Action Research Plan

                As the special education director I attended a recent state conference of Special Education administrators. I was fortunate to attend two sessions on assistive technology and have been inspired to wonder about a certain topic. What academic gains will be achieved using technology to access instructional materials by students with specific learning disabilities?

                Our small district has used the Response to Intervention (RtI) model for identification and eligibility for special education services. We have used direct instruction in small group settings for students identified by beginning year benchmarking. We adjust interventions by analyzing data from weekly progress monitoring at PLC meetings monthly. The district has invested a substantial amount of resources when we implemented RtI five years ago. We had interventions K-12 in reading, writing, and math.

                Last year we started to see a reduction in funding that resulted in the scaling back of interventions 8-12. The new Oregon diploma requirements have not made removal from core and elective classes feasible either.

                When I looked at the high school students’ progress in the interventions I did not see great gains. There were annual gains of 5 words correct per minute. There was also a rise in accuracy and comprehension. But, with the economic crisis we face, we must make a change.

                I am wondering if text to speech applications on laptops and notepads, MP3 players, and iPods will increase student achievement. I have two students that I will start this project with. A 9^th grade girl and 10^th grade boy. Both are well below grade level in reading and it affects them across curriculum. They both have numerous referrals for behavior. The main purpose is to allow these poor readers to access the core curriculum by means of audio as well as print text.

                The two students would benefit by allowing them access to instructional materials and academic success. Academic success might lead to increased self esteem, resulting in fewer referrals for behavior. The teachers and staff would benefit by reduction in referrals and more instructional time. If this is successful, the rest of the students identified with reading disabilities would benefit by increased access to core curriculum. The school would benefit by increased graduation rates. There is no end to the benefits from gains in a student's academic success.