Academic Skills Problems, Fifth Edition

“I have read and used every edition of Academic Skills Problems in numerous graduate courses. The fifth edition continues to draw me in with its well-conceptualized, practical approach to assessing the educational environment, students’ behavioral and social–emotional functioning, and their language and academic skills. Shapiro’s assessment model leads to specifically described interventions and progress monitoring across the tiers. I have never found a book that does a better job of laying out an empirically based, easy-to-follow model of integrated academic assessment and treatment. Since the first edition, this book has been ahead of its time–the fifth edition fits perfectly not only with current research but also with the critical needs of K-12 students in our schools today.”–Melissa A. Bray, PhD, CCC-SLP, Professor and Director, School Psychology Program, University of Connecticut “In the fifth edition, Clemens has updated and enhanced Shapiro’s foundational text and companion workbook with extensive new information based on contemporary research and practice. Using the keystone model of academic skills as an overarching framework, the fifth edition provides practical guidance about research-based assessment and intervention procedures; equally important, it offers caveats about popular but largely ineffective tactics. This book will continue to be a fundamental text in school psychology training programs as well as a go-to resource for practitioners who work in multi-tiered systems of support. It really operationalizes how school psychologists should function. The fifth edition of the Workbook again offers useful reproducible forms and detailed procedures that support work in an instructional environment context.”–Joseph F. Kovaleski, DEd, NCSP, Professor Emeritus of Educational and School Psychology, Indiana University of Pennsylvania “The fifth edition of this seminal resource truly delivers. Every university trainer, school psychologist, and special educator will welcome this needed guide to addressing K-12 students’ academic challenges. Cutting-edge research is integrated into a comprehensive approach to assessment and intervention decision making within a multi-tiered systems of support framework. A particularly compelling feature of the text is the elegant yet simple approach to direct academic assessment using keystone skills that align with intervention selection. This book is a ‘must have’ for preservice training and professional development.”–Robin S. Codding, PhD, BCBA, School Psychology Program, Northeastern University “An essential text for individuals who engage in academic assessment, intervention, and/or data-based decision making in schools. The fifth edition is significantly updated with contemporary research, while retaining its comprehensive practitioner-oriented approach. The detailed, realistic case illustrations in the final chapter integrate all the content from the prior chapters. This unique book is a great text for school psychologists in training as well as practitioners seeking to further their professional development. Readers will appreciate the explicit guidance on how to conceptualize academic difficulties, use data to inform the selection of evidence-based interventions, and monitor progress. Useful tools are available in each chapter. I look forward to using the fifth edition in my Academic Interventions course.”–Stacy-Ann A. January, PhD, NCSP, School Psychology Program, University of South Florida “Like prior editions, the fifth edition of Academic Skills Problems is a ‘must’ for any educator’s toolbox. Together, the text and workbook serve as an easy reference and support, with clearly organized topics treated in a thorough manner. The updated fifth edition is an apt tribute to the lifetime work of an incredible scholar, teacher, and mentor.”–John L. Hosp, PhD, Special Education Program, University of Massachusetts Amherst “Prior editions have been staple texts in psychoeducational assessment and intervention courses. The fifth edition of the text and workbook, updating Shapiro’s foundational framework, are more inclusive of different types of assessments and offer critical considerations for implementation within response-to-intervention models. Clemens expands on the theoretical bases of academic skills to help professionals gain a deeper understanding of the assessments and interventions they are using. Graduate students, practitioners, and faculty in school psychology and special education all will benefit from using the fifth edition to inform their work.”–Ethan R. Van Norman, PhD, School Psychology Program, Lehigh University-

