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When Charlotte Brochu, Ashley Rasizzi, and Courtney Tanner taught deaf and hard of hearing students in public schools to complete their course assignments at Kent State University, they wanted to incorporate transformative strategies and their state's standards into their instruction. To become transformative teachers, Brochu, Rasizzi, and Tanner needed to incorporate best practices, target their students' academic needs, and foster their students' self-determination (i.e., ability to make their own life choices) within their instructional practice. This article describes how their coursework and practicum helped them do this.

Most standardized reading assessments used with deaf and hard-of-hearing (d/Dhh) students do not accommodate their frequent lack of spoken language fluency. Such tests are rarely normed on d/Dhh individuals and do not adjust for potentially biased test items. Yet, accurate and valid measures of reading skills are essential for making appropriate instructional and programmatic decisions. The miscue analysis procedure is an individualized reading assessment using an authentic reading experience with systematic procedures for evaluating a reader's meaning-making processes. It has been used successfully with struggling, successful, bilingual, and diverse hearing readers to identify distinctive skill patterns. Its flexible and individualized procedures may lead to similar insights regarding the reading processes utilized by d/Dhh students. This manuscript describes adaptations of the reading miscue analysis for d/Dhh students who use spoken language, English-based sign systems, or American Sign Language. Similar to running record procedures, the miscue analysis utilizes a comprehensive analytic process. In addition, each miscue is categorized across graphophonic/visual, semantic, and syntactic aspects of the reading process to identify unique meaning making patterns. This type of comprehensive and authentic assessment can lead to an improved understanding of the strengths and needs of d/Dhh students that result in improved achievement.

This study examined the social networks of 26 postsecondary students with mobility and sensory disabilities regarding their perceptions of career preparation and career choice confidence. Social networks have been shown to contribute to postsecondary students' academic success and establishing a successful career for those with and without disabilities. This study examined the social capital resulting from social networks consisting of parents, family, friends, acquaintances (e.g., teachers, counselors, advisors), and interest groups or hobbies. Participants rated their perceptions of career preparation and career choice confidence twice during the study: once in the early weeks of a summer employment internship and after a career-focused presentation and internship completion. Measures of career preparation included self-rated abilities in (a) finding a job, (b) interviewing successfully, (c) keeping a job, and (d) resolving career accommodation challenges. Results showed that social capital contributed significantly to perceptions of career preparation. Career choice confidence remained stable suggesting satisfaction with their choice. A path analysis examined both career variables in conjunction with demographic factors, finding that social capital increased with age. Analyses suggested a number of other relationships between social capital, career perceptions, and demographic variables indicating complexities that warrant additional research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

LeRoy was a deaf sixth grader who used signs and his voice to communicate. Yanetta was a deaf eighth grader who had deaf parents and preferred American Sign Language (ASL). Michael was a deaf fifth grader in a suburban school who attended an oral program and used his voice exclusively to communicate. All three students struggled with reading. They had taken standardized tests and other tests required by the No Child Left Behind legislation, but the tests did not give their teachers the insight to develop an effective teaching plan. For LeRoy, Yanetta, and Michael, like so many deaf students, reading comprehension threatened to be a barrier that prevented them from achieving academically. In an effort to assess their reading more fully and to develop effective instructional plans, teachers decided to use miscue analysis. Miscue analysis has been defined as a structured observation of student reading in which teachers give students interesting and challenging material and systematically note errors as they read. Used since the late 1960s, miscue analysis enables teachers to see how effectively students use and apply content and textual schemata and observe students' successful and unsuccessful skills and strategies as they make sense of print. This article shows how teachers can use miscue analysis to identify appropriate research-based literacy practices for deaf students regardless of the communication policies of their schools. (Contains 4 figures and 9 resources.)

This manuscript reviews 28 studies of reading research on deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) students published since 2000 that used correlational analyses. The examination focused on assessment issues affecting measurement and analysis of relationships between early phonological or orthographic skills and reading comprehension. Mixed outcomes complicate efforts to determine evidence-based practices, and to develop an accurate model of reading. Across the 28 studies, DHH participants represented a wide age range with potential floor and ceiling effects that reduce score variability for valid correlations. Many studies assessed readers beyond the optimal ages during which early skills develop and are most useful for reading. Reading skills also were assessed using a diverse array of measures and skill definitions. Particularly for reading comprehension, word-level and text-level abilities appear to be different constructs. Suggestions include more consistent skill definitions and differential timing for early- versus later-developing skill assessments to ensure more robust correlational relationships.

