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This study employed four waves of Institute of Education Sciences nationally representative data to investigate changes in K-12 technology and engineering education teachers in terms of demographics, qualifications, and service loads over time through the 2007-2008 and 2011-2012 Schools and Staffing Surveys and the 2015-2016 and 2017-2018 National Teacher and Principal Surveys. Gender, age, teaching experience, race, employment status, certification status, certification pathway, teacher placement, educational level, student caseload, categorical student caseload, limited English proficiency caseload, and service load were examined. Most of the characteristics that were examined experienced a modest degree of movement over time.

In the United States, the population of students classified as English Language Learners (ELLs) in K-12 education has increased in recent decades. As a result, teachers outside of specialized linguistic courses have needed to adapt their instruction to better meet the needs of these students. This exploratory study investigates potential indicators of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) teachers' preparedness to work with ELLs, in comparison with the rates of ELLs in STEM courses. Data for this study were obtained from the national restricted-access datasets of the 2007-2008 and 2011-2012 School and Staffing Survey (SASS) Teacher Questionnaire (TQ). STEM teachers' participation in ELL-focused professional development activities, credentialing related to ELLs, and ELL populations in STEM teachers' courses were analyzed to quantify changes in these measures over time and among the STEM disciplines. Regional analysis of STEM teacher populations and ELL populations in STEM classes was also conducted to examine how these factors differed across the United States. Analyses of these data indicated increases in the percentage of STEM teachers who have ELLs in their service loads and in the average number of ELLs in teacher service loads; these trends were present in all U.S. regions and in all STEM disciplines. However, the total number of STEM teachers who participated in ELL-focused professional development activities increased only slightly over the four-year span. To effectively teach the growing ELL student population, STEM teachers must develop the skills and approaches necessary to educate and engage these students.

This study examined the national trends of teacher certification in autism in an effort to better understand the characteristics of individuals who seek this credential, how these characteristics change over time, and where teachers with this certification are currently working in an effort to identify recruitment and retention strategies to areas most in need. This ex post facto study consisted of a secondary analysis of the 2011 to 2012 Schools and Staffing Survey Teacher Questionnaire and the 2015 to 2016 National Teacher and Principal Survey Teacher Questionnaire. The results suggest that the majority of licensed teachers who receive an autism certification are working in special education. In addition, while overall trends indicate an increase in the number of teachers who report an autism certification, fewer teachers with this certification are working in rural school districts. These results have important implications for school-service delivery for students with autism spectrum disorder, specifically those living and attending school in rural communities.

This research investigates the characteristics of a faculty inquiry group, a learning community in which faculty and staff can learn technology integration to enhance accessibility for students with disabilities in higher education, based on Wenger's 14 indicators (1998) and their learning effects. The results reveal that this faculty inquiry group included all indicators of a community of practice. Faculty and staff learned about accessibility issues and related assistive technologies. For this community of practice to obtain success, it was necessary for members to understand various perspectives of technology integration for accessibility in a safe learning environment with a strong structural design.

Students identified as at-risk of non-academic continuation have a propensity toward lower academic self-efficacy than their peers (Lent, 2005). Within engineering, self-efficacy and confidence are major markers of university continuation and success (Lourens, 2014 Raelin, et al., 2014). This study explored academic learning self-efficacy specific to first-year engineering students with at-risk indicators. The at-risk determination was made through trajectory to matriculate, classified by cumulative grade point average of academic studies. An adapted version of the Self-efficacy for Learning (SEL) scale, modified by Klobas, Renzi and Nigrelli (2007), was administered to freshman engineering students identified at-risk and not at-risk of matriculation. Internal consistency of the SEL was analyzed and once deemed satisfactory (Cronbach alpha = 0.94), item-level outcome comparisons between student subgroups were made for each of the 22 instrument items.

