Kristin Powers

School Reform and Standards-Based Education: A Model for English-Language Learners.

ABSTRACT The authors examined a model of instruction for English-language learners (ELLs) who were learning academic English while they tried to meet content standards required by the nations education reform movement. In previous work (J. Echevarria, M. E. Vogt, & D. Short, 2000), the authors developed and validated a model of instruction (Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol; SIOP model) for ELLs. In this study, the authors tested the model for its effects on student achievement. Findings revealed that students whose teachers implemented the SIOP model performed slightly better than did a comparison group on an expository essay writing task, which closely approximated academic assignments that ELLs must perform in standards-based classrooms.

Mandates and Effective Transition Planning Practices Reflected in IEPs

In this study, the researchers analyzed the transition components of 399 Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). In many cases, transition goal areas mandated by the 1997 amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) either were not addressed or were inadequately detailed. Effective practices, such as career planning and self-determination enhancement, were not incorporated within most plans, and the study indicated that students frequently were solely responsible for carrying out action steps to achieve their transition goals. Race and gender were not significant determinants of plan quality; however, disability type, projected diploma type, and district residence were associated with variations in transition planning activities. The authors discuss the implications of the findings relative to enhancing student preparation for adult life as envisioned by the 2004 reauthorization of IDEA.

Transition Goals and Experiences of Females with Disabilities: Youth, Parents, and Professionals

This study examined the influence of gender on the transition goals and experiences of female students with disabilities. Data were gathered from 146 participants, including female youth with disabilities (n = 67), parents of young women with disabilities (n = 34), and professionals who work with them (n = 45). Findings suggest that females with disabilities have unique experiences related to (a) type of transition goals established for them; (b) factors that shape these transition goals, such as self-perception, mentors, peers, family, and exposure to opportunities; (c) sources of support and impediments to transition to adulthood, such as special education personnel and programs; and (d) contextual issues, such as cultural and linguistic diversity. Practice and future research implications are discussed.

Improving Transition Outcomes for Marginalized Youth

This article describes research designed to identify the impact of marginalization on transition planning for two groups of youth with disabilities: Latinas and youth in foster care. Findings are presented through the ecological systems framework, which provides a useful means of examining differing single and multilevel influences on transition planning. Data from each area are provided to identify the unique barriers and sources of support that these youth experience. Results support the need to consider the culture of marginalization and disenfranchisement within a broad diversity lens when developing transition plans and providing services to youth with disabilities. The discussion includes a guide for transition service providers and reflects approaches that more appropriately address circumstances faced by marginalized youth with disabilities.

School Psychologists as Instructional Consultants in a Response-to-Intervention Model.

The 2004 authorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act affords an opportunity to shift the classification of Learning Disabilities (LD) from a “refer-test-place” to a Response-to-Intervention (RtI) service delivery model. As a result, there are implications for the professional activities of school psychologists. School psychologists, who historically devoted much of their time to testing struggling learners for learning disabilities, will need to engage in a different type of practice, specifically providing instructional consultation in a tiered assessment and intervention model. This article describes instructional consultation skills and knowledge school psychologists must possess to promote the learning outcomes of students with achievement deficits, including students with disabilities. Survey data collected from 249 California school psychologist practitioners highlight the need to modify school psychology pre-service training and on-going professional development to enable school psychologists to become effective instructional consultants.

Beginning Teachers' Confidence before and after Induction

Abstract Levels of confidence of novice teachers were investigated pre- and post-induction program. In sum, 119 beginning teachers completed a New Teacher Confidence Survey on 28 teaching performance behaviors. There was a statistically significant confidence gain from pre- to postinduction on 20 of 28 teaching behaviors. Statistically significant gains were also shown on six scales developed from the California Standards for the Teaching Profession. New teachers reported mentoring, networking, structured program activities, and opportunities for reflection as valuable induction-program features.

Similarities and Differences in the Transition Expectations of Youth and Parents

This study explored similarities and differences in the transition expectations of parents and youth. Independent samples of parents (N = 270) of transition-age youth with disabilities and students with disabilities (N = 242) were surveyed about the importance of achieving various adult goals, having specific types of transition-related training and skills, and potential barriers to transition. Factor analysis of the data yielded six scales, and significant differences were found between youth and parents on four of these scales indicating that parents tend to value teacher support more, whereas youth reported higher levels of self-esteem, greater barriers to transition, and more interest in assuming caretaking roles in their future. Parents and students were in agreement, however, around the goals they felt were most important for transition: finishing high school, having health insurance, and having access to a good doctor.

Problem Solving Student Support Teams

The on-going efforts to improve Student Support Teams (SST) within a large, urban California school district are presented. The major goal of this reform has been to reshape the SSTs to focus on empirically supported interventions and data based decision making rather than student deficit and disability. Preliminary evaluation results indicate that these reform efforts increased the efficacy and effectiveness of the SST and led to a decline in over-representation of African American students referred to special education. Specific components of effective SSTs (i.e., organization and management, teamwork, and problem-solving strategies) in use in the district pilot program are described in order to assist other California School Psychologists in implementing SSTs that foster widespread commitment among the faculty and improve educational outcomes for students. These components are summarized in a Self-Study Guide Check List that school psychologists and other members of the SST may use to evaluate and reflect on the SSTs at their sites. The implications for the types of services school psychologists provide when embracing a problem solving rather than medical model for servicing students are briefly examined, as well as the limitations of the current categorical system in which we serve students with disabilities.

Tier III Assessments, Data-Based Decision Making, and Interventions

Within the Response-to-Intervention framework, students who fail to profit from high-quality general education instruction, accommodations, and supplemental instruction progress to a more intensive intervention program, sometimes referred to as “Tier III.” This article describes a problem-solving approach to designing such intensive, data-based, and scientifically supported interventions for students with pervasive reading problems who have failed to respond to less rigorous services. The application of well-established (i.e., progress monitoring) and emerging methods (i.e., brief experimental analysis) for optimizing interventions are described. Two case studies are provided to illustrate how these techniques may be combined to implement Tier III interventions.

Twenty-five Years after Larry P. : The California Response to Overrepresentation of African Americans in Special Education

In this article, major laws, regulations, court cases, policies and practices related to intelligence testing of African American students in California are reviewed. A California Department of Education (CDE) ban on intelligence testing of African American students for the purpose of determining special education eligibility is in effect and enforced by Special Education Hearing Officers (SEHO) and Coordinated Compliance Reviewers (CCR). Although the CDE bases its restrictions on the results of the Larry P. case, we found that (a) the CDE policy runs counter to the ruling and intent of the Larry P. case; (b) overrepresentation of African Americans in special education programs continues despite the use of alternative assessment methods to measure intelligence; and (c) overrepresentation of African Americans in special education is not the result of intelligence test bias, rather, more endemic socio-political inequalities are to blame. We conclude with a discussion of three critical questions to be considered in future responses to the Larry P. court case.