Robert F. Algozzine

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.

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.

Effects of Team-Initiated Problem Solving on Decision Making by Schoolwide Behavior Support Teams

The authors examined the problem-solving practices of school teams engaged in implementing and improving schoolwide behavior support implementation. A multiple baseline design across 4 elementary school teams was used to assess the effects of the Team-Initiated Problem Solving (TIPS) training program (1 day of team training plus 2 coached meetings). A direct observation data collection protocol—Decision Observation, Recording, and Analysis—was used to index if teams followed “meeting foundations” practices for effective problem solving (e.g., predictable agenda, stable participants, clear roles for facilitator, minute taker, data analyst) and “thorough problem solving” practices for building interventions (e.g., problem definition, use of data, solution development, action planning). Direct observation results indicate that 3 of the 4 teams demonstrated improved meeting foundations and problem-solving skills after TIPS training. The fourth team also performed well, but documented baseline patterns that were either at optimum levels (meeting foundations) or with an increasing trend (problem solving) that prevented demonstration of an intervention effect. Team members perceived their meetings after TIPS training as resulting in more effective problem solving. Collectively, the results are interpreted as demonstrating a functional relation between TIPS training and improved problem solving practices by school teams. Implications address how to improve team-based consultation and problem solving in schools.

Development and Validation of Scores on the Basic Technology Competencies for Educators Inventory

The purpose of this study was to develop a new instrument, the Basic Technology Competencies for Educators Inventory (BTCEI). Undergraduate and postbaccalaureate teacher education majors (N = 437) participated in the development. Results support the theoretical structure of the BTCEI. Scores for the nine domains had high internal consistency reliability (alphas ranged from .87 to .96) and adequate stability reliability (ranged from .77 to .90).

Using a Problem-Solving Model to Enhance Data-Based Decision Making in Schools

Making decisions is a core activity in schools. Every school has faculty teams that meet regularly to make decisions concerning logistical, administrative, academic, and social issues. The thesis of this chapter is that team decisions will be more effective and efficient when they occur in the context of a formal problem-solving model with access to the right data, in the right format, at the right time.

Effects of Teaching Syllable Skills Instruction on Reading Achievement in Struggling Middle School Readers

Direct, explicit, and systematic instruction of critical skills has been a hallmark of effective teaching for many years. In this study, we implemented a quasi-experimental pre-/post-test design with nonequivalent groups to determine the effectiveness of syllable skills instruction on reading achievement. Classes were randomly assigned to control or treatment groups. Participants included middle-school students with high incidence disabilities, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and their peers at risk for reading failure. The syllable skills intervention included instruction in syllable patterns, syllabication steps and rules, and accenting patterns. Students practiced skills by decoding and encoding nonsense and low-frequency mono- and multisyllabic words. Statistically significant differences were evident between pre-test and post-test scores for three dependent measures: (a) word identification, (b) word attack, and (c) reading comprehension. The treatment group demonstrated greater increase from pre-test to post-test on word identification, word attack, and reading comprehension; and the gap in fluency performance between the groups decreased. We discuss these outcomes with regard to their implications for practice and future research.

CONTENT ACCESSIBILITY OF COMMUNITY COLLEGE WEB SITES

Community colleges frequently are the points of access to postsecondary training and education for members of special populations. Physical barriers are obvious problems that limit access for individuals with disabilities, and community colleges have made reasonable accommodations in this regard. One area that often is overlooked, however, is the on-line barriers that limit access to Web-based content. This study examined the Web-based content accessibility of community college home pages. A total of 253 community college home pages were evaluated for content accessibility. Only 23% of the community college home pages evaluated were determined to be accessible to individuals with disabilities. Types of accessibility problems, resources for designing accessible Web sites, and methods for validating Web sites are reported.Community colleges frequently are the points of access to postsecondary training and education for members of special populations. Physical barriers are obvious problems that limit access for individuals with disabilities, and community colleges have made reasonable accommodations in this regard. One area that often is overlooked, however, is the on-line barriers that limit access to Web-based content. This study examined the Web-based content accessibility of community college home pages. A total of 253 community college home pages were evaluated for content accessibility. Only 23% of the community college home pages evaluated were determined to be accessible to individuals with disabilities. Types of accessibility problems, resources for designing accessible Web sites, and methods for validating Web sites are reported.

Learning When School Is Out

Even with current evidence-based preschool programming efforts for children from high-risk backgrounds, many children vary in their skill levels at school entry. The authors examined the influence of using an evidence-based literacy curriculum during a 6-week summer program. The authors documented improvements in childrens letter-naming, picture-naming, and rhyming skills when compared with a nonparticipating control group. Differences between the treatment and control groups were not as strong for the childrens alliteration skills. These positive results suggest that a 6-week summer prevention program could increase the likelihood that children from high-risk backgrounds will have a positive beginning school experience.

Technical Adequacy of the SWPBIS Tiered Fidelity Inventory.

Full and durable implementation of school-based interventions is supported by regular evaluation of fidelity of implementation. Multiple assessments have been developed to evaluate the extent to which schools are applying the core features of school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports (SWPBIS). The SWPBIS Tiered Fidelity Inventory (TFI) was developed to be used as an initial assessment to determine the extent to which a school is using (or needs) SWPBIS, a measure of SWPBIS fidelity of implementation at all three tiers of support, and a tool to guide action planning for further implementation efforts. In this research, we evaluated the psychometric properties of the TFI in three studies: a content validity study, a usability and reliability study, and a large-scale validation study. Results showed strong construct validity for assessing fidelity at all three tiers, strong interrater and 2-week test–retest reliability, high usability for action planning, and strong relations with existing SWPBIS fidelity measures. Implications for accurate evaluation planning are discussed.

Perceptions of the roles and responsibilities of elementary school mathematics coaches

Purpose – In the USA, school districts are funding mathematics coaching positions to provide school-level support to teachers. The purpose of this paper is to survey school personnel whose job responsibilities included mathematics coaching in order to examine their job responsibilities and what they felt that their job responsibilities should be. Design/methodology/approach – In all, 67 elementary school mathematics coaches completed a survey that included 30 aspects of the job of elementary school mathematics leaders. Findings – Quantitative analyses indicated that there were statistically significant differences between their actual roles and their preferred roles on 24 of the 30 items. This means that coaches reported that the aspects of their current role did not align to what they thought their job should be. Research limitations/implications – The findings indicate a need to collect further information in a longitudinal study, potentially from a combination of surveys, interviews, and observations, ...