Meeting Functional Curriculum Needs in Middle School General Education Classrooms

1994 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 40-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon Field ◽  
Barbara LeRoy ◽  
Sharon Rivera
2014 ◽  
Vol 116 (6) ◽  
pp. 1-40
Author(s):  
Laura E. Bray ◽  
Alicia A. Mrachko ◽  
Christopher J. Lemons

Background/Context For an increasing percentage of students with disabilities, writing instruction is taking place in general education classrooms. The practice of instructing students with disabilities in general education classrooms is commonly referred to as inclusion. For elementary and middle school English teachers, inclusion requires that they teach students with varying instructional needs how to write. While numerous studies have examined writing instruction and interventions for students with disabilities, little research has closely examined the phenomenon and implications of providing writing instruction in inclusive classrooms. Focus of Study In this study, we examined the writing opportunities provided to students in four eighth-grade English classrooms at a full inclusion middle school. Research Design We employed a qualitative case study design to collect multiple sources of data, including writing tasks, grading requirements, prewriting activities, lesson plans, writing task information sheets, and interviews with teachers. Our analysis sought to triangulate findings from these multiple data sources to examine the types and quality of writing instruction provided in these inclusive English classrooms, along with the factors that influenced this instruction. Findings The findings from this study indicate the writing opportunities provided to students were of poor quality and were influenced by state standards and high-stakes accountability assessments. Furthermore, students with disabilities were provided with nearly the same writing opportunities as their nondisabled peers, with little differentiation, modifica-tion, or accommodation. The study also exposed organizational features and accountability policy pressures that promoted the instructional practice of standardization. Conclusions/Recommendations Our findings suggest that including students with disabilities into a general education English classroom does not necessarily lead to high-quality writing opportunities for those students. Current accountability policy emphasizes the standardization of learning goals and outcomes, with little focus on the actual types and quality of instruction provided to students. We argue that for students with disabilities, focusing solely on teaching grade-level learning standards and improving high-stakes accountability assessments is not the solution for improving instructional opportunities and outcomes. Our findings also revealed that, under certain conditions, standardization of instruction is a potential unintended consequence of inclusive education.


2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 32
Author(s):  
Gabriela E. Gui

In today’s America, not every child starts on a level playing field, and very few children move ahead based solely on hard work or talent. Generational poverty and a lack of cultural capital hold many students back, robbing them of the opportunity to move up professionally and socially. Children of immigrants are especially at-risk because, in addition to facing poverty, race, geographical location or economic disadvantages, they are also confronted with failure due to their limited or non-existent English proficiency. This study focuses on the degree to which teachers in a mid-sized urban school district take into consideration the individual needs of immigrant children in the process of their education. The study also examines the preparation teachers have had to equip them with knowledge of best practices in teaching immigrant children, and the relationship between teachers’ practices, beliefs, and their demographic and personal characteristics (age, gender, years of experience, level of education, etc.). Quantitative data was collected via a survey. Interviews with teachers and one central office administrator provided data for the qualitative section of the study. The findings revealed that teachers, in general, appeared to lack knowledge of specific policies for mainstreaming immigrant students into general education classrooms; their use of effective teaching practices for working with immigrant children were limited; and most of the teachers had not participated actively in professional development that focused on teaching immigrant children.


2021 ◽  
pp. 019874292110120
Author(s):  
Margaret T. Floress ◽  
Amy M. Briesch ◽  
Lyndsay N. Jenkins ◽  
Kaylee A. Hampton

This study examined the generalizability and dependability of observational estimates of middle and high school teachers’ use of praise and reprimand. Frequency of behavior-specific praise, general praise, and total reprimand were collected across 67, 20-min observations that took place during class-wide instruction in general education classrooms. Generalizability theory was used to determine the number of observations needed to obtain dependable estimates of teacher behavior. Behavior-specific praise rates were consistently low. General praise rates were slightly higher and reprimand rates were notably higher and slightly more variable. Total reprimands had the strongest generalizability results and general praise had the weakest. Behavior-specific praise reached an acceptable level of dependability after 15 min, whereas general praise required a 35-min observation, and reprimand only required 5 min. Implications and future directions are discussed.


2007 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 373-382 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan L. Hepburn ◽  
Carolyn DiGuiseppi ◽  
Steven Rosenberg ◽  
Kristina Kaparich ◽  
Cordelia Robinson ◽  
...  

2016 ◽  
Vol 118 (14) ◽  
pp. 1-30
Author(s):  
George Theoharis ◽  
Julie Causton ◽  
Chelsea P. Tracy-Bronson

Students identified with disabilities are increasingly being educated with the assistance of support services within heterogeneous (i.e., general education) classrooms. Yet, in this era of high-stakes accountability, students are labeled, sorted, and differentially treated according to their academic achievement as reflected on standardized tests. We engaged in a project to better understand how educators grapple with these externally imposed pressures as they work to change the organizational structure of their schools to be able to implement greater inclusion of their students served by special education. We spent four years in two elementary schools engaged in inclusive school reform (shifting from exclusionary model to an inclusive one) specifically as a response to the pressures of test-based accountability mandates. Our work was guided by the following questions. In this era of high-stakes testing accountability: • What does school-wide inclusive reform for students with disabilities involve? • What kinds of changes can result from inclusive reform? • What role does leadership play in inclusive reform? The article focuses on what inclusive reform involved, the resulting changes, and the role distributed leadership played in moving toward more inclusive service in the age of high-stakes accountability.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 478-483
Author(s):  
Pattaraporn Jamsai

Purpose of Study: The purpose of this study was to examine Thai secondary teacher attitudes towards inclusion of students with learning disabilities in general education classrooms. Methodology: The researcher collected quantitative data using a questionnaire with 28 Likert-type scale questions, adapted from the Opinions Relative to Integration of Students with Disabilities (ORI) as well as information related to training in special education, experience, and workload. The participants were comprised of a representative group of 370 secondary teachers from all regions of Thailand. Most participants indicated that they were female general education teachers and had a Bachelor’s degree. Main Finding: Through multiple linear regression, the findings showed that Thai secondary teachers generally held a positive attitude towards the inclusion of students with learning disabilities into general education classrooms. All three independent variables (hours of training, years of teaching experience, and hours of workload) were significant predictors of teachers’ attitudes towards inclusive classrooms, though the hours of workload was the strongest predictor. Applications: The study was conducted to better understand the variables that are meaningful to teachers’ attitudes toward inclusion.


1998 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis McDougall ◽  
Michael. P. Brady

This study investigated the effects of multiple-component behavioral self-management (BSM) interventions on math fluency and engaged time of five 4th-grade students with and without disabilities in general education classrooms. A multiple-baseline across subjects design demonstrated that the students (a) increased their math fluency and engaged time after being trained to use self-management components, (b) further improved their math fluency and engaged time when components of the self-management interventions were faded, (c) matched or exceeded normative levels of math fluency of 4th-grade peers, (d) generalized improvements in math fluency when they answered math word problems, and (e) self monitored accurately and punctually when they computed answers to calculation problems during daily warm-up sessions.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document