On June 18, the U.S. Department of Education awarded a $2.5 million grant to the Department of Educational Psychology to help improve outcomes for students with learning disabilities in reading and mathematics.

Part of the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), the five-year educational technology grant will fund the distribution, refinement, and evaluation of the Formative Assessment System for Teachers (FAST). FAST integrates online training, administration, and reporting of assessments in reading and mathematics. The system, developed with funding from OSEP and the Institute for Education Sciences (IES), helps teachers make data-based decisions, using a teacher-scientist model.

“This project will establish FAST software with the necessary training and support to shape teacher knowledge, skills, and appreciation for the use of data to inform instruction,” said Theodore J. Christ, project director, founder of FAST, and professor in the Special Education program in the Department of Educational Psychology.