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The increase in enrollment in online programs for Grades K-12 students, including students with disabilities, requires teachers to consider how to provide effective online instruction. Although schools may offer students a fully online curriculum, teachers serve an essential role in supporting students with disabilities in meeting (a) learning goals of the online curriculum and (b) individual needs as outlined in the Individualized Education Program (IEP). Because students with disabilities often need targeted instruction to meet their academic and behavioral needs, teachers should consider integrating small group synchronous instruction to supplement fully online curricula. This article provides teachers with guidance on how to select appropriate online tools and technology to increase opportunities to respond throughout the main components of explicit instruction (i.e., modeling, guided, and independent practice).

Students with emotional and behavioral disorders have historically experienced poor outcomes in the area of reading. One strategy that has been suggested for improving oral reading fluency for students with or at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders is repeated reading. However, there has not been an evidence-based review that examines the use of this intervention for this population. The purpose of this study was to conduct an evidence-based review that examined the use of repeated reading in improving oral reading fluency outcomes for students with and at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders according to the Council for Exceptional Children's "Standards for Evidence-Based Practices in Special Education." To focus on students with and at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders, we only included studies that included or disaggregated results for the target population. Although this narrow scope resulted in only six studies for inclusion, repeated reading was classified as having mixed evidence for improving the oral reading fluency of students with emotional and behavioral disorders and insufficient evidence for students at risk. We discuss the implications for research and practice.

It is crucial that special education teachers are equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to improve outcomes for students with disabilities. Despite federal legislation and efforts of the field to identify and disseminate evidence-based practices for students with disabilities, it is uncertain whether all special education teachers provide instruction based on the best available research. To better prepare special education teachers, McLeskey et al. proposed 22 high-leverage practices (HLPs). We conducted this systematic review of meta-analyses to provide an initial investigation of the experimental evidence reporting on the effectiveness of the HLPs for students with, or at risk for, a disability. Results indicated the largest amount of evidence from meta-analyses related to intensive instruction, explicit instruction, and social skills, with few meta-analyses reporting on collaboration and assessment. The results highlighted disproportional evidence according to disability categories. Implications for future research, practice, and teacher education are discussed.

Although the co-teaching service delivery model is the most commonly used service delivery model used to support co-teachers in the inclusive setting (Cook et al., 2017), research indicates that co-teachers may need support in order to increase the use of specialized instruction to meet the individual needs of students with disabilities (Scruggs et al., 2007). In this manuscript, we provide a process for instructional coaches to use to (a) develop and deliver effective professional development and (b) coach co-teachers. This process maximizes the potential of the co-teaching service delivery model in improving educational outcomes for students with disabilities.

The purpose of this review is to determine the evidence base classification of schema-based instruction (SBI) as an intervention to improve word problem-solving outcomes in mathematics for students with learning or mathematics disabilities in Grades K-12. Using the Council for Exceptional Children's quality indicators (QIs) and standards, we reviewed both single-case and group design studies to classify the evidence of SBI. Results of this review indicate that SBI is a potentially evidence-based practice (EBP) for students with learning disabilities. Implications and directions for research and practice are presented.

Co-teaching is the most popular model for supporting students with disabilities in the general education setting. However, the limited research that supports this framework as effective for increasing outcomes for students with disabilities may indicate co-teachers have difficulty providing students with specialized instruction to meet individual learning needs. In this article, co-teachers are provided a model for integrating effective practices strategically within various co-teaching models to increase educational outcomes for students with disabilities.

Evidence-based reviews are a type of systematic literature review used to identify evidence-based practices. When conducting an evidence-based review, researchers apply predetermined standards to identify evidence-based practices--practices that have been shown to reliably improve an outcome for a population of learners, according to evidence from a body of rigorous, experimental studies. In this article, we describe evidence-based reviews, provide an overview of one set of evidence standards used in special education, and describe important caveats and considerations related to evidence-based reviews. We conclude with two examples of evidence-based reviews in the field of learning disabilities. Our take-home message is that evidence-based reviews are a trustworthy approach for identifying generally effective instructional practices--but no practices, not even evidence-based practices, are effective for all learners.

