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Co-teaching is a popular means to support students with disabilities in the general education classroom. However, despite its widespread use, there are no meta-analyses examining the effects of co-teaching on academic outcomes for secondary students that analyze both study quality (e.g., the Council for Exceptional Children's "Standards for Evidence-Based Practices in Special Education") and effects. We addressed both of these gaps in the current review, identifying nine articles (10 experimental studies) that were analyzed for quality and effects. No studies met all of the quality indicators and study effects showed no significant impact on students' academic outcomes. Limitations and directions for research are presented. Implications for practice are also discussed, including the consideration that null effects, in this instance, do not necessarily suggest that co-teaching is ineffective.

The purpose of the current meta-analysis was to investigate the effectiveness of self-regulated strategy development (SRSD) reading interventions for students with disabilities in school settings. We used the Council for Exceptional Children's "Standards for Evidence-Based Practices in Special Education" (CEC-EBP) to evaluate experimental investigations that targeted reading comprehension using an SRSD reading intervention and included students with disabilities. Summary outcome measures presented in the analysis include the between-case standardized mean difference, percentage of non-overlapping data, and visual analysis. Although the results indicated SRSD to be generally effective, the small number of studies and the fact that only 2 studies met all of the CEC-EBP quality indicators prevent the strategy from presently being considered evidence based. We present limitations and implications for future research.

Educators who work with students with emotional and behavioral disorders may seek instructional strategies that are effective yet practical in the classroom. These strategies need a research base to support them and minimal time and/or effort to prepare or implement. One research-based option for educators across a variety of contexts is implementation of choice-making opportunities. This article offers suggestions for educators who may be hesitant to implement choice-making opportunities with students with challenging behaviors in instructional contexts.

Individualized education programs are considered the cornerstone of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act and serve as the means to determine whether qualified students with disabilities receive a Free Appropriate Public Education. This article aims to examine a recent circuit court ruling regarding the applicability of retrospective testimony to determine the appropriateness of an individualized education program and to discuss implications for practice. The authors first review case law and provide a summary of the court's rationale. They subsequently discuss implications for practice.

Functional behavior assessment (FBA) is the process of collecting data to determine the function of an individual's behavior to develop a functionally-indicated behavioral intervention (BIP). Special adaptations may be needed to conduct FBA and implement BIPs in alternative educational settings. In this article, we highlight suggestions for adaptation centered around data, systems, and practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precorrection is a proactive strategy designed to prevent problem behavior from occurring by identifying contexts likely to occasion problem behavior and facilitating the occurrence of appropriate behavior. To determine the evidence base for this practice we applied the Council for Exceptional Children's (CEC) Standards for Evidence-Based Practices in Special Education to the body of research on precorrection. We identified 10 single-case research design articles that (a) evaluated the effects of a precorrection intervention, (b) occurred in a PK-12 traditional school settings, (c) used experimental or quasi-experimental design, and (d) were published in a peer-reviewed journal. We identified five articles meeting an 80% weighted criterion of CEC's quality indicators. These five articles contained over 20 participants with positive effects based on CEC standards; therefore, we concluded precorrection to be an evidence-based practice using a weighted coding criterion to examine the evidence-based determination (retaining the presence and absence coding for each item constituting each quality indicator). Implications for future research and practice are outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we investigated the effects of choice of writing prompt on the number of story elements included in written narratives. The investigation took place in a residential facility for students with emotional and behavioral disorders. Participants included six female students in a mixed-grade-level course (students had just completed Grades 7-10). A withdrawal single-case research design was planned for each participant. However, the study was abandoned after only initial baseline and intervention phases because choice of writing prompt appeared to have null or countertherapeutic effects on the number of story elements written. Potential explanations for why these findings are inconsistent with other studies using choice making, including considerations of the file drawer effect for studies with null findings, are presented. Limitations and future directions also are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individualized education programs are considered the cornerstone of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act and serve as the means to determine whether qualified students with disabilities receive a Free Appropriate Public Education. This article aims to examine a recent circuit court ruling regarding the applicability of retrospective testimony to determine the appropriateness of an individualized education program and to discuss implications for practice. The authors first review case law and provide a summary of the court's rationale. They subsequently discuss implications for practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article we focus on school-wide systems to promote positive behaviors and enhance instruction. Part of the appeal of multi-tiered systems of support is that they facilitate collaboration between teachers by clarifying school-wide goals and the means for achieving them. We begin with an overview of multi-tiered systems of support including: (a) a description of each level of prevention: primary (Tier 1, for all), secondary (Tier 2, for some), and tertiary (Tier 3, for a few); (b) information on academic and behavior screening tools, with an emphasis on analyzing these data in tandem to inform instruction; and (c) the importance of looking at the role of the teacher as a starting point to determine how relatively low-intensity, teacher-directed shifts in instruction and management can influence student performance. Next, we provide an overview of research-based strategies teachers can employ beginning with whole-class strategies and conclude with individualized supports for students requiring more intensive assistance. Finally, we offer recommendations for teachers as they support students with behavior challenges in PreK-12 grades to promote academic and social success for all. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the benefits of incorporating student self-graphing into various academic and behavioral tasks to enhance the effects of an intervention and heighten student motivation. It offers examples to demonstrate how student self-graphing might be observed in a school setting. A list of considerations and tips to ensure successful execution of the processes is also provided.

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including the concept of consequent probability, use of research-based games to configure classrooms for maximum academic performance, and instructional strategies in science.

We report findings of a validity study comparing two screening tools: the Student Risk Screening Scale-Internalizing and Externalizing (SRSS-IE) and the Social Skills Improvement System-Performance Screening Guide (SSiS-PSG; Elliott & Gresham, 2007). Participants were 1,680 kindergarten through sixth-grade elementary students from three schools in a northeastern state. Correlation coefficients indicated statistically significant, inverse relationships between SRSS-IE scores and Prosocial Behavior, Motivation to Learn, Reading Skills, and Math Skills subscale scores of the SSiS-PSG. Test-retest stability analyses suggested SRSS-IE and SSiS-PSG scores were stable between fall and spring administrations (p < .0001). Educational implications, limitations, and future directions are offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses how issues of effectiveness and efficiency are considered most logically in the field of education, particularly for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (E/BD). It focuses on the variables that can provide the best probability for student success, namely, teacher variables, instructional variables, and management variables. It presents such outcomes as self-esteem, freedom and critical thinking.

The article provides an update on the Circuit Court Case Jefferson County School District R-1 v. Elizabeth E. including the history of the case, a summary of facts and an analysis on the reasoning behind the Court's decision. Topics discussed an evaluation of Elizabeth who was then found eligible for special education as a student with serious emotional and related services and conclusion that the district failed to provide free appropriate public education (FAPE).

Increasing students' opportunities to respond (OTR) is a low-intensity strategy effective in increasing engagement. Building on the work of Haydon and colleagues, we compared two types of OTR, choral and mixed (70% choral, 30% individual), to examine the utility of these strategies in increasing active student responding and accuracy during mathematics for two elementary-age students with internalizing behaviors. Results indicated the general education teacher implemented both OTR strategies with high fidelity with limited university support. However, results of this alternating treatment design were unable to distinguish either choral or mixed responding as superior to the other. Results suggested one student showed high active student responding with less than 80% accuracy, whereas the other student was highly accurate but responded less than 75% of the time. In the discussion, we highlight reasons why the two OTR strategies had similar effects on student outcomes, consider implications of these findings, and provide direction for future inquiry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]