Various stakeholders continue to have concerns regarding the school performance of students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). In an effort to improve student outcomes, schools may rely on improving student access to general education classrooms (e.g., inclusion). This trend occurs at a time when districts across the nation face heightened expectations regarding the provision of a free appropriate public education. Although federal policy emphasizes the use of research-based practices to improve student outcomes, there appears to be little research to inform decision-making when planning inclusive instruction for students with EBD. In the absence of intervention research, practitioners must largely rely on their professional judgment to operationalize inclusive instruction and monitor student response to inclusive instructional practices. This column summarizes relevant intervention research focusing on academic performance, makes recommendations for additional research to better inform school practice, and suggests practices to improve service delivery.
BillingsleyB.BettiniE. (2019). Special education teacher attrition and retention: A review of the literature. Review of Educational Research, 89, 697–744.
2.
BrighamF.AhnS.StrideA.McKennaJ. (2016). FAPE accompli: Misapplication of the principles of inclusion and students with EBD. In BakkenJ. P.ObiakorF. E. (Eds.), Advances in special education, Vol. 32: General and special education inclusion in an age of change: Impact on students with disabilities (pp. 31–47). Emerald Group.
3.
BristolL. (2015). Leading-for-inclusion: Transforming action through teacher talk. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 19, 802–820.
4.
ChafouleasS.Sanetti KilgusS.MagginD. (2012). Evaluating the sensitivity to behavioral change across consultation cases using Direct Behavior Rating Single-Item Scales (DBR-SIS). Exceptional Children, 78, 491–505.
5.
CookB.CookL. (2016). Leveraging evidence-based practice through partnerships based on practice-based evidence. Learning Disabilities: A Contemporary Journal, 14(2), 143–157.
6.
CookB.CookS.CollinsL. (2016). Terminology and evidence-based practice for students with emotional and behavioral disorders: Exploring some devilish details. Beyond Behavior, 25(2), 4–13.
7.
ESSA. (2015). Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015, Pub. L. No. 114-95 § 114 Stat. 1177 (2015-2016).
8.
FallonL.Collier-MeekM.MagginD.SanettiL.JohnsonA. (2015). Is performance feedback for educators an evidence-based practice? A systematic review and evaluation based on single-case research. Exceptional Children, 81(2), 227–246.
9.
FarleyC.TorresC.WailehuaC. T.CookL. (2012). Evidence-based practices for students with emotional and behavioral disorders: Improving academic achievement. Beyond Behavior, 21, 37–43.
10.
FletcherJ. (2010). Spillover effects of inclusion of classmates with emotional problems on test scores in early elementary school. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 29, 69–83.
11.
GageN.AdamsonR.MacSuga-GageA.LewisT. (2017). The relation between the academic achievement of students with emotional and behavioral disorders and teacher characteristics. Behavioral Disorders, 43(1), 213–222.
12.
GageN.LewisT.StichterJ. (2012). Functional behavioral assessment-based interventions for students with or at risk for emotional and/or behavioral disorders in school: A hierarchical linear modeling meta-analysis. Behavioral Disorders, 37(2), 55–77.
13.
GarwoodJ. D. (2018). Literacy interventions for secondary students formally identified with emotional and behavioral disorders: Trends and gaps in the research. Journal of Behavioral Education, 27(1), 23–52.
14.
GarwoodJ. D.AmpujaA. A. (2018). Inclusion of students with learning, emotional, and behavioral disabilities through strength-based approaches. Intervention in School and Clinic, 55, 46–51.
15.
GarwoodJ. D.Van LoanC. L. (2019). Pre-service educators’ dispositions toward inclusive practices for students with emotional and behavioural disorders. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 23, 1332–1347.
16.
GottfriedM. A.EgaliteA.KirkseyJ. (2016). Does the presence of a classmate with emotional/behavioral disabilities link to other students’ absences in kindergarten?Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 36, 506–520.
17.
GreshamF. (2015). Evidence-based social skills interventions for students at risk for EBD. Remedial and Special Education, 36(2), 100–104.
18.
HottB.JonesB.RodriguezJ.BrighamF.MartinA.MirafuentesM. (2019). Are rural students receiving FAPE? A descriptive review of IEPs for students with social, emotional, or behavioral needs. Behavior Modification. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/0145445518825107
19.
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1990, 20 U.S.C. §1400 et seq. (1990).
20.
Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act. 20 U.S.C. §1400. (2004).
21.
KauffmanJ.BadarJ. (2016). It’s instruction over place—Not the other way around!Phi Delta Kappan, 98(4), 55–59.
22.
KauffmanJ.WileyA.TraversJ.BadarJ.AnastasiouD. (2019). Endrew and FAPE: Concepts and implications for all students with disabilities. Behavior Modification. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/0145445519832990
23.
LosinskiM.EnnisR.SandersS. (2018). A meta-analysis examining the evidence-base of mathematical interventions for students with emotional disturbance. The Journal of Special Education, 52(4), 228–241.
24.
MagginD.WehbyJ.GilmourA. (2016). Intensive academic interventions for students with emotional and behavioral disorders: An experimental framework. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 24(3), 138–147.
25.
MastropieriM.ScruggsT. (2007). The inclusive classroom: Strategies for effective instruction (3rd ed.). Merrill.
26.
McKennaJ.AdamsonR.SolisM. (2019). Reading instruction for students with emotional disturbance: A mixed-methods investigation. Behavior Modification. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/0145445519868804
27.
McKennaJ.BrighamF.ParentiM.HottB. (2019). Foundational assumptions for successful transition: Examining alternatively certified special education perceptions In BaakenJ.ObiakorF. (Eds.), Advances in special education: Special education transition services for students with disabilities (pp. 185-204). Bingley, United Kingdom: Emerald Group.
28.
McKennaJ.SolisM.BrighamF.AdamsonR. (2019). The responsible inclusion of students receiving special education services for emotional disturbance: Unraveling the practice to research gap. Behavior Modification, 43(4), 587–611.
29.
MillerF.PatwaS.ChafouleasS. (2014). Using direct behavior rating—Single item scales to assess student behavior within multi-tiered systems of support. Journal of Special Education Leadership, 27(2), 76–85.
30.
ScottT.AlterP. (2017). Examining the case for functional behavior assessment as an evidence-based practice for students with emotional and behavioral disorders in general education classrooms. Preventing School Failure: Alternative Education for Children and Youth, 61(1), 80–93.
31.
TalbottE.MagginD.Van AckerE.KummS. (2018). Quality indicators for reviews of research in special education. Exceptionality, 26(4), 245–265.
32.
TorresC.FarleyC.CookB. (2014). A special educator’s guide to successfully implementing evidence-based practices. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 47(2), 85–93.
33.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, Office of Special Education Programs. (2018). 40th annual report to congress on the implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 2018.
34.
YellM. (2019). Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District (2017): Implications for educating students with emotional and behavioral disorders. Behavioral Disorders, 45(1), 53–62.
35.
YellM.BatemanD. (2017). Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District (2017): FAPE and the U.S. Supreme Court. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 50(1), 7–15.
36.
ZirkelP. (2011). Case law for functional behavior assessments and behavior intervention plans: An empirical analysis. Seattle Law Review, 35, 175–209.
