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Mathematical writing (MW) can support students' mathematical learning and is common in mathematics assessment. However, MW is known to be particularly challenging for students with learning disabilities. While the use of model compositions of both high- and low-quality writing and the act of revision are evidence-based practices in writing instruction, models of MW are not readily available in the curriculum, and many teachers struggle to compose high-quality MW themselves. Artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots are increasingly accessible for teachers and provide one avenue by which MW models can be readily generated. This column guides educators on utilizing AI chatbots to produce MW models to support MW instruction for students with learning disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

College and career readiness is crucial to success in postsecondary education, employment, and independent living. The College and Career Readiness for Transition (CCR4T) assessment is valid and reliable and can assist in transition planning for students with disabilities. The CCR4T assessment was designed for planning with students with and without disabilities. This article aims to provide an overview of this assessment and demonstrate how secondary educators and other stakeholders can use the data gathered to make decisions and inform the Individualized Education Program (IEP) as an age-appropriate transition assessment for youth with disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students with disabilities may demonstrate high rates of off-task behavior, resulting in poor academic achievement. To decrease students' off-task behavior, teachers can identify student-guided supportive strategies to limit the amount of time they dedicate to behavior management. Moreover, when teachers use effective student-guided strategies that reflect high social validity, ease of use, and low intrusiveness, benefits are maximized and students will maintain their use of the strategy. This article provides step-by-step procedures for designing a technology-based self-monitoring (TBSM) strategy that increases the acceptability and continued use of standard self-monitoring procedures. Necessary adjustments to typical self-monitoring strategies considering technology-based delivery methods, including selecting and evaluating mobile applications, are introduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Number lines can benefit students in learning an array of mathematical concepts. An area of mathematics where number lines are visibly underused is in teaching measurement concepts. For students in upper elementary grades, accurate measurements require the use of mathematical precision and coordination, including skills in fractions and decimals, operations, and magnitude. A robust knowledge of measurement holds significant value in students' development of mathematical proficiency, particularly for students with learning disabilities in mathematics. Using number lines to teach and perform mathematical processes involving measurement can build fluency and conceptual understanding for all learners, including those with learning disabilities. This article demonstrates the versatility of integrating number lines into mathematical interventions involving measurement concepts for students with learning disabilities in mathematics. Measurement content discussed includes distance, time intervals, liquid volume, and mass. Scenarios with examples of how to apply number lines to each measurement form are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thirty-one U.S. states have laws that may result in students being arrested for misbehavior in school that is often considered a low-level rule violation. The problems with these laws include the vagueness and subjectivity of the language of the law. As a result, the enforcement of such laws has been criticized as being discriminatory, especially against minorities and students with disabilities. In 2016, two laws in South Carolina were challenged in a series of important cases that stemmed from an arrest made of a student who posted a video of a violent, headline-grabbing altercation in her classroom involving a school resource officer. This brief report (a) reviews the incident that led to the case in South Carolina, (b) examines the history and eventual outcome of the cases challenging the South Carolina laws, and (c) offers implications for improved practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contribution of self-regulation to academic achievement is supported by robust research evidence. Incorporating practices to enhance self-regulation during small-group reading instruction is associated with improved outcomes for upper-elementary students with learning disabilities in reading. Two evidence-based self-regulation practices are (a) recognizing negative thoughts and (b) using positive self-talk. However, there are challenges with effectively teaching these self-regulation strategies during reading instruction. In particular, special education or reading intervention teachers may find it difficult to incorporate this kind of self-regulation instruction during reading lessons in a way that does not overburden student working memory or take too much time from explicit, systematic instruction in reading skills. This article defines self-regulation, describes how to support students in recognizing negative thoughts and using positive self-talk, and provides guidance to enable teachers to implement self-regulation strategy instruction in a way that complements reading instruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increase in enrollment in online programs for Grades K–12 students, including students with disabilities, requires teachers to consider how to provide effective online instruction. Although schools may offer students a fully online curriculum, teachers serve an essential role in supporting students with disabilities in meeting (a) learning goals of the online curriculum and (b) individual needs as outlined in the Individualized Education Program (IEP). Because students with disabilities often need targeted instruction to meet their academic and behavioral needs, teachers should consider integrating small group synchronous instruction to supplement fully online curricula. This article provides teachers with guidance on how to select appropriate online tools and technology to increase opportunities to respond throughout the main components of explicit instruction (i.e., modeling, guided, and independent practice). