High-leverage social, emotional and behavioural practices for students with disabilities in inclusive settings

ABSTRACT

The use of evidence-based practices (EBPs) is a tenant of effective instruction for students with disabilities in general and special education classrooms. In fact, it is essential that teachers use EBPs across content areas as they would benefit all students and maximise opportunities for those with special needs. Often, students with disabilities have difficulty meeting the academic, social, emotional, and behavioural demands of inclusive classroom settings when effective EBPs are not consistently implemented. In 2017, the Council for Exceptional Children and the CEEDAR Center at the University of Florida identified a set of evidence-based, high-leverage practices (HLPs) with the goal to guide teacher educators and professional development providers in the task of teacher preparation. This article discusses the application of four HLPs related to social, emotional, behavioural and instructional practices for students with disabilities in inclusive settings. The four HLPs addressed in this article are connected to the teachers’ ability to integrate multifaceted learning goals into instructional planning and delivery to create effective learning environments that may improve learning outcomes for students with (and perhaps without) disabilities across settings and content areas.

KEYWORDS:

• High-leverage practices
• critical teaching skills
• instructional strategies
• teacher behaviours
• general education
• special education

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.