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Placement decisions for students with severe disabilities have often been based less on the students' unique learning needs but more on beliefs and presumptions about student learning, entrenched school district policies that restrict program delivery options, and other variables unrelated to student needs. In light of the benefits associated with inclusive practices for students with severe disabilities, this article examines the foregoing factors to better understand how they affect placement decisions and to identify barriers to implementing at a national level more inclusive placements. The article also addresses systems change solutions, and several new federally funded initiatives that could contribute to authentic changes in placement practices. [For the grantee submission, see ED598980.]

The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which extracurricular activities are included in Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) of secondary age students with intellectual disability (ID). Student characteristics (grade, disability, use of augmentative and alternative communication) were examined to explore potential group differences. Participants were 498 special education teachers who had at least one student with ID on their caseload who had participated in a school sponsored extracurricular activity. Data were collected through an online questionnaire sent to members of a national listserv for transition professionals. Findings reveal that 63.69% (n = 314) of teachers reported they included information about extracurricular activities in the IEP; however, only 59.61% (n = 186) of these teachers also reported their student worked on IEP goals during extracurricular activities. Student characteristics were related to the presence of extracurricular activities in the IEP, number of IEP goals students worked on during extracurricular activities, student's most important IEP goal, and whether students received instruction on their most important IEP goal during extracurricular activities.

This study investigated the relation between grade level, support needs, and use of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) and the participation of secondary age students with intellectual disability in school-sponsored extracurricular activities. Participants were special education teachers with at least one student with an intellectual disability on their caseload who participated in a school-sponsored extracurricular activity (N = 498). Data were collected using an online questionnaire sent to members of a national listserv for transition professionals. Teachers reported students participated in a variety of extracurricular activities within the categories of sports/fitness, school clubs, special events, and performing arts. The majority of students participated in activities for less than 3 hr per week and did not participate in activities that only included students with disabilities. Support needs and use of AAC were related to the type of extracurricular activities in which students participated, the amount of time students spent in extracurricular activities each week, and the extent to which students participated in extracurricular activities that only included students with disabilities. Grade-level differences were nonsignificant, except in relation to activities that only included students with disabilities.

Although self-determination has received increased attention as a critical component in quality education programs, there is limited current research about how and in what way students are displaying self-determined behaviors. To that end, a 29-item questionnaire was developed and 118 school system personnel reported how a sample of students with intellectual and developmental disabilities in different grades employed self-determination strategies. Respondents were predominately White, female, had more than 10 years of experience, and largely worked with students with multiple disabilities at the elementary level. In all, the majority of students across grades were not taught specific self-determination skills. Also, students at the elementary level participated less in attending individualized education program (IEP) meetings or discussing their challenging behaviors than students at the secondary level, and typically received little or no instruction in self-determination. For those students who did receive instruction, self-instruction, self-monitoring, and self-evaluation were several of the strategies reported as being used by students to manage and regulate their behavior. The implications of the findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses articles in the issue on topics including instructional goals for students with disabilities, importance of using evidence-based practices (EBPs) and efficacy of instructional practice.

