Special Education Teacher Preparation, Literacy Instructional Alignment, and Reading Achievement for Students With High-incidence Disabilities

• Published in: Exceptional children Vol. 88; no. 4; pp. 381 - 400
• Main Authors: Theobald, Roddy J., Goldhaber, Dan D., Holden, Kristian L., Stein, Marcy L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.07.2022; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Decoding (Reading); Literacy; Literacy Education; Phonics; Phonological Awareness; Predictor Variables; Preservice Teacher Education; Reading; Reading Achievement; Reading Fluency; Reading Instruction; Reading Tests; Scores; Special education; Special Education Teachers; Student Teaching; Students with Disabilities; Teacher education; Theory Practice Relationship; Washington; literacy; population description—learning disabilities; teacher education—teacher quality; content-academic area—reading; content-academic area—emotional/behavioral disabilities; teacher education; population description— special educators; school personnel—preservice
• ISSN: 0014-4029; 2163-5560
• DOI: 10.1177/00144029221081236

We used survey and administrative data from Washington State to assess the degree to which special education teacher preparation, district literacy instructional practices, and the alignment between preparation and practice were associated with the reading test score gains of students with high-incidence disabilities taught by early-career special education teachers in Grades 4 to 8. These students tended to have larger reading gains when their districts used evidence-based literacy decoding practices (e.g., phonological awareness, phonics, and reading fluency) and when their special education teacher graduated from a teacher education program that also emphasized these practices. Students with high-incidence disabilities in districts that used balanced literacy practices tended to have lower reading gains. Finally, students with high-incidence disabilities taught by early-career special education teachers tended to have larger reading gains when their teacher’s student teaching placement was supervised by a more experienced cooperating teacher.