Jessica L. Bucholz

Inclusion and Graduation Rates: What Are the Outcomes?

In response to federal and state mandates, students with disabilities increasingly are being educated in more inclusive settings. Although accountability related to state curriculum standards and standardized test scores is important, graduation rates may be the critical factor in deciding whether current educational policy is resulting in successful outcomes for students. This study examined the records of 67,749 students with mild disabilities in Georgia during a 6-year period to determine the effects of inclusion (i.e., the amount of time spent in general education classrooms) on graduation rates. Results indicated a 62% increase in the percentage rate in inclusion for students with mild disabilities, while graduation rates for students with mild disabilities have remained stable (+0.4%) at less than 30%.

Response to Intervention: General or Special Education? Who Is Responsible?.

Abstract Response to Intervention (RtI) is a general education initiative that takes place prior to evaluation for placement in special education. Essentially, the first two tiers of RtI require general education teachers to use research-based instruction with all students and then to evaluate the effectiveness of that instruction. Given that the use of RtI as an assessment tool begins in the general education classroom, the following question remains: Are general educators aware of the development and implementation of RtI as a process for assessing and, eventually, possibly placing students into special education? The purpose of this study was to review the literature to answer the following two questions: 1. To what extent is RtI evident in the professional literature of educator groups (teachers, administrators, and teacher educators) who will be responsible for implementing these school practices? 2. What is the nature of the published literature (concept papers, assessment practices, instructional practices, and research) on RtI?

Teaching Positive Work Behavior with Literacy-Based Behavioral Interventions: An Intervention for Students and Employees with Developmental Disabilities.

employment is an important task. Many individuals have difficulty learning and performing employment skills without support or guidance (Brady & Rosenberg, 2002). This article describes how literacy-based behavioral interventions (LBBIs), instructional interventions that use print or pictures as an instructional medium, can help teachers, job coaches, and employers who work with individuals with disabilities encourage positive work behaviors. One popular example of an LBBI is a Social Story (Gray, 2000). Social stories are short individually written stories that describe a situation, skill, or concept to help improve understanding. Historically, educators used Social Stories as a behavior management technique, typically for children with autism (Gray & Garand, 1993). Although literature supports the use of these stories for children with autism, very few studies examine how literacybased interventions may be useful for individuals with other types of disabilities (Moore, 2004) or how they might be useful as an intervention in vocational or employment settings (see box, “What Does the Literature Say?”).

Teachers' Ethical Dilemmas: What Would You Do?.

teacher. He has been writing possible individualized education program (IEP) goals for Chris, a young boy with a developmental disability who will be in second grade the following school year. Some of the goals include telling time to the hour, half hour, and quarter hour. He is a new teacher, and the school psychologist has asked to see his suggested goals before the IEP meeting. While reading Mr. Andrews’s proposed goals, the school psychologist takes a red pen and crosses off the goals that would require Chris to learn to tell time. She tells Mr. Andrews that they will be lucky if Chris ever learns to tell time to the hour, let alone any portions of the hour. She instructs Mr. Andrews to rewrite the goals so that they are “more appropriate.” Mr. Andrews believes that the goals are appropriate. He believes that all teachers should have high, but reasonable, expectations for their students. Without attempting to teach Chris to tell time, how can they possibly know that he won’t be successful? What should he do? What would you do?

Policy and Systems Change: Planning for Unintended Consequences

Abstract Planning for policy implementation is as important as the implementation itself. A policys intent can be subverted by the way the policy is implemented, or when unanticipated outcomes take precedence over the true intent. This article presents three cases of specific instances of unintended outcomes from policy implementation and presents a model to assist educational reformers in minimizing the impact of unintended negative consequences. The article provides policy makers with a means to predict the full array of outcomes—both intended and unintended—when promoting educational reforms that affect the implementation of new practices and policies.

Using Narrated Literacy-Based Behavioural Interventions to Decrease Episodes of Physical Aggression in Elementary Students with Disabilities.

This study was designed to examine the effects of literacy-based behavioural interventions (Bucholz et al., 2008) to decrease acts of physical aggression with kindergarten and first grade students. The study used a multiple baseline design across three participants. The results showed a decrease in acts of physical aggression by students with significant developmental delays and autism spectrum disorders as a result of the literacy-based behavioural interventions (LBBI). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using Graduation Rates of Students with Disabilities as an Indicator of Successful Inclusive Education

Abstract Inclusive education in the United States has been a focus of government policy for the past 30 years. The underlying goals of the inclusive education movement are to provide the most efficient and effective education in the least restrictive environment for students with disabilities. In response to federal and state mandates, students with disabilities increasingly are being educated in more inclusive settings. One way to measure the success of inclusion is to examine graduation rates for students with disabilities. Although accountability related to state curriculum standards and standardized test scores is important, graduation rates may be the critical factor in deciding whether current educational policy is resulting in successful outcomes for students. To determine the effects of inclusion, a statewide study was conducted to look for trends in inclusion and corresponding graduation rates for students with mild disabilities. The researchers examined the records of 67,749 students with mild disabilities in Georgia during a six-year period to determine the amount of time spent in general education classrooms and the graduation rates for each year’s cohort of students. Results indicated a 62% increase in the percentage rate in inclusion for students with mild disabilities, while graduation rates for students with mild disabilities remained stable (+0.4%) at less than 30% during that same period. This chapter will describe the results of this study, discuss barriers to graduation, and present inclusive practices that support students with mild disabilities.