Ginevra Courtade

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of an Early Literacy Program for Students with Significant Developmental Disabilities

This study evaluated the impact of a curriculum called the Early Literacy Skills Builder on the language and early literacy skills of students with significant developmental disabilities. Students in the control group received the ongoing sight word and picture instruction prescribed by their individualized education programs. Results indicate statistically significant interaction effects for the treatment group for two research team-designed measures of early literacy (the Nonverbal Literacy Assessment and a pretest/posttest for the experimental curriculum). Significant interaction effects were also found for two standardized measures (Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test III and Memory for Sentences of the Woodcock Language Proficiency Battery). Implications and future research needs are provided.

Literacy for Students With Severe Developmental Disabilities What Should We Teach and What Should We Hope to Achieve

The purpose of this article is to propose a conceptual foundation for early literacy instruction for students with severe developmental disabilities. The two primary outcomes in the conceptual model are (a) enhanced quality of life through shared literature and (b) increased independence as a reader. Guidelines are offered for promoting shared literature by increasing opportunities for accessing literature and teaching access skills to students. For increasing students’ independence as readers, recommendations are provided on teaching the components of reading outlined by the National Reading Panel. The proposed model will help develop guidance on the strategies for literacy instruction for students with severe developmental disabilities.

Teaching Mathematics and Science Standards to Students With Moderate and Severe Developmental Disabilities

This study evaluated strategies to teach secondary math and science content to students with moderate and severe developmental disabilities in a quasiexperimental group design with special education teachers randomly assigned to either the math or the science treatment group. Teachers in the math group implemented four math units representing four of the five national math standards. The science teachers implemented four science units representing three of eight national science content standards. A fourth standard, science as inquiry, was embedded within each of the units. Results showed students made gains in respective content areas. Students who received instruction in math scored higher than students who received instruction in science on the posttest of math skills. Likewise, students who received instruction in science scored higher than students who received instruction in math on the posttest of science vocabulary skills. Limitations and suggestions for future research and practice are discussed.

Review of Studies with Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities Which Link to Science Standards.

A comprehensive review of research was conducted on teaching science to students with significant cognitive disabilities. Guidelines from the National Science Education Standards were used to identify categories of studies based on the strands of science. A total of 11 studies were identified from the 20 years of literature searched. In general, work in the area of science is sparse for students with significant cognitive disabilities. Eight of the 11 studies fell in Content Standard F: Science in Personal and Social Perspectives. Single subject experimental designs were the methodology used in all of the studies and outcomes suggest that this population benefits from instruction in highly specific skills with modeling and errorless learning strategies like time delay. The interventions found in the 11 studies that linked to science incorporated systematic response prompting methods similar to those found in evidence-based reading and math research for students with significant cognitive disabilities. Additional research is needed to identify methods to teach science to this population that includes both broader content and additional skills that link to state standards.

Including Students with Severe Disabilities in School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports: Perceptions of State Coordinators

The purpose of this study was to determine how the needs of students with disabilities are addressed by state coordinators of school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) during professional development activities on positive behavioral strategies, school-wide systems, and school-wide commitment to the PBIS approach. Particular attention was given to how the needs of students with severe disabilities were addressed throughout training opportunities. Although an overwhelming majority (93%) of the state coordinators believed that students with severe disabilities can participate at least partially in schoolwide PBIS programs, they indicated that this belief was not reflected in their states PBIS initial professional development activities.

Evidence-Based Practices for Learners With Severe Intellectual Disability:

Because of their highly intensive and variable learning needs, learners with severe intellectual disability present significant challenges to special educators and other stakeholders in terms of selecting and implementing effective instructional practices. Although scholars have made considerable progress in conducting and synthesizing research necessary to identify evidence-based practices (EBPs), much work remains to enable evidence-based reforms to broadly improve instruction and outcomes for learners with severe intellectual disability. In this article, we describe the importance of evidence-based reforms for learners with severe intellectual disability; discuss advances in the identification of EBPs for these learners, including a summary of the interventions identified as EBPs for this population in the professional literature and by online resources; and conclude with recommendations for improving the identification and implementation of EBPs for this population.

Content Analysis of Science Performance Indicators in Alternate Assessment

Under the requirement of both the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (1997) and No Child Left Behind (NCLB; 2002), states are required to provide alternate assessment for students who cannot participate in general curriculum and statewide assessments. According to NCLB, states are required to report the progress of all students in science in the 2007—2008 school year. Due to a lack of research on how to teach science for students with significant cognitive disabilities, states find themselves in a difficult position. The intent of this study was to examine the number of states that included performance indicators (PIs) for science in their alternate assessments. We also investigated how states generate their science PIs linked to the academic areas of the national standards set by the National Science Education Standards (NSES) and how to access these indicators to general curriculum for teaching science to students with significant cognitive disabilities. These findings are discussed with recommendations on how to access these indicators to general curriculum for teaching science to students with significant cognitive disabilities.

An Examination of Teacher and Student Behaviors in Classrooms for Students with Moderate and Severe Intellectual Disability.

Students with moderate and severe intellectual disability require intensive instruction to develop academic skills. A majority of instruction for these students takes place in self-contained classrooms. Unfortunately, there are little data describing common instructional practices within these classrooms. This pilot investigation aimed to explore classrooms for students with moderate and severe intellectual disability to determine the levels at which teachers typically present opportunities to respond and provide feedback in classrooms for these students, the degree to which students are engaged with academic instruction in these classrooms, and if there is a difference in teaching practices and student engagement in different school settings (separate school vs. separate classroom in a general education school). Findings, limitations, and ideas for future research are discussed.