University faculty discuss improving writing instruction for students with disabilities

Texas State University’s Alyson Collins, an assistant professor, and Stephen Ciullo, an associate professor, both in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Texas State University, join the Big Ideas TXST podcast to discuss their program to improve writing instruction for students with disabilities.

A survey of fourth-grade general and special education teachers indicated fewer than 20% of them felt adequately prepared to teach writing to students with and at risk for disabilities. Through that, Collins and Ciullo identified a need to provide special and general educators professional development in writing to help them be more prepared to address the needs of students with disabilities. Their program, “Turning the TIDE: Building Teacher Capacity to Accelerate Text-Based Writing Performance of Students With and At Risk for Disabilities,” will provide the necessary professional development for these teachers to collaboratively deliver intensive intervention in text-based writing to students with and at risk for disabilities.

Collins has nine years of teaching experience in Texas public schools and an extensive background in implementing Multi-Tiered Systems of Supports (MTSS). Her research focuses on effective intervention and assessment for students with learning disabilities, specifically in the areas of reading and writing.

Ciullo’s research focuses on two topics. First, he studies the extent to which classroom writing instruction provided to students with disabilities aligns with research evidence, and how observed instruction relates to students’ writing performance. Second, he is interested in interventions that enhance teachers’ effectiveness in the area of writing and content-area knowledge.