As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many school districts have moved from brick-and-mortar instruction to remote instruction with little planning time and limited resources. Rural localities, already facing barriers and hardships, attempted to provide special education and related services in accordance with rapidly changing state and federal guidelines. Despite funding difficulties and challenges with serving students eligible for special education during a pandemic, there are districts that leveraged the strengths of rural communities to meet student and family needs. Commerce Independent School District is one exemplar. The purpose of this article is to highlight successes and lessons learned to offer guidance to districts as we continue to navigate challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Students who are eligible to receive special education and related services are entitled to a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) including the necessary emotional, behavioral, and social supports to access the general curriculum. This study explores Individualized Education Program (IEP) plans of students with disabilities who have social, emotional, or behavioral needs served in five rural independent school districts. Specifically, the study sought to investigate (a) whether the present level of academic and functional performance (PLAAFP) and annual goals demonstrated congruence and (b) whether the degree to which the IEP documents conform to both procedural and substantive requirements for development. A review of 126 IEPs suggests that although IEPs are somewhat compliant, they fail to comprehensively address student needs or align across areas, violating the spirit of Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act. Recommendations and future areas of inquiry are provided.
This article provides an overview of reporting and presenting single‐case study results. The authors offer practical tips for sharing outcomes of studies, reporting visual inspection measures, conducting common statistical procedures, and disseminating results to stakeholders. Specific implications for counselors are provided.
Students with mathematics difficulties and disabilities require evidence-based instructional strategies and interventions to improve their mathematical performance. Dissemination of these practices to teachers in rural settings presents specific challenges, including lack of Internet access, few discretionary resources, and geographic isolation. This mixed-method study explored rural Texas teachers’ perceptions of their algebra content knowledge; their comfort with strategies, interventions, and resources; and professional development experiences related to students with mathematics difficulties and disabilities. Findings suggest that teachers are unfamiliar with or do not regularly implement evidence-based strategies and report regular use of strategies such as learning styles that have a limited evidence base. A discussion of findings includes suggestions for professional development tailored to the needs of rural Texas algebra teachers.
The purpose of this study was to explore the efficacy of iCoaching to increase the use of behavior-specific praise (BSP) by three educators (one teacher, two paraprofessionals) working in a rural center–based classroom for students with emotional and behavioral disabilities using a short, focused professional development and iCoaching. Results of the single-case delayed multiple baseline design study suggest that iCoaching increased BSP delivery by participants. Furthermore, BSP rates were maintained after iCoaching was withdrawn. Implications for using iCoaching with rural educators and future research directions are discussed.
Features of eighth-grade history textbooks were examined through replication of a 20-year-old study that investigated "considerateness" of textbooks. Considerate texts provide clear, coherent information and include features that promote students' comprehension, such as explicit use of organizational structures, a range of question types dispersed within and at the end of chapters, and highlighted new vocabulary. Conversely, inconsiderate texts can impede student learning because comprehension is influenced by coherence and clarity between and among new vocabulary, sentences, paragraphs, and passages at macro and micro levels throughout texts' chapters. Results of this study indicate areas where today's texts are more clear and coherent than those 20 years ago, and areas where improvements within textbooks are still needed. Implications for practice are discussed.
A single-case multiple baseline across-participants design was used to investigate the effects of child-centered play therapy (CCPT) on hyperactivity/impulsivity and inattention in 3 first grade students. Students were referred to our study by classroom teachers using a behavior checklist. Parents and teachers filled out the Attention Deficit Disorders Evaluation Scale (4th ed., McCarney & Arthaud, 2013) to qualify students for our study. Students who scored in the moderate or severe range from the same classroom were selected for our study. The Direct Observation Form (DOF; McConaughy & Achenbach, 2009) was used to assess behaviors across baseline, treatment, and maintenance conditions by trained observers. Students participated in an average 3 CCPT sessions each week for 6 weeks, for a total of 18 sessions. Visual inspection techniques were used to analyze the effects of CCPT on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) behaviors. Results indicated that there was a small effect size for CCPT on ADHD behaviors. Analysis of individual subscales revealed moderate or large effect sizes increasing time on task and decreasing total problems in the classroom, sluggish cognitive tempo, immature/withdrawn behavior, intrusive behavior, and oppositional behavior in individual participants. The Behavior Intervention Rating Scale (BIRS; VonBrock & Elliott, 1987) was completed out by the teacher posttreatment as a measure of social validity. The teacher indicated that CCPT was an appropriate intervention for students with ADHD, has utility in the school setting, and would recommend CCPT to other teachers. Limitations, suggestions for future research, clinical implications, and conclusions are presented.
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