of students.

American Educational Research Association (AERA) – April 8th – April 12th, 2016, Washington, D. C.
The American Educational Research Association (AERA), founded in 1916, is concerned with improving the educational process by encouraging scholarly inquiry related to education and evaluation and by promoting the dissemination and practical application of research results.

National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME) – April 7th – 11th, 2016, Washington, DC
The National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME) is a professional organization for individuals involved in assessment, evaluation, testing, and other aspects of educational measurement. Members are involved in the construction and use of standardized tests; new forms of assessment, including performance-based assessment; program design; and program evaluation.

2015

American Educational Research Association (AERA) – April 16th – 20th, 2015, Chicago, IL
The American Educational Research Association (AERA), founded in 1916, is concerned with improving the educational process by encouraging scholarly inquiry related to education and evaluation and by promoting the dissemination and practical application of research results.

  • Teacher in School Contribution to Student Growth. (Poster Session). Anderson, D.      TchrContributionStdntGr_Anderson
  • National Middle School Mathematics Within-Year Growth Norms. (Paper Presentation). Anderson, D., Irvin, P. S., Nese, J. F. T., Alonzo, J., & Tindal, G. 
    MS MthWthnYrGrwthNorms_AndersonIrvinNeseAlonzoTindal
  • Exploring the Item Factor Structure of a CCSS-Aligned Middle School Mathematics CBM. (Paper Presentation). Anderson, D., Kahn, J., Farley, D., Alonzo, J., & Tindal, G. *(Presentation material resulted in published article).
  • Modeling Reading Growth in Grades 3-5 with the Oregon Alternate Assessment. (Research Paper Session). Farley, D., Anderson, D., Irvin, P. S., Saven, J. L., & Tindal, G. ModelingRdgGrwthGr3-5OrAltAssmnt_FarleyAndersonIrvinSavenTindal

National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME) – April 15th – 19th, Chicago, IL
The National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME) is a professional organization for individuals involved in assessment, evaluation, testing, and other aspects of educational measurement. Members are involved in the construction and use of standardized tests; new forms of assessment, including performance-based assessment; program design; and program evaluation.

Pacific Coast Research Conference (PCRC) – 2015
The Pacific Coast Research Conference (PCRC) is for researchers concerned about teaching, learning, and schooling for students with mild to moderate disabilities. PCRC is a unique research meeting, characterized by intensity and informality. The meeting runs from Thursday evening until Saturday night; sessions are two hours in length. PCRC is distinguished by the high quality of research presented, an informality that promotes effective and vigorous participation and interaction, and an opportunity to discuss controversial topics or works in progress.

  • Ascending the ORF Slope: Three Methods to Identify Meaningful ORF Plateaus (Poster Presentation). Nese, J. F. T., Alonzo, J., Sáez, L., & Tindal, G.   
    ID ORFPlateaus_AlonzoSáezTindal

Doctoral Dissertation – 2015, Department of Educational Methodology, Policy and Leadership, College of Education, University of Oregon.

National Conference on Student Assessment (NCSA) – June 22-24, 2015, San Diego, CA
The National Conference on Student Assessment (NCSA) is the premiere forum for assessment practitioners to discuss what is happening in the real world of educational assessment – what’s new, what’s going on at the state and federal levels, what works and what does not.

Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) – 2015
The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) is the largest international professional organization dedicated to improving the educational success of individuals with disabilities and/or gifts and talents. CEC advocates for appropriate governmental policies, sets professional standards, provides professional development, advocates for individuals with exceptionalities, and helps professionals obtain conditions and resources necessary for effective professional practice.

  • Evaluating Growth of Sudents with Significant Cognitive Disabilities on Alternate Assessments. Tindal, G., & Nese, J. F. T.     EvalGrwthAltAssmnts_TindalNese

Confederation of Oregon School Administrators (COSA) – June 17-19, 2015, Seaside, OR
The Confederation of Oregon School Administrators (COSA), serves and represents more than 2,000 school administrators, managers and executives. COSA was founded in 1974 to give Oregon’s education leaders a united voice in helping to shape public policy, advocate for schools and speak on behalf of students.