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability to interact with others in socially appropriate ways is critical for functioning in the community, school, and at home. These interaction skills are considered to be a crucial component of social resiliency and are believed to be important developmental skills, particularly for children/youth with disabilities. This article discusses the prioritization process concerning the importance of specific social skills to be taught in school through the perceptions of parents, teachers, and students. This involves the participants viewing specific social skills with a focus on the importance of their usage within the contexts of home/community, school, and with peers. The collection of data from the three informant groups is discussed, and the building of consensus through the prioritization of the social skills is presented and illustrated. The resulting prioritization list of skills then determines the order of the skills to be taught through a social skills curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between frustration tolerance and academic behavior is well documented in the existing literature, specifically in regard to students with learning disabilities. This column addresses these connections and then provides specific strategies to address low frustration tolerance and increase emotional self-regulation in the classroom. By employing these strategies, teachers can improve student behavior, facilitate emotional development, and create a more constructive learning environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mixed-reality teaching simulations can provide preservice special educators with targeted practice on instructional skills. The last decade of research indicates participation in a simulated classroom produced gains in preservice teachers' use of evidence-based teaching practices and increased their confidence in working with students with disabilities. This column describes the procedures for using a mixed-reality teaching simulator with preservice special educators teaching a reading lesson to a virtual student avatar. Advantages and considerations for use of the simulator are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the disproportionate rates of youth with disabilities who experience exclusionary discipline in schools, it is important to consider the involvement of law enforcement officers in the discipline of these students and the students' right to an equitable education. One recent case of concern was Wilson v. City of Southlake, which clarified that police can be sued for disability discrimination based on their response to a student with a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 where life-threatening circumstances are not present. This finding has implications for schools that involve school resource officers in responding to children who are protected under either of these provisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students with learning disabilities (LD) often leave school without the necessary cognitive autonomy skills to independently navigate adulthood and meet the life challenges of the 21st century. Acquiring and maintaining cognitive autonomy skills (i.e., decision-making, voicing an opinion, evaluating the consequences of decisions, self-assessing abilities, weighing others' influence in the decision-making process) is necessary for all students as they move through school, but particularly for those with LD. Cognitive autonomy is a component of self-determination and is crucial as educators prepare children/youth with LD for postsecondary education, postsecondary employment opportunities, and positive adult life outcomes. This article discusses the significance of cognitive autonomy for children/youth with LD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Educators often seek innovative strategies to support academic instruction for struggling students. For students with or at risk for a learning disability in mathematics, challenges learning critical skills often result in them falling behind their grade-level peers. One strategy that can provide targeted instruction on key concepts is video modeling. Teacher-made videos serve as a valuable resource for struggling students to access supplementary teaching beyond the classroom. This column highlights six steps for teachers to follow when developing video modeling to support instruction for students with a learning disability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identification of and services for students with learning disabilities share both similarities and differences across cultures, including the term(s) used to label and subsequently provide services for these students. In Arabic, the term learning disabilities translates to "learning difficulties." This column provides a brief overview of the current educational system in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, including the identification and services available for students with learning difficulties, and concludes with future directions. Much opportunity remains for supporting the needs of students with learning difficulties in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With increased technology use in mathematics classrooms, as well as the increased prevalence of online instruction, digital calculators and online games are two types of digital tools that support students with learning disabilities (LD) in elementary and middle school mathematics. Teachers need to understand the advantages and limitations of different options and factors that help determine which tool may be most beneficial to support the goals of the mathematics lesson as well as the individual needs of students with LD. When used appropriately and efficiently, digital mathematics tools, such as calculators and online games, can increase students' conceptual understanding of mathematics content as well as their confidence and engagement in the mathematics classroom. This column presents a variety of virtual calculators and online math games, why they are effective, how they can be implemented, as well as a short scenario depicting one way the tool can be used in the classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing the performance of secondary students with learning disabilities (LD) in mathematics on word problem-solving tasks involving ratios and proportions is challenging for secondary math teachers. Teachers must use evidence-based practices to enhance secondary students' problem-solving proficiency and math achievement. Schema-based instruction (SBI) is a powerful evidence-based practice to improve students' understanding and approach to solving word problems involving ratios and proportions. This article describes the protocol for implementing SBI with examples specific to ratios and proportions. Also discussed are the ways teachers can provide additional assistance to students with more intensive instructional needs when implementing SBI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technology has changed the practices related to teaching and learning mathematics in schools. The demand for learning mathematics in virtual environments is increasing in the 21st-century classroom. There has been widespread expansion of the use of technology in education. This column reviews three types of instruction—synchronous, asynchronous, and blended—and provides applied examples regarding the use of virtual manipulatives in teaching mathematics to students with learning disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students