<p> This study focuses on progress monitoring regarding CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words with three first grade students. The aim of this project is to find the most appropriate frequency of assessment in progress monitoring of first grade students who receive Tier 2 response to intervention for consonant vowel consonant words over a three-month period. Three students were chosen to participate in Response to Intervention (RTI) for literacy. These students received twenty minutes of RTI instruction four days a week. Response to Intervention is a process used by educators to help students who are struggling with a skill or lesson. These three students needed additional instruction with consonant vowel consonant (CVC) words. Each of the three students were progress monitored and assessed either twice a week, once a week, or biweekly. Data was collected on each student to show progress during the three-month period. The purpose of this study is to learn which frequency of progress monitoring is appropriate for students to gain progress over a length of time when receiving RTI instruction. </p><p>

The key research issue of this thesis is what professional key stakeholders perceive as the factors that result in some Pupil Referral Units (PRUs) being more successful than others. This is a qualitative study of data which was collected between 2006 and 2009 using chaos and complexity theory as a theoretical framework. In establishing what a successful PRU is, the study identified two types of PRU provision: - Primary and Key StageS PRUs: staff work to reintegrate students into mainstream schools after a period of intervention. - Key Stage4 PRUs: integration into college or work placement is seen as being more appropriate routes for older students. In addition KS4 PRU provision was perceived more as a 'long-term' provision to provide continuity and stability during the examination period. The study provides a brief overview of early educational provision before looking at the introduction and development of PRUs in England and Wales. The study analyses responses by Estyn and Ofsted HMI teams to quality and standards within PRUs and goes on to present key stakeholder perceptions of PRUs. Factors that impact on the quality of a PRU are then identified and discussed with the main element being identified as the characteristics of the PRU head teacher. Finally the study suggests a new model of leadership and management qualities that contribute to a successful PRU.

<p> The aim of this study is to determine if students in special education receive a benefit to their self-esteem by learning about the concept of growth mindset. Many times, students in special education find that their deficits become the focus of their educational experience. I hope to show that teaching children the idea of growth mindset, the belief that an individual can improve his or her abilities, will provide a positive boost in school performance. Data will be collected via surveys both before and after a series of growth mindset videos are shown to students that are currently receiving special education services. Each potential subject will have a letter sent home to parents explaining the study and asking for consent to have their child participate. Students will remain anonymous with pseudonyms assigned to participants for any notes, and a different teacher assigning all students a number for the surveys.</p><p>

<p> The aim of this project is to determine if physical education has a positive or negative impact on special education students in the following areas: attention, energy, participation, and mood. I hope to benefit the special education field and bring attention to how physical movement can improve the lives of children with disabilities. The data will be collected through observations. The teacher assistant will conduct the observations of the students within the classroom in four 15-minute increments totaling one-hour immediately following physical education class. A check list will be used to identify if the following areas observed either increased or decreased: attention, energy, participation and mood. The select students to be observed will have a letter sent home to parents to inform them of my research and to ask for consent for observations of their child. Students will remain anonymous, as pseudonyms will be used to identify them. Personal interviews will be conducted with the student&rsquo;s teacher to discuss the results of the observations.</p><p>

<p> The project will consider how paraprofessionals are trained for their jobs and how this can affect how they feel about their place of employment. Paraprofessionals are called upon to provide service and care to individuals who need extra assistance. However, in order to properly perform specific parts of their jobs, they need to have proper trainings that explain how to execute these responsibilities. This project will examine how paraprofessionals are trained for their job by comparing the checklist of training required by one school&rsquo;s HR department along with what is actually occurring within the classrooms they work in on a daily basis and how these trainings can affect job satisfaction based upon self-disclosure. Some of these responsibilities include taking proper academic data and behavioral data, implementing specific strategies such as when to offer an individual a break, and knowing when to give a consequence such as implementing classroom management strategies.</p><p> In this study, paraprofessionals will use rating scales to evaluate themselves and how they feel about their skills for particular tasks they complete on a daily basis such as helping students with toileting, following and implementing behavior plans, using sensory strategies, and modeling communication through the use of a communication device as well as their overall job perceptions. In addition, experts will be rating the paraprofessionals within their field of expertise, which means the Speech and Language Pathologist will rate the paraprofessionals&rsquo; performance in using communication strategies, the Occupational Therapist will rate the paraprofessionals&rsquo; use of OT/sensory strategies, the Behavior Therapist will rate the accuracy of behavior data and implementing behavior strategies, and the classroom teacher will rate the accuracy of academic data and pushing the students to become more independent within the classroom. Each expert will then lead a paraprofessional training session and provide tips and strategies that the paraprofessionals can then use when their students. Once all the trainings are completed, the paraprofessionals will rate themselves again and the experts will rate the paraprofessionals&rsquo; performance. These ratings will then be compared to the ratings conducted at the beginning of the project to determine if the trainings had any effect on the paraprofessionals&rsquo; job performance and job perceptions.</p><p>

<p> This study examined the contribution of adult directed lessons to student social engagement as part of a multicomponent procedure of adult directed lessons and child specific prompting with peer support delivered to four elementary-aged students with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Prior to intervention, each participant exhibited deficits in social engagement compared to same-age peers. The study was conducted in two phases. In Phase One, assessment, interviews, rating scales, and observations were conducted to determine the social skills deficits of each student. During Phase Two, intervention, a individualized intervention plan was implemented using adult directed lessons and child specific prompting with peer support. Using a combined ABC and reversal (A-B-BC-B-BC), a functional relation between the full intervention and immediate increase in social engagement was demonstrated. When the intervention procedures returned to adult directed individualized social skills lessons <i>only</i>, a rapid decrease in social engagement occurred. Reinstatement of the full intervention procedure resulted in high levels of social engagement. Generalization across peers was evident and maintenance data indicated high levels of social engagement for three out of the four participants. Implications, limitations, and directions for future research are presented.</p><p>