Deaf education is characterized by several distinctive aspects, beginning with qualities unique to deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children and their families. Consisting of approximately 1.2% of the special education K-12 population, educational and disability systems often struggle to meet the unique challenges that these children and their families present. The result is that services and practices may be atypical and unlike those found to be successful with other populations. Despite new technological and personnel accommodations, far greater numbers placed in general education classrooms, and access to the general education curriculum, these children remain unable to perform commensurate with their abilities or at levels equivalent to their peers either with or without disabilities. Achievement has improved little over four decades, further attesting to the complexity of successfully mitigating the effects of early childhood hearing loss and that educating DHH children is different.

This manuscript analyzed a survey of programs providing transition services to deaf and hard-of-hearing (D/HH) students. Quantitative analyses compared services offered by residential, large (35+ D/HH students), and small (<35 students) programs. Correlations across Employment Preparation, Post-school Preparation, and Transition Assessments were significant suggesting program consistency in offerings. ANOVA comparisons for Employment Preparation found that residential programs offered significantly more services than large or small programs. Post-school Preparation and Transition Assessments were not significantly different indicating similar levels of services. Overall, programs focused their services on early and initial transition issues rather than on long-term needs and strategies. In contrast, research indicates that D/HH students require longer to achieve postsecondary and employment outcomes commensurate with their peers. Several strategies are offered to increase program access to specialized transition services and supports for these students in meeting their unique transition needs.

Online learning environments are challenging for deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) individuals. A major concern is split attention, which occurs when one simultaneously attends to multiple stimuli, a situation that characterizes most multimedia presentations and instruction that combines sound, text, images, graphs or charts, and video. Needing to take notes adds another stimulus. DHH learners face this issue when auditory content is accommodated visually, in combination with visually presented content. No one can view multiple visual signals simultaneously. Learners must choose to view one signal and miss others; view signals sequentially, which requires additional time and hinders class participation; or switch between visual signals, losing elements of each. This process increases auditory and visual fatigue and cognitive load, ultimately compromising learning. Several ways are suggested to achieve more equitable access to instructional content for learners challenged by the problem of split attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Benchmarks and standards have become an important part of the teachers' instructional focus since the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. As educators they all recognize the importance of having high expectations of their students. Standards help schools articulate these expectations clearly to students, their parents, and the community. Yet, there are some substantial difficulties in using standards for instructional planning. Also, the use of standards does not ensure that teaching is engaging and effective. A means for solving some of these concerns is to incorporate transition needs with standards-based instruction. Transition can be a vehicle for incorporating research-based instructional practices that utilize authentic problem-based learning that is motivating, engaging, and effective. One way to be sure that the teachers' instruction is relevant to students' lives is by incorporating their transition needs and adult-living issues into their classroom teaching. (Contains 4 tables and 1 figure.)

Web-based courses have increased in number as one of the primary modes of distance education in undergraduate nursing programs across the United States. An online survey of 171 nursing faculty in the United States with experience teaching Web-based courses served as the primary data source. Interviews and a review of course Web sites provided additional comparative information. Results of this study indicated online faculty spent significantly more time in planning and implementing a Web course than they did a traditional course. Despite this time commitment respondents perceived the teaching experience to be a successful and effective form of instruction that they felt could be used to deliver any type of nursing course. The online teaching experience was described as both collaborative and highly interactive. Most respondents indicated they preferred online teaching to traditional face-to-face instruction. This positive reaction to teaching online supports the future viability of Web-based instruction at colleges of nursing. (Contains 3 figures and 4 tables.)

Describes the results of a study that examined the classroom dynamics in a K-12 technology-rich learning environment and also assessed the educational outcomes associated with intensive use of technology by teachers and students. Discusses changes in the teacher's role and whether this level of instructional technology is cost-effective. (LRW)

Explored how a semester-long experience in a technology-rich classroom at Kent State University affected middle school teachers over the last two years in their use of technology in the classroom. Highlights include access to technology; technology utilization; benefits of technology; and impact on teaching style. (Author/LRW)

Discussion of school hardware and software selection focuses on a study that identified the most useful pieces of hardware and accompanying software applications as rated by teachers whose sixth- through eighth-grade classes spent a semester working in a special technology-rich environment at Kent State University. Compares ratings by teachers and by students. (Author/LRW)

This study used surveys, observations, and interviews to document the experiences of 10 public school teachers whose classes spent two months in a high tech facility made available at a local university. Topics include technological literacy; the need for technical support; changes in class dynamics; cooperative learning; instructional effectiveness; and student achievement. (Author/LRW)

A study compiled the reports of 12 Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services demonstration projects to examine services for individuals with severe disabilities and patterns of emphasis. Results showed a consistently greater emphasis on the program level and a lesser emphasis on other levels, particularly at the community level. The need for collaboration is discussed. (Author/CR)

Adolescents with chronic illness confront barriers to accessing comprehensive transition services and face developmental challenges. Interdisciplinary transition planning should address health and career-related services that promote autonomy, proaction, and family involvement. (SK)