CPSE 601

Introduction to Research and Issues in Special Education

BrighamYoungUniversity

Department of Counseling and Special Education

Semester & Year:Summer 2007

Course Credit:3 Semester hours

Room & Time:MCKB 350/351B

MW 12:00-2:50

Instructor:Mary Anne Prater, Ph.D.

340E MCKB

422-1592

Office Hours:By appointment

Course Description:Current issues in special education and related research.

Prerequisites:Permission of the instructor and/or admission to the graduate program in special education.

Mission Statement of the BYU Special Education Programs:

We maximize the potential of diverse learners with individualized educational needs to elevate their quality of life. We accomplish this by supporting the mission and aims of a BYU education as we integrate teaching, research, and service. We specifically:

  • Prepare competent and moral educators who select, implement, andevaluate research-based effective teaching practices and appropriate curriculum for learners with special needs.
  • Prepare master special educators who provide collaborative leadership to foster the moral development and improve learning and social competence of exceptional children with challenging behaviors.
  • Add to the knowledge base of special education and relateddisciplines through research.
  • Serve and advocate for learners with individualized educationalneeds and others who support them.

Course Objectives: After completion of this course, students will be able to:

  1. Identify current issues in the field of special education.
  2. Interpret the results and quality of simple group and single subject design studies related to the current issues.
  3. Synthesize and analyze varying viewpoints regarding current special education issues.
  4. Defend their personal opinion on current issues based on research.

Course Expectations:

  1. Students are expected to adhere to the BYU Honor Code.
  2. Students are expected to attend all class sessions and participate actively in discussions.
  3. Students are expected to submit assignments before class the date they are due.

Course Content:This course is designed to prepare teachers to understand current issues in special education and the research that supports or does not support the issues. This course also prepares teachers to use research in forming their personal opinions regarding current issues.

Methodologies/Teaching Strategies:

The course content will be taught primarily through the following strategies: multi-media lecture, large/small group discussion, cooperative learning groups, student presentations, library/Internet access, and viewing videotapes.

Required Texts:

  • Brynes, M. A. (2008). Taking sides: Clashing views on controversial issues in special education (3rd ed.). Guilford, CT: McGraw-Hill.

Other Readings:

Anderson, D. H., Fisher, A., Marchant, M., Young, K. R., & Smith, J. A. (2006). The cool card intervention: A positive support strategy for managing anger. Beyond Behavior, 16(1), 3-13.

Anderson, D. H., & Lignugaris/Kraft, B. (2006). Video-case instruction for teachers of students with problem behaviors in general and special education classrooms. Journal of Special Education Technology, 21(1), 31-45.

Berliner, D. C. (2002). Educational research: The hardest science of al. Educational Researcher, 31(80), 18-20.

Dyches, T. T., Hobbs, K., Wilder, L. K., Sudweeks, R. R., Obiakor, F. E, & Algozzine, B. (2005). Multicultural representation in autism. Linking Research and Practice in Special Education: An International Perspective, 1(1), 1-15.

Dyches, T. T., & Prater, M. A. (2005). Characterization of developmental disabilities in children’s fiction. Education and Training in Developmental Disabilities, 40, 202-216.

Dyches, T. T., Wilder, L. K., Sudweeks, R. R., Obiakor, F. E., & Algozzine, B. (2004). Multicultural issues in autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 34(2), 211-222.

Heward, W. L. (2003). Ten faulty notions about teaching and learning that hinder the effectiveness of special education. The Journal of Special Education, 36, 186-205

Hitchcock, C. H., Dowrick, P. W., & Prater, M. A. (2003). Video self-modeling intervention in school-based settings: A review. Remedial and Special Education, 24, 36-45,56.

Lloyd, J. W., Forness, S. R., & Kavale, K. A. (1998). Some methods are more effective than others. Intervention in School and Clinic, 33, 195-200.

Marchant, M., Anderson, D., Caldarella, P., Young, K. R., Fisher, A., & Young, B. (in press). School-wide screening and programs of positive behavior support: Informing the intervention process. Preventing School Failure.