This study investigated physical attacks as reported by public school teachers on the most recent Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) from the National Center for Education Statistics administered by the Institute of Educational Sciences. For this study, characteristics of teachers who responded affirmatively to having been physically attacked in the past 12 months were examined. Teacher characteristics associated with being physically attacked appeared to be proportionate to those found in the general population of teachers who were not physically attacked. Several notable exceptions were gender, school type, years of experience, and school location. The mean number of physical attacks varied greatly within all characteristics examined. Of the twelve teaching areas, special education had the highest percentage of teachers who reported being physically attacked in the past 12 months and the highest mean number of physical attacks per teaching area.

In this brief article, the reliability of scores for the Draw-A-Person Intellectual Ability Test for Children, Adolescents, and Adults (DAP: IQ; Reynolds & Hickman, 2004) was examined through several analyses with a sample of 147 children from rural Malawi, Africa using a Chichewa translation of instructions. Cronbach alpha coefficients for the 23 test items were calculated for the total sample, the six age groups represented in the sample, and gender. The interscorer reliability of test scores was also calculated. The obtained alpha coefficients for the 23 items for total sample (.81), the six age groups represented (0.68-0.92), and gender (male 0.79, female 0.83) were comparable to those listed in the examiner's manual. The coefficient for interscorer reliability was 0.85.

Retaining teachers is an important priority for school leaders, especially in special education, a field with chronic shortages. We analyzed a nationally representative survey using conservation of resources theory to examine how job demands and resources interacted with one another and with teachers' assignments (i.e., as special and general educators) to predict intentions to continue teaching. We found that teachers were more inclined to stay in their schools when they experienced stronger school administrative and collegial support, had more access to instructional materials, and were more experienced. Teachers indicated weaker intent to stay when they experienced more problems with students, spent more time working, were less experienced, and served in higher-poverty schools. School administrative support moderated relationships between intent and (a) school poverty and (b) experience. We found no differences between special and general educators' intent to stay, though we did find differences in the conditions predicting special versus general educators' intent.

Since the implementation of school inclusion, STEM educators have been tasked with serving an increasing number of students with disabilities in their classrooms. Often this requires that STEM educators and Special educators work together in the same classroom. Although their initial instructional preparedness is very discipline specific, the increase in inclusive STEM education classrooms has created new opportunities for both STEM educators and Special educators to collaborate. This study utilizes the National Teacher and Principal Survey to identify similarities and differences in perceived readiness for beginning secondary STEM educators and Special educators in instructional best practices necessary to facilitate students with disabilities in the inclusive STEM education classroom. While no statistically significant differences in perceived readiness scores were found within STEM educators, Special educators had statistically significantly higher perceived readiness scores than STEM educators both collectively and individually.

Recent developments in initiatives, standards, and legislative agendas have led to increases in the number of STEM educators, in particular elementary STEM educators. This study investigates and reports the characteristics and credentials of this group and explores the features and characteristics of the student population within their classrooms. These criteria were analyzed over nearly a decade in efforts to identify progressions and changes in response to national demands. Data for this study was gathered from the Institute for Education Sciences (IES) School and Staffing Survey Teacher Questionnaire (SASS TQ) and documents a significant increase in the number of fulltime elementary STEM educators, depicting the current profile of these educators as largely female, mid-career, and fully certified with a bachelor's degree from a traditional teacher preparation program. Trends support that this group is becoming more diversified with more seeking graduate degrees and more earning certification via alternative programming.

Technology and engineering educators have an opportunity to serve a vital role in contributing to or assisting in the guidance of educational programming for students qualifying for accommodation services. Within this article, students referred to as at-risk were from two specific special populations within this group: individuals with disabilities and individuals with limited English proficiency. Teachers in inclusive settings generally support the degree of student access to learning experiences that inclusion requires; however, teachers typically identify themselves as unprepared to deliver instruction to students with disabilities or students requiring educational intervention. The purpose of this study was to determine the normative service capacity of technology and engineering teachers for students qualifying for accommodation services and to investigate potential service load differences based on course offerings. The findings of this study offer specific insight pertaining to accommodation service responsibilities of technology and engineering educators.

