Eleazar Vasquez

UDL in the middle school science classroom: Can video games and alternative text heighten engagement and learning for students with learning disabilities?

This article examined the performance of 57 students with learning disabilities (LD) from four middle schools. Students were followed over the course of a school year in their inclusive science classrooms as they alternated between the use of traditional curricular materials for some units of study and materials that were supplemented with video games and alternative print-based texts to more closely align with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) guidelines during other units. Findings indicate that video games and supplemental text were effective at providing students with multiple means of representation and expression. The UDL-aligned units led to heightened levels of student engagement. There were no significant differences on posttest scores when students with LD were compared with peers without LD. Students’ performance did not indicate significant differences between UDL-aligned units and those taught using traditional curricular materials. Findings suggest a need for alternative assessments to measure learning outcomes during UDL-aligned units. Implications for practice and areas of future research are discussed.

21st Century Change Drivers: Considerations for Constructing Transformative Models of Special Education Teacher Development.

Contemporary challenges confronting special education teachers include, in part, workload, role ambiguity, evaluation, and shortages. Based on these and other challenges, the piece-meal fragmented approach to pre- and in-service training, which exists currently, needs to be replaced with 21st century models of special education teacher development that are seamless, technology enabled, comprehensive, cohesive, and career spanning. In this article, the authors briefly address persistent and unresolved challenges, identify contemporary change drivers, and discuss ways in which teacher education professionals could leverage the drivers to inform the development of 21st century models for special education teacher development aimed at improving outcomes for students with disabilities. Change drivers include the digital revolution, the diversity gap, the credibility factor, the demand for collective impact, and the culture of we. The authors conclude with a call to action.

Effects of Ratio Strategies Intervention on Knowledge of Ratio Equivalence for Students With Learning Disability

Students with mathematics learning disabilities have a weak understanding of mathematical concepts that underlie success in Algebra I, such as ratios and proportional reasoning. In this study, researchers used a multiple baseline across participants design to evaluate the effects of a intervention based on a instructional trajectory of how students come to understand ratios through build-up, emergent unit, and unit strategies on performance on a test of ratio equivalence. Student performance during intervention indicated a functional relationship between the instruction and higher scores on a curriculum-based measure across three students. Student use of increasingly sophisticated strategies over the course of the intervention also increased. Results as well as possible implications and future research are discussed.

Online Instruction for K–12 Special Education: A Review of the Empirical Literature

Online environments increasingly are becoming a part of our schools. While online education holds tremendous promise—offering viable and attractive options for advancing student skills, increasing access, and potentially lowering the cost of educational services—there is little research on the efficacy of online instruction for students with disabilities. A comprehensive review of the literature was conducted to determine if the existing literature can provide a research base for delivering evidence-based practices mediated through synchronous or asynchronous online technology for students with disabilities.

Enhancing Secondary Science Content Accessibility with Video Games

T EA C H IN G E xc ep ti on al C hi ld re n , V ol . 47 , N o. 1 , pp . 27 –3 4. C op yr ig ht 2 01 4 T he A ut ho r( s) . D O I: 1 0. 11 77 /0 04 00 59 91 45 42 76 2 Ms. Kendrick is a certified special education teacher in an underperforming high school. This year, the administration moved her from a self-contained classroom at the elementary school to the high school because her initial degree in economics provided enough credits for her to be considered highly qualified to teach secondary mathematics. She teaches three remedial math classes and spends an additional three periods each day in a resource room, working with students who are at risk or have already failed the district end-of-course science exam. Ms. Kendrick feels unprepared to help them succeed in science. She often has to use howjsay.com before she can even pronounce terms in their textbooks, and despite her best efforts, she rarely has time to connect with her students’ science teachers. Over the past few months, Ms. Kendrick noticed that her students struggle with two broad aspects of their science curriculum: inaccessible content and communicating understandings. For example, Tammy has a learning disability in reading. Her difficulties stem from the inaccessible nature of the content. Even though the school district has audio versions of the textbooks, Tammy struggles with the complex vocabulary and often cannot transfer what she learned (i.e., through listening to the text) to the problems that her teacher gives her to solve. Huan, a student with autism spectrum disorder, has a different problem. He excels with conceptual design problems related to physics and engineering but struggles to communicate effectively with peers and the teacher during group activities. As a result, his lab scores and group project grades are often low. Tammy and Huan have the potential to be successful in science. In fact, both are interested in careers related to science. Tammy would like to develop her own line of cosmetics, and Huan would like to work for an aerospace company. Unfortunately, both are disenfranchised with the content in their secondary science classes, and as a result, neither will have the grades or skills necessary to pursue career goals unless something changes. The next day, Ms. Kendrick walks into the resource room a few minutes after the bell because of an individualized education program meeting that ran late. As usual, the students are not doing their science work. Instead, they are playing games on their phones, which, according to school rules, are supposed to be put in their lockers at the beginning of the school day. Suddenly, Ms. Kendrick has an idea . . .