Marchant, M., Solano, B. R., Fisher, A. K., Caldarella, P., Young, K. R., & Renshaw, T. (in press). Modifying socially withdrawn behavior: A playground intervention for students with internalizing behaviors. Psychology in the Schools

McLeskey, J. (2004). Classic articles in special education. Remedial and Special Education, 25, 79-87.

Menlove, R., Garnes, L., & Salzberg, C. (2004). Why special educators leave and where they go. Teacher Education and Special Education, 27, 373-383.

Prater, M. A. (2003). S/he will succeed: Strategies for success in inclusive classrooms. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 35(5), 58-64.

Prater, M. A., Harris, T. J., Dickison, L., & Harris, S. F. (2007). What we know about the attrition of Utah special educators. The Utah Special Educator.

Wilder, L. K., Jackson, A. R., & Smith, T. B. (2001). Secondary transition of multicultural learners: Lessons from the Navajo Native American experience. Preventing School Failure, 45(3), 119-124.

Supplementary Materials:

  • American Psychological Association (2001). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
  • Black, S. (2006). APA for novices: A struggling student’s guide to theses, dissertations, and advanced course papers. Provo, UT: Brigham Young University.

Other Information:

Preventing Sexual Harassment

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits sex discrimination against any participant in an educational program or activity that receives federal funds. The act is intended to eliminate sex discrimination in education. Title IX covers discrimination in programs, admissions, activities, and student-to-student sexual harassment. BYU’s policy against sexual harassment extends not only to employees of the university but to students as well. If you encounter unlawful sexual harassment or gender based discrimination, please talk to your professor; contact the Equal Employment Office at 422-5895 or 367-5689 (24-hours); or contact the Honor Code Office at 422-2847.

Students With Disabilities

BrighamYoungUniversity is committed to providing a working and learning atmosphere which reasonably accommodates qualified persons with disabilities. If you have any disability which may impair your ability to complete this course successfully, please contact the UniversityAccessibilityCenter (422-2767). Reasonable academic accommodations are reviewed for all students who have qualified documented disabilities. Services are coordinated with the student and instructor by the SSD Office. If you need assistance or if you feel you have been unlawfully discriminated against of the basis of disability, you may seek resolution through established grievance policy and procedures. You should contact the Equal Employment Office at 422-5895, D-282 ASB.

Statement on Diversity

The McKay School of Education and BrighamYoungUniversity are committed to preparing students to serve effectively in a diverse society. In this course students will learn methods and material that may be adapted to various settings and contexts. Students are expected to demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to effectively apply the course content when working with individuals and groups with varying abilities and backgrounds.

Course Outline:

Date &
Time / Topic / Readings / Written Assignment Due
Monday 6/25 / Introduction to Research
Wed.
6/27 / Scientifically Based Practice / Byrnes – Issue 10
Berlinger (2002)
Lloyd et al. (1998)
McLesky (2004) / 1. Issue 10
2. Berlinger, Lloyd et al., & McLesky
Monday
7/2 / Continuation
Nari Carter
Jake Figueira / Hitchcock et al. (2003)
Menlove et al. (2004)
Prater (2003)
Prater et al. (2007) / 3. Hitchcock, Menlove et al., Prater, & Prater et al.
Monday
7/9 / ADA & IDEA / Brynes – Issues 1 & 2 / 4. Issues 1 & 2
Wed.
7/11
(350B) / Gordon Gibb
Darlene Anderson
NCLB & Highly Qualified / Anderson et al. (2006)
Anderson & Lignugaris/Kraft (2006)
Brynes - Issues 8 & 9 / 5. Anderson et al. & Anderson & Lignugaris/Kraft
6. Issues 8 & 9
Monday
7/16 / Tina Dyches
Megan Santini / Dyches et al. (2005)
Dyches & Prater (2005) / 7. Dyches et al. & Dyches & Prater
Wed.
7/18 / Work on projects
Monday
7/23 / LD & ADHD / Brynes – Issues 16 & 17 / 8. Issues 16 & 17
Wed.
7/25 / Special Education Models & Full Inclusion / Brynes – Issues 11 & 12 / 9. Issues 11 & 12
Monday
7/30 / Overrepresentation & School Choice / Brynes – Issues 3 & 5 / 10. Issues 3 & 5
Wed.
8/1
(350B) / Lynn Wilder
Michelle Marchant / Dyches et al. (2004)
Wilder et al. (2001)
Marchant et al. (in press a)
Marchant et al. (in press b) / 11. Dyches et al. & Wilder et al.
12. Marchant et al. (a) & Marchant
et al. (b)
Monday
8/6 / Academic Proficiency & Autism / Brynes – Issues 15 & 18 / 13. Issues 15 & 18
Wed.
8/8 / Standards-Based & Accommodations / Brynes – Issues 13 & 14 / 14. Issues 13 & 14
Monday
8/13 / Final Exam

