The Roles and Responsibilities of the Special Educator

Reviewed by Tyanne Bailey, Director of Teacher Education, Assistant Professor of Education, Huntington University on 6/25/24

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This text provides a wide scope of information, yet at a very introductory level. There is no index and/or glossary.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

The content of the text is accurate; however, a reader needs to understand that the federal laws will apply to all but there will be differences regarding state and licensing expectations because the text is written for New Hampshire and the surrounding New England area.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

This text is currently up-to-date and will be easy to update if deemed necessary. The arrangement of the sections will allow for updates to be inserted seamlessly.

Clarity rating: 5

The text is written very clearly and will be able to be easily understood by undergraduate students.

Consistency rating: 5

This text is consistent throughout.

Modularity rating: 3

The text is divided into sections that are clear and organized well. It would be helpful if the sections were numbered, like chapter numbers. When assigning readings to undergraduate students, this may make it easier for them to complete accurately without confusion.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The scope and sequence of the section topics were logical and clear.

Interface rating: 5

The text is free of issues and the images/charts are displayed well.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

There were not any noticeable grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The text is culturally appropriate and inclusive.

Comments

Overall, this text helps provide an overview of many concepts. I would struggle using this in a course because it gives you a lot of introductory information, without depth, but for a wide variety of concepts. For example, it not only introduces the reader to the basics of special education but also gives information about intervention, teaching, and managing a classroom. Although these are all helpful topics to address, it may have been better to have two introductory texts rather than all of this information in one text. If I were teaching a course introducing special education, I would need to use supplemental resources to give more details. If one is receiving the basics, they are not ready for the other introductory information about interventions, strategies, and management. It almost needs to be cut in half for an introduction to special education and then an introduction to methods for special education.

Reviewed by Micah Walker, Non Tenure Track Instructor, Western Oregon University on 5/31/24

Comprehensiveness rating: 3 see less

Book covers a broad overview of Special Education at an introductory level. No index or glossary is present

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The book contains correct information regarding federal regulations, culturally responsive teaching definitions, and science of reading components.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

OER is from 2023, optional edits and updated definitions could easily be integrated.

Clarity rating: 5

Easily accessible for the undergraduate introductory level.

Consistency rating: 4

Use of acronyms (not necessarily SPED related but others as well), they may be called something different in your state and I found myself having to go back and check what they were referring to.

Modularity rating: 4

Having specific chapter numbers would be a helpful addition! I chose to utilize the titles for organization, however for student ease, chapters might be useful.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

There was a consistent format throughout, with some shorter sections that did stand out.

Interface rating: 4

Included embedded videos and outside links that were accessible with a few minor dead links that were easily found if searched elsewhere.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I did not notice any grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

Really appreciate the culturally sustaining lens embedded in this text. Disproportionality in special education was addressed at an introductory level.

Comments

Useful text for a broad overview of special education. If you are looking to provide more information for specific eligibility categories, you would need to supplement.