DISCUSSION 1: EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICES: HOW DO YOU KNOW THEY ARE WORKING?

Discussion 1: Evidence-Based Practices: How Do You Know They Are Working?

For this Discussion you will develop a working definition of “evidence-based practice” after reading different perspectives on what it means for practices to have a strong evidence base. This definition will assist with future modules as you explore what evidence-based practice looks like in academic and social-emotional instruction within special education.

To prepare:

• Review this module’s Learning Resources and analyze the perspectives for what makes a strategy evidence-based.
• Develop a definition of “evidence-based practice” based on the information gathered from the readings.
• Select two peer-reviewed articles written within the past 3 years that report on a study using evidence-based practices to support your definition.
• Review the Appendix B Checklist from the U.S. Department of Education’s Identifying and Implementing Educational Practices Supported by Rigorous Evidence article in the module’s Learning Resources.
• Review the CEC Standards for Evidence-Based Practices in Special Education.
• Review the CEC evidence-based practice news release.

By Day 3 of Week 1 (June 3, 2020)

Post your “evidence-based practice” definition and an evaluation of your selected articles addressing the following:

• *A citation for each article and an explanation as to why it was selected
• *How would you evaluate the findings based on the checklist? How do the articles measure up to the standards addressed in the checklist? (THIS CHECK LIST IS APPENDIX B in the US Dept of Education resource 2003).
• *How might someone evaluate an observed teaching practice to determine the extent to which it is research-based?
• *In what ways might there be differences in the interpretation of what evidence-based specialized instruction is, depending on the particular disability area?

Text Book is:

Coyne, M. D., Kame’enui, E. J., & Carnine, D. W. (2011). Effective teaching strategies that accommodate diverse learners (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.

• Chapter 1, “Introduction”
• Chapter 2, “Characteristics of Students with Diverse Learning and Curricular Needs”