The Emerging Field of Online Special Education
This Article
- J Spec Educ Technol September 2016vol. 31 no. 3 123-125
http://jst.sagepub.com.cmich.idm.oclc.org/content/31/3/123.full.pdf+html
- Sean J. Smith, University of Kansas, 1122 West Campus Road, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA. Email: Seanj@ku.edu
Abstract
The growing practice of elementary and secondary online education is the primary focus of this topical issue. This article will introduce the Center on Online Learning and Students with Disabilities and then highlight the articles within this publication. Throughout the issue, research findings support the need for more research in online learning practices. Overall, it is hoped this issue will support increased emphasis on research and practice in K-12 online learning.
The Emerging Field of Online
Special Education
Sean J. Smith1
, James D. Basham1
, and Tracey Hall2
Abstract
The growing practice of elementary and secondary online education is the primary focus of this topical issue. This article will
introduce the Center on Online Learning and Students with Disabilities and then highlight the articles within this publication.
Throughout the issue, research findings support the need for more research in online learning practices. Overall, it is hoped this
issue will support increased emphasis on research and practice in K-12 online learning.
Keywords
online/web-based instruction, technology perspectives, instructional/policy perspectives, exceptionality
Over the last decade, the field of elementary and secondary
(K-12) online education has witnessed unprecedented
growth (Watson, Pape, Murin, Gemin, & Vashaw, 2014).
In fact, in a recent policy scan conducted by researchers
at the Center on Online Learning and Students with Disabilities
(Center) found that parents are able to enroll their
children in full-time online education across all 50 states
and at least 5 territories. Interestingly, only 36% of these
states and territories guarantee accessibility for students
with disabilities (Basham, Stahl, Ortiz, Rice, & Smith,
2015). Moreover, the same scan found that only 25% of the
states and territories have clear guidance for which entity
(online school or residential district) bears responsibility for
ensuring the student is provided with a free and appropriate
public education. Importantly, results of the state scan indicate
that only 2% of the states and territories had clear data
collection and monitoring procedures for students with disabilities
in online settings. These findings point to an emerging
K-12 education system that is pioneering, evolving at
the pace of industry and innovation, self-governing, and
under the radar of nearly the entire field of special education.
Thus, far too few educators and researchers are aware
of the potential, benefits, and in some cases challenges of
online learning for students with disabilities.
In 2011, the University of Kansas, Center for Applied Special
Technology, and the National Association of State Directors
of Special Education partnered to form the Center. Funded
by the Office of Special Education Programs, the Center was
charged with three primary tasks:
Identify and monitor trends as well as issues in K-12
online learning for students with disabilities and their
families.
Identify and develop promising practices that increase
the accessibility and effectiveness of K-12 online learning
for students with disabilities.
Test the usability and feasibility of practices that will
have potential impact on the field of online education for
students with disabilities.
Given the vast scope and rapidly evolving nature of online
learning, research teams from the Center have focused inquiries
across a wide swath of online learning spaces. From fully
online (sometimes called virtual), to blended learning in its
many models and varieties, to now personalized learning,
teams from the Center have attempted to keep pace as well
as support understanding across this fast changing landscape.
As is highlighted in other publications (e.g., Basham et al.,
2015), the Center’s research has at times been viewed as a
challenge to the vendor-intensive world of K-12 online education.
Unknown to many, much of K-12 online education is
driven by the vendor-based online education systems that are
simply adopted by school districts. Thus, much of the instructional
content selection, delivery, and assessment rely on
vendor-based machine-driven pedagogy powered by proprietary
instructional algorithms (Smith & Basham, 2014). Across
a number of schools, vendors also provide the instructional
personnel or teachers to support the implementation. These
1 University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
2 CAST, Wakefield, MA, USA
Corresponding Author:
Sean J. Smith, University of Kansas, 1122 West Campus Road, Lawrence,
KS 66045, USA.
Email: Seanj@ku.edu
Journal of Special Education Technology
2016, Vol. 31(3) 123-125
ª The Author(s) 2016
Reprints and permission:
sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav
DOI: 10.1177/0162643416660839
jst.sagepub.com
new public–private institutional relationships are complex and
for a variety of reasons (e.g., privacy laws, fear of unknown,
concern about negative public reports) can be difficult to navigate,
especially when it involves research. Through years of
cultivation, the Center’s researchers have been able to establish
working relationships with various online education entities
across the United States.
