Tracy G. Spies

Beyond Word Meaning: Vocabulary Instruction for Students with Exceptional Language Needs.

A well-developed academic vocabulary is foundational for understanding academic texts used in elementary and secondary classrooms. In-depth word knowledge is critical to understanding the abstract concepts and complex language structures of text. Students with learning disabilities and English language learners both characteristically have limited vocabularies, thus hindering their understanding of academic texts and ultimately their mastery of content material. These students are increasingly placed in general education classrooms, and content area teachers are tasked with developing their academic vocabulary with little training. This article explores the type of in-depth word knowledge (i.e., meaning, word structure, and grammatical placement) students with learning disabilities and English language learners need in order to understand and communicate in the content area classrooms. It also provides specific strategies for classroom implementation.

The Faces of Hunger The Educational Impact of Hunger on Students With Disabilities

The relationship between students’ living in poverty and academic underachievement challenges schools across the nation. Poverty is particularly prevalent among children with disabilities. One detrimental condition of poverty that directly affects student development and academic achievement is food insecurity and hunger. With the increasing number of children identified as living in food-insecure households, it is inevitable that at some point, a teacher will work with a child suffering from hunger. With this article, the authors hope to assist educators in understanding poverty and its relationship to childhood hunger. Tips for identifying the signs and symptoms of hunger are shared. School- and classroom-level recommendations are made to aid in alleviating hunger in school-age children.

The Effects of Developing English Language and Literacy on Spanish Reading Comprehension.

ABSTRACT In this longitudinal study, the cross-language transfer from second language (L2) to first language (L1) was examined among Spanish-speaking English-language learners in an English intervention (Grades 1–3) in the southwest United States. Path analysis revealed statistically significant transfers (ps < .05) for the treatment group from English reading comprehension to Spanish reading comprehension. English vocabulary and English grammar also had an indirect influence on Spanish reading comprehension through English reading comprehension. For the comparison group, no English to Spanish paths were statistically significant. We concluded that intervention activities in L2 influenced L1 reading even when L1 instructional time was reduced.

Incorporating English Language Learner Instruction Within Special Education Teacher Preparation

The number of students who are English language learners (ELL) is increasing significantly across the United States. As this number increases, so does the number of students who are ELL and being identified as having disabilities. The intersection of English language instruction and special education is an emerging field of scholarship, and it is important that special education teacher preparation programs incorporate theoretical frameworks and evidence-based practice for students who are ELL into their teacher preparation programs. Indeed, there are several topics and techniques that can be incorporated into special education teacher preparation coursework that have natural connections to topics typically addressed. This article provides a framework to support the inclusion of these strategies as well as specific examples of activities that could be incorporated in coursework to strengthen the preparation of special educators to meet the needs of students who are ELL.

Legal and Ethical Considerations Regarding the Integration of Assistive and Educational Technology for Students with Disabilities: Perspectives from the United States of America

The availability of assistive and educational technology to support the academic, behavioural, and social-emotional outcomes of students with disabilities in United States public schools continues to increase. As such, educational professionals are seeking evidence-based methods for providing students with disabilities increased access to information and learning using these technologies. As the proliferation of these technologies continues, it is important that school leaders consider both the legal and ethical requirements for technology use with culturally and linguistically diverse students with disabilities. This chapter will review these legal and ethical principles as they apply to public education in the United States, and will discuss a conceptual framework for ensuring culturally relevant and appropriate assistive and educational technology integration. Implications for practice will be discussed.

Introduction to the Special Issue: Successful Inclusion for Students With Disabilities Who Are Learning English

Students who are learning English is one of the fastest growing groups of students in U.S. public schools. Evidence suggests that students learning English are often placed in segregated special education classrooms seemingly contradicting the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act mandate for the education of students with disabilities to occur within the least restrictive environment including modifications and adaptations to the general curriculum. Successful inclusive practices for students with disabilities who are learning English highlight and build on the cultural, academic, and linguistic strengths students bring to the classroom. This special issue features a variety of articles focused on collaborative, inclusive practices that build on the cultural, academic, and linguistic strengths of students with disabilities who are learning English. The issue focuses on two themes: (a) instruction and support and (b) collaboration and partnerships.

Scaffolded Academic Conversations: Access to 21st-Century Collaboration and Communication Skills

Communication and collaboration are essential components of 21st-century learning skills. In response, national standards have increased attention on these competencies through rigorous speaking and listening requirements. Mastery of these standards is contingent on academic oral language development. Oral language not only is the foundation for communication and collaboration skills, but also plays a prominent role in students’ academic achievement. For students with disabilities, these standards pose specific challenges as they are often characterized as having poor oral language skills. The challenges are further compounded for students who are also learning English. Effective language instruction for students who are learning English includes multiple opportunities for lengthy interactions and incorporates instructional scaffolds to support language delays students with disabilities may have. This article presents an instructional sequence to scaffold academic conversations for students with disabilities who are learning English, leading toward grade-level speaking standards.

Using E-Books to Acquire Foundational Academic Vocabulary

Secondary students identified as English language learners or with learning disabilities present diverse vocabulary and academic challenges related to their exceptional language needs. Limited academic vocabulary may hinder students in accessing academic content and serve as a barrier to achievement. The literature has documented the use of multimedia-delivered instruction as a support in the development of content area academic vocabulary. One such tool, electronic books (i.e., e-books), can be an effective multimedia resource used to supplement standards-based instruction and preteach content area vocabulary specifically designed for students with exceptional language needs. This article describes methods for analyzing content standards and developing differentiated e-books to preteach academic vocabulary to support students with exceptional language needs in acquiring foundational academic vocabulary. The selection and use of specific tools based on students’ academic and linguistic needs will also be illustrated.

Utilizing Discourse in the Development of Strategic Readers in the Content Areas

The impetus behind the design and implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) was to establish nationwide criteria in preparing students to be college or career ready by the end of high school. The standards require students to comprehend, analyze, and evaluate text across a wide range of disciplines. Essential to the mastery of the standards, students must have a deep understanding of the larger bodies of language, or the academic discourse related to the academic discipline. This article examines the role of discourse within the development of academic language in the content areas and provides educators with a content area discourse analysis tool to identify high-priority areas for explicit discourse instruction for learners with exceptional language needs.

Addressing the Education Debt Owed to Students in an Urban Environment through a School and Community Collective Impact Model of Collaboration

Abstract Students living in urban environments tend to have lower academic achievement and college- and career-readiness skills than students living in suburban environments, as well as tend to be more at-risk for social-emotional learning problems. Research indicates that several school and community variables are related to this education discrepancy, and aligning these variables to best meet the needs of students is the best way to improve educational outcomes. This chapter will describe a collective impact initiative designed to align school, community, and nonprofit resources in an urban environment to best address the needs of students and increase academic success.