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What research supports the Precision Academics Program?

 It is important that educators use programs and strategies that have

a solid and reputible research base.

What do we offer?

*All of our material has been developed by an Educational Psychologist and Special Education Teacher with a Masters of Education. Together they have over 50 years experience in working with children with Special Learning Needs.

*Precision Academics 5th Edition offers a collection of hundreds of Adapted Education Workbooks suitable for students of all ages and ability levels.

*These Workbooks contain over 6,000 pages of stimulating activities for students with a wide range of special education needs, such as mild/moderate intellectual disability, Gifted and Talented students, Down Syndrome, Asperger’s Syndrome, AD/HD, English as a Second Language, Dyslexia.

*Precision Academics can be easily loaded onto any computer or computer network. All of the resources are pdf files that allow any user to print as needed.

*Our experienced staff have presented at conferences and workshops in Australia, Canada and the United States. We can help with your professional development.  Click on our Workshops web page to learn more.

Learn more about the Research Base behind Precision Academics by downloading our free "Why and How Administration Manual",  found in the side bar of this web site.

What does some of the current research say?

The Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA) suggests that there are

"Successful Strategies for Teaching Students with Learning Disabilities"

Click here to read the LDA's research that supports Precision Academics.  Here is an excerpt....

"Recent research confirms that we can teach students with learning disabilities how to learn. We can put them into a position to compete! Here are the strategies that work:

Lee Swanson (1999) and his colleagues found two major intervention practices that produced large outcomes. One is direct instruction. The other is learning strategy instruction.

Teachers who were applying those kinds of intervention:

1. broke learning into small steps;
2. administered probes;
3. supplied regular quality feedback;
4. used diagrams, graphics and pictures to augment what they were saying in words;
5. provided ample independent, well-designed, intensive practice;
6. modeled instructional practices that they wanted students to follow;
7. provided prompts of strategies to use; and
8. engaged students in process type questions like “How is that strategy working? Where else might you apply it?”

Something else that seems to make a real difference is the practice of scaffolding. Start out with heavily teacher-mediated instruction -- explicit instruction – then as students begin to acquire the skill, moving down the continuum to more student-mediated instruction.

Whether the student is learning in a general education classroom or pulled out into a special education resource setting, be sure that activities are focused on assessing individual students to monitor their progress through the curriculum. Concerns for the individual must take precedence over concerns for the group, and over concerns about the organization and management of the general education classroom. Success for the student with learning disabilities requires a focus on individual achievement, individual progress, and individual learning. This requires specific, directed, individualized, intensive remedial instruction of students who are struggling."

The Australian Commonwealth Government's Department of  Education, Employment and Workplace Relations has a number of  recommendations about

"What can we look for when selecting programs and materials for children with learning difficulties."

Click here to read their recommendations for resources shown to be most effective.  Here is an excerpt ...

"It is important that the content of a literacy or numeracy program directly addresses the skills, knowledge and behaviours that need to be learnt. Teachers looking for a particular program for children with learning difficulties may like to consider the following questions to guide their choice. 

• What is the purpose of the program and does it meet the needs of my particular students?
• Is there independent research evidence that the program is effective?
• Is there an educational theory behind it and if so, does it match with my philosophy of teaching?
• Will it entail major school restructuring or will it fit with other programs in the school?
• Is it cost effective and how much of the school’s resource allocation will need to be committed to it?
• Is professional development provided?
• Can it be used in the regular classroom or will it involve withdrawal teaching?
• Are the materials appropriate to the age, developmental levels and cultural backgrounds of my children and will my children find them motivating? "