A major lesson learned through these efforts has been the
need and power of multipronged partnerships that involve a
variety of entities and groups. At minimum authentic research
requires (1) a collaborating district (or school), (2) a vendor
eager to assess the efficacy of online education, and (3) research
that is perceived to be mutually beneficial to all partners. This
triangulated approach has been shown to be beneficial in
research focused on supporting the educational betterment of all
students but especially students with disabilities. Center work
has continued to reiterate the growing need for research partnerships
to collaboratively and openly ask questions, investigate,
problem solve, and prototype to increase the effectiveness and
impact of online instruction for students with disabilities.
Research from within these partnerships provides topical findings
important to the entire field of online learning.
Within this topical issue, research teams from the Center
highlight five key projects. In the first article, Basham, Hall,
Carter, and Stahl introduce the field to personalized learning.
Within this article, they highlight the findings from an
18-month research project in a district that implemented personalized
learning. Through this research, they identify key
design characteristics and initial results on this environment
on outcomes for all students, especially those with disabilities.
Importantly, students with disabilities demonstrated immense
academic growth in these personalized environments. They
discuss implications for designing, implementing, and conducting
research in personalized learning.
In the second article, Carter and Rice share findings from a
4-month project in a state virtual school program. Specifically,
this article used a case study design to look across the work of
three special education administrators who oversaw special
education services and interdisciplinary teams in a virtual setting.
Through content and interview analysis techniques, their
findings highlight the complexity of trying to use technology to
educate and support students with disabilities in fully online
settings where technology use is usually thought of as a sure
thing. Findings support a greater need to understand online
education through mapping interactions with students and families
over several months, open up the need for further research
around the types of technology needed to support K-12 learners
in virtual learning, and discuss the potential difficulties that
arise when the traditional individualized education program
is applied within these settings.
In the third article, Basham, Smith, and Satter highlight the
growing need to move beyond the traditional notions of accessibility
to consider alignment of K-12 online education systems
to the universal design for learning (UDL) instructional design
framework. In this article, they provide an overview of current
accessibility guidelines, the implications for aligning to UDL,
and then introduce the development of a UDL scan tool. They
highlight the process of development as well as validation of
the UDL scan tool and then discuss the need for critical benchmarks
beyond accessibility for educators and industry, as they
adopt new online learning systems.
The fourth article by Pace and Mellard shares the results of
a study conducted on a blended learning experience. As discussed
throughout the issue and in the Pace and Mellard’s
article is that blended learning varies in design interpretation
and implementation district to district. Their study looked at
computer lab-based, blended learning, English/language arts
(ELA) experience to a face-to-face ELA experience. In analysis
of the treatment and comparison learning experience,
they found no significant changes in reading achievement.
Nonetheless, their research supports insights on implementation
variables in the design of effective blended learning
experiences.
In the fifth article, Smith, Basham, Rice, and Carter bring
closure to this topical issue on a survey that identifies the need
for teacher preparation institutions to have a greater focus on
K-12 online learning. They share the results of a survey that
found that all surveyed special education teacher preparation
institutions lack integration or alignment with the International
Association for K-12 Online Learning online teacher standards.
The results of the survey and the needs of the field point to
several areas, where preservice teacher preparation can support
greater access and knowledge/skill development for preservice
teachers to work in these emerging environments.
Each of these projects shares a unique perspective on the
field of online education for students with disabilities, while
simultaneously illuminating areas of need for further research.
As will be discussed, continued research, increased technical
assistance, and personnel development in online education with
a specific focus on students with disabilities remain pressing
issues. With online education active and growing in every district
across the country (Evergreen Education Group, 2015), it
is time for elementary and secondary education stakeholders to
more actively engage in the online education conversation.
Specifically, the readership of this journal is encouraged to
contribute to furthering the research and the potential solutions
within this growing field.
Finally, after nearly 5 years of research within the Center, we
are thankful that the leadership at the Office of Special Education
Programs had the foresight to identify K-12 online education
research as an emergent need in education. Without
resources for research, developments, such as K-12 online learning,
have the potential to neglect students with disabilities and
students with other diverse learning needs. It is critically important
for resources to be dedicated to researching and shaping the
emerging education system with a focus on all students. We
believe that developing effective environments for students
‘‘in the margins’’ expands opportunities for all learners.
