Tempe Wilson: An Observation-based Case Study

This observation-based case study is designed to capture the experience of a school-based evaluation process and psychological evaluation for Tempe, a black cis-gender, 4th-grade female student in a suburban area of a southeastern U.S. state. Given input from a variety of sources, this evaluation demonstrates the importance of flexibility of assessment administration, considerations for reliability, and triangulation in data interpretation for a useful and effective process (Wakeman et al., 2023). This case demonstrates how Tempe\u27s diagnoses, experiences, strengths, and needs may inform the development of an Individualized Education Program (IEP). Questions on effective evaluations, recommendations, collaborations between the team members, and future case manager decision-making are posed in the reflection questions

Quality of Feedback in Higher Education: A Review of Literature

In raising the standards for professional educators, higher educators must be prepared to provide the highest quality feedback on student performance and work products toward improved outcomes. This review of the literature examined the major findings of 70 quantitative, mixed methods, or qualitative studies found in higher education journals across a range of disciplines. Multiple recommendations and results for feedback emerged which fall into the categories described by Susan Brookhart. This review found research for each of Brookhart’s categories, with results indicating dierences between the perceptions of adherence to sound feedback practices versus the reality of implementation, the potential for innovative tool use, and a disagreement about the eectiveness of peers for providing eective feedback. Indicators for quality within the research confirmed the importance of commonly accepted standards such as positivity, specificity, timeliness, and encouraging active student participation. Additionally, trends and themes indicated a need for the consistent implementation of the feedback exchange process and flexibility to account for student input/preferences. Greater consistency toward the application of these quality indicators should be undertaken when determining the quality of higher education feedback for preservice teachers prior to undertaking summative licensure assessments

Using Picture-Based Task-Analytic Instruction to Teach Students with Moderate Intellectual Disability to Email Peers without Disabilities

This preliminary study investigated the effects of using picture-based task analyses and an iPad to teach students with intellectual disability how to send and reply to emails. Three middle-school-aged students with intellectual disability as well as three peers without disabilities participated in this investigation. The intervention consisted of two 15-step task analyses: one for sending an email, and the second for replying to an email, least to most prompting, and constant time delay. Results showed students’ improved ability to send and reply to emails on an iPad with the support of picture-based task analyses. Implications for practice and future research are discussed

Quality of Feedback in Higher Education: A Review of Literature

In raising the standards for professional educators, higher educators must be prepared to provide the highest quality feedback on student performance and work products toward improved outcomes. This review of the literature examined the major findings of 70 quantitative, mixed methods, or qualitative studies found in higher education journals across a range of disciplines. Multiple recommendations and results for feedback emerged which fall into the categories described by Susan Brookhart. This review found research for each of Brookhart’s categories, with results indicating differences between the perceptions of adherence to sound feedback practices versus the reality of implementation, the potential for innovative tool use, and a disagreement about the effectiveness of peers for providing effective feedback. Indicators for quality within the research confirmed the importance of commonly accepted standards such as positivity, specificity, timeliness, and encouraging active student participation. Additionally, trends and themes indicated a need for the consistent implementation of the feedback exchange process and flexibility to account for student input/preferences. Greater consistency toward the application of these quality indicators should be undertaken when determining the quality of higher education feedback for preservice teachers prior to undertaking summative licensure assessments

Factors Associated with Access to the General Curriculum for Students with Intellectual Disability

Beginning in 1997, federal legislation required schools provide access to academic curricula to students with intellectual disability.  The extent of such access for students with significant intellectual disability currently is not known.  This study examined access (defined by scope and intensity of content instruction and depth of knowledge) provided to students with significant intellectual disability, and relationship between curriculum access and a set of teacher and student characteristics.  A survey of 644 teachers from nine states found that these students, on average, were exposed to 17 out of 27 English language arts strands and 10 out of 16 math strands.  Canonical correlation analyses suggested that students’ symbolic communication level had the strongest association with students’ access.  Cluster analysis suggested students experience three types of access to English language arts and four types of access to math instruction, and the cluster groups significantly differed by teacher and student variables. These findings suggest several policy and practice actions to better support meaningful participation in the general education curriculum among students with intellectual disabilities

Using Action Research to Develop a Professional Development and Coaching Package for Educators within Inclusive Reading Instruction

One foundational aspect within the essential skill of literacy is reading comprehension. While students can learn comprehension strategies in a variety of settings, students with disabilities have shown increased success in inclusive classrooms with instruction supported by both general education and special education staff. To address the needs to increase the reading comprehension outcomes for students with intellectual disability as well as increase the fidelity of use of evidence-based practices by school staff (general education teachers, special education teachers and paraprofessionals) within instruction, an interactive action research study was implemented in five schools in one school district in the United States. The study was designed to use action research to create a model of professional development with extensive coaching support surrounding evidence-based practices as well as the development of resources to support co-planning and adaptations within instruction in inclusive classrooms. Results indicated that both purposes were met within the study with several implications for practice as well as the development of a second iteration of the model using student outcomes and frequent educator feedback