Mark Harniss

Working in Special Education: Factors that Enhance Special Educators' Intent to Stay:

This article presents findings from a study of factors that lead to special education teacher attrition and retention involving 887 special educators in three large urban school districts. We focus on a path analysis of the relationship between intent to stay in the field and factors such as job satisfaction, commitment to special education teaching, and various aspects of job design. Findings suggest several critical factors to consider in order to increase retention and commitment. A leading negative factor was stress due to job design. Perceived support by principals or other teachers in the school helped alleviate this stress. Another key factor was the sense that special educators were learning on the job, either formally or informally, through collegial networks.

Accommodating Students with Disabilities on Large-Scale Tests: An Experimental Study:

In this study, fourth-grade special and general education students took a large-scale state-wide test using standard test administration procedures and two major accommodations addressing response conditions and test administration. On both reading and math tests, students bubbled in answers on a separate sheet (the standard condition) for half the test and marked the test booklet directly (the accommodated condition) for the other half of the test. For a subgroup of students, the math test was read to them by a trained teacher. Although no differences were found in the response conditions, an interaction was found in the test administration conditions (orally reading the test), supporting this accommodation for students with disabilities.

The development of a clinical outcomes survey research application: Assessment CenterSM

IntroductionThe National Institutes of Health sponsored Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS) aimed to create item banks and computerized adaptive tests (CATs) across multiple domains for individuals with a range of chronic diseases.PurposeWeb-based software was created to enable a researcher to create study-specific Websites that could administer PROMIS CATs and other instruments to research participants or clinical samples. This paper outlines the process used to develop a user-friendly, free, Web-based resource (Assessment CenterSM) for storage, retrieval, organization, sharing, and administration of patient-reported outcomes (PRO) instruments.MethodsJoint Application Design (JAD) sessions were conducted with representatives from numerous institutions in order to supply a general wish list of features. Use Cases were then written to ensure that end user expectations matched programmer specifications. Program development included daily programmer “scrum” sessions, weekly Usability Acceptability Testing (UAT) and continuous Quality Assurance (QA) activities pre- and post-release.ResultsAssessment Center includes features that promote instrument development including item histories, data management, and storage of statistical analysis results.ConclusionsThis case study of software development highlights the collection and incorporation of user input throughout the development process. Potential future applications of Assessment Center in clinical research are discussed.

The Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale Convergent Validity

In this article, two studies that investigate the convergent validity of the Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale (BERS) are reported. In both studies, special education teachers of students identified as seriously emotionally dis turbed completed the BERS and a second mea sure of child functioning. In the first study, the five BERS subscales and overall strength quo tient were correlated with the five subscales and total score from the Walker-McConnell Scale of Social Competence and School Adjustment-Adolescent Version. Correlations were generally moderate to high. In the second study, the BERS was correlated to the five com petence scales, the broad-band dimensions (i.e., Internalizing and Externalizing), and the Total Problem score of Achenbachs Teacher Report Form. Correlations were generally moderate to high for the competence scales and the externalizing dimension, but not for the internalizing dimension. Recommenda tions for use of the BERS are discussed.

The Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale: Test-Retest and Inter-Rater Reliability

Two studies are reported addressing the reliability of the Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale (BERS). The first study investigated test-retest reliability over a two-week period to determine the stability of the measure over time. The second study investigated inter-rater reliability between two teachers or classroom aides who were familiar with a student to determine the consistency with which the measure can be used by different individuals. In each study, samples were drawn from populations of students identified with emotional or behavioral disorders as specified by federal statutes. Reliability coefficients in each study were above .80, the standard recommended for screening tests that are reported individually, and in most cases above .90. Implications for use of the BERS are discussed.

TrueKeys: identifying and correcting typing errors for people with motor impairments

People with motor impairments often have difficulty typing using desktop keyboards. We developed TrueKeys, a system that combines models of word frequency, keyboard layout, and typing error patterns to automatically identify and correct typing mistakes. In this paper, we describe the TrueKeys algorithm, compare its performance to existing correction algorithms, and report on a study of TrueKeys with 9 motor-impaired and 9 non-impaired participants. Running in non-interactive mode, TrueKeys performed more corrections than popular commercial and open source spell checkers. Used interactively, both motor-impaired and non-impaired users performed typing tasks significantly more accurately with TrueKeys than without. However, typing speed was reduced while TrueKeys was enabled.

The Scale for Assessing Emotional Disturbance: Test–Retest and Interrater Reliability

Three studies are reported addressing the reliability of the Scale for Assessing Emotional Disturbance (Epstein & Cullinan, 1998), a standardized, norm-referenced measure linked to the federal definition of emotional disturbance (ED). The first and second studies investigated test–retest reliability over a 2-week period to determine the stability of the measure over time. The third study investigated interrater reliability between six pairs of teachers who had worked with a student for 2 or more months to determine the consistency with which the measure can be used by different individuals. In each study, samples were drawn from populations of students identified as having ED. Test–retest reliability coefficients were above .80, the standard recommended for screening tests that will be reported individually. Interrater reliability coefficients were at least .79 for all subscales except Unhappiness or Depression and Physical Symptoms or Fears. Implications for use of the SAED are discussed.

Informing the design of an automated wayfinding system for individuals with cognitive impairments

Individuals with cognitive impairments are often prevented from independently living, working, and fully participating in their community due to wayfinding concerns. We conducted two user studies of a mobile wayfinding aid designed to support such individuals. The first study examined usability issues related to wayfinding outdoors. The results were positive overall, but showed that the directions we used were at times too low-level, requiring strict adherence to the route and therefore highly precise message timing. The second study examined the use of landmarks to provide directions at a higher-level, as a way to overcome the limitations of the directions we were using. We found that certain types of landmark-based directions were significantly easier to follow, but individual performance varied across most direction types. The findings from both studies show that individuals with cognitive impairments would benefit from a wayfinding system that is capable of supporting customizable and adaptable direction selection.

Customizing directions in an automated wayfinding system for individuals with cognitive impairment

Individuals with cognitive impairments would prefer to live independently, however issues in wayfinding prevent many from fully living, working, and participating in their community. Our research has focused on designing, prototyping, and evaluating a mobile wayfinding system to aid such individuals. Building on the feedback gathered from potential users, we have implemented the systems automated direction selection functionality. Using a decision-theoretic approach, we believe we can create better wayfinding experience that assists users to reach their destination more intuitively than traditional navigation systems. This paper describes the system and results from a study using system-generated directions that inform us of key customization factors that would provide improved wayfinding assistance for individual users.

Considerations for Developing Interfaces for Collecting Patient-Reported Outcomes That Allow the Inclusion of Individuals With Disabilities

PROMIS (Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System) is developing a set of tools for collecting patient reported outcomes, including computerized adaptive testing that can be administered using different modes, such as computers or phones. The user interfaces for these tools will be designed using the principles of universal design to ensure that it is accessible to all users, including those with disabilities. We review the rationale for making health assessment instruments accessible to users with disabilities, briefly review the standards and guidelines that exist to support developers in the creation of user interfaces with accessibility in mind, and describe the usability and accessibility testing PROMIS will conduct with content experts and users with and without disabilities. Finally, we discuss threats to validity and reliability presented by universal design principles. We argue that the social and practical benefits of interfaces designed to include a broad range of potential users, including those with disabilities, seem to outweigh the need for standardization. Suggestions for future research are also included.