Students benefit from a teacher workforce that represents the full racial/ethnic diversity of the United States. We examine racial/ethnic composition of general education teacher (GET) and special education teacher (SET) workforce using the Schools and Staffing Survey. We find that the teacher workforce continues to be primarily White. In 2011-2012, 18% of SETs and GETS were people of color; however, 47% of students with disabilities were students of color. Among teachers of color, the majority identify as Black or Hispanic, with a smaller proportion of Hispanic SETs than GETs. Early career SETs are racially/ethnically similar to experienced SETs, while early career GETs are somewhat more diverse. There were dramatic differences across regions, type of districts, and schools; higher percentages of teachers of color taught in high-poverty and urban schools as well as in schools with higher enrollments of students of color. Results have important implications for education policy and teacher preparation.

The Purdue Spatial Visualization Test: Visualization of Rotations (PSVT: R) is a widely used assessment of spatial ability. In this report, the factor structure of the PSVT: R test items was examined through confirmatory factor analysis with data from 541 engineering design graphics students. Stata 15 and Mplus 8.2 statistical software were used to examine a hypothesized 30 item one-factor model. Upon initial examination, data from engineering design graphics students produced a poor model-fit for the hypothesized one-factor 30 item model in both statistical programs. Respecified one-factor models with 10 test items and eight test items produced acceptable model-fit for the data employing Stata 15 and Mplus 8.2, respectively.

The objective of this article is to examine the degree to which different U.S. states have a special education teaching workforce that is racially/ethnically representative of students with disabilities in their state. Using the Teacher-Student Parity Index (TSPI), a standardized metric for comparing representation across states with different demographics, the authors calculated the extent to which teacher and student racial/ethnic diversity is aligned in all 50 U.S. states. At the end of the article, they provide specific recommendations for cultivating a racially/ethnically diverse special education teacher workforce, including how states, districts, and schools can use the TSPI to assess changes in parity over time.

This study examined data from full- and part-time public school teachers who completed the Schools and Staffing Survey: Teacher Questionnaire (SASS TQ) and reported the number of threats and physical attacks occurring within 12 months. "T" tests were used to identify statistically significant differences between special education teachers and general education teachers on threats and attacks, as well as to compare special education teachers to general education teachers across 11 teaching areas identified by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES). Findings reveal that special education teachers were statistically significantly more likely to be threatened and attacked than their general education counterparts. The findings also indicated that both general and special education teachers are more likely to be threatened than attacked by students. Special educators voiced concerns about the lack of open discussion regarding student-on-teacher assaults and concerns about confidentiality, since educators who are not the teacher of record may not have information about prior assaults, leaving them vulnerable. Suggestions for preventing students-on-teacher threats and attacks are provided. Suggested resources for leaders are included.

The growth of English Language Learners (ELLs) in the K-12 education system has sparked discussions regarding STEM teachers' ability to meet the needs of these learners. STEM teachers have reported that they do not feel prepared and often lack professional development opportunities to develop the necessary skills to meet these needs. (August & Shanahan, 2010; Ballantyne, Sanderman, & Levy, 2007; Janzen, 2008, U.S. Department of Education, NCES, 2001). However, STEM teachers' preparation for ELLs, their participation in ELL specific professional development activities, and the degree of inclusion of ELL students in STEM disciplines is relatively unexplored. The most recent Schools and Staffing Survey Teacher Questionnaire was used to analyze STEM teachers' credentialing related to ELLs, their participation in ELL specific professional development activities, and the degree of ELL student participation in STEM classrooms. It was found that very few STEM teachers had ELL credentialing. While more than half indicated having ELLs in their service load, less than 25% participated in any ELL specific professional development activities.

