Meagan Karvonen

Effects of Interventions to Promote Self-Determination for Individuals With Disabilities

Self-determination, the combination of skills, knowledge, and beliefs that enable a person to engage in goal-directed, self-regulated, autonomous behavior, has become an important part of special education and related services for people with disabilities. Research on the outcomes of self-determination interventions has been sparse. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive review of literature and used quantitative methods of meta-analysis to investigate what self-determination interventions have been studied, what groups of individuals with disabilities have been taught self-determination, and what levels of outcomes have been achieved using self-determination interventions. Fifty-one studies were identified that intervened to promote one or more components of self-determination; 22 were included in meta-analyses. The median effect size across 100 group intervention comparisons (contained in 9 studies) was 1.38. In contrast, 13 single subject studies included 18 interventions and produced a median percentage of nonoverlapping data (PND) of 95% with a range of 64% to 100%. Seven of the interventions had a PND of 100%, suggesting strong effects. Although all components of self-determination were reflected in this research, most focused on teaching choice making to individuals with moderate and severe mental retardation or self-advocacy to individuals with learning disabilities or mild mental retardation. The outcomes are discussed regarding the need to demonstrate that self-determination can be taught and learned, and can make a difference in the lives of individuals with disabilities.

The Alignment of Alternate Assessment Content with Academic and Functional Curricula

The 1997 amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act required states to provide access to the general curriculum and alternate assessments for students with disabilities who were unable to participate in statewide assessments. For this study, we examined the curricular focus of alternate assessments using performance indicators in math, language arts, and functional skills from 31 states. Experts in math education, language arts, and severe disabilities, along with a group of stakeholders (i.e., teachers and administrators), examined the performance indicators relative to their alignment to national standards and curricula. Experts and stakeholders identified states that had alternate assessment performance indicators that were clearly aligned to math or language arts and those that did not. A subgroup also considered the functionality of the indicators. Through a series of discussions, experts and stakeholders identified features of the performance indicators that exemplified alignment with general or functional curricula, including specificity of content, wording, required response, and grade-or age-level appropriateness. The results suggest that alternate assessments have a strong focus on academic skills but also reflect an additive curricular approach linking academic and functional skills.

Putting Self-Determination into Practice:

Self-determination (SD) has been a major topic in special education literature over the past 10 years, but research-based practices on SD for students with disabilities are still limited. This study was designed to examine 6 programs identified as placing a major emphasis on promoting SD with students with disabilities. Qualitative data were gathered to examine stakeholder perceptions of SD outcomes, describe promising practices for promoting SD, and identify conditions supporting and barriers inhibiting successful implementation of practices. Data were analyzed through a cross-case analysis and were represented as themes reflective of perceptions of program success, site characteristics, promising practices, and factors that supported and/or impeded implementation. Recommendations for practice and future research are discussed.

Reviewing Resources on Self-Determination A Map for Teachers

With the growing number of resources on self-determination, teachers may find it difficult to locate the information that will be most useful for planning educational programs. This article provides a map for teachers to use in searching the self-determination literature to find usable ideas. This map includes two primary paths. The first leads through the conceptual literature to the destination of increasing understanding of self-determination. In following this path, teachers may locate information on the concept or on its specific components, such as choice making, problem solving, and self-advocacy. Examples include conceptual resources that may be especially useful for teachers. The map also points to pitfalls to avoid while gaining understanding of self-determination, such as assuming that everyone values the same adult outcomes. The second path travels through the intervention literature, including research studies, how-to resources, and published curricula, and leads to designing self-determination instruction and environmental supports. Examples are offered from these resources on how teachers can develop Individualized Education Programs, identify teaching strategies, develop environmental support, and use the resources for personal development.

What We Know and Need to Know about Alternate Assessment

This article reviews promises, practices, and provisos of alternate assessment as a basis for illustrating what we know and what we need to know about measuring progress of students with disabilities in statewide assessment programs. In 19 data-based studies, professionals have begun to document the impact that alternate assessment is having on school reform and policy in general and to expectations, access to the general curriculum, and instruction for students with disabilities, especially those with significant cognitive impairments. At this juncture, there are insufficient data to report with confidence that alternate assessment will live up to its promises. Based on the data at hand, we offer recommendations for future research and a clearer focus on what we need to know to improve the outcomes of alternate assessments.

A Content Analysis of the Curricular Philosophies Reflected in States' Alternate Assessment Performance Indicators

Both the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 1997 and the No Child Left Behind Act (2002) require the provision of an alternate assessment for students who cannot participate in state or district assessments with accommodations. Most states have defined performance indicators for these alternate assessments linked to their state standards. In this article, we consider five curricular philosophies (i.e., developmental, functional, social inclusion, self-determination, and academic) for students with severe disabilities and analyze how they are reflected in the performance indicators of states selected from an earlier study on curricular alignment. Overall, these states reflected a blend of academic and functional philosophies in defining reading and math performance indicators with few examples of social inclusion, self-determination, or developmental philosophies. The predominance of an academic philosophy was especially evident in states that experts and stakeholders identified as having performance indicators with clear links to language arts and math. These findings are discussed with recommendations for how to teach skills linked to state standards to students with severe disabilities.

Promoting Student Self-Determination Skills in IEP Planning:

for students a high priority in planning instruction? • Do you include self-advocacy goals in students’ education programs? • What is best practice in developing such goals and promoting self-determination in students? It may be that you or your colleagues have not received instruction in how to write self-determination goals and objectives for your students with disabilities. This article explores ways to increase the inclusion of self-determination and self-advocacy goals and objectives in individualized education programs (IEPs) as a first step to increasing their inclusion in classroom instruction.

Successful Strategies for Promoting Self-Advocacy Among Students with LD The LEAD Group

Students with learning disabilities (LD) often need to be taught self-determination skills to be better prepared for life after high school. This article describes the methods used by one school district to promote self-advocacy and self-awareness skills for students with LD. Through multicomponent group activities, students learned about their strengths and disabilities and how to advocate for their educational needs and rights. Advocacy skills were also applied to leadership roles, mentoring, and community education activities. Important features that contributed to the success of the program are described.

Challenges Facing Rural Community Colleges: Issues and Problems Today and Over the Past 30 Years

For over 30 years, researchers and practitioners have identified challenges unique to small, rural community colleges. The purpose of this study was to examine the distinctive problems facing rural community colleges today and the challenges those institutions must address to fulfill their mission in rural America. There are 5 current challenges commonly identified by 10 rural community college administrators in Kansas: technology use, grant writing, an evolving student population and corresponding changes to the mission, funding inequalities between institutions, and hiring qualified people. Identified challenges were compared with problems described in the literature from the last 30 years.

Measuring the Enacted Curriculum for Students With Significant Cognitive Disabilities A Preliminary Investigation

Based on recent federal legislation, alternate assessments for students with disabilities may now be based on alternate achievement standards, modified achievement standards, or grade-level achievement standards. Although all students with disabilities must access the general curriculum, those with significant cognitive disabilities often do so through extensions of grade-level content standards. Because curriculum is individualized for students with disabilities, experts cannot immediately apply to this population the methods for examining the taught curriculum in general education. The purpose of this article is to describe the development and use of a method for examining the enacted curriculum for students who take alternate assessments. We present initial item development, survey blueprint, expert review, and pilot test findings. Experts can use this tool to investigate the alignment of curriculum with alternate assessments and state standards and to design professional development for educators learning to access the general curriculum.