Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons^™

Screening Preschoolers For Autism With Behavior Rating Scales, Amber Desiré Gross

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Early identification of autism is important in order to maximize the potential of intervention efforts. However, the identification of autism can require extensive training and experience. Psychologists routinely use behavior rating scales to assess children for various social, emotional, or behavioral problems when completing evaluations in the school or clinical setting. The focus of the current study is to determine whether a behavior rating scale can accurately distinguish between referred preschoolers with autism and referred preschoolers without autism. Parents of 82 preschoolers referred to a nonprofit child development clinic because of behavioral or developmental concerns completed two behavior rating scales …

Examining Teachers' Knowledge And Perceptions Of Response To Intervention, Ashley Elizabeth Moore Swigart

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Response to Intervention (RTI) is a multi-step approach to providing interventions to students within general and special education. This study investigated the relationship between elementary, middle, and high school teachers’ perceptions of RTI and (a) whether they taught general versus special education, (b) grade level taught, (c) knowledge level of RTI, and (d) presence in a school implementing RTI and participation in the process. Understanding teachers’ perceptions is of particular importance to school psychologists and can be used to ensure that teachers participate fully in the RTI process. Participants were given a questionnaire to complete that assessed their perceptions and …

Adding Function-Based Behavioral Support To First Step To Success: Integrating Individualized And Manualized Practices, Deborah Carter, Robert H. Horner

Early and Special Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study investigated the effects of adding individualized, function-based support to the well-documented early intervention, First Step to Success. A single-subject multiple-baseline design was applied across three, K-1 students who did not respond to standard First Step to Success procedures. A functional behavioral assessment and individualized function-based support plan was added to the First Step protocol. The multiple baseline analysis documented an effect between adding individualized, function-based supports to the standard First Step program and both (a) a decrease in problem behavior and (b) an increase in academic engagement. Implications of the results are provided for the design of school-based …

An Analysis Of The Perceived Effects Of The Welsh Inclusion Model On The Academic Growth Of Special Needs Learners In A North Carolina Elementary School, Stephen Ray Pickard

Education Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine the implementation of the Welsh Inclusion Model at a Title I elementary school in grades 4 through 5 in the Piedmont area of North Carolina. The researcher visited the Title I school, which was embarking in only its second year in the implementation of the Welsh Inclusion Model. During these visits, the researcher interviewed the principal, the Director of Elementary Education, and two inclusion teams. The entire group participated in a focus group interview. The surveys, interviews, ITTAP, and Co-Teaching rubric provided data that were triangulated to determine how well …

The Impact Of Enrollment In A Combined Reading And Learning Strategies Course On Exceptional Students' Fcat Reading Scale Scores, Coral Kathleen Hanson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Previous research has shown that because remediation and support replace required and career-defining courses, exceptional students fall behind, ill equipped to act in society as autonomous adults. No Child Left Behind requires reading proficiency, so students failing standardized tests must take remedial courses. Individualized education plans often require support courses. However, there remains an important gap in the literature regarding the usefulness of reading, standardized testing, and leadership research to solve this problem. A class combining reading and support for students with exceptionalities exists at 1 high school. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the combined program …

Attitudes Of Counselor Educators Toward Persons With Disabilities, Adrianne Johnson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship of nine variables with attitudes of Counselor Educators toward persons with disabilities. The objective was to identify several potential variables that may influence attitudes. Nine variables were examined to test their relationship with attitude among the participants. An analysis was completed of the significance between each of the factors and attitude as measured by the SADP (Antonak, 1981). The independent variables were: a) age; b) gender; c) ethnicity; d) amount of contact with disabled persons; e) knowledge of disability legislation; f) comfort with type of disability; g) theoretical orientation; h) …

From The Co-Editors

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

No abstract provided.

Five Approaches To Literacy In Correctional Education, Thom Gehring, Gary H. Sherwin

Journal of Critical Issues in Educational Practice

This article introduces literacy from a few “big picture” perspectives, and then reviews five paradigms that have shaped the teaching and learning of literacy in residential confinement institutions for juveniles and adults. The paradigms are specific to correctional education, but they will be familiar to all alternative teachers and advocates of literacy instruction.

