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Collaboration is an undeniably important part of academic work, making challenging, ambitious research possible and more efficient. Collaboration also serves as a foundation for scholarly networks of individuals with shared interests, values, and goals that support one another in many ways. In addition, collaboration is described as a critical component in recent doctoral funding calls (i.e., U.S. Department of Education, Personnel Development to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities). Despite its importance, few special education scholars receive any formal guidance or training on practical, sustainable collaboration in academia. The need for a framework to support collaborations within special education doctoral training is ever-present. In this article, we discuss key topics that impact collaborative work within and across institutions. We adapted the Community Engagement Continuum framework (McCloskey et al., 2011) to increase collaboration for special education graduate scholars. In addition, we provide advice for faculty members to consider as they guide graduate scholars in creating productive, meaningful professional collaborations.

Single-case research designs (SCRDs) are rigorous methods used to investigate the effects of interventions on socially important outcomes. A hallmark of SCRDs is repeated measurement of observable behavior presented in time-series graphs. The construction of time-series graphs can inflate Type I or Type II errors made via visual analysis. In the current investigation, we included all SCRDs published in four flagship journals in the field of learning disabilities ("Journal of Learning Disabilities," "Learning Disabilities Quarterly," "Learning Disabilities Research & Practice," "Journal of Learning Disabilities: A Contemporary Journal") over the last decade. A total of 47 studies including 315 graphs were included. Our findings suggest that ordinate scaling was appropriate across a majority of graphs; graphs, however, did not adhere to recommendations for x:y ratio or DPPXYR.

There is a well-known positive relation between student engagement and a host of school outcomes. The following article describes a study that explores a commonly used tool for measuring engagement in high schools. Specifically, this study examined internal validity, factor structure, and the relation between factors of engagement (e.g., social, emotional, and academic) and outcomes of school attendance and suspension rates. Data were collected for 7,718 students in ninth through 12th grade. Engagement was measured using the High School Survey of Student Engagement (HSSSE). Analyses raise concern over the degree to which the structure of HSSSE fits with established constructs of engagement. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Teachers' skill in fostering students' engagement and limiting disruptive behavior is important for maintaining a safe, productive, and effective learning environment. Yet, teachers lacking specific training in classroom and behavior management continue to report high levels of stress and are more likely to leave the profession (Ingersoll, Merrill, et al., "Seven trends: The transformation of the teaching force," 2018; Zabel & Zabel, Journal of Special Education Leadership, 15(2), 67-73, 2002). Despite wide agreement from experts about the importance of developing classroom and behavior management skills, many teacher training programs do not require specified coursework or experiences to develop this skill set for teacher licensure or degree completion. In this article, we describe what we observe to be a disconnect between current requirements of teacher preparation programs, and the nature of adequate teacher training to appropriately manage and support student behavior. We argue that this disconnect currently contributes to a host of problematic outcomes observable in schools, including teacher attrition, racial disproportionality in discipline actions, and an overreliance on punitive and ineffective behavior support practices. We end our discussion with additional recommendations for improving teacher training and ensuring systems alignment.

Federal law under the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Improvement Act stipulates that services provided to students with diagnosed disabilities must be (a) individualised based on the assessed needs of each student and (b) include the fewest restrictions necessary to achieve students' personalised goals. However, determining the level of service and educational placement best suited to each student can be challenging. Recent legal rulings are also placing increased pressure on schools to provide services that yield substantive achievement. The following study examines the relation between time spent in general education settings and outcomes on state assessments. Results indicate a significant positive association between time spent in general education and scaled scores on state assessments for reading and math; no association was found for alternative state assessments. Ethical and practical implications as well as recommendations for future research are discussed.

This study investigated the effects of imposing task- or process-oriented reading behaviors on reading comprehension assessment performance. Students in grades 5-8 (N = 275) were randomly assigned to hear multiple-choice items read aloud before or after reading a test passage and when they were and were not allowed access to the passage while answering items. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) found a one-factor model with all test items loading on the comprehension latent variable fit better than treating literal, inferential, and evaluative items as three separate variables. Subsequently, a structural equation model explored whether testing condition or other covariates (state assessment score and student demographics) explained variance in reading comprehension assessment performance. In grades 5-6, significant positive effects were found for students who kept the text while answering items, regardless of whether or not they previewed the items. In grades 7-8, no significant differences were found for the four testing conditions.

To improve reading achievement, teachers must ensure students actively engage in productive and meaningful reading tasks. Students with an established history of reading difficulty--including those with reading disabilities--may, over time, develop behaviors for passive and active avoidance of reading tasks. The current study explored the effects of a behavioral intervention on the latency to engagement in reading tasks for middle school students with (n = 3) and without (n = 3) reading disabilities. A multicomponent intervention using planning, goal setting, and performance feedback was examined using a multiple baseline across participants design. Results of visual analysis indicated a functional relation between changes in latency and implementation of the intervention. Quantitative analysis indicated a strong overall effect that is statistically significant, Tau-U = -0.85, 95% CI = [-1, -0.35], p < 0.01. Limitations and recommendations for future research are discussed.

