The rising number of students in schools identified as being on the autism spectrum has placed pressure on school leaders and staff to gain knowledge and take on new practice. A school-wide autism competency (SAC) approach utilises the research on elements of effective practice to build the capacity of school leaders and staff to create inclusive…

The aim of this study is to design, develop, implement and evaluate an accessible mass open learning platform for visually impaired individuals. The study group consists of experts in the field who want to contribute to the study voluntarily with the snowball sampling method and have not used the platform before, with or without visual impairment.…

COVID-19-related school closures and the need for millions of learners to learn at home created additional pressures for parents and caregivers who were suddenly responsible for their children's education, often with limited support or resources. When schools closed, a flood of home learning materials and activities circulated online, but too few…

Inclusivity is a crucial factor in assessment design as fair assessment must reflect the needs of a diverse student body. Assessment practices should also be culturally inclusive and supportive to all students while considering the needs of learners with disabilities and specific learning difficulties. Educational institutions worldwide are…

This article presents the application of the interactive dynamic literacy (IDL) model (Kim, 2020a) toward understanding difficulties in learning to read and write. According to the IDL model, reading and writing are part of communicative acts that draw on largely shared processes and skills as well as unique processes and skills. As such, reading…

Special education teachers ensure equitable access to education for 7.2 million public school students with disabilities. According to the January 2022 results of the National Center for Education Statistics school survey, 45% of responding schools reported that special education was identified as the teaching area with the most vacancies. This…

There is a process within the special education program that directly links a child's educational program with their plans for the future. It is called a Transition Plan and is part of the Individualized Education Plan (IEP). Transition services are a coordinated set of activities for a child with a disability designed to be used within a…

This report provides an update on the state of the research on testing accommodations. Previous reports by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) have covered research published since 1999. In this report, we summarize the research published in 2019. During 2019, 11 research studies were published on the topic of testing accommodations…

College persistence rates for students with emotional behavioral disorders (EBD) are lower than same age peers. College students with EBD manifesting internalizing behaviors who graduated from one independent northeastern therapeutic high school (INTHS) had low first-year college retention rates despite high college admission rates. The purpose of…

The Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Investment met to hear testimony on ''Keeping the Pell Grant Promise: Increasing Enrollment, Supporting Success.'' The meeting was entirely remote. The aim of the meeting was to examine trends related to Pell eligible students' access to public four-year institutions, the State and institutional…

As required by 20 U.S.C. 1407 and 34 C.F.R. § 300.199, the Ohio Department of Education is identifying in writing to local educational agencies and the United States Department of Education the state-imposed special education rules, regulations, and policies adopted by the State Board of Education that are not required by Part B of the Individuals…

This document supports high-quality Child Outcomes Summary (COS) ratings by helping teams connect their observations of children's functional skills and behaviors with three child outcomes: (1) Positive Social-Emotional Skills; (2) Acquisition and Use of Knowledge and Skills; and (3) Use of Appropriate Behaviors to Meet Needs. Effectively aligning…

Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) requires all students, including those with disabilities, to be served in the least restrictive environment (LRE) or mainstream classroom. However, a gap exists between the LRE requirement and the practice of including students with disabilities, especially those with emotional behavior disability…

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires that students receive a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE). Yet, research shows that middle school teachers do not feel prepared to work with students with special needs in the inclusive classroom (Mackey, 2014; Nagro et al., 2017;…

Minority students continue to be disproportionately recommended for special education services in the United States. The problem addressed by this study is Black and Latino male middle school students are disproportionately placed in special education programs, which can have negative academic and social impacts. This problem impacts Black and…