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to
the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
124 Journal of Special Education Technology 31(3)
Funding
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for
the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: The contents
of this article were developed under a grant from the U.S. Department
of Education (#H327U110011). However, the content does not
necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education,
and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.
Project is Officer, Celia Rosenquist.
References
Basham, J. D., Stahl, S., Ortiz, K., Rice, M. F., & Smith, S. (2015).
Equity matters: Digital and online learning for students with disabilities.
Lawrence, KS: Center on Online Learning and Students
with Disabilities.
Evergreen Education Group. (2015). Keeping pace with K-12 online
learning: An annual review of policy and practice. Mountain View,
CA: Evergreen Education Group. Retrieved from http://www.
kpk12.com/wp-content/uploads/Evergreen_KeepingPace_2015.pdf
Smith, S. J., & Basham, J. D. (2014). Designing online learning
opportunities for students with disabilities. Teaching Exceptional
Children, 46, 1–11. Retrieved from http//doi.org/10.1177/
0040059914530102
Watson, J., Pape, L., Murin, A., Gemin, B., & Vashaw, L. (2014).
Keeping pace with K-12 online learning: An annual review of policy
and practice. Mountain View, CA: Evergreen Education Group.
Author Biographies
Sean J. Smith is a Professor in the Department of Special
Education at the University of Kansas and Co-PI in the Center
on Online Learning and Students with Disabilities. His research
is focused on technology innovation, online learning, virtual
reality, and Universal Design for Learning (UDL).
James D. Basham is an Associate Professor in the Department
of Special Education at the University of Kansas and Co-PI in
the Center on Online Learning and Students with Disabilities.
His research is focused on student cognition, learning, and
behavior in modern learning environments chiefly related to
the application of Universal Design for Learning (UDL).
Tracey Hall is a Senior Research Scientist and Instructional
Designer at CAST an educational research & development
organization that works to expand learning opportunities for
all individuals through Universal Design for Learning. Tracey
conducts research on instructional interventions in reading,
writing, literacy in the content areas, and assessment. She is
PI for several federally funded grant at CAST in the areas of
literacy and science education. Her work includes the design
and evaluation of instructional approaches and assessment
tools. These experiences are applied in the development and
implementation of Universal Design for Learning.
The Emerging Field of Online
Special Education
Sean J. Smith1
, James D. Basham1
, and Tracey Hall2
Abstract
The growing practice of elementary and secondary online education is the primary focus of this topical issue. This article will
introduce the Center on Online Learning and Students with Disabilities and then highlight the articles within this publication.
Throughout the issue, research findings support the need for more research in online learning practices. Overall, it is hoped this
issue will support increased emphasis on research and practice in K-12 online learning.
Keywords
online/web-based instruction, technology perspectives, instructional/policy perspectives, exceptionality
Over the last decade, the field of elementary and secondary
(K-12) online education has witnessed unprecedented
growth (Watson, Pape, Murin, Gemin, & Vashaw, 2014).
In fact, in a recent policy scan conducted by researchers
at the Center on Online Learning and Students with Disabilities
(Center) found that parents are able to enroll their
children in full-time online education across all 50 states
and at least 5 territories. Interestingly, only 36% of these
states and territories guarantee accessibility for students
with disabilities (Basham, Stahl, Ortiz, Rice, & Smith,
2015). Moreover, the same scan found that only 25% of the
states and territories have clear guidance for which entity
(online school or residential district) bears responsibility for
ensuring the student is provided with a free and appropriate
public education. Importantly, results of the state scan indicate
that only 2% of the states and territories had clear data
collection and monitoring procedures for students with disabilities
in online settings. These findings point to an emerging
K-12 education system that is pioneering, evolving at
the pace of industry and innovation, self-governing, and
under the radar of nearly the entire field of special education.
Thus, far too few educators and researchers are aware
of the potential, benefits, and in some cases challenges of
online learning for students with disabilities.