Introduction: Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is caused by homozygous loss of the SMN1 gene with SMN2 gene copy number correlating with disease severity. Rarely SMA is caused by a deletion on one allele and a pathogenic variant on the other. The pathogenic missense variant c.5C>G (p.Ala2Gly) correlates with a mild disease phenotype that does not correlate with SMN2 copy number. In a mouse model the c.5C>G transgene produces SMN that is thought to form partially functional SMN complexes, but levels in humans have not yet been investigated. Methods: We identified two patients with mild SMA caused by a heterozygous deletion of SMN1 and the heterozygous variant, c.5C>G. Molecular findings were confirmed with deletion/duplication analysis and Sanger sequencing. Skin fibroblasts were collected and cultured, and SMN expression was analyzed using immunofluorescence. Results: Two patients with slowly progressing mild weakness were confirmed to have heterozygous pathogenic missense variant c.5C>G and a heterozygous deletion of SMN1. Their clinical presentation revealed much milder disease progression than patients with matched SMN2 copy number. Analysis of the patients' fibroblasts revealed much higher numbers of SMN nuclear complexes than a patient with a homozygous SMN1 deletion and matched SMN2 copy number. Conclusions: These case reports reinforce that the rare c.5C>G variant causes mild disease. Furthermore, the analysis of SMA nuclear gems in patient samples supports the theory that the p.Ala2Gly SMN can form partially functional SMN complexes that may carry out essential cellular functions and result in mild disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the premise that instruction should be designed from the outset to reduce barriers, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) guidelines provide a set of flexible options and scaffolds to ensure access for all learners. Using the UDL framework, teachers and researchers can systematically adapt effective practices that have been established by methodologically sound research studies to have meaningful gains for students with learning disabilities (LD). Specifically, we suggest that teachers can select an effective practice and then use the UDL framework to individualize the practice (while maintaining core components). Furthermore, we propose that researchers may use this approach to (a) clearly define how UDL was applied to a practice and (b) systematically measure the effects of UDL when applied to practices that have been established as effective by methodologically sound research. Although teachers and researchers can apply UDL to effective practices for all students, in this article, we highlight how secondary teachers can design and adapt effective practices for students with LD, who need intensive interventions to improve skills (e.g., reading comprehension, decoding) and access to grade-level curriculum.

There is a growing body of research that supports the use of performance feedback as a method of increasing teachers' use of effective practices (Cornelius & Nagro, 2014; Sweigart et al., 2016). Put simply, performance feedback involves a colleague or coach observing a teacher and providing specific feedback about the instruction to increase a teacher's use of a selected practice. At the minimum, performance feedback requires two components: observation and non evaluative reporting. For students with disabilities to improve academic and behavioral outcomes, it is necessary for teachers to identify and use effective practices that are aligned to meet the learning needs of their students. For special education teachers, who often work in collaboration with other school personnel (e.g., general education teacher, educational assistant), performance feedback can be a promising practice that can be done easily with minimal training and resources required and can lead to meaningful opportunities to engage in collaborative discussion about methods for effectively supporting students with disabilities.

Students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) have unique academic and behavioral needs that require the use of evidence-based practices. One way that teachers can support students with EBD is by individualizing interventions, such as self-monitoring, while maintaining a high level of fidelity. In this article, the authors describe how the Universal Design for Learning framework can be used to design individualized self-monitoring interventions for students with EBD while still maintaining core components of the intervention.

Evidence-based reforms that emphasize the identification and implementation of empirically validated practices are at the forefront of educational research, and recently, the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC; 2014) published a set of standards for establishing evidence-based practices in special education. Although 30 years of research supports the effectiveness of ClassWide Peer Tutoring (CWPT), an instructional strategy intended to increase engagement and improve academic outcomes for students with disabilities, a formal evidence-based review has not yet been conducted on the practice. The purpose of this study is to examine whether CWPT, as developed by the Juniper Gardens Children's Project at the University of Kansas, can be considered an evidence-based practice for academic outcomes of students with high incidence disabilities using the CEC standards. Sixteen single-case design studies met inclusion criteria; no studies addressed all the required quality indicators. Although results of multiple studies show that CWPT had positive effects, the lack of methodologically sound studies supporting the practice means that CWPT is not considered an evidence-based practice according to the CEC (2014) standards. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Replication research is essential to scientific knowledge. Reviews of replication studies often electronically search for "replicat*" as a textword, which does not identify studies that replicate previous research but do not self-identify as such. We examined whether the 83 intervention studies published in six non-categorical research journals in special education in 2013 and 2014 might be considered replications regardless of using the term "replicat*" by applying criteria related to (a) the stated purpose of the study and (b) comparing the findings of the study with the results of previous studies. We coded 26 intervention studies as replications. Authors of 17 of these studies reported that their findings solely agreed with the results of the original study(ies). Author overlap occurred for half of the replicative studies. The likelihood of findings being reproduced did not vary as a function of author overlap. We discuss implications and recommendations based on these findings.

