Federal and state guidelines on when students with disabilities should become more active in their own special education are notoriously vague, often leaving many school districts across the United States to their own interpretations on the appropriateness of when and how to do so. This is especially pertinent for younger students with…

This research aims to examine how Resource Room practice is utilised for students with special education needs (SEN) at a general education middle school where inclusive education is implemented. Accordingly, an embedded single case has been opted for the research design. The research participants include two students with SEN, five teachers, one…

Extended time for testing is frequently recommended despite the possibility that it may have unintended negative effects. Test process data, now commonly available "via" computer-based testing programs, can offer objective information about who uses and experiences higher scores when using more than typical testing time. NWEA MAP test…

Adolescents who have been diagnosed with disabilities constitute a significant portion of the school population in the United States. For example, the National Survey of Children's Health identified one in four children ages 12 to 17 as having special healthcare needs in 2019 (Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health, n.d.). In the…

Self-advocacy skills enable active student involvement in the Individualized Education Program (IEP) planning process. However, some students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) lack appropriate self-advocacy skills and may require specific instruction in how to prepare for and participate in their own IEP. Special educators may have…

Students present with mental health needs and posttraumatic stress symptoms, yet they largely do not receive necessary services. Since schools are an ideal setting for students to receive mental health services, Mental Health Action Plans (MHAPs) were developed to define and detail the ways in which student mental health needs can be addressed at…

This study is a phenomenological analysis of the experiences of members of an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) team when an appreciative approach is taken during the IEP process in a middle school in rural New England. The specific phenomenon studied is individuals' experience when student strengths are discussed explicitly as an IEP is…

Students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) may benefit from specific instruction on ways to prepare for and participate in their own Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings. In this article, we describe the application of a research-based self-directed IEP process that can be used by educators to effectively foster…

The purpose of this study was to determine whether peer mentors and inclusive practices in the Foundations program increased students' IEP goal progress. Study participants consisted of 8th grade typical peers and 6th through 8th grade students in the Foundations Program in the Appoquinimink School District. Peer mentors inquired and were selected…

Annual goals are an essential component of Individual Educational Programs (IEP), which are developed for students with disabilities, and which are informed by data. However, the methods and practices that special educators use to make sense of data to inform the annual IEP goals represent a gap in research literature. This qualitative study was…

The qualitative research study was guided by the following research questions: What factors impede how parental advocacy works in collaboration with the IEP team, and what motivates parents to be involved and/or engaged with their child? The qualitative study examined the everyday experiences of parents and school personnel as they collaborate to…

Co-teaching is a popular service delivery option for students with learning disabilities (LD), yet its overall efficacy is questionable. Variance in teachers, students, quality of instruction, and types of co-teaching make it challenging to meet criteria for quality group experimental study. Schools must determine the effectiveness of their…

The COVID-19 pandemic caused some serious setbacks in primary and secondary education wordlwide. In 2021, the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research (MoER) contracted a group of researchers and expert teachers to design and validate of a set of innovative digital learning resources that support personalized learning paths to meet the needs of…

Background/Context: As of Fall 2021, approximately 7.3 million students between the ages 6 to 21 were served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which accounts for approximately 15%of students in that age range (U.S. Department of Education, 2022). Students with disabilities receiving special education services are guaranteed a…

Despite national attention for academic success, data shows that students with disabilities in the Appoquinimink School District do not share in this success. The district boasts a large enrollment in AP courses and high scores in both the state standardized tests and AP exams. However, students with disabilities consistently perform well below…