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Check-In, Check-Out as a Tier 2 Behavioral Intervention: Examining Effects on Academic Engagement and Work Completion in a First-Grade Student
No full textAbstract
The focus of this project was to examine the effectiveness of the Check-In Check-Out, intervention as a Tier 2 behavioral intervention in reducing disruptive behavior. A first-grade student was referred by his teacher for intervention after having been reported to engage in disruptive classroom behavior that interfered with rates of work completion and academic engagement. This referral prompted the implementation of the Check-In, Check-Out intervention. The student’s academic engagement and work completion was tracked using teacher rated Daily Progress Reports (DPR) following each class period. The data collected, as represented by graphs, suggest that the Check-In, Check-Out intervention may have contributed towards an increase in student academic engagement and work completion. However, anecdotal comments revealed incongruencies between the percentage of student work completed and teacher ratings of work completion, suggesting that the amount of work completed or time spent academically engaged may have been higher than indicated on some Daily Progress Reports
Everyday Speech for Supporting Kindergarteners\u27 Social and Emotional Learning Needs
No full textThe purpose of this project was to analyze the use of Everyday Speech Social and Emotional Learning curriculum as an intervention for two female Kindergarten students. The intervention aimed to teach these students learning related classroom skills including in-seat behavior, independence, and blurting behaviors. Everyday Speech uses video modeling to help children build social and emotional skills. Video Modeling has many benefits including efficiency and high levels of engagement from students (Mitsch et al., 2021). Research suggests that video modeling can be an effective way to teach perspective-taking and other complex social skills to children, especially effective to children with autism (Charlop-Christy & Daneshvar, 2003). One of the students in this intervention had an autism diagnosis. The intervention included a mindful warm-up, a ten-minute lesson, a discussion about the video, and a social skills activity. After each lesson, the researcher completed a direct behavior rating regarding the students’ target behaviors throughout group session. Additionally, each student’s teacher completed a direct behavior rating regarding the students’ target behaviors for the entirety of the morning. The results showed improvement towards target behaviors for one student and minimal change in regard to target behaviors for the other student. Future research should look into the use of Everyday Speech Curriculum for teaching social and emotional learning skills
Using Overcoming Obstacles Curriculum to Improve Social Emotional Skills in Elementary Students
No full textSocial emotional learning (SEL) skills are important for children for success in schools as they have been shown to improve academics, and success in life. Children can struggle with SEL skills for a variety of reasons. SEL programs in schools are designed to help improve skills such as self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making. The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of a SEL curriculum, Overcoming Obstacles, to improve SEL skills in three 1st grade students. These students were identified as needing extra support with following schoolwide expectations. This intervention was implemented in a school psychologist’s office two days a week for 20 minutes per session. This curriculum’s semi-scripted lesson plans were followed as written. Direct Behavior Ratings (DBR) of student performance on targeted behaviors were collected weekly. The students’ goals were the same, to meet school wide expectations of respectfulness, responsibility, and safety. Weekly teacher DBRs showed improvement for two students, but not for the third. A pre and post intervention form, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), was given prior to starting the intervention and after the intervention was complete. Two students showed an increase in scores, and one student showed a decrease in scores
Improving 1st Early Reading Skills Using Functional Phonics
No full textThe purpose of this project was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Functional Phonics program as a Title 1 reading intervention. The intervention was used to improve the early reading skills of two first grade students at a rural school district in Minnesota. Both students received Title 1 reading services five times a week for 45 minutes each. Students were progress monitored using letter names, letter sounds, and decodable word probes from the FastBridge Learning System. The results of the intervention showed progress in each of these areas for both students, with one student being released from Title 1 services as a result of excellent improvement. This paper discusses the importance of developing strong early reading skills and reading proficiency in the years before a student enters fourth-grade
ENGLISH LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT TEACHERS’ COGNITIONS AND SELF-EFFICACY OF READING INSTRUCTION FOR ADOLESCENT MULTILINGUAL LEARNERS
Get PDFThis qualitative phenomenological study explored the lived experiences, cognitions, and perceived self-efficacies of high school English language development (ELD) teachers in providing literacy instruction to adolescent multilingual learners (MLs). The study focused on three subpopulations of adolescent MLs, including students with limited or interrupted formal education (SLIFE), experienced MLs who have been in U.S. schools for more than five years, and traditional MLs who have been in U.S. schools for fewer than five years and who have not had gaps in their prior education. The purpose of the study was to contribute to a gap in the current literature around the unique literacy needs of adolescent MLs. The sample consisted of seven ELD teachers from different districts across one state in the Midwest. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Using a social cognitive framework, the study examined how their personal and professional experiences shape teachers’ cognitions and self-efficacy. Findings revealed systemic barriers to effective literacy instruction for adolescent MLs, including limited instructional time, insufficient resources, and competing educational priorities. Teachers expressed varying beliefs and understandings about literacy development amongst the subpopulations of MLs. More commonalities were discovered around the literacy needs of traditional MLs than SLIFE and experienced MLs. Teachers reported overall low levels of self-efficacy, citing inadequate preparation in teacher education programs. The study highlights the importance of professional development, improved ELD program models, differentiated instructional strategies to support the diverse needs of adolescent MLs, and further research into evidence-based instructional practices for each subpopulation of MLs
Hyperfocused on Growth: An ACT group manual for college students with ADHD
Get PDFSeveral studies highlight the challenges faced by students with ADHD in a college setting (Bodalski, Abu-Ramadan, et al., 2023; Bodalski, Flory, et al., 2023; DuPaul et al., 2009, Mak et al., 2022; Nelson et al., 2015; Swartz et al., 2005; Willoughby & Evans, 2019). With less structure and more demands than high school, students with ADHD often struggle with self-regulation, executive functioning, self-worth, and social relationships in college. This paper addresses these concerns by creating a group therapy program for college students with ADHD. Highlighting common treatments for ADHD, this group is based in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to emphasize mindfulness, acceptance, and self-compassion while also using strategies from coaching and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). There is no one way to experience ADHD traits and because most research focuses on white, male children, considerations must be made to ensure all populations are included in assessment and treatment. Since students with ADHD present with traits that may not be supported by traditional college settings, considerations are also discussed regarding how to tailor the group to support these students’ unique needs. This project concludes with a group manual that outlines how to implement an ACT group for college students with ADHD.