2014

Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) April 4th – 6th, 2014, Philadelphia, PA
The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) is the largest international professional organization dedicated to improving the educational success of individuals with disabilities and/or gifts and talents. CEC advocates for appropriate governmental policies, sets professional standards, provides professional development, advocates for individuals with exceptionalities, and helps professionals obtain conditions and resources necessary for effective professional practice

  • Critical Issues in Studying Growth on State Tests for Students with Disabilities. (Paper Presentation). Tindal, G., Stevens, J. J., Nese, J. F. T., Schulte, A. C., Elliott, S. N., & Kurz, A.   StudyingGrowthStTestsSWD_TindalSchulte_ETA

COSA Fall Conference for Special Education Administrators – October 1st, 2014, Eugene, OR
The Confederation of Oregon School Administrators (COSA) serves and represents more than 2,000 school administrators, managers and executives. COSA was founded in 1974 to give Oregon’s education leaders a united voice in helping to shape public policy, advocate for schools and speak on behalf of students.

  • Linking the Common Core and Science State Standards to the IEP for Students Participating in the Oregon Alternate ‘Extended” Assessment. Lenhardt, B., Tindal, G., and Farley, D. LinkingCCSSScience IEPs_LendardtTindalFarley

easyCBM User Forum Conference – Oct. 6th – 7th, 2014, Eugene, OR

American Educational Research Association (AERA) April 3rd – 7th, 2014, Philadelphia, PA)
The American Educational Research Association (AERA), founded in 1916, is concerned with improving the educational process by encouraging scholarly inquiry related to education and evaluation and by promoting the dissemination and practical application of research results.

National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME) April 4th – 6th, 2014, Philadelphia, PA
The National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME) is a professional organization for individuals involved in assessment, evaluation, testing, and other aspects of educational measurement. Members are involved in the construction and use of standardized tests; new forms of assessment, including performance-based assessment; program design; and program evaluation.

  • An Analysis of Norms for Early Reading Curriculum-Based Measures. Tindal, G., Saven, J.L., Nese, J. F. T., & Anderson, D. AnalysisRdgMeasureNorms_Tindal_Saven_ETAL
  • Documenting Growth for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities. (Paper Presentation). Tindal, G., Nese, J. F. T., Farley, D., & Saven, J. L. DocumentingStdntGrwth_Tindal_Nese_ETAL
  • Opportunity to Learn and Students with “Disabilities” Mathematical Achievement. Elliott, S. N., Kurz, A., Yei, N. & Tindal, G. OpportunityToLearn_Elliott_Kurz_ETAL
  • Diversity and Testing Issues. Flowers, C. P., Lakin, J., Tindal, G., Thurlow, M., Briggs, D., and Kalen, M. J.

Hawaii International Conference on Education’s (HICE) – January 2014, Honolulu, HI
The Hawaii International Conference on Education’s (HICE) main goal is to provide an opportunity for academicians and professionals from various education related fields from all over the world to come together and learn from each other. An additional goal of the conference is to provide a place for academicians and professionals with cross-disciplinary interests related to education to meet and interact with members inside and outside their own particular disciplines.

Pacific Coast Research Conference (PCR) – February 6th – 9th, 2014, Coronado, CA
The Pacific Coast Research Conference (PCRC) is for researchers concerned about teaching, learning, and schooling for students with mild to moderate disabilities. PCRC is a unique research meeting, characterized by intensity and informality. The meeting runs from Thursday evening until Saturday night; sessions are two hours in length. PCRC is distinguished by the high quality of research presented, an informality that promotes effective and vigorous participation and interaction, and an opportunity to discuss controversial topics or works in progress.

  • Love Those Curves: Analyzing Comparability of easyCBM CCSS Math Test Forms. (Poster Presentation). Alonzo, J., Irvin, P. S., & Nese, J. F. T

Georgia Association of School Psychologists (GASP) – September 2014, Savannah, GA
The Georgia Association of School Psychologists’ (GASP) goal is to provide school psychologists in Georgia with the highest level of support and professional training so that they can remain effective in a dynamic educational environment.

