Title from PDF of title page (University of Missouri--Columbia, viewed on Feb 25, 2010). The entire thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file; a non-technical public abstract appears in the public.pdf file. Dissertation advisor: Dr. Gail Fitzgerald. Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2005. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 129-133). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:36:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DeboraMP_DISSERT.pdf: 2582152 bytes, checksum: 0335acaad73827e4fcf2200fa8287d93 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-02-06 / Given the paradigm of inclusive education, the presence of students with autism spectrum disorder in regular schools has become more significant in recent years. Studies have revealed, however, deficits in academic participation of these students in these settings. Among the factors contributing to this phenomenon include poor teacher training and the lack of strategies to promote curriculum access. The aim of this study was to develop an instrument that would promote academic inclusion of a student with autism through procedures that could simultaneously empower the teacher. In this perspective, the study aimed to analyze the effects of an Individualized Educational Plan (IEP), developed collaboratively with teachers, on the academic and functional development of a student with autism in an early childhood education setting. Data were collected in a private school located in the city of Natal in Rio Grande do Norte, in the course of the academic year 2012. In addition to the student with autism, one teacher, a specialized educator, and four teacher aides participated in the study. The research used a single subject quasi-experimental design (AB) as well as qualitative methods of data analysis. The study was conducted in three phases: characterization, baseline and intervention. The first comprised interviews with the child?s parents and teachers, as well as the identification of two routines focus of intervention. In the second phase, the amount of time the student spent engaged in the selected routines during baseline was analyzed. In the third phase, the researcher prepared, collaboratively with the teachers, an individualized educational plan (IEP) for the student. Finally, the IEP was implemented by the teachers. The results indicated qualitative and quantitative changes in student?s participation in academic and functional tasks after the intervention program / Diante do paradigma da Educa??o Inclusiva, a presen?a de alunos com transtorno do espectro do autismo no ensino regular tem se tornado mais expressiva nos ?ltimos anos. Estudos t?m revelado, no entanto, uma deficit?ria participa??o acad?mica desses educandos na sala de aula comum. Dentre os fatores que contribuem para esse fen?meno destacam-se a prec?ria forma??o docente e a escassez de estrat?gias que promovam o acesso desses educandos ao curr?culo regular. O objetivo do presente estudo foi desenvolver um instrumento que favorecesse a inclus?o acad?mica de um educando com autismo por meio de procedimentos que pudessem, simultaneamente, dar poder ao professor. Nessa perspectiva, o estudo visou analisar os efeitos de um Plano Educacional Individualizado (PEI), elaborado de forma colaborativa com os professores, no desenvolvimento acad?mico e funcional de um aluno com autismo no contexto da educa??o infantil. Os dados foram coletados em uma escola particular, localizada na cidade de Natal, estado do Rio Grande do Norte, no decorrer do ano letivo de 2012. Al?m do educando com autismo, participaram do estudo uma professora titular, uma professora de apoio pedag?gico e quatro professores auxiliares. A pesquisa utilizou delineamento quase experimental intrassujeito do tipo A-B (linha de base e tratamento), assim como procedimentos qualitativos de an?lise. O estudo foi realizado em tr?s etapas: caracteriza??o, linha de base e interven??o. A primeira compreendeu entrevistas com os pais e professoras do aluno, bem como a identifica??o de duas rotinas focos de interven??o. A segunda contemplou a an?lise do tempo de perman?ncia do educando nas rotinas selecionadas na fase de linha de base. Na terceira o pesquisador elaborou, de forma colaborativa com os professores, um plano educacional individualizado (PEI) para o aluno. Por fim, o PEI foi implementado pelos professores. Os resultados indicaram mudan?as qualitativas e quantitativas na participa??o do estudante nas tarefas acad?micas e funcionais ap?s o programa de interven??o

Homeschooling can provide the opportunity for an inspiring educational journey facilitated by a parent/educator. Stepping away from social norms, and fostering strong relationships, influences and supports the negotiation of this dual role in this alternative learning environment. The line between parent and educator is often blurred and challenging to tease apart as parent/educators strive to support the unique learning interests and goals of their students. In this thesis I consider the negotiation between these roles by examining the lived experience of homeschool parent/educators through the themes of relationships, normalization and ‘We are teachers’. British Columbia, Canada (BC) is the context and influences analysis, findings and recommendations. The new BC Ministry of Education’s curriculum's “transformational” focus is used to support the position taken in this thesis that parent/educators are teachers in their own right. The author’s unique experience as a homeschool parent/educator herself provides the opportunity for a greater understanding into this under researched pedagogy. / Graduate