A Study Of New Jersey's Assessment And Accountability System For Students With Disabilities And Its Impact On Special Education Services, Julie Moul Gardner

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Use of high stakes assessment for special needs students is a key element in the current educational reform movement. State assessment systems use these tests to determine and report school accountability scores, distribute school funding, and assess school rewards and sanctions. The impact of including these students' test score on the district accountability reports has not yet been determined. Directors of special services, the primary individuals for supervising or coordinating district special education programs, have an extensive understanding of administrative and functional knowledge of special education services and are therefore able to provide insight concerning the impact of accountability on …

Special Education Teachers' Collection And Use Of Data To Measure Student Progress, Crystal Thacker

Theses & Honors Papers

The purpose of this research was to determine whether or not teachers use systematic and direct formative assessment techniques and if implementing these techniques has an effect on teacher efficacy. The participants (N = 89) were practicing special education teachers from urban and rural school divisions across Virginia and from one graduate-level course in special education. Data were collected using portions of the Data Collection and Analysis Survey (Cooke, Heward, Test, Spooner, & Courson, 1991) and selected items from the Teacher Efficacy Scale (Gibson, 1983). The data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Of the 89 surveys distributed, …

Assessing Students With Disabilities: The Individuals With Disabilities Act Meets No Child Left Behind, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Gary W. Ritter

Policy Briefs

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (P.L. 94-142 [20 U.S.C., §1400 et seq.), authorized by Congress in 1975 and reauthorized in 1997 and 2004, guarantees all children with disabilities the right to a free appropriate public education and guarantees procedural safeguards to assure protection of the rights of these children and their parents. The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) (PL-107-110 [20 U.S.C. §6301, et seq.], 2001) requires, among other things, that schools be accountable for education results through annual standardized testing and through additional standards that determine a school’s adequate yearly progress (AYP). The 2004 reauthorization of IDEA …

Educating And Transitioning Students With Emotional Behavioral Disorders: A Working Manual For Teachers, Counselors And Administrators, Alessandra Whitehall

All Graduate Projects

This project examines incarceration rates, education, employment, substance abuse and intervention models for young adults with Emotional Behavioral Disorders (EBD). The results of the data demonstrate the discrepancies between persons with EBD and the general population. A manual is provided as a tool for teachers, counselors and administrators to use at the secondary level to assist them with the diverse educational and transition needs of students with EBD.

Predicting Dyslexia With Screening To Enhance Equitable Placement (Steep), Erica N. Stoler

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to predict whether students who achieved the mastery/instructional level in math and the frustrational level in reading with Screening to Enhance Equitable Placement (STEEP) were identified as being good candidates for a positive dyslexic evaluation based on the Dyslexia Screening Tool (DST). Twenty-eight students in first through fifth grades from a rural elementary school in Southeast Ohio were selected based on the results of their initial STEEP screening and those selected students were administered the Dyslexia Screening Tool (DST). Results indicated that there was not a significant relationship between the selected STEEP results and …

Sometimes, Practice Makes Imperfect: Overcoming The Automaticity Of Challenging Behavior By Linking Intervention To Thoughts, Feelings, And Action, Robert A. Gable, Richard Van Acker

Communication Disorders & Special Education Faculty Publications

In schools throughout the country, education personnel express concern over the aggressive and antisocial behavior of children and youth. The frequency and severity of these acts compel us to find more effective strategies for decreasing and eliminating these behaviors. In this article, we argue for a broader explanation of the nature and treatment of aggressive behavior, especially when it rises to what is essentially an automotive response level. We contend that both assessment and intervention must account for internal and external influences on behavior and that treatment should encompass cognitive, affective, and behavioral dimensions of the problem. Finally, we discuss …

Perspectives On Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Executive Functions, Working Memory, And Language Disabilities, Carol Westby, Silvana Watson

Communication Disorders & Special Education Faculty Publications

The conceptualization of the nature of attention deficit hyper-activity disorder (ADHD) has changed in the last decade. ADHD is now viewed as a neurologically based condition with primary deficits in executive functions and working memory (WM). Students with ADHD have deficits in discourse organization, inferring, and monitoring that are related to their executive function and WM deficits. A large number of students with ADHD also have comorbid reading and language disabilities that exist in addition to the deficits directly associated with the ADHD. Comprehensive evaluation of students with ADHD is essential to address their specific learning needs

The Effects Of Extended School Year On Students With Mild Disabilities And Its Relationship To Regression Rate, Whitney C. Sears

