In this article, the authors introduce a scenario identifying an elementary school special education teacher and interventionist (Mr. Powers) and his concerns in meeting the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics (CCSS-M). Like many teachers, Powers uses a response-to-intervention (RTI) framework to provide supports for students who require…

Through research, shared stories have demonstrated their effectiveness in teaching literacy skills to students with disabilities, including students who are culturally and linguistically diverse. In an effort to keep pace with ever-changing technology, shared stories can be transformed into a multimedia experience using software that is commonly…

Assistive technology enables young children with disabilities to more effectively access their environment, facilitating the development of social-emotional, communicative, and cognitive skills. Research indicates that when service providers make decisions about assistive technology, they are more likely to choose low-tech options over high-tech…

Teaching students with moderate and severe intellectual disability who are early readers or nonreaders to engage with grade-level text is challenging. For this reason, purposeful thought must be given to promoting text accessibility and teaching text comprehension. Whenever possible, text should be used as it is originally written without…

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in mathematics were created to help all students become prepared for the demands of future careers and life in an age of technology. Similarly, students with moderate and severe disability will need these skills to meet these changing expectations. Although mathematics instruction could focus on a few of the…

Shared story reading is a practice that has been used successfully to promote literacy skills for all students. The benefits of shared story reading are not exclusive to literacy instruction and should carry into other disciplines such as mathematics. Using shared story reading to teach mathematics concepts can play an important role in…

Literacy and other content-specific demands presented within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) coursework can overwhelm all students and especially students with learning challenges. Although STEM content is often complex in itself (e.g., numerous multisyllabic words, lengthy expository texts, abstract concepts), some…

Evidence-based practices represent an important advance in how effective instructional practices are conceptualized and identified, which has the potential to improve the educational outcomes of children with disabilities. Because parents have unique insights and knowledge regarding their children, special educators should collaborate with parents…

This article presents the rationale for and implementation of the family message journal as a writing tool. The family message journal provides multiple opportunities for students to develop as writers while strengthening the school-home connection. This article provides examples of rhetorical moves that indicate young writers are aware of their…

This article provides a framework for designing balanced literacy instruction for individuals with significant needs. A balanced literacy approach consists of instruction in word work, reading, and writing. It is critical to realize that balanced literacy ties closely to communication. The authors promote utilizing a before, during, and after…

Check in/check out (CICO) is a secondary-tier intervention implemented within the framework of schoolwide positive behavior interventions and supports (SWPBIS) that uses school-based contingencies to encourage positive behavior. CICO is a five-step cycle which uses daily progress report cards (DPR) to monitor progress toward schoolwide or…

The need to reduce unnecessary referrals of culturally and linguistically diverse learners continues to challenge practitioners in today's schools and classrooms. Discerning learning difference from disability is fundamental to reversing the trend of misidentification and misplacement of diverse students in special education. One effective way for…

This paper presents eight practical guidelines that teachers can use to make core instruction more systematic and explicit for students with or at-risk for mathematics disabilities. In the paper, we use the notion of explicit and systematic instruction as a foundation for intensifying core math instruction. Explicit and systematic core instruction…

Behavior management remains one of the most significant challenges faced by classroom personnel. One relatively novel and promising management approach involves the use of "Consequence Maps". In this article we discuss the use of this method, including its application and evaluation. A case study of a six-year-old boy in a self-contained special…

The purpose of this article is to provide special education and general education teachers a framework (DIS[subscript 2]ECT) for teaching science in inclusive settings. DIS2ECT stands for Design (Backwards); Individualization; Scaffolding and Strategies; Experiential learning; Cooperative Learning; and Teamwork. This framework was derived from our…