Research and Practice in Distance Education for K-12 Students with Disabilities:

This review of literature highlights the empirical work to date in the area of K-12 distance education and online learning. While research indicates that distance and online learning can be equally effective as compared to more traditional learning environments for many students, there is little empirical evidence to suggest that previously validated face-to-face best practices can be effective in the online environment or if students with disabilities have similarly parallel experiences. Technology/media—the debate as to whether it is a part of instructional design or an inert component of the learning environment seems to be ending as the sophistication of technology changes the very nature of instruction and demonstrates the need for empirically validating practices in this new environment. The potential impact on rural schools and districts is of particular import in light of their often-critical need for access to qualified teachers and advanced coursework for their students. We conclude with considerations for research including lingering questions as well as a call for action on the part of educational researchers.

Virtual Learning Environments for Students with Disabilities: A Review and Analysis of the Empirical Literature and Two Case Studies.

Students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show varying levels of impairment in social skills situations. Interventions have been developed utilizing virtual environments (VEs) to teach and improve social skills. This article presents a systematic literature review of peer-reviewed journal articles focusing on social interventions in VEs involving K-12th grade students with ASD. This exhaustive analysis across four major online databases was guided by operational terms related to intervention type and K-12 students with ASD. The empirical search yielded a very narrow body of literature (n=19) on the use of VEs as social skill interventions for students with ASD. Two case study examples of experiments exploring the use of VEs and students with ASD are presented to illustrate possible applications of this technology.

Effects of Synchronous Online Writing Instruction for Students With Learning Disabilities

As online K–12 instruction increases, researchers have expressed concerns about online learning for students with disabilities. This study investigates online writing instruction for students with learning disabilities (LDs) using synchronous online collaborative writing software to investigate effects of self-regulated strategy development for strategy instruction in persuasive writing (POW + TREE). Four adolescents with LD and low achievement in writing participated in a multiple probe across participants design to investigate a functional relation between instruction and essay elements (EEs). All participants increased (a) EEs, (b) correct minus incorrect word sequences, and (c) standard score changes. Implications for online learning in writing for students with LD are discussed.

I Can Search for Jobs on the Internet! A Web Site That Helps Youth in Transition Identify Preferred Employment

• “Easy question,” responded Aurelio with excitement. “I’m the coolest guy around, so I’m going to be a star. That’s going to be me on stage making all the people dance and sing!” When discussing his career after high school, Aurelio provided details of his life as a recording artist and pop icon. Despite the efforts of many transition teachers and developers of model programs, some students’ vision of their careers seems to lack clarity, direction, or realism. Some young adults with disabilities have difficulty identifying preferred employment that can lead to achievable careers, or they may identify occupations for which they lack the prerequisite skills. Youth with significant disabilities may have problems correctly interpreting information about jobs. As they approach adulthood, these students need employment information and opportunities to express their preferences. They also need actual experience sampling jobs. Yet, although community-based job samples are valuable, they are time-consuming and expensive. Placement in a job that a student dislikes can establish a negative attitude that can affect future placements. Students need a program that gives them maximum information in the shortest possible time, thereby allowing them to select preferred jobs. Selecting a preferred job may increase a student’s probability of success in a community job sample and eventual employment. A program that helped students select preferred jobs would be consistent with the 2004 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which states that transition services involve coordinated activities that consider the student’s needs, as well as his or her strengths, preferences, and interests. Legislation compels IEP teams to involve students with disabilities as active participants who determine their future employment on the basis of preferences that they identify. Job preferences are selections of preferred jobs or refusals of unwanted options with respect to specific employment environments or occupations (Lohrmann-O’Rourke & Browder, 1998). Reading-free programs using line drawings (Becker, 2000; Jastak & Jastak, 2003) and motion video (Martin et al., 2005; Stock, Davies, Secor, & Wehmeyer, 2003) provide students with information about employment and help them identify their preferences. Another program uses motion video on a CD-ROM (Morgan, Ellerd, Gerity, & Blair, 2000) and allows students to view numerous jobs and then select a short list of 5 to 10 that they prefer. This pro-

Computer Programming with Early Elementary Students with Down Syndrome.

Students of all ages and abilities must be given the opportunity to learn academic skills that can shape future opportunities and careers. Researchers in the mid-1970s and 1980s began teaching young students the processes of computer programming using basic coding skills and limited technology. As technology became more personalized and easily accessible in the early 2000s, there was renewed interest in preparing students with the computer programming skills necessary for their education and possible career choices. The purpose of this single case study was to explore the feasibility of teaching early elementary students with Down syndrome basic computer programming skills using evidence-based practices (i.e., explicit instruction), physical manipulatives, and a robot. All participants (n = 3) successfully completed the intervention. Results, limitations, and future research directions are discussed.