Theses & Honors Papers

This study is an historical study comparing the spring and fall test scores of students who attended summer academic program of one particular private school for students with learning differences, including autism, Asperger's Syndrome, dyslexia, attention deficit disorder, and nonverbal learning disabilities. This study concluded that there was a statistical significance between the regression rates in both reading vocabulary and reading comprehension among those who attended the summer program and those who did not attend the summer program. Those students who did not attend the summer program regressed in skills significantly. Those students who attended the summer program maintained or …

A Model Resource Guide For Jr. High Classroom Teachers To Support Students With Learning Difficulties In The Area Of Reading, Amy Lynn Low

All Graduate Projects

The need for reading strategies in the general education classroom was studied. Research showed that students who struggled with reading, including students with learning disabilities, benefited when content area teachers, not just Language Arts teachers, implemented specific and effective reading strategies into their curriculum. The results also demonstrated a need for teacher resources in the area of reading strategy application. This project is a simple and effective tool that all teachers can use in their classrooms based on current related research.

Effects Of Software Use On The Preparation Of The Individualized Education Programs (Iep’S), Nancy Ann Beukema

Dissertations

Special educators are required to process paperwork mandated by federal regulations for students with special needs. The Individuals with Disabilities Act of 1997 (IDEA ’97, Public Law 105-17) requires the evaluation of students with special needs occur as frequently as their non-disabled peers. An annual review is also mandated for each student’s individualized educational program (IEP), in order to reevaluate the future goals and objectives of the IEPs. A student identified as needing special education services is one who needs specially designed instruction and this instruction must meet the specific individual needs of that student. IDEA ‘97 mandates the need …

Participation In Graduate Level Coursework And Self-Efficacy Development Of Provisionally Licensed Special Education Teachers, Amy Corvello Mcginley

Theses & Honors Papers

The purpose of this study was to determine (a) whether participation in graduate level coursework increased the self-efficacy of provisionally licensed special education teachers, (b) whether participation in graduate level coursework increased the self-efficacy of general education teachers and, (c) if there was a difference between the self-efficacy beliefs of the two groups of teachers. A total of twenty-three provisionally licensed special education and general education teachers in rural Virginia responded to both a pre and post questionnaire consisting of 30 items designed to assist the teacher in assessing his/her self-efficacy beliefs. The working hypothesis was that the provisionally licensed …

A Survey Of Student Participation In The Iep Process, Elizabeth A. Edgemon

Theses & Honors Papers

The purpose of this research was to investigate teachers' compliance with the portion of the IDEA '97 amendments that mandates participation in the IEP process by students 14 and older, or younger than transition is discussed. Researcher-developed surveys were sent to middle and high school special education throughout Virginia. The results of these surveys reflect teachers' compliance with this component of the IDEA Amendments of 1997. Nearly all of the teachers surveyed reported that at least some of their students were present at their most recent IEP meeting and though less than half of those students had any preparation for …

The Effects Of Inclusion And The Virginia Standards Of Learning On Students With Mild Mental Retardation, Heather G. Duffy

Theses & Honors Papers

This study examined the perceptions of general educators towards the educational placement of students with mild mental retardation within the general education classroom and the implications, if any, that the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) have on instructional modifications . The subjects were elementary, middle, and high school general education teachers . The data were collected through a Likert scale questionaire using both descriptive and inferential statistics tested at a .05 significance level. The results indicated no significant differences in the perceptions of SOL based on school level teaching and years of experience. However, the findings did suggest significant differences …

Foreign Languages And Learning Disabled Students: Research And Potential Solutions, Todd Christopher Wheelden

MA TESOL Collection

This paper reviews the latest research on the struggles learning disabled (LD) students have in the foreign language (FL) classroom. Over the last ten years, there have been significant advancements in recognizing the fact that LD students do in fact face greater obstacles when acquiring a FL than their peers do. Over the past five years, advances have been made taking the information garnered from these discoveries and developing appropriate solutions. The paper attempts to summarize the most significant comprehension, reference, and implementation.