As integrated STEM education becomes more commonplace, the number of inclusive STEM classrooms containing students with disabilities will continue to rise. This presents many challenges to both STEM education teachers and Special education teachers. Do STEM education and Special education teachers have the appropriate credentials to effectively support the diverse needs of students and curriculum in inclusive STEM education classes? To examine this question, this study utilized a secondary analysis of the 2011-2012 Schools and Staffing Survey Teacher Questionnaire restricted-use dataset to produce a nationally representative sample to determine how the degrees and state-level certification areas of Special education teachers and STEM education teachers reflect potential indicators of preparedness to educate students with disabilities in an inclusive STEM education classroom.

Although the caseload of students with categorical disabilities and limited English proficiency has increased in recent years for secondary engineering design graphics teachers, the level of preparation to teach students with these characteristics has not. Given that teachers must develop inclusive classroom environments for all students, the current state for teacher preparation in regards to working with students with categorical disabilities and limited English proficiency needs to be explored. This study analyzes data from the School and Staffing Survey Teacher Questionnaire to determine the current characteristics, credentialing, and caseload for secondary engineering design graphics teachers. The results show that almost two-thirds of engineering design graphics teachers have a bachelor's degree or less, while half of those have less than a bachelor's degree. In addition, approximately one-third of all engineering design graphics teachers are certified through alternative licensing programs, which include little to no preparation in working with students with categorical disabilities and limited English proficiency. The implications of these results are that as caseloads increase for teachers working with students with categorical disabilities and limited English proficiency, more preparation is required to provide teachers with evidence-based pedagogy in order for these students to achieve their learning potential.

Over the past decade, teacher autonomy within the formal educational system has been a central topic of discussion among educational stakeholders. This study explored influence over school policy and classroom control (teacher autonomy) among in-service science, technology, and mathematics (STM) educators within the United States. The National Center for Education Statistics restricted-access dataset enabled examination of the study research questions. Specifically, the Schools and Staffing Survey Teacher Questionnaire (SASS-TQ) was employed for the purposes of this investigation. Analysis of data detected differences in both frame variables for influence and control. Hypothesis testing (independent sample t-tests) revealed differences between science and technology education, science and mathematics education, and technology and mathematics education teachers concerning influence over school policy and individual classroom control.

This study investigated, from a national perspective, the instructional teaching load of STEM educators specific to students with disabilities and limited English Proficiency (LEP). The most recent School and Staffing Survey results of in-service science, technology, and mathematics teachers were compiled and analyzed to form subject area comparisons concerning service capacity of students at-risk. It was determined that technology educators served a higher number of students with disabilities and LEP than science educators and mathematics educators. Prospective implications on teacher practice, teacher preparation, and professional development are explored within the context of educating students with disabilities and LEP.

Concept of word in print is the development of an understanding of how monosyllabic and multisyllabic words operate in print. Young children show evidence of this understanding when they are able to repeat a line of text while accurately pointing to each word as it is said. A small but robust line of work has examined the knowledge, skills, and behaviors that support concept of word development in young children. This work has indicated that concept of word is grounded in letter knowledge and beginning sound awareness. The present study hypothesized that solid acquisition of concept of word also requires children to handle multisyllabic words and to understand that they are represented by only one printed unit. Although some level of syllable awareness must be operating in concept of word, few, if any, studies have examined the relationship between concept of word development and syllable awareness. This study tested a model of concept of word with preschool-age children that included syllable awareness, letter knowledge, and beginning sound awareness. The findings suggest that full attainment of concept of word in print depends in part on the awareness of syllable.

This study tested a hypothesized model examining reading proficiency across first grade. It addressed how alphabetics at the beginning of the year were mediated by applied and automated skills at the middle of the year to explain actualized reading at the end of the year. The alphabetic skills of 102 first graders were measured in October and the applied and automated skills measured in January. In May, actualized reading was measured. Using structural equation modeling, the model produced acceptable levels of model-fit across all indices. Reading fluency is an important developmental step in first grade that mediates foundational alphabetic skills.

