The Individualized Education Program (IEP) is intended to serve as a planning tool to ensure that school teams provide students with disabilities a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) (Blackwell & Rosetti, 2014). An essential step in the IEP process includes the development of meaningful and measurable IEP goals based on students’ present levels of performance and specific areas of need (Christle & Yell, 2010). Despite the significant role that the IEP plays in meeting legal requirements of the IDEA, research has shown that the quality of IEPs for students with disabilities is generally low (Blackwell & Rosetti, 2014; Rakap, 2015), especially for students with autism (Etscheid, 2003). Research evaluating IEP quality for students with autism revealed that many IEPs failed to include goals and objectives that addressed students’ deficits in social communication or social interactions (Ruble, McGrew, Dalrymple, & Jung, 2010) despite explicit recommendations for best practices (NRC, 2001). The purpose of this study was to train pre-service teachers to use results from a curriculum-based assessment to write quality IEP goals and objectives for students with autism. The study used a randomized group design in which undergraduate students (N = 32) enrolled in an introductory special education course were randomly assigned to a training group. Participants assigned to the Captivate Group (n = 16) participated in a series of interactive eLearning modules in which there were opportunities for the learners to respond to questions and engage in various learning interactions. The training provided to participants in the Video Group (n = 16) served as a treatment-as-usual condition in which participants viewed video recordings of the eLearning modules, but did not have opportunities to engage in any learning interactions. A two-way mixed analysis of variance was conducted to examine within group differences from pre- to post- test and between group differences based on the method of eLearning training received. Additional analyses were conducted in order to compare the quality of goals and objectives written for academic skills and goals targeting communication skills. Results indicated significant improvement for both groups on the quality of written goal and objectives from pre- to post-test . Although the Captivate Group performed slightly better on the post-test, there was no significant effect for training received. Additional analyses examining group outcomes on specific quality indicators revealed some noteworthy differences between groups. The data also confirmed statistically significant differences between participants’ total academic scores and total communication scores at pre-test, meaning that goals and objectives written for academic skills met more quality indicators compared to goals and objectives written for communication skills. A second paired samples t-test on participants’ post-test totals showed significant differences in quality for the Video Group, but not the Captivate Group. / Special Education

Students with special needs are often placed in agriculture and other CTE classes. Literature has shown that teachers often feel unprepared to deal with this population of students. The Theory of Planned Behavior framed this case study of an exemplar agriculture teacher. Evidence of the teacher's planned behavior was supported by triangulation of interviews with the teacher, special education coordinator, special education aide, and lesson plans. This triangulation also showed that the teacher is an exemplar agriculture teacher in his work with students with special needs. Multiple themes emerged from the analysis of the interviews. An important theme was the need for agriculture teachers to participate in IEP meeting either by attending in person or by providing feedback prior to the meeting. Another important theme was the need for materials to be adapted for students with special needs both within lesson plans and as needed while the teacher is teaching the lesson. Recommendations for practice include providing information about special education laws, disabling conditions, and information on utilizing Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to pre-service and in-service teachers. It is also recommended that teacher preparation programs include having pre-service teachers work with students with special needs. Professional development workshops that discuss best practices for teachers when working with students with special needs can be beneficial. It is important for teachers to realize that not all students are the same but that everyone is better served if all teachers do their best at helping students achieve their highest potential. Because in the end, we all just want to be accepted for who we are. / Doctor of Philosophy / Students with special needs are often placed in agriculture and other CTE classes. This dissertation was a case study of a model agriculture teacher. It looked at the teacher's behavior to determine if his work with students with special needs was planned. The importance of a teacher planning their behavior towards students with special needs is important from both a lesson planning viewpoint and also while the teacher is teaching. Multiple recommendations came out of the study. One recommendation included the need for programs that prepare agriculture teachers to have these individuals work with students with special needs while they are still in their teacher preparation program. Professional development workshops for current agriculture teachers should include information on best practices for working with students with special needs. It is important for teachers to realize that not all students are the same but that everyone is better served if all teachers do their best at helping students achieve their highest potential. Because in the end, we all just want to be accepted for who we are.

Through my experiences interning as a first-year teacher of underprivileged students, I have learned that being an educator is more than a career, it is a lifestyle. It is not a job title, but an identity we inhabit. This year my role as an educator consumed every part of me; mind, body, and soul. It pushed me to analyze my identity, critique my privilege, study learning theories, implement various pedagogies, evaluate meaningful content and research contextual situations. Through this process of self-discovery and research, I have determined my educational philosophy to be: children are born with greatness and have unique experiences that can be crafted into excellence through emancipatory environments that are mentally, physically, and socially inclusive.

Individual Education Plans and the means of creating a sustainable platform for children with learning difficulties is a subject of vast discussion. The original idea was to create a system in which the documentation of certain students with learning difficulties would lead to precautions being taken in order to eradicate difficulties and improve student’s abilities to excel in studies. However, in practice, the IEPs proved less functioning and the special needs of students were not attained accordingly to the theoretical approach. In some aspects the IEPs were a helpful tool to create sustainability for students with special needs, but in the long term the IEPs seemed to provide less support and more segregation. The usage of individual education plans in the Swedish school, as well as Irish- and British schools, had its own theoretical standpoints within each faculty. For some schools the IEP was used as a tool to reflect that the institution indeed followed the guidelines set for special education, in order to protect institutional activities. For other schools there was a normative behavioral standard to be measured through IEPs, in these certain scenarios the IEP served as a tool to create a “normal” behavior for the students that showed certain social “problems”. In many regards these behavioral precautions did not have any actual relation to said student’s special education needs. In this study we examine how the theoretical approach to the IEPs was regarded and how these theoretical ideas have been implemented in practice. In this study we also present a discussion about how the theoretical and practical usage of IEPs is in any form regarded as positive or negative, in accordance to the scientific approach of special education.

