Progress Monitoring And Data Based Decision Making In Inclusive Schools

In a context where schools are held more and more accountable for the education they provide, data-based decision making has become increasingly important. This book brings together scholars from several countries to examine data-based decision making. Data-based decision making in this book refers to making decisions based on a broad range of evidence, such as scores on students’ assessments, classroom observations etc. This book supports policy-makers, people working with schools, researchers and school leaders and teachers in the use of data, by bringing together the current research conducted on data use across multiple countries into a single volume. Some of these studies are ‘best practice’ studies, where effective data use has led to improvements in student learning. Others provide insight into challenges in both policy and practice environments. Each of them draws on research and literature in the field.

Over the last decade, the educational context for students with disabilities has significantly changed primarily as a result of mandates contained in NCLB and IDEA. The purpose of this book is to summarize the research literature regarding how students might be provided classrooms and schools that are both inclusive and effective. Inclusive schools are defined as places where students with disabilities are valued and active participants in academic and social activities and are given supports that help them succeed. Effectiveness is addressed within the current movement toward multi-tiered systems of support and evidence-based practices that meet the demands of high-stakes accountability.

For the past 50 years, there has been increasing consideration and debate about how to best educate learners with special educational needs and disabilities. Competing paradigms of special education and inclusive education have been developed, disseminated and discussed at length over the years. These discussions have focused the attention on effectively educating learners with different types and severities of special educational needs and disabilities, who are living in either developing and developed countries in various parts of the world. The aim of this Special Issue of Education Sciences is to focus on the latest theory, practice and research relevant to special education and inclusive education. Articles that present new ideas, suggest future research directions or potential ways forward for educational practice are of particular interest.

You’re ready to start collecting and utilizing school data, but what data? How exactly will you find it, and how will you use it once you have it? This informative resource takes an in-depth look at best data collection practices and guides the elementary school principal on how to reach struggling learners, strengthen instruction, and achieve schoolwide improvement.

This important book highlights the need to include learners with low-incidence disabilities and provides information related to supports and services to achieve that goal across a variety of contexts.

It’s time to focus on what students can do, rather than what they can’t. In this inaugural book in their Inclusive Education for Students with Disabilities series, Michael L. Wehmeyer and Jennifer A. Kurth explore central, defining questions for the field of special and inclusive education: who, what, and where do we teach; what works in inclusive education; and where does inclusive education go now? Arguing that the concept of disability for the past fifty years has emphasized students as incapable and incompetent, the authors propose instead to build on a growing understanding that students with disabilities can be successful and meet high expectations, and that educators have the knowledge and skills to achieve this. From this strength-based perspective, the presumption is that disability is part of, and not apart from, typical human functioning. Using this lens, Wehmeyer and Kurth describe effective practices to guide instruction in inclusive settings—practices that begin with a consideration of each student’s strengths and capacities, rather than with a diagnosis.

Your desk reference for success with exceptional students As education trends promote the inclusion of students with special needs, this book is the perfect resource for teachers and administrators who need to know what works…and what doesn’t. With personal experiences, references, and reproducibles, this book identifies evidence-based practices in an easy-access format. The editors and authors examine how special educational needs affect: Content areas like reading and math Specialization areas like autism and learning disabilities Pedagogical areas like culturally responsive practices and accommodations Other critical areas like legal issues, behavior challenges, and home-school collaboration