Age-appropriate use of social skills throughout a student's K-12 career has been linked to a variety of favorable academic and behavioral outcomes (Capara et al., 2000; Malecki & Elliot, 2022; Wentzel, 1993). Social skill deficits are widely present in the secondary setting (Gresham et al., 2010), and research has highlighted 9th grade as an…

SWLD are often underperforming in STEM courses compared to their peers without learning difficulties. Furthermore, how students perform in 9th grade is found to be a strong predictor of high school success, graduation, enrolling, and persisting in college (Easton et al., 2017). The study aimed to investigate whether the use of PBA, a…

Historically, students who are identified with a learning disability have struggled with the acquisition of new material. Co-teaching is a model of instruction in which a certified special education teacher works alongside a content teacher to deliver instruction within an inclusion classroom. This research project used a qualitative methodology…

Virtual instruction and blended learning are two of the fastest growing learning modalities in K-12 education. Blended learning is a formal education program in which students learn at least in part through online learning with some element of student control over time, place, path or pace and at least in part at a supervised brick and mortar…

This study investigated the effects of "Sketch and Speak" expository language intervention for adolescent students with language-related learning disabilities (LLD). Students with LLD have trouble understanding and using academic language for reading and writing and often benefit from explicit instruction in these areas. "Sketch and…

Current research has shown that writing to learn strategies have a positive impact on overall student learning. However, previous studies mainly assessed student learning through instruments that have been self-designed by researchers and there is little research examining relations between writing to learn strategies and science related context…

Some students still reach secondary level schooling without proficient foundational reading skills. Students who struggle to decode words accurately and efficiently will fail to adequately access grade-level texts independently, furthering the gap between themselves and their peers. Despite a subgroup of students reaching high school with word…

Recognizing the prevalence of low literacy achievements of secondary students with disabilities despite numerous mainstream reading interventions' attempts to alleviate the issue, this dissertation considers an alternative path to literacy. To begin, this study theorizes knowledge, literacy, and learning as mutually constituted person-world…

Student achievement in education and inclusive support for students with special needs has been a deliberated topic at the federal, state, and local levels of government. The co-teaching approach aims to provide ways for two teachers to work together to create a more inclusive classroom. The co-teaching approach is also known as co-teaching models…

It is not known how ninth-grade regular education teachers perceive the unique stressors and challenges for students with autism spectrum disorders transitioning from middle school to high school. In addition, it is not understood how ninth-grade regular education teachers perceive their role integrated in the overall support system from parents…

The transition from middle to high school can be especially challenging for students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Also, students with disabilities experience greater barriers when considering careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. Academic interest and social support may play a critical role…

The purpose of this study was to identify factors that have contributed to the drastic rise in student behavior referrals for ninth grade students in three high schools in Western New York when returning to in-person instruction after school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. From an equity lens, each of our schools' data showed that there was…

The purpose of this study was to identify factors that have contributed to the drastic rise in student behavior referrals for ninth grade students in three high schools in Western New York when returning to in-person instruction after school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. From an equity lens, each of our schools' data showed that there was…

The purpose of this study was to identify factors that have contributed to the drastic rise in student behavior referrals for ninth grade students in three high schools in Western New York when returning to in-person instruction after school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. From an equity lens, each of our schools' data showed that there was…

This qualitative study analyzes the effects that RENEW, a person-centered goal planning model, has on students with disabilities that are in an alternative school setting. Students in sixth through twelfth grade participated in this study to determine if RENEW can affect students' awareness of post-secondary options and assist with post-high…