Supporting upper elementary school students with mild to moderate disabilities in the areas of reading and writing in the age of Common Core: a qualitative study

Abstract

This qualitative study explored how teachers of upper elementary school students with mild to moderate disabilities navigate the potentially competing demands of CCSS expectations and best practices for supporting students with learning disabilities in the areas of reading and writing. In total, 6 teachers participated in the study, 3 SDC and 3 RSP teachers. The methods used included interviews and observations. Observation notes and interview transcriptions helped unearth important findings. Key findings include that teachers viewed instructional level teaching as a best practice, time constraints and lack of resources and PD were viewed as challenges, there are more similarities in teachers’ perceived best practices compared to their perceived CCSS practices, and some teachers identified areas where CCSS practices and best practices align.