In 2011, the University of Kansas, Center for Applied Special
Technology, and the National Association of State Directors
of Special Education partnered to form the Center. Funded
by the Office of Special Education Programs, the Center was
charged with three primary tasks:
Identify and monitor trends as well as issues in K-12
online learning for students with disabilities and their
families.
Identify and develop promising practices that increase
the accessibility and effectiveness of K-12 online learning
for students with disabilities.
Test the usability and feasibility of practices that will
have potential impact on the field of online education for
students with disabilities.
Given the vast scope and rapidly evolving nature of online
learning, research teams from the Center have focused inquiries
across a wide swath of online learning spaces. From fully
online (sometimes called virtual), to blended learning in its
many models and varieties, to now personalized learning,
teams from the Center have attempted to keep pace as well
as support understanding across this fast changing landscape.
As is highlighted in other publications (e.g., Basham et al.,
2015), the Center’s research has at times been viewed as a
challenge to the vendor-intensive world of K-12 online education.
Unknown to many, much of K-12 online education is
driven by the vendor-based online education systems that are
simply adopted by school districts. Thus, much of the instructional
content selection, delivery, and assessment rely on
vendor-based machine-driven pedagogy powered by proprietary
instructional algorithms (Smith & Basham, 2014). Across
a number of schools, vendors also provide the instructional
personnel or teachers to support the implementation. These
1 University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
2 CAST, Wakefield, MA, USA
Corresponding Author:
Sean J. Smith, University of Kansas, 1122 West Campus Road, Lawrence,
KS 66045, USA.
Email: Seanj@ku.edu
Journal of Special Education Technology
2016, Vol. 31(3) 123-125
ª The Author(s) 2016
Reprints and permission:
sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav
DOI: 10.1177/0162643416660839
jst.sagepub.com
new public–private institutional relationships are complex and
for a variety of reasons (e.g., privacy laws, fear of unknown,
concern about negative public reports) can be difficult to navigate,
especially when it involves research. Through years of
cultivation, the Center’s researchers have been able to establish
working relationships with various online education entities
across the United States.
A major lesson learned through these efforts has been the
need and power of multipronged partnerships that involve a
variety of entities and groups. At minimum authentic research
requires (1) a collaborating district (or school), (2) a vendor
eager to assess the efficacy of online education, and (3) research
that is perceived to be mutually beneficial to all partners. This
triangulated approach has been shown to be beneficial in
research focused on supporting the educational betterment of all
students but especially students with disabilities. Center work
has continued to reiterate the growing need for research partnerships
to collaboratively and openly ask questions, investigate,
problem solve, and prototype to increase the effectiveness and
impact of online instruction for students with disabilities.
Research from within these partnerships provides topical findings
important to the entire field of online learning.
Within this topical issue, research teams from the Center
highlight five key projects. In the first article, Basham, Hall,
Carter, and Stahl introduce the field to personalized learning.
Within this article, they highlight the findings from an
18-month research project in a district that implemented personalized
learning. Through this research, they identify key
design characteristics and initial results on this environment
on outcomes for all students, especially those with disabilities.
Importantly, students with disabilities demonstrated immense
academic growth in these personalized environments. They
discuss implications for designing, implementing, and conducting
research in personalized learning.
In the second article, Carter and Rice share findings from a
4-month project in a state virtual school program. Specifically,
this article used a case study design to look across the work of
three special education administrators who oversaw special
education services and interdisciplinary teams in a virtual setting.
Through content and interview analysis techniques, their
findings highlight the complexity of trying to use technology to
educate and support students with disabilities in fully online
settings where technology use is usually thought of as a sure
thing. Findings support a greater need to understand online
education through mapping interactions with students and families
over several months, open up the need for further research
around the types of technology needed to support K-12 learners
in virtual learning, and discuss the potential difficulties that
arise when the traditional individualized education program
is applied within these settings.
In the third article, Basham, Smith, and Satter highlight the
growing need to move beyond the traditional notions of accessibility
to consider alignment of K-12 online education systems
to the universal design for learning (UDL) instructional design
framework. In this article, they provide an overview of current
accessibility guidelines, the implications for aligning to UDL,
and then introduce the development of a UDL scan tool. They
highlight the process of development as well as validation of
the UDL scan tool and then discuss the need for critical benchmarks
beyond accessibility for educators and industry, as they
adopt new online learning systems.