with learning disabilities in mathematics often struggle with the underlying concepts of multidigit addition and subtraction. To help students build a conceptual understanding of these computations, teachers can utilize evidence-based practices such as the concrete–semi-concrete–abstract framework and the use of multiple visual representations. This column presents five key strategies that incorporate evidence-based practices and teach whole number operations that rely on place value understanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Language and literacy skills are critical for academic success. Shared book reading is an evidence-based practice for improving a range of language and literacy skills in young children, including those with or at risk for learning disabilities. This article describes how teachers and speech-language pathologists (SLP) can collaborate to support young children's learning through shared book reading. An overview of shared book reading is presented, followed by a description of the collaboration, implementation of the shared book reading sessions, as well as instruction that can take place after the reading. By collaborating through shared book reading, teachers and SLPs can enhance their overall instructional quality to more effectively support the language and literacy needs of children with or at risk for learning disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is important for special educators in urban environments to have a deep understanding of the values, beliefs, and practices of diverse students with disabilities and their families. Research indicates, however, that educators are often underprepared to understand the perspectives of members of their school community and often center their own perspectives on curricular decisions in urban environments. Therefore, it is important for special educators to engage in knowledge generation that provides them information about the assets and beliefs of their urban school community while also challenging their mindsets so that they can better center the perspectives of their students when making decisions. This column provides recommendations for special educators to prepare themselves by developing a deep understanding of their school community that they can use to subsequently link to the implementation of culturally sustaining practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remote schooling has increased in prevalence. Although remote schooling may feel novel, remote and online educational requirements have been consistent parts of the educational landscape for years. Remote schooling increases learning opportunities within the home, magnifying the need for home–school collaborations to support the academic and socio-emotional development of marginalized learners in urban settings, particularly multiply marginalized learners such as students classified as English learners who also have a high incidence disability (e.g., learning disability, speech and language impairment, autism spectrum disorder). Much policy and practice around remote schooling centers on ensuring students have access to devices and technology; little consideration is given to what happens after devices are distributed, especially within culturally and linguistically diverse households. This paper explores considerations to be made before, during, and after engaging in remote schooling, whether it is for short- or long-term use, to ensure that students who are dually classified are not digitally excluded during remote schooling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students with disabilities from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds often experience barriers and inequities in transition supports and services due to the cultural mismatch of beliefs, values, and expectations between their families and their schools. Though transition planning was designed for students and families to provide input, there is often a lack of space for the family to share their voice and long-term goals in the decision-making process. Through culturally responsive transition Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), in combination with a person-centered framework, bridging partnerships between the student, family, communities, and schools can be accomplished and built for sustainability. In urban settings and communities, these boundary-crossing collaborations for students with disabilities and their families could be more complex, as additional factors in urban schools are presented. This article presents a practical tool that could guide educators and families from cultural and linguistically diverse backgrounds into depth and breadth in transition IEP development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban education is often defined as education provided to diverse students in communities with large populations, both in raw number of residents and in population density. Educational professionals often associate deficit-oriented perspectives with urban education. These perspectives are often developed due to systemic inequities that exist within urban environments and a narrative around the underachievement and lack of resources found within schools. However, schools in urban environments often have access to a wide variety of supports and opportunities that can expand and enhance the education provided to diverse students. A reframing of this deficit perspective can support special education teachers in identifying assets that exist within their community that can be integrated in culturally sustaining ways. This special issue features articles that focus on reconceptualizing urban education for students with disabilities in an assets-oriented way through teacher education, design of culturally sustaining intervention and instruction, and engagement of community stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students with learning disabilities (LD) benefit from individualized transition services that address their strengths and assets. This article provides three steps to facilitate strengths-based transition planning: (a) independent and guided reflection, (b) assessment, and (c) alignment of strengths to each component of the transition plan. Sample materials provide guidance on identifying a wide range of strengths, (i.e., attributes, relationships, contexts, skills) and writing positive disability impact statements, present levels, goals, and services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

