What Do Teachers Know and Want to Know About Special Education?
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What Do Teachers Know and Want to Know About Special Education? First presenter: Angelique Aitken, University of Nebraska-Lincoln ([email protected]) Poster Abstract: Purpose The Council for Exceptional Children Professional Standards require that special education teachers have an understanding of the relevant special education laws and policies, which influence educating their students (CEC, 2015). Not only does a special educator provide academic, behavioral, and social skills instruction in accordance with their students' legally enforceable individualized education program (IEP) but federal and state laws (e.g., IDEA; 20 U.S.C. §§1400) have created compliance mechanisms that have intertwined legal topics with educating students. Furthermore, both parents and school administrators have reported that teachers are parents' primary source of special education information (Authors, under review and in preparation). Thus, it is important to understand teachers' knowledge of special education topics and processes. Method A convenience sample of 142 special education teachers across 16 states completed The Teacher Knowledge and Resources in Special Education (TKRSE) web-based survey. The TKRSE is comprised of 52 items across five domains and seven demographic items. The Accessibility of Resources domain had two items (e.g., Overall, how available are special education resources) rated on a 5-point Likert-type scale. Seventeen items (e.g., currently, how confident that you understand manifestation determination) were included in the Confidence in Special Education Topics domain and were each rated on a 4- point Likert-type scale. In the Areas of Desired Additional Knowledge domain, teachers were asked to identify the top topics that teachers would like to learn more about (e.g., Please identify the top three [special education law] topics you would like to learn more about). The Sources of Current Knowledge domain was comprised of ten items (e.g., how much did [your undergraduate courses] contribute to your current knowledge and understanding of special education processes/services?) and were rated on a 3-point Likert-type scale. The fifth domain, Preferred Methods of Gaining Information, contained six items that teachers rated on a 3-point Likert-type scale. Data were collected using Qualtrics and analyzed in IBM SPSS Statistics 24. Findings Most teachers reported that special education resources are usually available (M=3.86, SD=0.847) and fairly easy to understand (M=3.82, SD=0.856). Generally, teachers expressed being more confident with their knowledge of IEP-related topics than special education law-related topics. The three topics teachers indicate being most confident are annual IEP meetings (M=4.42, SD=0.893), developing IEP goals (M=4.24, SD=0.930), and appropriate accommodations (M=4.05, SD=1.074). They reported the lowest levels of confidence around resolving disagreements between parents and school (e.g., due process hearing; M=2.56, SD=1.240), manifestation determination (M=2.81, SD=1.419), and child find (M=2.94, SD=1.338). Teachers conveyed that graduate courses (M=2.59, SD=0.594) and mentorship (M=2.55, SD=0.688) are where they receive information that contributes to their current knowledge and understanding of special education processes and services. This aligns with their reported preferred methods to gain information: conversation with other special education teachers (M=2.81, SD=0.480) and attending an in-person training (M=2.69, SD=0.535). Understanding that these avenues are where special education teachers gain knowledge is important for researchers and district personnel to share information that can improve teachers' understanding and confidence of special education topics and processes. References: Authors (under review). Preparing parents to engage in the special education process: A descriptive examination of knowledge and access to resources. Authors (in preparation). Special education administrator perspectives on parent knowledge and access of special education resources. Council for Exceptional Children. (2015). What Every Special Educator Must Know: Professional Ethics and Standards. Arlington, VA: CEC. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 20 U.S.C. §1400 et seq. (2004). Mindfulness-focused Professional Development and Practice: Early Career Special Education Teachers Survival Training First presenter: Sara Alshmmry, California State University, Los Angeles ([email protected]) Second presenter: Anna Osipova, California State University, Los Angeles ([email protected]) Additional authors: Michael Oropollo, California State University, Los Angeles Poster Abstract: The proposed poster presentation discusses the results of a mixed methods study that used Mindfulness Professional Training as a means of reducing stress levels in beginning P-12 grade special education teachers working with students with mild to moderate disabilities in inclusive literacy-focused program. The poster showcases professional development model and examines qualitative and quantitative shifts in participants' perception of teaching-related stress, as well as their perception of the overall impact of mindfulness training on their professional performance and their students' learning and behavior. The study aimed: a) to increase preservice special education teachers' knowledge of mindfulness and its beneficial effects on teachers' well-being and PreK-12 students with disabilities' academic and socio-emotional performance; b) to present and model a number of specific mindfulness training strategies tailored to teachers' needs and the needs of specific population of students with mild to moderate disabilities c) to explore the effects of mindfulness training on the participants' perception of their teaching-related stress levels and their students' academic performance and behavior. The participants included 34 special education credential candidates enrolled in an early directed teaching practicum in a large urban CA university. All teacher participants in the study had students with mild to moderate disabilities in their inclusive classrooms. The study participants took part in a semester-long ongoing professional development that focused on extending their knowledge of mindfulness and strategies for its implementation for teachers and students with mild to moderate disabilities. The training consisted of an opening seminar that contained a presentation of mindfulness research and the effects of mindfulness practices on teachers' and students' well-being. During the initial seminar the participants took part in 3 short mindfulness practices designed for teachers. The introductory seminar was followed by two booster seminars on specific mindfulness practices that could be used when working with students with disabilities to reduce their anxiety levels, improve focus, and facilitate self- regulation. Throughout the semester, participants voluntarily participated in regular mindfulness practices before each daily teaching session. Participants' knowledge of mindfulness benefits and approaches were measured by pre- and post- survey. Their perceptions of stress levels were measured before and after each mindfulness session using a tool adapted for the study. Participants' reflections and class observations were examined to triangulate participants' self-reports and to explore qualitative shifts in participants' perception of their teaching-related stress levels and their students' academic performance and behavior. Preliminary findings indicate that a) beginning special education teachers report high levels of stress and express their need for strategies to minimize job-related stress; b) three consecutive seminars on mindfulness and its effects on teachers and students' well-being effectively increase participants' understanding of mindfulness and their knowledge of mindfulness strategies c) the showcased model of professional development built into the special education preparation program serves as an effective vehicle for lowering beginning teachers' perception of stress level and improves their perception of their students' academic performance and socio-emotional well-being. Content at your fingertips: Preparing educators to implement intensive intervention First presenter: Sarah Arden, American Institutes for Research ([email protected]) Poster Abstract: We know that educators can positively impact student achievement (Boyd, Lankford, Loeb, Rockoff, & Wyckoff, 2008; Hanushek & Rivkin, 2010; Kane, Rockoff, & Staiger, 2006; Master, Loeb, & Wyckoff, 2014), and that their impact is greater than other school influences (e.g., instructional group size, per-pupil expenditure). At the same time, complex skills, such as delivering intensive intervention, must be repeated and refined during preparation in order for educators to implement them with the fidelity required to meet the needs of struggling learners (Kretlow & Bartholomew, 2010). This type of instructional expertise does not occur by merely observing teaching practice or from reading about educational theories. It is developed by refining how to deliver intensive intervention and how to be responsive to performance feedback. Intensive intervention entails an iterative, research-based process that relies on the systematic and frequent collection and analysis of student-level data, modification of intervention components when those data indicate inadequate response, and use of teachers' clinical experience and judgment to individualize intervention in reading,