The fourth article by Pace and Mellard shares the results of
a study conducted on a blended learning experience. As discussed
throughout the issue and in the Pace and Mellard’s
article is that blended learning varies in design interpretation
and implementation district to district. Their study looked at
computer lab-based, blended learning, English/language arts
(ELA) experience to a face-to-face ELA experience. In analysis
of the treatment and comparison learning experience,
they found no significant changes in reading achievement.
Nonetheless, their research supports insights on implementation
variables in the design of effective blended learning
experiences.
In the fifth article, Smith, Basham, Rice, and Carter bring
closure to this topical issue on a survey that identifies the need
for teacher preparation institutions to have a greater focus on
K-12 online learning. They share the results of a survey that
found that all surveyed special education teacher preparation
institutions lack integration or alignment with the International
Association for K-12 Online Learning online teacher standards.
The results of the survey and the needs of the field point to
several areas, where preservice teacher preparation can support
greater access and knowledge/skill development for preservice
teachers to work in these emerging environments.
Each of these projects shares a unique perspective on the
field of online education for students with disabilities, while
simultaneously illuminating areas of need for further research.
As will be discussed, continued research, increased technical
assistance, and personnel development in online education with
a specific focus on students with disabilities remain pressing
issues. With online education active and growing in every district
across the country (Evergreen Education Group, 2015), it
is time for elementary and secondary education stakeholders to
more actively engage in the online education conversation.
Specifically, the readership of this journal is encouraged to
contribute to furthering the research and the potential solutions
within this growing field.
Finally, after nearly 5 years of research within the Center, we
are thankful that the leadership at the Office of Special Education
Programs had the foresight to identify K-12 online education
research as an emergent need in education. Without
resources for research, developments, such as K-12 online learning,
have the potential to neglect students with disabilities and
students with other diverse learning needs. It is critically important
for resources to be dedicated to researching and shaping the
emerging education system with a focus on all students. We
believe that developing effective environments for students
‘‘in the margins’’ expands opportunities for all learners.
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to
the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
124 Journal of Special Education Technology 31(3)
Funding
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for
the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: The contents
of this article were developed under a grant from the U.S. Department
of Education (#H327U110011). However, the content does not
necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education,
and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.
Project is Officer, Celia Rosenquist.
References
Basham, J. D., Stahl, S., Ortiz, K., Rice, M. F., & Smith, S. (2015).
Equity matters: Digital and online learning for students with disabilities.
Lawrence, KS: Center on Online Learning and Students
with Disabilities.
Evergreen Education Group. (2015). Keeping pace with K-12 online
learning: An annual review of policy and practice. Mountain View,
CA: Evergreen Education Group. Retrieved from http://www.
kpk12.com/wp-content/uploads/Evergreen_KeepingPace_2015.pdf
Smith, S. J., & Basham, J. D. (2014). Designing online learning
opportunities for students with disabilities. Teaching Exceptional
Children, 46, 1–11. Retrieved from http//doi.org/10.1177/
0040059914530102
Watson, J., Pape, L., Murin, A., Gemin, B., & Vashaw, L. (2014).
Keeping pace with K-12 online learning: An annual review of policy
and practice. Mountain View, CA: Evergreen Education Group.
Author Biographies
Sean J. Smith is a Professor in the Department of Special
Education at the University of Kansas and Co-PI in the Center
on Online Learning and Students with Disabilities. His research
is focused on technology innovation, online learning, virtual
reality, and Universal Design for Learning (UDL).
James D. Basham is an Associate Professor in the Department
of Special Education at the University of Kansas and Co-PI in
the Center on Online Learning and Students with Disabilities.
His research is focused on student cognition, learning, and
behavior in modern learning environments chiefly related to
the application of Universal Design for Learning (UDL).
Tracey Hall is a Senior Research Scientist and Instructional
Designer at CAST an educational research & development
organization that works to expand learning opportunities for
all individuals through Universal Design for Learning. Tracey
conducts research on instructional interventions in reading,
writing, literacy in the content areas, and assessment. She is
PI for several federally funded grant at CAST in the areas of
literacy and science education. Her work includes the design
and evaluation of instructional approaches and assessment
tools. These experiences are applied in the development and
implementation of Universal Design for Learning.
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