When students do not respond adequately to core instruction, teachers must provide instruction and intervention that is more intensive and, therefore, more effective. However, for many educators, it is often unclear what it means to intensify instruction and how intensive instruction differs from high-quality core instruction. This article describes eight empirically supported methods for intensifying instruction for struggling learners along with specific suggestions, examples, and a planning guide for intensive instruction.

As a school-wide framework, Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) relies on the prevention and early identification of students at risk of academic failure. Approaches to early identification of students in need of support include the administration of universal screening assessments and the analysis of existing student data such as attendance, grades, office discipline referrals, and prior performance on statewide assessments. However, there is little research that directly compares the accuracy and reliability of these approaches, particularly in middle grades. This investigation provides a direct comparison of curriculum-based measures in reading and the examination of archival data at the middle school level for the identification of students at risk for academic failure. Data were collected for students in Grades 7 (n = 197) and 8 (n = 237). Data were analyzed through hierarchical logistic regression using statewide reading achievement tests as the dependent variable. Results inform how data from universal screening assessments and existing sources can be used to accurately and efficiently identify students in need of academic support.

Neonatal brain monitoring in the neonatal intensive care units (NICU) requires a continuous review of the spontaneous cortical activity, i.e., the electroencephalograph (EEG) background activity. This needs development of bedside methods for an automated assessment of the EEG background activity. In this paper, we present development of the key components of a neonatal EEG background classifier, starting from the visual background scoring to classifier design, and finally to possible bedside visualization of the classifier results. A dataset with 13,200 5-minute EEG epochs (8-- 16 channels) from 27 infants with birth asphyxia was used for classifier training after scoring by two independent experts. We tested three classifier designs based on 98 computational features, and their performance was assessed with respect to scoring system, pre- and post-processing of labels and outputs, choice of channels, and visualization in monitor displays. The optimal solution achieved an overall classification accuracy of 97% with a range across subjects of 81--100%. We identified a set of 23 features that make the classifier highly robust to the choice of channels and missing data due to artefact rejection. Our results showed that an automated bedside classifier of EEG background is achievable, and we publish the full classifier algorithm to allow further clinical replication and validation studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This introduction to the special series, "Assessing Classroom Management Practices: Setting the Stage for Effective and Equitable Intervention" overviews the importance of classroom management and how the field defines classroom management and previews the articles included in this special issue. The purpose of the special issue was to provide readers with wide-ranging assessment tools, their strengths, and weaknesses used to assess classroom management practices. This extends to how researchers analyze classroom management data and novel approaches to analyses. Readers will see the special issue leads with a thorough meta-analysis of existing classroom management assessment tools, followed by descriptions of other tools and related practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study examined the effect of a planning and goal-setting intervention in reducing latency to task engagement. This study used a multiple baseline design across participants for two seventh-grade and two eighth-grade students in a remedial reading class. The behavioral intervention was administered in small groups at the start of each class period. Latency for transitions was measured from the conclusion of teacher directions to the initiation of assigned academic tasks. Results showed the implementation of the intervention was closely associated with immediate decreases in latency to task engagement. The intervention reduced the mean latency to task engagement for all participants and reduced the variability over baseline. Visual analysis indicate a functional relation between the intervention and changes in latency. Implications for results and suggestions for future research are discussed.

To provide timely and effective supports for students reading below grade level, schools require methods for quickly and accurately identifying those students in need. One method for identifying those students is through universal screening. Assessments such as oral reading fluency (ORF) and Maze reading comprehension are commonly used as screening assessments in middle grades. The current study examined ORF and Maze for evidence of bias across two subgroups known to be at increased risk for failure in reading: (a) students with learning disabilities and (b) students from low-income households. Data from 4,215 students in the sixth (n = 1,126), seventh (n = 1,361), and eighth grades (n = 1,728) were analyzed. Results indicate no significant differences in predictive validity for students from low-income households compared to students from middle and upper income households. For students with learning disabilities only 8th grade scores showed any evidence of bias compared to students without diagnosed disabilities. Implications and recommendations for future research are discussed.

By tradition, editors of Assessment for Effective Intervention (AEI) typically serve 3-year terms. As of January 1, 2024, AEI officially transitioned from outgoing editor Dr. Leanne Ketterlin Geller to incoming co-editors Drs. Aarti Bellara and Nathan Stevenson. The following article describes recent history and current state of AEI as a peer-reviewed scientific journal. The new editorial team describes some of the challenges ahead and their vision for the future of AEI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]