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…

There has been a paradigm shift from accommodations to the identification of levels of accessibility (e.g., universal features, designated features, and accommodations). A consequence of this shift is that many students with disabilities who previously were assigned accommodations now access many of them as universal or designated features. This…

Special education stands at a pivotal juncture, confronting both existential challenges and transformational opportunities. The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) is not upholding its mandate of promoting the Individualized Education Program (IEP). I underscore the centrality of the IEP in the…

Meeting the academic and behavioral needs of students with and without disabilities and improving educational outcomes requires effective school-based and special education teaming. Yet, more often than not, frontline practitioners have been prepared to work individually rather than together in problem-solving teams. Furthermore, teachers receive…

As a speech-language pathologist (SLP) who knew few d/Deaf people and had little knowledge of the Deaf community, Sara Burgan, co-author of this article, reports experiencing firsthand ways in which the field of speech-language pathology has promulgated areas of weakness in the education of SLP professionals, too often resulting in a mismatch in…

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…

Despite the long-term negative outcomes associated with restraining and secluding students, these practices are frequently used in schools, with disproportionate use on students with disabilities. Based on recent guidance from the U.S. Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, misusing these practices violates student rights under the Americans…

Family-educator collaboration results in enhanced outcomes among educators, families, and, most importantly, students with disabilities. Collaboration of this nature, however, does not always occur for many reasons, including tension that arises when family and educator microcultures differ and result in communication breakdowns. Reflexivity is…

This manuscript offers an approach to secure needed SBMHS for students with disabilities through unique applications within the IEP development process, informed by an analysis of recent case law. We will discuss six components of this approach. First, the need for SBMHS must be established through evaluation data. Data sources to confirm the need…

A transition-aged youth with an individualized education program has the right to free, appropriate public education that includes postsecondary transition planning and services. The documented transition supports need to meet both procedural and substantive requirements. While many court cases have included transition components, few have been…

A transition-age youth with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) has the right to a free, appropriate public education that includes postsecondary transition planning and services. Because students with emotional-behavioral disorders (EBD) experience adverse outcomes during and after high school, they may benefit from a transition-focused…

There is a nationwide shortage of special education teachers (SETs) due, in part, to unmanageable workload expectations, which has reached crisis level. SETs are expected to modify, adapt, and accommodate general education curriculum to meet the needs of their students, communicate and collaborate with parents and general education teachers, and…

It is important for educators to collect accurate information on the academic performance of students with the most significant cognitive disabilities who may be assessed with an Alternate Assessment Aligned with Alternate Academic Achievement Standards (AA-AAAS) to inform decisions about resources, programs, instruction, and individualized…

In this article we propose a model of collaboration for school teams as a guide to the provision of effective, individualized and culturally responsive school-based mental health supports. When school teams embark on this process, they must be ready to provide a continuum of care within a comprehensive plan. Collaboration is essential when working…

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…