Assignments

Review Papers

Students will write review papers for articles and chapters read. Questions that should be addressed for each type and a rubric for evaluation appear at the end of the syllabus. The due dates are listed on the course schedule. The total score for each paper is 12. Review papers with a score of 10 or less may be redone and resubmitted. The goal is to reach 11-12 on a minimum of 12 of the papers. The total grade for review papers will be based on the number of papers on which the student reaches 11 or 12.Review papers will constitute 60% of the final grade.

Goal:11-12 on each paper

Grades:11-12 on 12+ papers = A

11-12 on 9-11 papers = B

11-12 on 6-8 papers = C

In-Class Presentation

Students will be grouped in pairs and assigned 2 issues from Taking Sides. They will present and facilitate discussion among class members on those topics. Specific elements of the class presentations are listed toward the end of the syllabus. The in-class presentations will constitute 20% of the final grade.

Goal:11-12 on presentation

Grades:11-12 = A

10-9 = B

8-7 = C

Final Exam

A final written exam will be administered in class. The final exam will constitute 20% of the final grade.

Goal:11-12 on each of the 4 questions

Grades:44-48 = A

43-38 = B

37-32 = C

Attendance, Tardiness, and Participation

Students are expected to be in attendance, on time, and to participate in class discussion and activities. It is the instructor’s prerogative to determine whether grades will be lowered due to absences and tardiness.

Taking SidesReview

In your essay response, be certain to include responses to these questions:

  • Before reading the issue papers, what is your opinion regarding this topic?
  • How important is the topic to the field of education?
  • For both the Yes and No response:
  • Identify 2 facts each presented by the authors.
  • Identify 2 opinions each presented by the authors
  • Identify, if any, propaganda techniques used.
  • What cause/effect relationships were stated or implied?
  • Explain any evidence of logical errors, distortion of information, faculty analogy, oversimplification, stereotyping, and/or faculty generalization.
  • Do you believe the authors are biased? Why or why not? What are their credentials?
  • Ask at least 1 question you would pose to the authors.
  • Which arguments did you find most convincing? Why?
  • What new information did you learn?
  • After reading these arguments have you changed your opinion? If so, in what way?
  • Describe how this topic applies to you in your current situation.
  • If addressing more than 1 issue, tie them together.

Discussion Article Review

In your essay response, include responses to the following questions. If answering the question seems inappropriate for the type of discussion article being reviewed, exclude the question.

  • Before reading the article, what is your opinion regarding this topic?
  • How important is the topic to the field of education?
  • Identify 2 facts presented by the authors.
  • Identify 2 opinions presented by the authors.
  • Identify, if any, propaganda techniques used.
  • What cause/effect relationships were stated or implied?
  • Explain any evidence of logical errors, distortion of information, faculty analogy, oversimplification, stereotyping, and/or faculty generalization.
  • Do you believe the authors are biased? Why or why not? What are their credentials?
  • Ask at least 1 question you would pose to the authors.
  • How convincing or persuasive were the authors?
  • What new information did you learn?
  • After reading these arguments have you changed your opinion? If so, in what way?
  • Describe how this topic applies to you in your current situation.
  • Tie the articles reviewed together.