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The table below lists (a) each effective practice in secondary transition, (b) the operational definition of the practice based on empirical research, (c) corresponding reference(s) used to establish the practice, and (d) the student population with whom the practice was established. The level of evidence [evidence-based, research-based, or promising]—is noted under each practice in brackets. Visit https://transitionta.org/topics/effective-practices/ for information pertaining to how these effective practices were identified.

As soon as the school realise that a student has special needs, they must make an Individual educational plan (IEP). When the IEP is made both child and parents should participate according to Swedish educational law and United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. This participation should, among other things, include the opportunity for the child to describe its own needs, plausible interventions and evaluate the support it has been given.    The purpose of this study has been to investigate more closely the perceived feeling of parents that they and their children were made involved in the creation of the IEP.  As a theoretical basis and starting point for analysis, Shier's and Hart's participation models have been used, supplemented with Lundy's participation model. Concepts from Foucault's theory of power and Bourdieu's theories of capital have been used as a complement. The design of the study was a qualitative interview study with a phenomenological focus where the focus was on the informants' own experience. Based on this, a thematic analysis was carried out. The themes that emerged were an experience of communication but not of participation, that the IEP is seen as a document that does not reflect reality, that the children´s participation is extremely deficient and that the parents are used as mouthpieces for the child. In the majority of the interviews, it emerged that the child was not asked at all about its opinion regarding its needs and the interventions it was offered.  This study was limited to the parents´ experience of their and their children´s participation in the establishment and evaluation of the IEP. Future studies could explore other perspectives on the phenomenon, such as the school´s or the child´s own perspective. However, after seeing how the results of the study reflect the shortcomings demonstrated by several years of studies in the field, future research should instead focus on how the school can practically increase participation and create a culture that values children´s participation highly and sets this as a priority. / Så snart skolan uppmärksammar behov av särskilt stöd ska ett åtgärdsprogram upprättas. I upprättandet av åtgärdsprogrammet ska barn och föräldrar göras delaktiga, både utifrån Skollagen och Barnkonventionen. Delaktigheten ska bestå i att barnet bland annat ges möjlighet att själv beskriva sina svårigheter, tänkbara åtgärder och får utvärdera insatser.  Syftet med denna studie har varit att närmare undersöka den upplevda känslan hos föräldrar av att de och deras barn gjorts delaktiga vid framställandet av åtgärdsprogrammet.  Som teoretisk grund och utgångspunkt för analys har använts Shiers och Harts delaktighetsmodeller som kompletterats med Lundys delaktighetsmodell. Begrepp från Foucaults maktteori och Bourdieus teorier om kapital har använts som ett komplement. Studiens design var en kvalitativ intervjustudie med fenomenologisk inriktning där fokus var på informanternas egen upplevelse. Utifrån detta genomfördes en tematisk analys. De teman som framkom var en upplevelse av kommunikation men inte av delaktighet, att åtgärdsprogrammet ses som ett dokument som inte speglar verkligheten, att barnens delaktighet är ytterst bristfällig och att föräldrarna används som språkrör för barnet. I majoriteten av intervjuerna framkom att barnet inte överhuvudtaget tillfrågats om sin åsikt kring sina behov och de insatser det erbjudits. Denna studie begränsades till föräldrarnas upplevelse av deras och deras barns delaktighet i upprättandet och utvärderingen av åtgärdsprogrammet. Framtida studier skulle kunna utforska andra perspektiv på fenomenet, som skolans eller barnets eget perspektiv. Efter att ha sett hur studiens resultat speglar de brister flera års studier inom området påvisat så bör dock framtida studier i stället fokusera på hur skolan praktiskt ska öka delaktigheten och skapa en kultur som värderar barns delaktighet högt och sätter detta som en prioritet.

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Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / In recent years, there has been an increase in special education complaints filed against school corporations for noncompliance with the terms of the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) established in a Case Conference Committee meeting. Case Conference Committees include parents/guardians, Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) students, and educators. Parents/guardians are equal partners to the school corporation when developing the IEP. Disagreements within Case Conference Committee (CCC) meetings can lead to strained relationships. During Case Conference Committee Meetings, parents/guardians may disagree with educators related to managing the student’s IEP (Indiana Department of Education, 2021). Consequently, a parent/guardian of a SLD student may file a complaint or due process hearing resulting from poor communication between parties during or after a Case Conference Meeting (McQuerrey, 2019). The Critical Organizational Communication Theory was applied in exploring if parents/guardians experienced the Indiana IEP Resource Center’s common issues in CCC meetings including: the lack of (1) Communication, (2) Preparation, (3) Clarity, (4) Respect, and (5) Transparency. A narrative approach was used to tell the stories of parents/guardians and SLD students’ experience in CCC meetings.