2013

American Psychological Association (APA) Conference – August 2013, Honolulu, HI
The American Psychological Association (APA) is the world’s largest association of psychologists, with more than 117,500 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students as its members. Its mission is to advance the creation, communication and application of psychological knowledge to benefit society and improve people’s lives.i

  • Describing the reading fluency growth of progress monitored students. (poster presentation). Nese, J. F. T., Alonzo, J. & Tindal, G.    RdgFluencyGrowth_Nese_ETAL
  • Opening the black box of data cleaning for state data. (poster presentation). Nese, J. F. T., Tindal, G., Stevens, J. J., Schulte, A. & Elliott, S. N.

Hawaii International Conference on Education (HICE) – January 2013, Honolulu, HI
The Hawaii International Conference on Education’s main goal is to provide an opportunity for academicians and professionals from various education related fields from all over the world to come together and learn from each other. An additional goal of the conference is to provide a place for academicians and professionals with cross-disciplinary interests related to education to meet and interact with members inside and outside their own particular disciplines.

  • Comparing different methods for representing and interpreting student growth. (paper presentation). Stevens, J. J., Nese, J. F. T. & Schulte, A.    InterpStdntGrwth_Stevens_ETAL

National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME) – April 26th – 30th, 2013, San Francisco, CA
The National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME) is a professional organization for individuals involved in assessment, evaluation, testing, and other aspects of educational measurement. Members are involved in the construction and use of standardized tests; new forms of assessment, including performance-based assessment; program design; and program evaluation.

Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) – April 3rd – 6th 2013, San Antonio, TX
The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) is the largest international professional organization dedicated to improving the educational success of individuals with disabilities and/or gifts and talents. CEC advocates for appropriate governmental policies, sets professional standards, provides professional development, advocates for individuals with exceptionalities, and helps professionals obtain conditions and resources necessary for effective professional practice.

  • Growth models for students with disabilities. Saven, J. L., Farley, D., Nese, J. F. T., & Tindal, G. Growth Models_Saven_ETAL

National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) – February 2013, Seattle, WA
The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) is a professional association that represents more than 25,000 school psychologists, graduate students, and related professionals throughout the United States and 25 other countries. The world’s largest organization of school psychologists, NASP works to advance effective practices to improve students’ learning, behavior, and mental health. Their vision is that all children and youth thrive in school, at home, and throughout life.

Behavioral Research & Teaching (BRT) – April 2013, Eugene, OR
The projects at Behavioral Research & Teaching concentrate on access to learning so that appropriate and accurate information can be collected from all students to improve decision-making. We focus on developing information systems with three primary goals: improve basic skills assessments so that all students can read, write, and compute; enhance learning of middle and secondary content subject matter so that all students have the opportunity to develop a broad knowledge base; and provide accessibility to large-scale testing so that all students can demonstrate their proficiencies on state and local achievement standards.

American Educational Research Association (AERA) – April 27th -May 1st, 2013, San Francisco, CA
The American Educational Research Association (AERA), founded in 1916, is concerned with improving the educational process by encouraging scholarly inquiry related to education and evaluation and by promoting the dissemination and practical application of research results.

  • Investigation of reading development patterns for students in early grades using latent transition analysis. Saven, J. L., Anderson, D., Nese, J. F. T., Alonzo, J. & Tindal, G., Park, B. J., Betts, J., Alonzo, J., & Tindal, G. RdgDevelPatternsLatentTransitionAnalysis_Saven_ETAL
  • Within-year growth in math: Implications for progress-monitoring using RTI. Irvin. P. S., Anderson, D., Saven, J. L., Alonzo, J , & Tindal, G.  MthImplicationsProgMonRTI_Irvin_ETAL
  • Data management, data mining, and data utilization with curriculum-based measurement systems (paper presentation).  DataUtilizationCBM Systems_Tindal_Alonzo
  • Big data: New opportunities for measurement & data analysis. Tindal, G.
  • The plateau of oral reading fluency growth: An initial recommendation when to stop assessing. (paper presentation). Patarapichayatham, C., Nese, J. F. T. & Sáez, L.     PlateauORFGrwth_Patarapichayatham_ETAL
  • Teacher decision making and within-year growth in math. (paper presentation). Saven, J. L, Anderson, D., Nese, J. F. T., Alonzo, J. & Tindal,G.    TchrDecisionMkng1YrGrwthMth_Saven_ETAL

