Disability eligibility issues and university student assessment outcomes

Abstract

Many issues pertaining to identifying and documenting university students with learning disabilities (LD) have been discussed in the professional literature or litigated. This article documents the eligibility procedures and student assessment results of a project for identifying and providing learning strategies services to students with LD at a large midwestern public university. Many legal issues are relevant in the discussion and evaluation of this project, including the use of standardized procedures for establishing disability status. This project used standardized procedures such as eligibility rules and cut-off scores for making eligibility decisions, thus reducing the nagging inconsistencies and subjectivity associated with nonstandardized assessments and clinical judgements about LD. Students found eligible for the project showed academic skill deficits as low as the fourth grade level, with the average skill level being eighth grade. All students seeking services but determined not eligible showed proficient academic skills. Data from a sample of students not seeking project services gave insight to the skills of “typical”, skill proficient college students, thus providing an index by which to judge skill deficiency.