Research Article Review

In your essay response, be certain to include responses to these questions:

  • Evaluate the value of the research questions to practice in education.
  • How strong is the rational for the need for this research?
  • How will the results influence or lead to influencing practice in education?
  • Evaluate the quality of the study’s methodology:
  • Is sample representation important for this type of research? If no, why? If yes, how confident are you that the sample represents the population? [External validity]
  • How confident are you that the intervention was applied as described? [Treatment fidelity]
  • What confounding variables may have affected the results? [Internal validity]
  • How well have potential errors and biases been controlled? [Experimental control]
  • Explain any evidence of logical errors, distortion of information, faculty analogy, oversimplification, stereotyping, and/or faculty generalization.
  • Do you believe the authors are biased? Why or why not? What are their credentials?
  • Identify 2 new ideas that you learned from this study.
  • Include at least 2 major questions you have about the research as reported.
  • Describe how this topic applies to you in your current situation.
  • Tie the articles read together

Rubric for Evaluating the Review Papers and Final Exam

Conceptual Level / Accuracy and Thoroughness / Writing
4. Evaluation Level – The student presents an evaluative judgment of the issue including evidence based on the processes of comparison, discrimination, interpretation, summarization, and conclusion. / 4. The discussion is accurate, comprehensive and thoroughly supported. / 4. The essay is clearly organized (e.g., introduction, discussion, and conclusion). No more than 1 grammatical and/or spelling error.
3. Analysis or Synthesis Level – The student breaks the concepts into parts and discusses interrelationships then brings the parts together into a different, original, or new whole. / 3. The discussion is accurate and most of the important relevant issues are addressed and well supported. / 3. The essay is organized with few to no grammatical and/or spelling errors.
2. Comprehension or Application Level – The student grasps the meaning of the material and interprets it through paraphrasing and/or providing examples. Also demonstrates the ability to apply rules, methods and theories in new situations. / 2. Most relevant issues are addressed. The information provided is generally accurate and documented. / 2. Some organization is evident. Few grammatical and/or spelling errors exist.
1. Knowledge Level – The student recalls knowledge of facts and theories. / 1.A few relevant issues are addressed. A number of inaccuracies exist. Some documentation is provided. / 1. Poor organization. Multiple grammatical and/or spelling errors.
Score for Conceptual Level: / Score for Accuracy and Thoroughness: / Score for Writing:

Rubric for Evaluating the In-Class Presentation

Conceptual Level / Accuracy and Thoroughness / Participation
4. Evaluation Level – The student presented an evaluative judgment of the issue including evidence based on the processes of comparison, discrimination, interpretation, summarization, and conclusion. / 4. The discussion was accurate, comprehensive and thoroughly supported. All sides of the issue were addressed. Additional information was presented but most of the discussion centered on the readings. / 4.The presentation was very well organized and time was well-spent. Appropriate strategies were used to keep all members of the class active participants.
3. Analysis or Synthesis Level – The student broke the concepts into parts and discusses interrelationships then brings the parts together into a different, original, or new whole. / 3. The discussion was accurate and most of the important relevant issues are addressed and well supported. Additional information was presented. / 3. The presentation was well organized and most of the time was well-spent. Appropriate strategies were used to keep most of the members of the class actively involved.
2. Comprehension or Application Level – The student grasped the meaning of the material and interpreted it through paraphrasing and/or providing examples. Also demonstrated the ability to apply rules, methods and theories in new situations. / 2. Most relevant issues were addressed. The information provided was generally accurate and documented. Some additional information was included. / 2. Some organization and active participation was evident.
1. Knowledge Level – The student recalls knowledge of facts and theories. / 1.A few relevant issues were addressed. A number of inaccuracies exist. No new information was included. / 1. Poor organization. Low rate of participation
Score for Conceptual Level: / Score for Accuracy and Thoroughness: / Score for Presentation:

CPSE 610

Summer 2007

Name______

Progress Monitoring Sheet

Review Paper Scores

Paper Number

Score / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0

Goal:11-12 on each paper

Grades:11-12 on 12+ papers = A

11-12 on 9-11 papers = B

11-12 on 6-8 papers = C