Purpose: In response to the underexplored need for holistically inclusive makerspaces for learning, we put propose the "SCAFFOLD" framework, which considers equity, inclusion and accessibility in the design of spaces and activities for socioculturally diverse learners. Design/methodology/approach: This paper proposes a universal design…

As interest in proactive and systematic approaches to supporting positive student behavior grows, important questions remain about the ways in which special education staff and their students participate in school-wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). We report findings from a statewide study of 849 special educators…

How can education change to meet the demands of effectively educating an increasingly diverse student population with the skills, knowledge, and abilities they need to be productive and successful citizens in the 21st century? One possible solution is to create classrooms, teachers, and schools that embrace the progressive and inclusive practices…

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework for curriculum design, instruction, and assessment that gives all students equal opportunities to learn and to demonstrate what they have learned. UDL is built on the premise that there is not one kind of learning. Learning differs across tasks, across development, and among individuals. UDL is…

Universal design (UD), a concept that grew from the field of architecture, has recently emerged as a paradigm for designing instructional methods, curriculum, and assessments that are welcoming and accessible to students with a wide range of characteristics, including those related to race, ethnicity, native language, gender, age, and disability.…

Discusses ways that the special education teacher can prepare the classroom teacher, the handicapped student, nonhandicapped peers, the parents of both types of students, and administrators for the mainstreaming experience. The author's advice is summarized in a one-page checklist. This article is part of a theme issue on mainstreaming. (SJL)

This article provides guidelines and strategies that can be employed to examine the experiences and perceptions of cooperative teaching teams, to validate successful collaborative practices, and to identify practices in need of revision. It discusses interviews and surveys, use of best practices checklists, conducting teaching observations, and…

The paper is the second of a series of working papers developed by a project which conducted a cooperative study of existing student study team processes in nine California special education local plan areas. The working papers augment the final report by providing detailed descriptions of the methods used and the preliminary findings. This…

Due process is a set of procedures that seeks to ensure fairness of education decisions and accountability, for both parents and educational professionals. The due process hearing provides a forum where disagreements about the identification, evaluation, educational placement, and provision of a free appropriate public education for students with…

This monograph offers guidelines that address issues in the inclusion of students with disabilities in national, state, and district educational assessment programs. Assessments are viewed as the foundation of educational accountability systems and thus the key to efforts for educational reform. Specific criteria for reviewing, revising, and/or…

Describes a checklist for the implementation of a collaborative model for conducting field-based research. It is designed to assist university personnel in implementing quantitative single-subject research investigations in field-based settings with classroom teachers, practicum students, or related service personnel implementing the intervention…

These two technical assistance papers are designed to provide further clarification to Florida school districts regarding the completion of matrices for students with disabilities and on the documentation of the amount of services a student receives on an Individualized Education Program (IEP). The "Matrix of Services" is used to…

This monograph is intended to provide technical assistance for the implementation of the transition requirements of Public Law 105-17, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 1997. Following an introduction, individual sections present: (1) a description of the importance and intent of transition requirements for youth as they…

Addressed especially to community pediatricians, but also useful to other health workers, this manual discusses aspects of day care that require a physician's attention. Chapter I historically traces the positive effect of a nurturing environment upon the development of the infant and child, covering the period from the early 1900s to the present.…

This article offers guidelines for planning distance professional development via interactive video for special educators in rural areas. A comprehensive planning checklist is organized into nine tasks. Other suggestions address equipment and interaction tips for receiving sites and setting up the site to encourage inclusion and active…