<p> The current study examined the relationship between the dismissal of the young child with developmental delays (YCDD) from the individual educational plan (IEP) prior to kindergarten and later requalification for special education services. The primary purpose of the study was to provide stakeholder perceptions of current practices regarding meeting the needs of four former YCDD students. The perceptions came through interviews with former YCDD students, their parents, teachers, administrators and, additionally, data from interventions, state assessments and survey. </p><p> Data showed that the relationship between dismissal and requalification for services showed low achievement from all four former YCDD students. All four focus students did requalify for special education services. In addition, the stakeholder&rsquo;s perceptions revealed recurring themes and implications for practice. Given the small sample utilized for the current study, the findings may not be generalized to all children with a former YCDD diagnosis. Results provided implications for keeping the diagnosis through kindergarten transition and researching the study on a larger scale.</p><p>

<p> Students with Emotional Disabilities (ED) graduate from high school at rates far below their peers. The completed study utilized archival data from former students&rsquo; special education folders and from a nondisabled comparison group to examine variables that had previously been studied in relation to graduation (e.g., repeating ninth grade, extracurricular participation) along with variables identified from the folders of the former students. The descriptive quantitative study identified variables that predicted graduation for individuals with ED and the differences between the variables for individuals with ED and the nondisabled group. The results indicated that GPA and extracurricular participation positively predicted graduation while the number of years spent in 9^th grade negatively predicts graduation for both groups. Specifically for students with ED, student attendance at special education meetings was statistically significant for predicting graduation.</p><p>

<p> This qualitative study was designed to gain insight on Jewish leaders&rsquo; conceptualizations and access to IDEA funding for their parentally placed private school children when Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) is not at issue. &nbsp;Additionally, this study explored the various ways Jewish leaders aid and advocate for these students. &nbsp;The current literature on parentally placed private school children with disabilities and IDEA funding is limited (Taylor, 2005). Therefore, this study sought to bridge this gap and inform policy makers, practitioners, and parents on the complexities of this topic. The methodology consisted of in-depth interviews and document collection and analysis. Participants were selected through a snowball sampling technique and were Jewish leaders from Jewish Day Schools in the Mid-Atlantic region: Maryland, Washington D.C. and Virginia. &nbsp;Their roles included principals, division heads, heads of school, and learning specialists. &nbsp;In-depth interviews were conducted with each participant over a span of two and a half months. Then these interviews were carefully read, transcribed, and coded using both In Vivo and descriptive codes. &nbsp;Six rich themes emerged through coding and document analysis. &nbsp;Documents collected were both private and public documents and were coded in a similar manner. &nbsp;The themes that emerged are as follows; <i>Leader, Parent, and Educator Knowledge, A Jewish Day School&rsquo;s Internal Process, Building Relationships with Stakeholders, Utilizing Internal and External Resources, The Belief of Inequity, </i> and <i>Mission and Advocacy.</i> The themes were tied back to the conceptual framework and answered the research questions that guided the study. Methods of validity included triangulation and member checks. Maxwell&rsquo;s (2013) research design ensured that there was consistent reflection and interaction between the goals, conceptual framework, methods, validity, and research questions of the study. In conclusion, the findings of this research hope to heighten awareness to Jewish educators, schools, and communities. </p><p>

<p> <b>Purpose.</b> Following recent federal legislation and related policy changes, co-teaching evolved rapidly as a strategy to provide students with disabilities access to the same curriculum as students without disabilities while receiving instruction in the least restrictive environment. It is unclear if co-teaching is an effective instructional strategy for educating students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment. The purpose of this causal-comparative study was to determine if there was a significant difference in students with disabilities&rsquo; academic performance in co-taught versus traditional classrooms.</p><p> <b>Methodology.</b> This causal-comparative study examined the effects of co-teaching on California students with disabilities&rsquo; performance on the Smarter Balanced assessments. Data were collected from 3 school districts representing 10 comprehensive high schools; 641 test results from the spring 2016 Smarter Balanced assessments of 11th-grade students with disabilities from co-taught and traditional classrooms in English and mathematics were compared using an independent samples <i>t</i> test.</p><p> <b>Findings.</b> Analysis of the 641 Smarter Balanced test results produced the following findings: (a) students with disabilities primarily receive instruction in the traditional classroom; (b) in co-taught classrooms, students&rsquo; primary disability was typically a specific learning disability; (c) <i>t</i>-test results indicated a significant difference in English test scores for students receiving English instruction in co-taught versus traditional classrooms; (d) <i>t</i>-test results indicated no significant difference in mathematics scores for students receiving mathematics instruction in co-taught versus traditional classrooms. </p><p> <b>Conclusions.</b> There is a statistically significant difference in the academic achievement of students in English. While performing lower than students with disabilities in traditional classrooms, students with disabilities in co-taught classrooms received access to the grade-level curriculum in the least restrictive environment. No statistically significant difference in the academic achievement of students in mathematics was noted, suggesting students with disabilities are performing similarly in mathematics regardless of instructional setting. </p><p> <b>Recommendations.</b> It is recommended additional research focuses on the academic achievement of students with disabilities in multiple settings, traditional, co-taught, and special education classrooms, to identify potential variations in achievement related to instructional setting. Additional research may determine the instructional setting&rsquo;s impact on students&rsquo; attitude toward learning, relationships with teachers, or other social-emotional factors.</p><p>