Studying Kansas general education teachers' knowledge about special education based on INTASC standards

Abstract

Both IDEA and NCLB place primary responsibility for education of students with disabilities on general education and create the urgent need to prepare general education teachers for their roles as inclusive educators. Therefore, recent teacher education reform movements emphasize teachers' quality and needs of highly qualified teachers. In this study, teachers' knowledge about how to address the academic needs of students with disabilities in general education settings was examined by open-ended scenario questionnaire that was developed by INTASC standards. The purposes of the study were (1) to compare general education teachers's knowledge about special education in four groups: beginning teachers, experienced teachers, teachers who had a minor/emphasis in special education, and teachers who did not have a minor/emphasis in special education and (2) to determine what variables make teachers knowledgeable about special education. Participants reported sufficient knowledge about the legal referral process of special education and collaboration skills, but inadequate knowledge about assessment and teaching reflection skills. While the study could not identify a significant predictor, participants reported that taking the special education courses was the individual variable that made a significant contribution to their knowledge about special education.