How can we improve the quality of tests that assess math skills so that students are placed into the appropriate courses?There are many critical or auxiliary factors affecting the reliability, validity and accuracy of a test. Many parents, educators, students and others do not realize the expertise and effort required to create a good, rigorous and sustainable test. This work will improve the quality of the developed tests so that incoming students who take these tests can be placed into appropriate courses.
How do we create a replicable model to successfully transition youth with disabilities from juvenile justice facilities to the community?
Youth with disabilities are over-represented in the juvenile justice system. Research shows that as many as 60 percent of incarcerated youth have disabilities and require special education services, compared to only 10 to 12 percent of youth in public schools.
Interventions on behalf of students with learning disabilities are frequently applied and practiced apart from a student's classroom environment. A specialist in reading disabilities and challenges may see the student during a “pullout” period in their day, away from the student's classroom and primary teacher, to teach strategies for coping with the disability. A lack of coordination between the specialist and the classroom teacher in encouraging the student to apply the strategies within the classroom can result in less-than-optimal benefits for any interventions.
For more than two decades, Arizona has reported statewide teacher shortages in early childhood, early childhood special education and in English language learning. In 2013, President Obama called on states to create high-quality preschool programs and make them available to all children. At that time, only three out of 10 eligible four-year-olds had access to such programs. A key factor in meeting this charge is creating a highly qualified workforce of teachers who are prepared to provide educational services to all young learners and their families.