Special educators’ knowledge of high-leverage practices: Construction of a pedagogical content knowledge measure
Publication Date
9-1-2021
Document Type
Article
Publication Title
Studies in Educational Evaluation
Volume
70
DOI
10.1016/j.stueduc.2021.100986
Abstract
Teachers who draw upon specialized knowledge in their instructional practice can be drivers of positive student outcomes, especially for students classified as having special educational needs. Although there are generally agreed upon characteristics of high-quality instruction that can be measured with well-constructed instruments (e.g., Danielson, 2011), supporting the development of teachers with specialized credentials (e.g., special education teachers)—whose instructional practice is grounded in a qualitatively different professional expertise—necessitates measurement tools that reflect that unique practice. Given the field's recent agreement that special educators should possess deep knowledge of 22 High-Leverage Practices, there is a need for well-constructed tests that can be interpreted to support teacher capacity building in this body of knowledge. This study describes the construction of the Teacher Knowledge of HLPs, an instrument that measures special educators’ knowledge of High-Leverage Practices, and initial validity evidence for instrument use.
Keywords
Construct modeling, High-leverage practices, Item-response theory, Special education, Teacher pedagogical knowledge
Department
Special Education
Recommended Citation
Allison R. Firestone, Corrine M. Aramburo, and Rebecca A. Cruz. "Special educators’ knowledge of high-leverage practices: Construction of a pedagogical content knowledge measure" Studies in Educational Evaluation (2021). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2021.100986