State exams frequently use word problems to measure mathematics performance, making difficulties with word problem solving a barrier for many students with learning disabilities (LD) in mathematics. Based on meta-analytic data for students with LD, five empirically validated word-problem strategies are presented, with components of model-based problem solving (MBPS) highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comprehending texts in content areas can be challenging for students with learning disabilities (LD) because they may lack the necessary background and vocabulary knowledge needed to construct meaning from text. As more students with LD are educated in the general education classroom, it is necessary for teachers to implement strategies to increase the vocabulary and background knowledge of their students. The purpose of this paper is to provide effective instructional strategies to build both background knowledge and vocabulary knowledge to increase comprehension of content area material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dr. Michael L. Wehmeyer has been recognized nationally and internationally for his research on intellectual and developmental disabilities and is well known as a leader on the concept of self-determination. His career has spanned experiences from the state system to higher education. He has been the recipient of several federally funded grants to support his research and to prepare doctoral students for leadership activities. He shared his reflections in which he describes the benefit of teaching students with disabilities goal setting and the pursuit of those goals for a meaningful and purposeful life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Academic progress monitoring is essential when implementing Individualized Education Programs for students with learning disabilities and more generally in a multi-tiered system of supports framework. Although students' progress is monitored frequently in schools today, these students often are not actively involved in this practice. Research has shown that actively involving students in progress monitoring through performance feedback and goal setting can lead to improved academic and motivational outcomes. This column describes a progress-monitoring performance feedback and goal-setting routine that supplements typical academic progress-monitoring practices. The ways in which the routine aligns with evidence-based practices to improve student outcomes in reading, writing, mathematics, and academic motivation are discussed. Step-by-step guidance, examples, and resources are provided to support practitioner implementation. Resources for evaluating outcomes are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In addition to supporting the academic goals of students with learning disabilities, secondary special education teachers are tasked with providing services designed to improve post-school outcomes. To improve these offerings, special education teachers should ensure collaboration with vocational rehabilitation (VR) counselors during the transition process. Vocational rehabilitation counselors have unique knowledge for preparing individuals with learning disabilities to be successful in the workplace. Partnering with VR counselors may improve post-school goal acquisition for students. This article describes VR service mandates and provides recommendations for special education teachers to build relationships with VR personnel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-monitoring has successfully been used to improve academic and behavioral outcomes of students with learning disabilities. Despite the frequent use of self-monitoring interventions and their accompanying benefits in the field of education, more information is needed concerning the efficacy of student awareness relevant to their self-talk. The addition of individualized self-talk to self-monitoring interventions provides a method to shift from compliance-based interventions to those rooted in student voice and autonomy. This article outlines a step-by-step process for teachers to explicitly teach students with learning disabilities how to monitor their self-talk when working toward individualized, student-created goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Common Core State Standards in Mathematics (CCSSM) were released more than 10 years ago. This set of standards outlines the mathematics that all students should know and be able to do to prepare them for post-secondary education and employment. Students with learning disabilities (LD) continue to underperform in relation to their peers without disabilities in secondary mathematics. As high school Algebra I is a required course for the majority of students, research-based instructional practices should be utilized to support students with LD in Algebra I. This article summarizes recent research on instructional practices for teaching algebra content that aligns to the CCSSM. Specifically, three types of instructional practices have been found to promote progress in the high school algebra content: (a) concrete-representational-abstract integration, (b) virtual manipulative instruction, and (c) gestures and diagrams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, China has experienced rapid economic development, and the education system has significantly improved, especially in special education. However, there are still some issues directly influencing access to and quality of special education in remote and rural areas of China, although the Chinese government has enacted some policies to promote equity and quality of education for students with disabilities. This highlights the need for additional efforts by all levels of government authorities. This column presents a summary of current issues related to the educational provision for students with disabilities in remote or rural areas of China and brief descriptions of main policies in rural education and special education. Suggestions for how to improve the development of special education in rural areas are also provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

States increasingly are adopting computer science standards to help students develop coding and computational thinking skills. In an effort to support teachers in introducing computer science content to their students with high-incidence disabilities, a new model, computer science integration planning plus universal design for learning (CSIP+), offers ways to integrate computational thinking and coding into content area instruction. This column presents an example of how a teacher might implement the CSIP+ model when designing instruction accessible to all learners. Guiding questions to support teachers at each phase of the planning cycle are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Middle grade students with disabilities that impact reading, including learning disabilities (LD) in reading, high functioning autism (ASD), and emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD), and students atrisk for reading failure due to the effects of poverty often struggle to make knowledge-based inferences while reading informational texts. As a result, these populations of students are not able to read for understanding or learn from grade-level texts. Unfortunately, many special educators have had little preparation in how to develop their knowledge of inference-making or methods for explicitly teaching inference-making. Despite their lack of knowledge, special educators are often solely responsible for teaching skills that support reading comprehension, such as knowledge-based inference-making. This