Evaluating Inclusive Educational Practices for Students With Severe Disabilities Using the Program Quality Measurement Tool

Abstract

Recent legislative and school reform efforts require schools to evaluate and improve educational practices for students with severe disabilities. The authors developed the Program Quality Measurement Tool (PQMT) to enable administrators and educators to evaluate the educational programming provided to students with severe disabilities against best practice indicators, identify programmatic strengths and needs, and assess improvements in educational service delivery over time. The PQMT incorporates a multimethod approach to assessing inclusive practices for students with severe disabilities at the levels of the local education agency, school building, and student. The results indicate acceptable levels of interobserver agreement, test-retest reliability, internal consistency, congruent validity, and discriminative validity for the PQMT.

Efficacy of Teachers Training Paraprofessionals to Implement Peer Support Arrangements

“…Giangreco and Broer found many paraprofessionals reported that students with severe disabilities thought of them or other paraprofessionals as their primary "friends" at school. Indeed, without adequate training, direct paraprofessional support can decrease opportunities for students with severe disabilities to build independence and social competence-two of the primary aims of inclusion for this population (Cushing, Carter, Clark, Wallis, & Kennedy, 2009). …”

“…I attended all meetings to measure fidelity of implementation. During this orientation meeting paraprofessionals shared (a) a rationale for peer support arrangements, (b) background about the focal student with severe disabilities, (c) general goals of peer support including promoting social interactions and academic engagement, (d) the importance of confidentiality and respectful language, (e) expectations specific to the classroom (e.g., sitting with student, checking in with the paraprofessional), (e) individualized strategies to provide support from the peer support plan, and (f) guidance on when to seek assistance from the general educator or paraprofessional (Carter, Cushing, & Kennedy, 2009). Paraprofessionals also solicited and answered questions from the peers about their new roles.…”

Viewpoints on Interventions for Learners with Disabilities

“…Concerns about the growth and segregated nature of special education initially expressed by Lloyd Dunn (1968) and supported by the ongoing research questioning the efficacy of special education programs (McLeskey, 2007), legislative and judicial actions, the persistent problem of disproportionate representation of culturally and linguistically diverse students, and the work of advocacy groups led the field of special education to initially focus on mainstreaming, and then the implementation of inclusive education programs that educate all students together in the general education classroom (Osgood, 2005;Valle & Connor, 2010;Salend, 2011). In general, the research findings suggest that inclusive education can benefit students with and without exceptionalities when their teachers use differentiated instruction and assessment as well as curricular and teaching accommodations within the general education setting (Black-Hawkins, Florian, & Rouse, 2007;Cushing, Carter, Clark, Wallis, & Kennedy, 2009;Salend & Garrick Duhaney, 2007). Because inclusive education is a relatively new philosophy and inclusion programs are multifaceted and varied in their implementation and the services provided (Ainscow, 2008;Idol, 2006), research and models that enhance its implementation, effectiveness, and long-term impact continue to be focuses for the field (Sindelar, Shearer, Yendol-Hoppey, & Liebert, 2006).…”

Facilitating Systems of Support

“…Several inclusive practices have been identified as effective; however, these practices need to be investigated further in order to establish a stronger evidence base. More research is needed to explain the extent to which evidence-based practices are being implemented and the factors that contribute to the greatest gains for students with low-incidence disabilities (Cushing, Carter, Clark, Wallis, & Kennedy, 2009).…”