The author analyzed the national special education data from 2006-2020 for students with diasabilites who are English Learners with a focus on trends and outcomes. The study discusses the implications for schools and districts and the need to address the changes in student population in to improve outcomes for students with disabilities.
Cooc, N. (2023). National Trends in Special Education and Academic Outcomes for English Learners With Disabilities. The Journal of Special Education, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/00224669221147272
The tool is designed to support district leaders implement school wide positive behavior support (SWPBS) systems. It is useful because it clearly defines and describes the different steps and processes associated with implementation SWPBS systems.
OSEP Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (October 2015). Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Implementation Blueprint: Part 1–Foundations and Supporting Information.Eugene, OR: University of Oregon. Retrieved from www.pbis.org.
In this technical assistance document (a companion to the Questions and Answers: Addressing the Needs of Children with Disabilities and IDEA’s Discipline Provisions, which outlines the legal requirements related to behavior support and discipline for eligible students with disabilities under IDEA), the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) provides information about resources, strategies, and evidence-based practices that (while not required by law) can help States, LEAs, schools, early childhood programs, educators, and families in their efforts to meet IDEA requirements and, in doing so, improve outcomes for children with disabilities.
Office of Special Education Rehabilitative Services. 2022. Positive, Proactive Approaches to Supporting the Needs of Children with Disabilities: A Guide for Stakeholders
https://sites.ed.gov/idea/files/guide-positive-proactive-approaches-to-supporting-children-with-disabilities.pdf (accessed September 16, 2022).
The authors posit that interpretation of behavior of marginalized students is susceptible to prejudice, bias, and racist ideology.The articles points out that although PBIS frameworks are increasingly used in schools to support students, students of color continue to be overrepresented as needing supports within these frameworks.
Taylor, J. C., Hanley, W., Deger, G., & C. Hunter, W. (2022). Promoting Anti-Racism Practices and the Cycle of Critical Consciousness within Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports Frameworks. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/00400599221120242
This document updates and supersedes the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services’ (OSERS) guidance titled Questions and Answers on Discipline Procedures, issued in June 2009 and includes additional questions and answers that address topics that have arisen as the field continues to carry out the discipline provisions of IDEA and its implementing regulations. Key topics include removing a child with a disability from their current educational placement and the responsibilities of individualized education program (IEP) teams to address the behavioral needs of children with disabilities through the evaluation, reevaluation, and IEP development process to ensure the provision of a free appropriate public education (FAPE).
Office of Special Education Rehabilitative Services. 2022. Questions and Answers Addressing the Needs of Children with Disabilities and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act's (IDEA's) Discipline Provisions
https://sites.ed.gov/idea/files/qa-addressing-the-needs-of-children-with-disabilities-and-idea-discipline-provisions.pdf (accessed September 16, 2022).
Students of color, English learners, and those from non-dominant cultures often face disproportionate identification and placement in special education, along with related disciplinary disparities. While special education services are crucial for students with actual disabilities, many students are wrongly referred to special education due to struggles stemming from inadequate education policies and classroom practices that fail to meet their needs. Pedagogical practices based on the dominant culture often lack culturally responsive elements, leading to classrooms that do not reflect or value the sociocultural contexts of these students. This disconnect can impede learning and result in teachers mistakenly perceiving these students as having learning or behavioral issues, prompting inappropriate special education referrals.
This brief suggests that district leaders tackle this critical issue by focusing on four key areas:
Implementing culturally responsive and sustaining policies and practices across all educational settings.
Enhancing the special education identification process.
Integrating culturally responsive and sustaining policies and practices specifically in behavior management efforts.
Developing culturally responsive data literacy among district staff at all levels.
Citation: Harvey, A. 2023. “Research-Based Strategies for Addressing Disproportionality in Special Education.” Western Educational Equity Assistance Center at WestEd. https://weeac.wested.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Addressing-Disproportionality-in-Special-Education.pdf (accessed, June 14, 2024).
This Board policy ensures equal access to educational opportunity for all students by minimizing or elimination the impacts of disparities in ability, levels of preparation, available resources and social-cultural differences in achievement and performance. Also, it describes how to prevent disproportionality associated between a child's race or ethnicity and the number and type of special education classifications and placements that result.
Mount Diablo Unified School District. 2011. School Board policy - Disproportionality Policy/BP0411. Concord, California: Mount Diablo Unified School District (DOCUMENT)
Despite the endemic nature of anti-blackness in society, educators have a duty to work toward disrupting anti-blackness in schools. Three strategies have been identified for educational practitioners to carve out possibilities for Black students to thrive in spite of anti-blackness. 1. Radical care through caseloads, 2. Professional development centering Black students' experiences, and 3. Black third spaces.
Williams, K., Mcadoo, G., & Howard, T.C. "Schools Must Do More to Support Black Students." Edsource, (2022).
This brief two-page document outlines the fundamental aspects of significant disproportionality for State and Local Educational Agencies. According to IDEA Section 618, states are required to collect and examine data to identify significant disproportionality among the seven federally identified race and ethnicity categories in:
Identification of children as having disabilities.
Placement in less inclusive educational settings.
Incidence, duration, and type of disciplinary actions, including suspensions and expulsions.
States use 98 separate calculations for each Local Education Agency (LEA) to determine the presence of significant disproportionality. These calculations must follow a standard methodology and analyze disparities based on race/ethnicity in identification, placement, and discipline.
Citation: The Data Center for Addressing Significant Disproportionality. 2023. “Significant Disproportionality: For SEAs and LEAs.” https://dcasd.org/resources/SigDisproIntro-SEA.pdf (accessed, June 14, 2024).
The authors examined the relationship among K-12 students and their attendance rates with a focus on EL students, students living in poverty, suspension rates and students with disabilities.
Forman, K., & Markson, C. (2022). Students with Disabilities and Suspension Rates: A Cautionary Tale for School Districts. Journal for Leadership and Instruction, 21(1), 20–24