article provides special educators with information and resources to enhance their understanding of knowledge-based inferencing and methods for teaching knowledge-based inference-making to middle grade students with disabilities and those who are at risk for reading failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability to think creatively is a vital transition skill for students with learning disabilities in the 21st century. Participation in careers with a high level of creative thinking ability not only sets the individual student up for success but also the community in which they live. Creative self-efficacy is the belief in one's ability to be creative and is a basic component of creativity. A positive relationship is indicated between higher creative self-efficacy and higher creative production. Thus, the development of a positive creative self serves as a supportive element for students with learning disabilities in their current and future endeavors. This article describes the importance of and need for creative thinking and creative self-efficacy development in education and suggests the use of questioning techniques as a strategy for developing these important skills when working with students with learning disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Number talks are increasingly used in general education mathematics classes to engage students. Yet despite the potential benefits, number talks are given limited attention for students with high-incidence disabilities in special education settings. This article presents special education teachers with both the why and, more important, the how for implementing number talks to support students with high-incidence disabilities in special education settings. Specifically, the authors address how number talks can serve as both a formative assessment and an intervention for fluency and activating students' background knowledge to be successful in general education settings. The article also provides suggestions for implementing number talks with fidelity and flexibility (e.g., use of manipulatives, pictorial representations, and teacher explicit instruction of numerical strategies). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Special education teachers and general education teachers are individually and collaboratively responsible for meeting the needs of students with disabilities. Leveraging the expertise of speech-language pathologists (SLP) can be an important resource that teachers can use to collaboratively support the language and learning outcomes of students with disabilities. This special series features articles on how teachers, schools, and systems can strategically collaborate with SLPs and use evidence-based practices to maximize the efficiency and efficacy of assessment, instruction, and intervention for students with disabilities, including multilingual learners. This series also addresses the importance of a family-centered approach to successful collaboration. Authors focus on pedagogical practices, evidence of efficacy and effectiveness, examples for practitioner uptake and implementation, and recommendations for successful collaboration to support the language and learning outcomes of students with disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-monitoring has proven to be an effective strategy for improving academic performance for students with learning disabilities (LD). In addition to academics, these interventions have improved actions such as task completion, engagement, and on-task behaviors. As a supplement to self-monitoring, self-talk strategies have similar effects in exercise psychology, with added benefits such as improved self-confidence, task accuracy, persistence, and self-awareness. This column highlights the effects of positive self-talk, the addition of self-talk to self-monitoring interventions, and the importance of translating these interventions into classroom settings to improve academic and behavioral outcomes of students with LD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act requires schools to conduct a manifestation determination (MD) meeting when suspending students with disabilities for more than 10 days. The MD procedure is intended to safeguard educational access by providing a process to determine if a student's disability is related to the suspending behavior. An accurate decision requires educational team members to effectively collaborate to review relevant data and the student's Individualized Education Program. Collaborative and proactive solutions (CPS) offer a framework for collaboration that may ensure that all team members meaningfully participate during the MD meeting while encouraging a rigorous analysis of student-specific data. The use of CPS is proposed as a framework to generate meaningful collaboration in MD meetings, which may result in positive student outcomes that reach beyond merely addressing a behavioral violation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past decade, there has been a rapidly declining trend in the prevalence of students with learning disabilities in South Korea. In 2019, only 1.5% of students receiving special education support were identified as having learning disabilities. This column reports on three current issues related to learning disabilities to provide a greater understanding of this declining trend in South Korea: (a) the ongoing debate on the definition of students with learning disabilities, (b) the continuing disagreement on the identification criteria for students with learning disabilities, and (c) the public's limited understanding of learning disabilities. Suggestions for future directions are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Classroom instruction focused on discussion-based learning opportunities can provide productive and inclusive learning experiences for all students, including students with learning disabilities in mathematics and those without learning disabilities. Mathematical discourse allows students to share their ideas, justify their thinking, critique the reasoning of others, and refine their thought processes. While one might typically envision mathematical discourse happening during face-to-face instruction, meaningful discourse can also occur in online learning environments. This article presents a blended format of both synchronous and asynchronous learning opportunities, coupled with Smith and Stein's (2018) "5 Practices" for productive mathematical discourse, to support teachers in designing and facilitating lessons in which all students are actively engaged in the learning processes both for themselves and their classmates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students with learning disabilities (LD) often face significant difficulties in reading. Research has found a variety of different evidence-based practices to support the reading development of students with LD in areas such as word work, vocabulary, and reading comprehension. However, these practices are most often intended for use in traditional settings and not necessarily virtual