The paper begins with an overview of second language acquisition learning disabilities and how they may surface …

A Manual For First Year Special Education Teachers, Billye June Dillard

All Graduate Projects

Special education faculty and staff face specific problems in educating children with distinctive needs. Overly high workloads for new teachers and paraprofessionals increase the amount of pressure placed on indi victuals faced with inclusion. This manual is designed to be used as a guide to help teachers through their initial introduction to the classroom. Special Education Law, Inclusion, Motivation Techniques for Special Children, and Parent Involvement are discussed. In addition, valuable resources for further exploration are provided.

Ratings Of Assessment Procedures By Learning Disabilities Teachers And School Psychologists, Raquel A. Williams

Masters Theses

This study surveyed the perceptions of school psychologists and learning disabilities teachers (LD teachers) on the frequency of use and usefulness of the following assessment procedures: Standardized tests, curriculum based measures (CBMs), classroom observations, interview with general education teachers, and analysis of class assignments for initial placement of a child, instructional planning, and evaluation of student progress. Further, this study investigated how proficient the two groups felt in administering each of the five assessment procedures. Fifty four school psychologists and 32 LD teachers completed the questionnaire. Results indicated that school psychologists and LD teachers agreed on the frequency of use …

Special Education Discipline: A Procedural Manual, Barbara Townsend

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of the project is to create a systematic procedural manual for the disciplining of students protected under the mandates of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Research on the IDEA Amendments of 1997, as it pertained to the disciplining of students with disabilities was studied. A procedural manual, for administrators, and teachers was created. The manual includes case histories, which helped develop the discipline changes in IDEA Amendments of 1997. It also includes information and sample forms, which can be used to help navigate the discipline process.

Strategies For Maintaining Positive Behavior Change Stemming From Functional Behavioral Assessment In Schools, Robert A. Gable, Jo M. Hendrickson

Communication Disorders & Special Education Faculty Publications

Nationwide, schools are struggling to prepare IEP teams and other school personnel to conduct functional behavioral assessment and develop positive behavioral intervention plans and supports. While there is a growing evidence that functional behavioral assessment is effective in identifying the reason(s) behind student misbehavior, less is known about producing positive, long-term changes that are both functionally and socially relevant. Drawing upon the available research, we explore an emerging technology for promoting maintenance and generalization of behavior change. We discuss various strategies and procedures and offer recommendations to IEP teams regarding maintaining positive changes in student behavior that stem from functional …

A Third Grade Special Education Pre-Referral Assessment Tool For Inner City African American Students, Richard Dean Newton

All Graduate Projects

A disproportional high number of African Ametican students are referred by regular education teachers for placement in special education programs and services. Recent implications of state wide uniformed student testing has intensified special education placement trends. The purpose of this project was to develop an alternative third grade special education pre-referral intelligence assessment tool, which would be used to provide alternative placement other than special education programs and services.

Teacher Knowledge And Attitudes Towards The Utilization Of Assistive Technology In Educational Settings, Theresa Ledger

Theses & Honors Papers

The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions of special education teachers regarding the use of assistive technology in a school setting. This study also determined current information on teachers' knowledge levels of assistive technology. A survey questionnaire was sent to 120 elementary special education teachers in the Spring of 1999. The questionnaire was concerned wit h teacher knowledge and attitudes towards assistive technology. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results indicated teachers perceive themselves to have a good knowledge base in regards to assistive technology. However, less than half of those teachers are utilizing devices and services …

An Alternative Residential Education Program: An Evaluative Study, Marc A. Kincaid

All Graduate Projects

Schools today are trying to make an adaptation to accommodate all children and their disabilities. For many, the problem does not lie in a child's learning ability, but rather in their behavioral disability. According to its mission, The Ranch is committed to not only accommodating at-risk boys, but is trying to help them re-adjust and re-enter society with the skills necessary to function in every day life. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate The Ranch by examining the effectiveness of the program and its goals. Evaluation was done both Formatively and Summatively, through interviews and documentation. The researcher …

Status Of Students Exiting Special Education Programs From The Ellensburg School District, Robin Christman

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to develop empirical data, considered to be meaningful in the assessment of local program's effectiveness related to the successful transition of students from Ellensburg High School's Special Education Programs into the adult world. The project utilized a telephone survey of past graduates who were served by the Special Education Program between 1994 and 1998. The survey paralleled a statewide effort to establish a database of similar findings from students who exited special programs in the spring of 1998. Recommendations for local program maintenance and improvement, based upon the findings of this project, were then …