The ever-changing student population of engineering design graphics students necessitates broader sets of instructor adeptness. Specifically, preparedness to educate and provide adequate educational access to content for students with identified categorical disabilities and Limited English Proficiency (LEP) is now an essential readiness skill for engineering design graphics educators at the secondary level (see Appendix A for a full list of acronyms). Through the School and Staffing Survey Teacher Questionnaire (SASS TQ), engineering design graphics educator service load results for students with disabilities and LEP were identified. Of specific note was the upward service load trend between the 2007-2008 SASS TQ and the 2011-2012 SASS TQ and the implications for high school engineering design graphics courses, learning environments, and teacher abilities.

The factor structure of the "KeyMath--Revised Normative Update" (KMR-NU) "Form A" was analyzed using data from a sample of 130 students. The KMR-NU is composed of 13 subtests that are purported to measure three important aspects of math ability: Basic Concepts, Operations, and Applications. A confirmatory factor analysis employing scaled scores from the 13 subtests was used to evaluate the model fit of the hypothesized three-factor model. The results of the analysis did not support the three-factor model. Follow-up exploratory factor analyses were conducted to determine if other models might provide a better model fit for the data. The results were consistent with the only factor-analytic study conducted with a previous version of the KMR-NU (Walker & Arnault, 1991), which suggested that the Total Score was the only score that should be used. (Contains 4 tables and 1 figure.)

This national study of 859 teachers of students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) provides a profile of their characteristics and preparedness to teach and compares these teachers with 3,687 other special educators. Teachers of students with EBD were disproportionately male, were more diverse, and had significantly fewer years of teaching experience than other special educators. A smaller percentage of teachers in the EBD group was certified and a greater percentage entered through alternative programs than the other special educators. Only a small percentage of respondents teaching in grades 6-12 holds certification in the core academic areas defined under the No Child Left Behind Education Act (2001). Respondents felt least prepared to meet the needs of students from culturally and linguistically different backgrounds and to use technology in instruction. (Contains 4 tables and 3 figures.)

In this study, the authors examined the construct validity of the Pervasive Developmental Disorder Rating Scale (PDDRS; R. C. Eaves, 1993), which is a screening instrument used to identify individuals with autistic disorder and other pervasive developmental disorders. The PDDRS is purported to measure 3 factors--arousal, affect, and cognition--that collectively make up the construct of autism. Using scores from 199 children (aged 1-6 years) diagnosed with autistic disorder, the authors submitted data to exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. In the 1st series of analyses, the authors analyzed a user-specified 3-factor solution using principal axis factor analysis with a promax rotation to evaluate the assertion of a correlated 3-factor structure. Next, the authors analyzed 1-factor and 2-factor solutions to determine if they provided a better factor structure for the data. In the 2nd series, the authors conducted confirmatory factor analyses, which compared the theorized hierarchical 2nd-order factor model with 5 plausible competing models. The results of the exploratory analyses supported the 3-factor solution. With the confirmatory analyses, the 2nd-order factor model provided the best fit for the data. The exploratory and confirmatory analyses supported the theoretical assumptions undergirding the development of the PDDRS. The authors discuss theoretical implications, practical implications, and areas for further research. (Contains 7 tables and 6 figures.)

The reliability and construct validity of ratings for the Autism Behavior Checklist were examined with a sample of 198 children diagnosed with autistic disorder and conditions often confused with autism. Alpha coefficients for the five scales of the ABC as well as the Total Score were reported and the factor structure of the ABC was examined through confirmatory factor analysis. The results of the reliability analyses indicated that the Total Score alpha coefficient of the ABC was adequate for screening purposes, but the reliabilities of the scales were not. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated some support for alternate four- and five-factor models. (Contains 2 tables and 2 figures.)

The psychometric properties of the Pervasive Developmental Disorders Rating scale (Eaves, 2003) and the Gilliam Autism Rating Scale (Gilliam, 1995) were investigated in this study. One hundred thirty-four individuals with autism, other pervasive developmental disorders, or conditions frequently confused with autism participated in the study. The results indicated that, with one exception, the reliability of the scores from both instruments met or exceeded standards for use in screening decisions. The reliability of the total scores from both instruments exceeded 0.90. Validity coefficients computed between the two sets of scores indicated that the instruments measured similar constructs (e.g., r [subscript pddrs total x gars total] 0.84). The scores from both instruments discriminated between children with autism and children who were not autistic to a statistically significant degree. (Contains 5 tables.)

