Instructional planning is an essential skill for teaching mathematics to students with learning disabilities and other struggling learners. The authors' frame of reference is based on their experiences in developing and testing mathematic lessons for the Blending Assessment With Instruction Program (BAIP) over a five-year period. The authors…

Foremost in an effective curriculum for students with emotional and behavioral disorder (E/BD) is a high level of engaged time--time spent doing meaningful learning activities. Engaged time (time-on-task) is the portion of instructional time that students spend directly involved in learning activities. Walker and Severson (1992) defined the…

Federal policy has had a significant effect on the education of students with disabilities in the United States. From the Supreme Court cases of the 1970s to the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) accountability provisions of the early 21st Century, students with disabilities, their families, and educators who work with them have been mightily shaped…

The impact of speculative, capricious, and unreliable information on the current state of autism knowledge is difficult to judge. Notwithstanding this concession, variable and often incorrect information illustrates a significant lack of understanding about autism spectrum disorder (ASD) issues and challenges, as well as significant disagreement…

One approach to student behavior that may be particularly useful in exclusionary settings is school-wide positive behavior supports (PBS). Increasingly, evidence shows that PBS is an effective approach to student behavior in regular public schools (Sugai & Horner, 2005). While the data on behavioral systems in exclusionary schools are extremely…

Science and social studies have much to offer to all learners--including those with disabilities. However, instruction in these subjects has often been overlooked in the quest to better understand and improve leaning in English/language arts and mathematics. As we demonstrate in this paper, science and social studies help students attain skills,…

In all educational settings, youth with disabilities, particularly those with learning disability (LD) and emotional behavioral disability (EBD), frequently have difficulties in mathematics. For teachers to provide students with access to the grade-level curriculum, a reliance on empirically validated instruction is essential. In this paper, the…

Five years ago, a small group of higher education faculty at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) asked the question, "What would it look like if we created a postsecondary program for young adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) on the campus of a highly competitive four-year college?" The College of New Jersey, a state college located in…

The literature of special education generally and special education law specifically tends to use "scientifically based research" (SBR), along with its shorthand "scientifically based" variation, and related terms such as "evidence-based," "research-based," and "peer-reviewed research" (PRR) rather loosely and even interchangeably. This lack of…

As technology evolves, so does its impact on people's lives. These changes clearly affect people's daily activities, but how might they also impact education, teachers, and the lives of students with disabilities? This article focuses on technological innovations and their potential implications for students and teachers in schools. This article…

Historically, and continuing to the present, children in the primary grades receive the lion's share of attention and resources in learning to read. This makes sense: Young, early readers have a head start in achieving well not only in literacy skills, but in school in general. However, as inner-city, middle-grade teachers will readily attest,…

Special education literature abounds with a challenge to special educators to promote the acquisition of self-determination skills in their students. A critical component of self-determination that can be readily addressed in the school setting is self-advocacy. The authors believe that meeting the challenge of enhancing student's self-advocacy…

Almost every first grade has at least one Peter, one youngster who delivers the important note from his mother at the end of the day instead of in the morning and yet, he is not making much progress toward learning to read and write. He has all the characteristics that mark him as being one of those children who will struggle throughout his school…

June 22, 2007, was the 25th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Board of Education of the Hendrick Hudson Central School District v. Rowley (hereafter Rowley; 1982). In Rowley, the Supreme Court interpreted congressional intent in requiring that public schools provide a free appropriate public education (FAPE) to students with…

This article provides an overview of the charter school movement in the United States and a synthesis of the findings of the studies that have been conducted for nearly a decade by the University of Maryland in collaboration with the National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE). The research documents the evolution of…