Students with mathematics learning disabilities have a weak understanding of mathematical concepts that underlie success in Algebra I, such as ratios and proportional reasoning. In this study, researchers used a multiple baseline across participants design to evaluate the effects of a intervention based on a instructional trajectory of how students come to understand ratios through build-up, emergent unit, and unit strategies on performance on a test of ratio equivalence. Student performance during intervention indicated a functional relationship between the instruction and higher scores on a curriculum-based measure across three students. Student use of increasingly sophisticated strategies over the course of the intervention also increased. Results as well as possible implications and future research are discussed.

Universal Design for Learning is not widely used in postsecondary STEM education. The purpose of this literature review is to synthesize the empirical literature using Universal Design for Learning in postsecondary STEM education for all learners. The criteria for this review are (a) empirical literature in (b) peer reviewed journals (c) published after 2006. Keywords used were STEM, UDL/UDI/Universal Design, and postsecondary/university/college/higher education. This review identified four studies and three literature reviews that met the search criteria; the analysis of the identified literature provides a model for how Universal Design for Learning can impact postsecondary STEM instruction, including an increase in inclusive teaching methods and self-advocacy from students with disabilities, and leads to recommendations for additional research.

This article examined the performance of 57 students with learning disabilities (LD) from four middle schools. Students were followed over the course of a school year in their inclusive science classrooms as they alternated between the use of traditional curricular materials for some units of study and materials that were supplemented with video games and alternative print-based texts to more closely align with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) guidelines during other units. Findings indicate that video games and supplemental text were effective at providing students with multiple means of representation and expression. The UDL-aligned units led to heightened levels of student engagement. There were no significant differences on posttest scores when students with LD were compared with peers without LD. Students’ performance did not indicate significant differences between UDL-aligned units and those taught using traditional curricular materials. Findings suggest a need for alternative assessments to measure learning outcomes during UDL-aligned units. Implications for practice and areas of future research are discussed.

Students of all ages and abilities must be given the opportunity to learn academic skills that can shape future opportunities and careers. Researchers in the mid-1970s and 1980s began teaching young students the processes of computer programming using basic coding skills and limited technology. As technology became more personalized and easily accessible in the early 2000s, there was renewed interest in preparing students with the computer programming skills necessary for their education and possible career choices. The purpose of this single case study was to explore the feasibility of teaching early elementary students with Down syndrome basic computer programming skills using evidence-based practices (i.e., explicit instruction), physical manipulatives, and a robot. All participants (n = 3) successfully completed the intervention. Results, limitations, and future research directions are discussed.

As online K-12 instruction increases, researchers have expressed concerns about online learning for students with disabilities. This study investigates online writing instruction for students with learning disabilities (LDs) using synchronous online collaborative writing software to investigate effects of self-regulated strategy development for strategy instruction in persuasive writing (POW þ TREE). Four adolescents with LD and low achievement in writing participated in a multiple probe across participants design to investigate a functional relation between instruction and essay elements (EEs). All participants increased (a) EEs, (b) correct minus incorrect word sequences, and (c) standard score changes. Implications for online learning in writing for students with LD are discussed.

In a technological society, demands for higher literacy are ever increasing, creating grievous consequences for those who fail to meet these demands (National Research Council, 1998). Both legislative mandates, such as NCLB, and developments in the provision of reading instruction, such as RtI, have increased the demand for high quality tutoring services. However, the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE, 2005) and state officials (Richard, 2005) report that access to intensive supplemental tutoring may be limited in rural areas due to limited availability of qualified providers. One way to overcome this obstacle is to supplement classroom instruction with live systematic, comprehensive, and explicit online reading tutoring. The purpose of this manuscript is to describe and discuss a preliminary investigation of the effects of live online reading tutoring on 4th grade students in a high minority, high poverty school in Philadelphia, PA. Although this study was not conducted in a rural location, the implications are great for rural schools where qualified tutors may be nonexistent or inaccessible. Using a distance teleconferencing system, trained and supervised undergraduate students located at Utah State University delivered tutoring. The researchers employed a multiple-baseline across participants design to determine, the effects of 1:1 online reading tutoring on reading fluency scores for 3 students. In addition, they compared data on tutors' face-to-face and online tutoring behaviors. Data collected from parents, teachers, tutees, and tutors evaluating the effectiveness, efficiency, and feasibility of online tutoring for remediating students' skill deficiencies are presented and discussed.

This study examined the effects of online reading instruction for at-risk fourth-grade students in Philadelphia. The authors used a multiple baseline design to assess the extent to which the students increased their oral reading rate given systematic supplemental online reading instruction. Tutoring consisted of 4 sessions per week with 50-min lessons of instruction delivered over Adobe Connect™. Analysis of the multiple baseline across participants revealed gains in oral reading fluency for all participants when placed into the synchronous online tutoring program. Participating students and tutors reported an awareness of increased reading skills and value of synchronous online instruction. Teachers and parents generally reported that students demonstrated increased reading skills after receiving instruction.

Federal legislation requires equitable access to education for all students at all levels, including in the postsecondary setting. While there have been a few studies in the chemistry education research literature base focused on how to support students with specific disabilities, this work seems to exist as a separate stream of research without direct impact on curriculum development and the overall community. This study focused on investigating how well three sets of general chemistry curricular materials support variations in students’ abilities, interests, and needs. To accomplish this, we compared the curricular materials with the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework, which describes steps to account for variations in ability among learners during curriculum development. The UDL framework is organized into three guidelines (multiple means of representation, action and expression, and engagement), further delineated by nine principles and thirty-one finer-grained checkpoints for designing courses. We looked for examples of enactment of the UDL checkpoints in a representative sample of activities. Across all three sets of curricular materials, only four of the thirty-one checkpoints were enacted in at least 75% of the activities, indicating high enactment. On the other hand, eleven of the checkpoints were enacted in less than 25% of the activities, indicating low enactment. Overall, there is much room for improvement in consistently providing support for learner variation within these general chemistry curricular materials. We argue that some of the burden of making curricular materials supportive of all students lies with curriculum developers and provide recommendations for improving support and accessibility.