settings. This article translates traditionally in-person instruction for students with LD to an online synchronous format through a sample lesson plan sequence for students in third through fifth grades and provides resources for teachers to support their implementation of online instruction for upper elementary students with LD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need for all students to have science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) experiences has translated into research examinations of what strategies and practices work in learning STEAM-related concepts and ideas. Through research, effective frameworks, strategies, and additional considerations have been identified for teaching and learning STEAM for students with learning disabilities and emotional/behavioral disorders. Along with understanding how to apply teaching and learning frameworks and using specific strategies for science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics, the authors provide details on how to differentiate instruction for remote teaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online learning continues to be an increasingly popular option in K–12 and postsecondary settings As this trend continues, it is important that the developers of online instructional environments and materials proactively consider the needs of all students. This includes determining how special education and specially designed instruction can be provided in online environments. For students with learning disabilities (LD), a systematic process for determining whether available learning materials address academic standards and specific student needs is key. To support practitioner lesson planning, this column provides guidance for aligning asynchronous learning materials to academic standards and the needs of students with LD. Guidance for supplementing and augmenting available materials is also provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), students must develop a conceptual understanding of place value by second grade to understand that mathematics processes are more than a set of procedural steps. Yet, students with learning disabilities in mathematics typically struggle to understand place value in a deeper, conceptual sense, which can have a negative impact on their future performance where application of place value concepts are foundational. Therefore, early interventions targeting place value instruction are critical for building a solid foundation in mathematics for students with learning disabilities. This article provides teachers with an overview of five place-value principles, which are critical for student success; and evidence-based practices for teaching those principles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students with disabilities are likely to have contact with a police officer as either a victim or a perpetrator of a crime; however, media outlets often underreport the presence of a disability. The lack of acknowledgment of disabilities raises concerns regarding the ability of a police officer to support a person with a disability. Likewise, students need to be prepared to interact with the police. This article presents a general overview of a two-pronged training approach designed to promote positive interactions between students with disabilities and police officers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation and engagement in mathematics are important for academic success and are sometimes compromised in students with disabilities who have experienced a history of frustration and failure. This article explains how general and special education teachers can implement three research-supported strategies for boosting motivation and engagement for elementary students with or at risk of emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) in the mathematics classroom. The strategies include (a) reinforcing engagement and motivation in mathematics using behavior-specific praise and token economy systems; (b) teaching self-monitoring and self-regulation strategies to promote attentive behavior and academic achievement; and (c) using the high-preference strategy to build behavioral momentum and support completion of nonpreferred tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Educators use reading comprehension assessments to summarize academic achievement, make decisions in diagnostic evaluations, and identify intervention needs. A challenge, however, with using different assessments in practice is that student performance may change depending on which assessment is administered. This article guides educators in evaluating student performance across multiple assessments, specifically when making decisions for students with learning disabilities (LD) in reading. First, this article provides educators with guidance in establishing a student's foundational skills, specifically those that may contribute to low performance on reading comprehension assessments. Next, the article presents steps for examining the texts and assessment methods commonly used in measures of reading comprehension. The article concludes with recommendations for evaluating student performance when considering a student's foundational skills and characteristics of reading comprehension assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conclusion of the Cuban Revolution in January 1959 ushered in extensive changes to education in Cuba. One such substantial change was the formal establishment of special education in 1962. Since then, Cuba has maintained a national commitment to the education and inclusion of students with disabilities. However, education professionals in the United States remain largely unaware of these efforts. This Global Perspectives column presents a brief historical overview of Cuban special education as well as describes current special education practices that relate to identifying and serving students with learning disabilities and behavioral disorders and special education teacher preparation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes the Brazilian juvenile justice system and the educational rights of incarcerated adolescents with learning disabilities, to discuss how and why they are "invisible" and deprived of adequate treatment for their specific needs. The main reasons reside (a) in the complex national legal structure of the juvenile justice system; (b) in the lack of specific legislation concerning the rights of students with learning disabilities in general and of incarcerated adolescents in particular, both groups not eligible for special education services; and (c) the general difficulty to diagnose learning disabilities, especially in correctional facilities. Paradoxically, despite the complexity of the juvenile justice system legal organization, nationally, there is no specific law on education for incarcerated adolescents; moreover, the lack of data collection on the prevalence of learning disabilities does not allow the federated states to create suitable laws and programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]