Although participation in extracurricular activities for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities has been advocated, a limited number of students appear to be involved in such activities. Further, there is little empirical research on how extracurricular activities are valued, supported, and encouraged. This study surveyed a sample of special educators across five states to learn about their opinions regarding extracurricular activities. As reported in other research, the findings confirm that few students participated in these activities; few parents requested these services for their children; and few teachers believed that planning them is their responsibility, despite the fact that they thought these activities were of value and provided several benefits. The implications of these findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Although there is considerable research that has identified effective strategies to support the transition from school to adult life for young adults with disabilities, post-school outcomes for culturally linguistically or economically diverse (CLED) students with disabilities, particularly students who are Black and have disabilities, remain abysmal. OBJECTIVE: This article reviews the literature on transition practices for students who are Black and have disabilities to determine what is known about their unique challenges, as well as what can be done to improve their postschool outcomes. METHODS:The current published literaturewas reviewed to identify articles that examined the impact of transition practices on postschool outcomes for students who are Black and have disabilities. RESULTS: Although the research literature on students who are Black and have disabilities in transition programs is limited, a number of practices were identified as improving transition planning and services for these students, including several that enhance student self-determination in the process. CONCLUSIONS: As the postschool outcomes for this group of youth students who are Black and have disabilities continues to be abysmal, this review of the literature revealed that there is a need to conduct research to further identify barriers and effective practices needed to overcome them. Implications for practice as well as further research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The available data suggest that both students and adults with disabilities sustain injuries and are victims of crimes at high levels. Despite these alarming data, several researchers have suggested that safety skills instruction has largely been ignored as a curricular domain. Further, although parents can serve a critical function in educational and transition planning there is virtually no research that has examined parent perceptions regarding the importance of safety skills instruction in educational programs. The present survey obtained opinions of a sample of parents on selected issues relating to safety skills instruction. The findings suggested that the majority of respondents though that safety skills were critically important and should be taught both at home and in school. Nevertheless, the respondents reported that few safety skills were included in their child's IEP; they had not discussed safety skills as potential educational programs with their children; and few discussed safety with their children's teacher. A Pearson Chi Square analysis revealed a negative relationship between classrooms settings and discussion of safety skills by teachers. Implications of these findings to promote safety competence are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Promoting self-determination has been identified as a means to both promote access to the general education curriculum and focus on transition-related skills. In particular, the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction (SDLMI) has been found to be effective in producing successful transition and academic outcomes for students with cognitive disabilities. The SDLMI enables teachers to teach students a self-directed problem-solving process that enables students to self-regulate learning. This study investigates the effects of the SDLMI on a variety of academic skills for three junior high students with extensive support needs included in a general education health class. Positive changes were reported for all students. The implications of these findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite national interest in promoting self-determination and active involvement in individualized education program (IEP) planning, available data suggest that many students have little involvement in these activities. Findings on the extent to which students are provided opportunities to be involved in IEP development and to receive self-determination instruction have been based on parent and teacher input, with little input provided by students. In this study, researchers piloted a tool that asked students with intellectual and other disabilities to provide input on their involvement in IEP development and their opportunities to learn self-determination strategies. Findings reveal that although the majority of students reported receiving some instruction on one or more self-determination strategies, few students were provided instruction in having an active role in the IEP process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite current interest in promoting self-determination, the extent to which self-determination instruction is provided to students with visual impairments remains uncertain. The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of a sample of teachers of students with visual impairments about issues that are related to self-determination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the effects of the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction (SDLMI) on the academic skill performance of three junior high school students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities. The academic skills taught were aligned to the district general curriculum, and extended benchmarks were individually determined. The students were instructed to engage in a self-regulated problem-solving strategy, as well as to use one or more additional student-directed learning strategies. The results suggested that all students were able to acquire and maintain target academic skills to mastery levels. Also, all stakeholders had positive perceptions about the value of such instruction. The implications of these findings relative to the general curriculum initiative are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the effects of the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction on student-selected work skills for 4 students with moderate to severe disabilities. The students learned to set their own goals, develop an action plan, implement the plan, and adjust their goals and plans as needed. Three of the 4 participants achieved their self-selected goals, and 1 student did not meet the mastery criterion, but performed at a higher level during the training condition than in baseline. The results provide support for self-determination instruction for transition-age youth with moderate to severe disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-regulation and other student-directed learning strategies have the potential to benefit students with developmental disabilities and mental retardation in general education classrooms. However, to date, there is little information about use of such strategies in general education classrooms, particularly at the secondary education level. This study examined the effect of a self-regulation multicomponent process (antecedent cue regulation or self-monitoring with self-evaluation and self-reinforcement) with 3 students with developmental disabilities in typical classrooms. Use of the self-regulation strategies improved adaptive behaviors related to class participation or decreased problem behaviors for all students. Also, teachers working with students indicated that they had exceeded their expectations for achieving goals related to the target behaviors. The potential for use of self-regulation strategies to promote successful inclusion is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The IDEA requires participation and progress in the general curriculum by all students, However, there is limited knowledge about the degree to which students with mental retardation have such access, This study examined the degree to which middle school students with mental retardation have access to the general curriculum and the impact of the classroom setting and the student's level of ability on such access, Findings indicated that students with mental retardation were most likely to participate with the general curriculum in the general education classroom and were less likely to engage in activities linked to a standard if they had more severe disabilities, Many students were engaged in activities in the general curriculum, but there was room for improvement in providing curricular modifications to promote access. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]