Evidence-based practices represent an important advance in how effective instructional practices are conceptualized and identified, which has the potential to improve the educational outcomes of children with disabilities. Because parents have unique insights and knowledge regarding their children, special educators should collaborate with parents to optimize the positive impact of evidence-based practices. In this article the authors (a) define evidence-based practices, discuss how they are identified, and present caveats to consider regarding evidence-based practices; (b) make recommendations regarding how special educators can share information and collaborate with parents regarding evidence-based practices; and (c) provide overviews of three sources of evidence-based practices for children with disabilities and note specific evidence-based practices identified by the sources. (Contains 2 tables.)

Objective: To examine the impact of fresh fruit availability at worksites on the fruit and vegetable consumption and related psychosocial determinants of low-wage employees. Design: A prospective, randomized block experimental design. Setting: Seven apparel manufacturing and 2 food processing worksites. Participants: A convenience sample of 391 low-wage employees in 6 intervention worksites and 137 low-wage employees in 3 control worksites in Los Angeles, CA. Intervention: Fresh fruit deliveries with enough for 1 serving per employee, 3 days a week for 12 consecutive weeks. The control worksites did not receive the fruit deliveries. Main Outcome Measures: Participants' fruit and vegetable consumption, fruit and vegetable purchasing habits, self-efficacy, job satisfaction, and overall health were measured at baseline, weeks 4 and 8, and following the 12-week intervention. Analysis: Descriptive statistics and growth curve analysis using hierarchical linear modeling were employed to analyze the data. Results: Participants in the intervention worksites showed a significant increase in fruit, vegetable, and total fruit and vegetable consumption, purchasing of fruit, family purchasing of vegetables, and self-efficacy toward eating 2 servings of fruit each day compared to the control worksites. Conclusions and Implications: Improving access to fruit during the workday can improve fruit and vegetable consumption, purchasing habits, and self-efficacy of low-income employees. (Contains 4 tables.)

Background: Anti‐programmed death‐1 (PD‐1) immunotherapy has drastically improved survival for metastatic melanoma; however, 50% of patients have progression within 6 months despite treatment. In this study, we investigated host, and tumor factors for metastatic melanoma patients treated with anti‐PD‐1 immunotherapy. Methods: Patients treated with the anti‐PD‐1 immunotherapy between 2014 and 2017 were identified in Alberta, Canada. All patients had Stage IV melanoma. Patient characteristics, investigations, treatment, and clinical outcomes were obtained from electronic medical records. Results: We identified 174 patients treated with anti‐PD‐1 immunotherapy. At 37.1 months median follow‐up time 135 (77.6%) individuals had died and 150 (86.2%) had progressed. An elevated lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) had a response rate of 21.0% versus 41.0% for those with a normal LDH (p = 0.017). Host factors associated with worse median progression‐free survival (mPFS) and median overall survival (mOS) included liver metastases, >3 sites of disease, elevated LDH, thrombocytosis, neutrophilia, anemia, lymphocytopenia, and an elevated neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio. Primary ulcerated tumors had a worse mOS of 11.8 versus 19.3 months (p = 0.042). We identified four prognostic subgroups in advanced melanoma patients treated with anti‐PD‐1 therapy. (1) Normal LDH with <3 visceral sites, (2) normal LDH with ≥3 visceral sites, (3) LDH 1‐2x upper limit of normal (ULN), (4) LDH ≥2x ULN. The mPFS each group was 14.0, 6.5, 3.3, and 1.9 months, while the mOS for each group was 33.3, 15.7, 7.9, and 3.4 months. Conclusion: Our study reports that host factors measuring the general immune function, markers of systemic inflammation, and tumor burden and location are the most prognostic for survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]