2012

Teacher Made Measures of Reading – A technology interface for teachers to develop their own measures of passage reading fluency, sentence reading fluency, or maze vocabulary. Teachers have complete control of the content and can create computer based tests and reporting for use in assessments and inclusion in student portfolios.      TchrMadeMsrsPresentation.pdf

ZipTrain – is an online training and proficiency administration system designed to put complete control of content and course design in the hands of the course creation team. Professional and secure deployment is assured because the ZipTrain software automatically and transparently provides the technology backbone and support. The basic ZipTrain unit is an instance; each ZipTrain instance supports a unique user database, a set of user configurable public facing web pages (for example about this site and contact information), user defined proficiency tests and training modules, and a localized set of files.      Ziptrain_Presentation

Pacific Coast Research Conference (PCRC) – (February 2012, Coronado, CA).
The Pacific Coast Research Conference (PCRC) is for researchers concerned about teaching, learning, and schooling for students with mild to moderate disabilities. PCRC is a unique research meeting, characterized by intensity and informality. The meeting runs from Thursday evening until Saturday night; sessions are two hours in length. PCRC is distinguished by the high quality of research presented, an informality that promotes effective and vigorous participation and interaction, and an opportunity to discuss controversial topics or works in progress.

  • An exploration of growth models for within-year grade 5 oral reading fluency. (Poster presentation). Nese, J. F. T., Kamata, A., Nese, R. N. T., Park, B. J., Tindal, G.      ORF_GrowthModelsPerspective_Nese_ETAL
  • Validating progress monitoring in the context of RTI. (Panel discussion and paper presentation). Tindal, G., Nese, J. F. T., Sáez, L. & Alonzo, J.,  ProgMonInRTI_Tindal_ETAL

Middle School Math (Mid Math) – Originally measures were developed for the 2% population (i.e., students performing well below grade-level expectations) and aligned to the NCTM Focal Point Standard. New Middle School Math items (2,700) have been developed for 6th-8th grade students (performing at or slightly below grade-level expectations) and aligned to the Common Core State Standards. MidMthPresentation

Dynamically Generated Measures of Math – A site for teachers to develop worksheets and diagnostic assessments in all four operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division) in grades K-5. Problem type and difficulty can be manipulated to reflect important operation skills (e.g. borrowing, carrying, etc.). DynamicMeasuresHandout.pdf

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) Alignment to easyCBM© Math
In the summer of 2012, experienced teachers from a school district in Texas were recruited to participate in a formal study of the alignment between the TEKS and easyCBM. The results of the alignment study in the content area of math are presented here, with overall alignment presented first, then more detailed results, by grade. GrK-8TEKS_MathReport_Wray_ETAL

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) Alignment to easyCBM© Reading.
In the summer of 2012, experienced teachers from a school district in Texas were recruited to participate in a formal study of the alignment between the TEKS and easyCBM. The results of the alignment study in the content area of reading are presented here, with overall alignment presented first, then more detailed results, by grade. GrK-8TEKS_RdgReport_Irvin_ETAL

Distributed Item Review (DIR) – A web-based system for presenting test items to experts across a broad geographic region so they can review them for important dimensions of bias, sensitivity, and alignment with standards DIR_Riverside

Directed Reading Assessments (DRA) – Reading assessments that expand the existing reading measures on easyCBM, Gr. 3 – 8, to include non-fiction (Read to Perform a Task, Informational Text) and shorter fiction (Short Literary Text) passages.  DirectedRdgAssmnt

