Traditional literacy practices using print-based texts exclude students with complex support needs from the full range of literacy activities provided to peers without disabilities, which may limit them to low-level literacy skills or functional skills. By contrast, by including various forms of representation and text, multiliteracies are…

A review of State Department of Education and school district websites was conducted to determine how policy related to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) was communicated to teachers of students with severe disabilities. Four states were selected: California, New York, Illinois, and Pennsylvania. State Department of Education websites and…

Adapted shared storybook reading has been demonstrated to be effective at increasing both engagement and comprehension during shared storybook reading for elementary-aged students with exceptional needs. Research on these methods has primarily been conducted with students in self-contained elementary classrooms and has lacked evidence of…

To explore the accessibility of school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports (SWPBIS) for students with severe disabilities, we conducted a survey of 179 schools implementing SWPBIS during the 2015-2016 school year. Personnel from each school reported the frequency and level of importance of SWPBIS implementation across Likert-type…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the experiences and perceptions of 10 first-year teachers who had been trained to provide evidence-based practices, including integrated services and supports, and subsequently took jobs in self-contained, special education elementary and middle-school classrooms designated for students with…

The purpose of this research study was to determine how Community Based Instruction (CBI) affects the social skills of middle school students with moderate to severe disabilities. Community Based Instruction is instruction that takes place outside of the school campus and provides students with real life experiences that can help them become more…

Teaching students with severe disabilities is a complex endeavor, and the skills and qualities of expert teachers for students with severe disabilities are not well understood. A lack of understanding about the unique roles and expertise of teachers of students with severe disabilities can influence the quality of education students with severe…

The purpose of this research study was to determine how Community Based Instruction (CBI) affects the social skills of middle school students with moderate to severe disabilities. Existing literature is limited in findings related to the influence of CBI on middle school students with moderate to severe disabilities. This qualitative study was…

Purpose: The purpose of this quantitative research was to examine what relationships, if any, exist between the independent variable of burnout and dependent variables of job satisfaction for special education teachers who work with students who have moderate to severe disabilities ages 5 to 22 in a Southern California school district.…

California's system of special education served about 718,000 students in 2014-15, or about 11.5 percent of the K-12 population. It is expensive, consuming some $12 billion in federal, state, and local dollars annually. Special education operates within a legal framework that sets it apart from the rest of the K-12 system. The state's enactment of…

The state of California has recently emerged from deep recession and associated reductions in early childhood programs and has moved into a period of reinvestment in child care, preschool, and transitional kindergarten (TK). In fiscal year (FY) 2014-15, the Budget Act included over $273 million for early learning and child development and restored…

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of "Picture Exchange Communication System" (PECS) training, using a multiple baseline design on the independent initiations of three adults with developmental disabilities and severe communication deficits. All participants increased their independent initiations, although at different…

Moving Forward Towards Independence, a California-based nonprofit organization founded in 1998 by a group of parents, is a unique residential program where young adults with disabilities learn to enjoy productive, fulfilling and healthy lives within a caring, responsive community made up of fellow residents, trained staff members, parents and…

The study compared the characteristics of individuals residing in either institutional or community settings in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, and one regional center in California. The results show that the more severely mentally retarded persons, with their attendant handicaps and maladaptive behavior, are still likely to be found in an…

School districts are central players in the child care delivery system: they operate a mix of child care centers and programs, serve a range of children of different ages, and fund their programs from a variety of federal, state, and local sources. This report provides a range of programmatic and fiscal information about the federal and state…