The reliability of scores for the "Draw-A-Person Intellectual Ability Test for Children, Adolescents, and Adults" is examined with a sample of 110 college students from two universities in the southeast. The alpha coefficient for the total sample and the interscorer and intrascorer reliability for a subset of 31 students are analyzed. The alpha coefficient for the 23 items for the total sample was 0.82. The correlation coefficient for IQ is 0.83 for interscorer reliability and 0.92 for intrascorer reliability. Results are consistent with those reported by the test authors.

The Pervasive Developmental Disorders Rating Scale (PDDRS; Eaves, 2003) is a rating scale that is used in the screening process for pervasive developmental disorders (PDD). The PDDRS contains three scales: Arousal, Affect, and Cognition. In this study, the construct validity of the PDDRS was examined with teacher ratings from a sample of 168 children with autistic disorder through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. In the exploratory factor analysis, a three-factor structure was examined. Confirmatory factor analysis was employed to evaluate the model-fit of the data for the hypothesized second-order factor structure. The results supported the averred factor structure of the PDDRS with teacher ratings for students with autistic disorder. Limitations of the data and areas for future research are discussed. (Contains 2 tables.)

The authors investigated the effects of attention to novelty, fear-anxiety, and age on 3 measures of conduct problems. They found several main and interaction effects. The results indicated the presence of the hypothesized 3-way interaction for 2 dependent measures (i.e., conduct problem, socialized aggression); the 3rd dependent measure (i.e., conduct disorder) approached significance (p = 0.07). Participants who were older, had low attention to novelty, and high fear-anxiety generally had the highest conduct-problem scores among 8 comparison groups. Older students with high attention to novelty and low fear-anxiety had significantly lower conduct-problem scores that were unremarkable. The findings are congruent with J. Gray's (1987) theory of behavioral activation and inhibition, and the results support R. C. Eaves' (1993) integrated theory of human behavior, which postulates that the level of attention to novelty, fear-anxiety, and age interact to produce individuals with conduct problems. (Contains 8 tables and 1 figure.)

This study represents a beginning step in research that may ultimately show that the multitudes of human behavior that educators currently encounter may be reduced to three broad human attributes: arousal, affect, and cognition. The resulting simplicity should lead to improved understanding and better decision making by practitioners. Four measures were selected to represent each of the three attributes and data were collected for four age groups. In each case, when the data were submitted to principal axis factor analysis, three factors emerged in which the 12 variables were clearly aligned with their hypothesized factors. In each analysis more than 70% of the total variance was recovered (M=75.39%). Across four analyses, each variable had only one salient pattern coefficient, and none of its remaining pattern coefficients approached saliency. Following oblique rotation, factor one (arousal) accounted for an average of 50.00% of the explained variance; factor two (cognition) accounted for an average of 28.25% of the explained variance; and factor three (affect) accounted for an average of 21.75% of the explained variance. The implications of these findings and limitations of the research design are discussed. (Contains 1 figure and 3 tables.)

Examines reliability of test scores for the Pervasive Developmental Disorders Rating Scale (PDDRS), a screening instrument used in the assessment of autistic disorder. The results indicated that coefficient alpha for the PDDRS Total Score was adequate for screening purposes for both age groups studied. The results of the test-retest study also suggested that PDDRS had adequate test-retest reliability. (Contains 22 references and 3 tables.) (GCP)

This study analyzed the factor structure of the Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests Revised (WRMT-R), a test battery used to measure basic reading skills. Findings indicated that both forms of the WRMT-R contain a large unrotated general factor and, when rotated obliquely, two correlated factors representing basic skills and reading comprehension. Results partially support Woodcock's assertions regarding the WRMT-R's factor structure. (Contains references.) (Author/DB)