Diagnostic Reading Progress Monitoring (DPRM) – DRPM is a computer-based reading assessment that offers 20 alternate forms each of two silent reading fluency and two vocabulary measures. The measures are to be used as part of a response to intervention (RTI) system and provide diagnostic information to supplement other measures. The DRPM reading measures are computer-based so teachers can efficiently collect data. Reports highlight essential differences in the decoding aspects of performance (the silent reading and vocabulary sentences) versus the context embedded nature of performance (silent reading maze and vocabulary maze). DRPM provides extensive information about student reading skills through individual and group charts and detailed summaries of responses.
DRPM_Presentation

2011

Council for Learning Disabilities (CLD) – 33rd International Conference on Learning Disabilities – (2011)
The Council for Learning Disabilities (CLD) is an international organization composed of professionals who represent diverse disciplines, is committed to enhancing the education and quality of life for individuals with learning disabilities across the life span. CLD accomplishes this by promoting and disseminating evidence-based research and practices related to the education of individuals with learning disabilities. In addition, CLD fosters (a) collaboration among professionals; (b) development of leaders in the field; and (c) advocacy for policies that support individuals with learning disabilities at local, state, and national levels.

  • Curriculum-based measurement in response to intervention systems. Tindal, G.  CBMRTI_Tindal

Pacific Coast Research Conference (PCRC) – February 5, 2011, San Diego, CA
The Pacific Coast Research Conference (PCRC) is for researchers concerned about teaching, learning, and schooling for students with mild to moderate disabilities. PCRC is a unique research meeting, characterized by intensity and informality. The meeting runs from Thursday evening until Saturday night; sessions are two hours in length. PCRC is distinguished by the high quality of research presented, an informality that promotes effective and vigorous participation and interaction, and an opportunity to discuss controversial topics or works in progress.

  • Balancing on three legs: The tension between aligning to standards, predicting high-stakes outcomes, and being sensitive to growth. Alonzo, J., Nese, J. F. T., Sáez, L. & Tindal, G.       AligningStandards_Alonzo_ETAL

National Council on Measurement in Education NCME – April 9-11, 2011, New Orleans, LA
The National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME) is a professional organization for individuals involved in assessment, evaluation, testing, and other aspects of educational measurement. Members are involved in the construction and use of standardized tests; new forms of assessment, including performance-based assessment; program design; and program evaluation.

RTI Early Childhood Summit – Sept. 26, 2011, Santa Ana Pueblo, NM
The Response To Intervention Action Network is dedicated to the effective implementation of Response to Intervention (RTI) in school districts nationwide. Their goal is to guide educators and families in the large-scale implementation of RTI so that each child has access to quality instruction and that struggling students – including those with learning and attention issues – are identified early and receive the necessary supports to be successful.

2010

National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME) – May 1-3, 2010, Denver, CO
The National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME) is a professional organization for individuals involved in assessment, evaluation, testing, and other aspects of educational measurement. Members are involved in the construction and use of standardized tests; new forms of assessment, including performance-based assessment; program design; and program evaluation.

2009

National Conference on Student Assessment (NCSA) – June 21, 2009, Los Angeles, CA
The National Conference on Student Assessment (NCSA) is the premiere forum for assessment practitioners to discuss what is happening in the real world of educational assessment – what’s new, what’s going on at the state and federal levels, what works and what does not.

2003

Pacific Coast Research Conference (PCRC) – February 6th-9th, 2003, La Jolla, CA
The Pacific Coast Research Conference (PCRC) is an annual research meeting held on the West Coast in mid-winter. It is for researchers concerned about teaching, learning, and schooling for students with mild to moderate disabilities. PCRC is a unique research meeting, characterized by intensity and informality. The meeting runs from Thursday evening until Saturday night; sessions are two hours in length. PCRC is distinguished by the high quality of research presented, an informality that promotes effective and vigorous participation and interaction, and an opportunity to discuss controversial topics or works in progress.