John J. Hoover

The Role of Special Educators in a Multitiered Instructional System

The nature of special education has changed appreciably over the past several decades. As a result, the role of special educators needs to be examined and further developed to provide the most effective education for all learners at-risk and those with high- and low-incidence disabilities. In this article, the authors discuss five important roles in which special educators should possess skills to collaboratively educate learners at-risk within a multitiered instructional system.

Differentiating Standards-Based Education for Students with Diverse Needs

The need to differentiate or adapt curriculum and instruction to meet special needs continues to challenge educators of students with high-incidence disabilities. The current emphasis on teaching and assessing standards requires knowledge and skills to differentiate standards-based education to successfully meet diverse needs in the classroom.

Special Education Eligibility Decision Making in Response to Intervention Models

The response to intervention model (RTI) represents a promising framework for the early identification and prevention of learning and behavior problems for students struggling in school. If RTI is properly implemented, it should reduce unnecessary referrals and placements into special education, and increase the accuracy of special education eligibility decisions. This article examines the strengths of RTI practices, as compared to the previous prereferral practices and how special education eligibility decision-making best fits within response to intervention models.

Differentiating Curriculum and Instruction for English-Language Learners With Special Needs:

Inclusion efforts to meet diverse needs have challenged both special and inclusive educators to modify curriculum and differentiate classroom instruction. This includes inclusive education students and special education students, as well as English Language Learners (ELLs) who have learning or behavior problems. This article discusses the topic of curriculum and its differentiation for ELLs with special needs. Specifically, this article addresses teaching and curricular principles, as well as practices necessary to effectively meet diverse needs in the classroom. This article also includes several checklists or guides to assist educators to become more competent in implementing and differentiating instruction. The ideas and practices presented will assist educators of ELLs to provide culturally relevant implementation and differentiation of mandated educational curriculum.

Culturally Responsive Special Education Referrals of English Learners in One Rural County School District: Pilot Project

The project setting was a remote rural county school district located in a mountain western state with some overrepresentation of English Learners (ELs) in special education. Referral issues are especially prominent in rural school systems due to continued challenges associated with limited resources and lack of contemporary professional development. This article describes the efforts of one rural school district to improve its referral process for ELs in grades K-5 implemented through a university-school district partnership. We developed and piloted a culturally responsive referral guide with findings, providing promising implications for appropriate referrals of ELs in rural county school districts.

Making Informed Instructional Adjustments in RTI Models: Essentials for Practitioners

School-based response to intervention (RTI) teams must gather, organize, chart, and interpret essential instructional information to make effective adjustments to meet the academic needs of struggling learners. Quantified data such as student proficiency scores, rate of progress trends, and achievement gap results provide the foundation for making multitiered decisions in RTI models. In addition to these quantified results, several key qualitative instructional aspects exist in every teaching and learning environment that warrant consideration when making instructional decisions. This article describes key quantitative and qualitative instructional essentials necessary to make informed academic adjustments for struggling learners. Identification of the essentials discussed is based on literature review and fieldwork completed with school-based RTI problem-solving teams in their efforts to implement RTI.

Preparing Special Education Higher Education Faculty: The Influences of Contemporary Education Issues and Policy Recommendations.

There is a well-documented need for leadership personnel who are prepared at the doctoral level to fill special education faculty positions at institutions of higher education (IHEs) and train the next generation of teachers. The intersection of continued retirements of special education faculty, shortage of well-prepared special education faculty to fill those positions, and changing preK-12 student demographics provides unique challenges to special education doctoral leadership preparation programs. Although a variety of variables influence special educator preparation in 21st-century schools, five contemporary issues (i.e., changing roles, evolving diversity, need for funding support, situating doctoral trainees in teacher training, and training delivery models) rise to a level highly relevant to special educator preparation at the doctoral level. In this article, the authors explore this complex landscape and offer policy recommendations to strengthen and update special education higher education leadership preparation.

Educating Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Exceptional Learners: The Need for Continued Advocacy

ABSTRACT Recent political, fiscal, and educational equity challenges require a renewed emphasis in our efforts to advocate for increased culturally and linguistically responsive education, making certain to further advance the accomplishments of the past four decades. The education of diverse exceptional learners is well established within the fields of special education and culturally and linguistically diverse education. However, drawing on several contemporary features that currently shape education in today’s schools, the authors examine the need for continued special education advocacy to ensure appropriate referral, assessment, and instruction of all culturally and linguistically diverse exceptional (CLDE) learners within the changing pre-K-postsecondary teaching and learning environments. Implications and recommendations for educator preparation at the pre and inservice levels are provided to guide the future development of teachers of CLDE learners.

Implementing Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Special Education Eligibility Assessment in Rural County Elementary Schools: Pilot Project.

Consideration of cultural and linguistic features is mandated by law and one of the most important contributors to the appropriate placement of diverse learners for special education services. This article describes the results of a pilot project designed to assist rural educators to deliver an equitable and unbiased assessment process for English learners (ELs) in Grades K–5. Project setting was a remote rural county district in a mountain Western state with a significant percentage of ELs in special education. Project findings illuminate the importance of incorporating cultural and linguistic features into the special education assessment process for ELs. Results also include a process for examining an assessment body of evidence from competing perspectives to increase objectivity. Recommendations for rural educator preparation and district assessment processes are provided.

Educator Preparation for Developing Culturally and Linguistically Responsive MTSS in Rural Community Elementary Schools

Special educators assume an essential leadership role in school-wide multilayered instructional systems for teaching culturally and linguistically diverse learners with and without disabilities, including learners at risk of being inappropriately referred for special education. Research findings from a model demonstration project are presented informing research to practice in the (a) development of partnerships, (b) delivery of effective professional development, and (c) framing of cultural and linguistic responsive teaching to improve instruction for English learners (ELs) in Grades K-3 in elementary schools in a rural community. Content, skill sets, and tools to include in educator training for general and special educators who teach English language and other diverse learners are recommended based on project findings.