Despite long-standing efforts to address and eliminate disproportionality in special education, inequities remain and continue to negatively impact Black, Indigenous, and other students of color with Individualized Education Programs. This brief from the Western Educational Equity Assistance Center (WEEAC) supports state education agencies, local…

The Model Classroom Initiative (MCI) was conceptualized to improve learning and IEP goal attainment while decreasing maladaptive behaviors in specialized instructional program classrooms. The MCI Coaching Model was utilized to assist teachers with the implementation of MCI components in three specialized instructional program classrooms, all of…

The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to determine if and to what extent a relationship exists between teacher self-efficacy and teacher perceived preparedness for instructing students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and teacher perceived efficacy for teaching in inclusive classrooms. Bandura's (1986) social cognitive theory…

The purpose of this study was to dive into one school district's different learning modality options during the pandemic and analyze their reading growth using the Northwest Evaluation Assessment Measures of Academic Progress (NWEA MAP) as a metric for comparison. The researcher looked at one school district's response to their community's needs…

There are qualitative studies aimed at identifying the problems encountered in the course of preparing individualized education programs (IEP). However, these studies are conducted with only a few participants. There is a need to test the results on a larger sample size. A questionnaire based on findings of interview techniques, used in…

Background In an Individual Educational Program (IEP), the objectives of children with special needs are defined, to help educators pinpoint these children's educational goals. Noting the importance of teacher-parent collaboration, the current research was designed to deepen our understanding regarding the way teachers experience working with…

This study investigated special educators' perspectives about an online toolkit that offers teachers example goals and objectives statements to use in service plans for students with special educational needs as well as teaching strategies and assessments. Special education teachers in a large school district in a Pacific Northwestern state…

Introduction: This study examined potential legal precedent set by holdings in administrative due process hearings where instruction in the expanded core curriculum (ECC) for school-age children was decided. Methods: This study used an analogical reasoning approach. This legal research method includes examining the rule of law, presenting cases…

Policies for talented students with disabilities, or twice-exceptional students, exist in very few states across the country. Historically, families of twice-exceptional students have found most of their support though implementation of Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) or 504 Accommodation plans. Yet, there is no federal mandate for gifted…

Categorised as planning documents, individual educational plans (IEPs) purport to provide school-based instruction more closely matched to individual pupils' skills and needs. The present study investigated the extent to which IEPs contain practically relevant suggestions for teachers to implement in practice. Based on a sample of 112 IEPs from…

Evidence suggests interpretation and implementation of the inclusion of students with disabilities has the potential to vary greatly depending on how school leaders make meaning of inclusion as the least restrictive environment. It may also be affected by the level of collaboration and trust school leaders develop with parents (Jones & Gansle,…

The purpose of this interview-based qualitative study was to explore how individualized education program (IEP) team members determine least restrictive environment and educational placement. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires students with disabilities to be educated in the least restrictive environment and to the…

The 2015 reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act placed a 1.0% cap on the participation of students with disabilities in the alternate assessment based on alternate academic achievement standards (AA-AAAS). U.S. Department of Education regulations clarified that states must develop participation guidelines and a definition of…

Despite the repeated documentation of the positive outcomes for students with extensive support needs (ESN) when they are included in general education settings and receive access to state-adopted general education standards, there has been little systemic progress on the inclusion of students with ESN across most states. The purpose of this…

With this position paper, we advance the case for reformation of U.S. special education law and praxis. These have undergone mostly incremental changes over the five decades since their inception despite a substantial body of evidence amassed over this period, which points to a major gap between extant policy and praxis, and contemporary cultural…