Keywords: ADHD, college students, group counseling, ACT, self-compassio
A Strong Start: Crafting an Onboarding Experience for Early Childhood Special Education Teachers
Get PDFA Strong Start: Crafting an Onboarding Experience for Early Childhood Special Education Teachers
Dael Babb
Minnesota State University Moorhead
SPED 696: Capstone Project in Special Education
Dr. Keri DeSutter
May 16, 2025
Abstract
Special education teachers face challenges in their early careers, such as burnout, heavy workloads, and lack of support. Previous research shows that well-structured induction programs, including mentorship, professional development, and administrative support, are critical in improving teacher satisfaction and retention rates. Findings from previous research also suggest that teachers who receive strong mentorship and structured onboarding are more likely to stay in the profession long-term. With the growing teacher shortage in our country, proper induction programs would benefit school districts in lowering teacher stress and retaining teachers. The purpose of this project was to create such an onboarding program. This project provides the resources necessary to implement an induction program tailored to the needs of special education teachers within one school district. The onboarding program, catered specifically to preschool and elementary special education teachers, provides a wealth of resources that new teachers can use as a foundation for building confidence as they enter the special education field. The pre-service slideshow includes items such as an explanation of the job expectations, due process timelines, and samples of para schedules and caseload breakdowns. The induction program overviews detail the mentorship program as well as the coaching sessions that are suggested for administrators to implement with their new teachers. Professional development suggestions are outlined and linked as well. This project was created in the hopes that it will assist the school district in developing a program that gives teachers the support they so greatly need
Analyzing the Influence of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) Cases and Their Impact On Society
Get PDFThis research paper analyzes the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) cases and how this issue is continuously impacting society. Through the process of thematic analysis, the social media platform Reddit was analyzed on how social media plays a role in spreading awareness on this topic
The Effectiveness of the Homework, Organization, and Planning Skills (HOPS) Intervention for High School Students
No full textAttention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder can present challenges for students in the school setting. This includes executive functioning deficits in planning, organization, and initiation. This project examined the use of the Homework, Organization, and Planning Skills (HOPS) intervention with a 16-year-old high school student with ADHD and consisted of six, one one-on-one sessions. Throughout the implementation of the intervention, the HOPS manual was used to help the student learn how to effectively organize his homework materials. Data collected during this project included the HOPS Organizational Skills Checklist criteria, number of missing assignments, and pre and post interventions results using the Executive Skills Questionnaire. The results demonstrated that the student increased the number of criteria met on the Organizational Skills Checklist. However, the number of missing assignments increased by the end of the intervention and the self-reported Executive Functioning skills remained consistent. These results do not support the use of HOPS as an effective intervention for a high school student with ADHD
Storytelling as Research Methodology and Pedagogy: Connecting the Researcher and Practitioner through Narrative Inquiry
Get PDFThe most effective teachers are reflective teachers. Reflective teachers are curious about their pedagogy and their impact on student learning and often seek out opportunities to formalize their reflective process and share their stories about their teaching practices. Teachers’ knowledge is founded in their stories of experience (Ciuffetelli et al., 2011). The author positions themselves as the researcher in this autoethnographic narrative inquiry, or self-study. As the researcher, they use the narrative inquiry methodology to study themselves and explore the learning process of using storytelling in their Social Studies methods course in a Teacher Education program while exploring the research question, “How can Journey Boxes be used as a storytelling inquiry that uses primary sources to explore one’s family story and familial identities while gaining an understanding of historical thinking?” As the subject of the article, the author shares their use of The Journey Box as a storytelling inquiry in the Social Studies methods course. The author discusses The Journey Box learning experience in depth while incorporating personal reflections and learnings throughout the process. The data collection process included the collection of personal journal entries of the metacognition processes from the researcher’s teaching and from dialogue with critical friends in Teacher Education. Results include the value of modeling and the benefit of using storytelling inquiry to explore historical thinking and current social issues facing preservice and in-service teachers today