In today's society it is necessary to have good literacy to even manage in life. When it comes to school, reading is important for success in all subjects and to acquire new knowledge. It is therefore of great importance that reading education works well in school and that student’s literacy development stimulates. The purpose of this study is to examine individualized reading education based on how three teachers in grade 2 describe their activity. The study also aims to examine the importance of formative assessment of students' reading skills before individualized reading education.   Through qualitative studies consisting interviews and observations with the teachers have three research questions been answered. The questions of the study are; how do the teachers say that they individualize reading education? How do teachers relate to individualized education? Which formative assessments are made by teachers before individualizing reading education and how do they reflect on them?   Based on, among other things, Vintereks individualization types and Sandler's theory of formative assessment, the results have shown that the teachers adapt their individual students' reading education based on their needs and circumstances. The result also shows that teachers are positive to individualize education for the students, but they believe it may be difficult when students have different needs appearing on different times as well as the time spent on the administration of the work instead of on the students. This means that circumstances in the classroom and the school's structural conditions put obstacles for teachers to individualize the education for the students completely. The teachers believe that it is important to do formative assessments of students to know where they are in their reading development and how to move forward to achieve their goals.

The purpose of the study was to investigate how parents of students with autism perceived individualized education program (IEP) meetings. I determined factors that contributed to the belief held by parents that their children were or were not being properly served by IEP meetings. Parental relationships with educators, IEP meeting experiences, IEP outcomes, and treatment by educators were revealed through participant input. Parents were asked to share their experiences of previous IEP meetings. Additionally, parents provided input regarding practices that school districts could take to improve IEP meetings, and actions that parents could take to serve as better advocates for their children. Research findings indicated that parents did not perceive themselves as being treated as equals during IEP meetings. Parents believed that their input was not valued or welcomed by educators. Not having an equal voice toward their child's education prevented parents from positively influencing outcomes in their child's IEP meetings in terms of obtaining quality services and building positive relations with educators. Parents further revealed that educators failed to implement proper IEP protocol. According to parents, student objectives agreed upon in IEP meetings were often not always fully implemented for students receiving special education services. Research findings concluded that parents new to the IEP process often experienced difficulty understanding special education law, and were unaware of services that school districts should provide for their children.Suggestions for improving IEP meetings include: educators valuing parents as equal partners during IEP meetings, educators properly adhering to IEP objectives set forth in IEP meetings, and both educators and parents taking measures to becoming more knowledgeable of special education law and the IEP process.

Articulate rationale for early assessment Describe process of assessment and feedback sessions List benefits of process based on: Objective data Opinion of interns over past 2 years

IDEIA requires a student who receives special education services to have an IEP that is specific to each student and NCLB requires that all students be taught the same knowledge and skills. The purpose of this study was to determine with which federal school law, No Child Left Behind (NCLB) or Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA), school districts in Mississippi are choosing to comply and what drives that decision. The research questions were: (a) Are Mississippi school districts choosing to comply with NCLB or IDEIA when writing IEPs for their students receiving special education services? and (b) What are the reasons for that decision? A multiple-case design was used in this study resulting in a more convincing explanation because when more cases are involved variation increases across the studies. Real-life applications and issues were noted in case studies. The researcher was the main instrument for data collection and analysis. Three school districts participated in the study that included 11 teachers. Five themes emerged from the case studies. Those were: (a) teacher opposition, (b) out-of-level testing, (c) achievement test preparation, (d) lack of written guidelines, and (e) different approaches in meeting educational needs of students receiving special education services. Recommendations included: (a) development of guidelines for special education students who do not take the grade level MCT , (b) mandatory training on standardized IEP guidelines, (c) further study on report of numbers of special education students within schools, (d) further study on self-concept of special education students who participate in out-of-level instruction and testing, (e) comparative study of inclusion and resource students using MCT as pre- and post-test.

No description available.

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.