“I have read and used every edition of Academic Skills Problems in numerous graduate courses. The fifth edition continues to draw me in with its well-conceptualized, practical approach to assessing the educational environment, students’ behavioral and social–emotional functioning, and their language and academic skills. Shapiro’s assessment model leads to specifically described interventions and progress monitoring across the tiers. I have never found a book that does a better job of laying out an empirically based, easy-to-follow model of integrated academic assessment and treatment. Since the first edition, this book has been ahead of its time–the fifth edition fits perfectly not only with current research but also with the critical needs of K-12 students in our schools today.”–Melissa A. Bray, PhD, CCC-SLP, Professor and Director, School Psychology Program, University of Connecticut “In the fifth edition, Clemens has updated and enhanced Shapiro’s foundational text and companion workbook with extensive new information based on contemporary research and practice. Using the keystone model of academic skills as an overarching framework, the fifth edition provides practical guidance about research-based assessment and intervention procedures; equally important, it offers caveats about popular but largely ineffective tactics. This book will continue to be a fundamental text in school psychology training programs as well as a go-to resource for practitioners who work in multi-tiered systems of support. It really operationalizes how school psychologists should function. The fifth edition of the Workbook again offers useful reproducible forms and detailed procedures that support work in an instructional environment context.”–Joseph F. Kovaleski, DEd, NCSP, Professor Emeritus of Educational and School Psychology, Indiana University of Pennsylvania “The fifth edition of this seminal resource truly delivers. Every university trainer, school psychologist, and special educator will welcome this needed guide to addressing K-12 students’ academic challenges. Cutting-edge research is integrated into a comprehensive approach to assessment and intervention decision making within a multi-tiered systems of support framework. A particularly compelling feature of the text is the elegant yet simple approach to direct academic assessment using keystone skills that align with intervention selection. This book is a ‘must have’ for preservice training and professional development.”–Robin S. Codding, PhD, BCBA, School Psychology Program, Northeastern University “An essential text for individuals who engage in academic assessment, intervention, and/or data-based decision making in schools. The fifth edition is significantly updated with contemporary research, while retaining its comprehensive practitioner-oriented approach. The detailed, realistic case illustrations in the final chapter integrate all the content from the prior chapters. This unique book is a great text for school psychologists in training as well as practitioners seeking to further their professional development. Readers will appreciate the explicit guidance on how to conceptualize academic difficulties, use data to inform the selection of evidence-based interventions, and monitor progress. Useful tools are available in each chapter. I look forward to using the fifth edition in my Academic Interventions course.”–Stacy-Ann A. January, PhD, NCSP, School Psychology Program, University of South Florida “Like prior editions, the fifth edition of Academic Skills Problems is a ‘must’ for any educator’s toolbox. Together, the text and workbook serve as an easy reference and support, with clearly organized topics treated in a thorough manner. The updated fifth edition is an apt tribute to the lifetime work of an incredible scholar, teacher, and mentor.”–John L. Hosp, PhD, Special Education Program, University of Massachusetts Amherst “Prior editions have been staple texts in psychoeducational assessment and intervention courses. The fifth edition of the text and workbook, updating Shapiro’s foundational framework, are more inclusive of different types of assessments and offer critical considerations for implementation within response-to-intervention models. Clemens expands on the theoretical bases of academic skills to help professionals gain a deeper understanding of the assessments and interventions they are using. Graduate students, practitioners, and faculty in school psychology and special education all will benefit from using the fifth edition to inform their work.”–Ethan R. Van Norman, PhD, School Psychology Program, Lehigh University-This book is a fantastically useful resource for practitioners and researchers alike. For practitioners, this text can even be useful as a cookbook of sorts where, if not read in its entirety, flipping open to a section provides an immediately actionable plan for assessment for intervention and the ingredients (i.e., data or tools) necessary to carry it out.–NASP Communiqué, 5/1/2025

Edward S. Shapiro, PhD, until his death in 2016, was Director of the Center for Promoting Research to Practice and Professor in the School Psychology Program at Lehigh University. Best known for his work in curriculum-based assessment and nonstandardized methods of assessing academic skills problems, Dr. Shapiro was the author or coauthor of numerous books and other publications, and presented papers, chaired symposia, and delivered invited addresses at conferences around the world. Dr. Shapiro’s contributions to the field of school psychology have been recognized with the Outstanding Contributions to Training Award from Trainers of School Psychologists, the Distinguished Contribution to School Psychology Award from the Pennsylvania Psychological Association, the Eleanor and Joseph Lipsch Research Award from Lehigh University, and the Senior Scientist Award from the Division of School Psychology of the American Psychological Association, among other honors.

Nathan H. Clemens, PhD, is Professor in the Department of Special Education and Dean’s Distinguished Faculty Fellow at The University of Texas at Austin. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk. Dr. Clemens’s research is focused on intervention and assessment for students with learning difficulties, with an emphasis on word reading difficulties among students in early elementary grades and reading comprehension difficulties for students in secondary grades. He has published over 60 peer-reviewed journal articles and chapters in edited books and is leading several federally funded research projects investigating interventions for academic skills. Dr. Clemens is a recipient of the Outstanding Dissertation Award and the Lightner Witmer Award for Early Career Scholarship from the Division of School Psychology of the American Psychological Association.