This qualitative research study examined the implementation of high-quality Individualized Learning Plans (ILPs) in Nevada high schools. Data from participating schools were analyzed using content analysis to assess the ILP documents and implementation processes. Findings revealed a significant lack of quality ILP features, with schools struggling…

Educators are faced with many decisions regarding supporting students' writing. While writing achievement and curriculum-based measure scores provide numbers that are important for high-stakes decisions like determining special education eligibility, they do not provide educators with information on a student's explicit instruction needs. Written…

Childhood trauma is a national health crisis. As many as two out of every three children in any classroom across the country have experienced some form of trauma. Meanwhile, a recent study in Washington State showed that 80 percent of the children eligible for special education services were exposed to early childhood trauma, which has been linked…

Transition to adulthood is an important milestone for all students. Transition planning for students with disabilities (SWD) is legally mandated to prepare them for adult life. However, researchers report that teachers do not feel adequately prepared when it comes to transition. With globalization in the 21st century, U.S schools become more…

Individualized education plans (IEPs) have the potential and responsibility of providing individuals with the highest level of learning opportunities. In this guide, discover the essential steps and vital understandings for team members to create student-centered IEPs. This book simplifies the IEP writing process and provides practical strategies…

The use of data-based decision making is critical in any classroom, but especially in special education settings. "The Teacher's Guide to Action Research for Special Education in PK-12 Classrooms" describes the basic concepts of action research and how this process can support student success in the classroom and beyond. This practical,…

Executive functions, which begin developing in early childhood, are necessary for the tasks of daily life, such as decision making and planning. Despite their early development, often without teaching, many teens with disabilities need explicit instruction to acquire and apply executive functions each day. Gaps in executive functions directly…

Five days after the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its ruling in "Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District," the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued a decision in "M.C. v. Antelope Valley Union High School District." This important decision involved a student who was being served under the Individuals with…

Individual Education Programs (IEPs) are the entry point to the design of teaching and learning for students with disabilities. This guidebook provides teachers with reflective questions, a sample response bank, strategies from the research-based Learner Variability Navigator, and other resources to write strength-based IEPs. Strength-based…

"Related Services in Special Education: Working Together as a Team" is a resource for anyone who works with school-age children with disabilities to showcase the professional expertise and value-add related services providers bring to the IEP team and school community. With a theme of intentional collaboration and communication, this…

All students go through a variety of transitions throughout their life (i.e., middle school to high school, high school to the workforce). However, students with disabilities tend to experience disparities compared to their peers without disabilities in regard to in-school and postschool outcomes. One way to enhance outcomes for students with…

Although collaborating with families is essential to the success of students, especially those with disabilities (McConnell & Murawski, 2017; Yell & Bateman, 2020), it is a complicated relationship. It is a relationship bringing together people who care deeply about a child. These relationships can be emotional and include love,…

Five facts about standardized tests should cause educators to rethink their use in decision-making. Standardized tests used for state and federal accountability purposes in PreK--12 public education are not diagnostic. The test results are impacted by family income and student background knowledge. The composition of the tests disadvantage…

The National Technical Assistance Center on Transition: the Collaborative (NTACT:C) Collaborative Assessment Guide for Transition Planning (CAG) is intended to help students, family members, educators, vocational rehabilitation counselors, human services and health agency staff, and other partners develop a coordinated assessment approach for…

Co-teaching is when two or more people share instructional responsibility for all of the students assigned to them. There are many benefits to students when speech-language pathologists (SLPs) participate in co-teaching relationships with other educators and specialists by working on functional goals in the natural environment of the classroom.…