An Investigation of the Preparation of General and Special Education Teachers to Teach Students with High-Incidence Disabilities to Use Speech-to-Text Software on the STAAR Assessment

This collective case study was designed to investigate the preparedness of general education and special education teachers to teach students with high-incidence disabilities (HID) to use speech-to-text (STT) accommodations on the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness. This study analyzed the instructional methods used to teach students to use STT, as well as teachers’ perceptions of STT for students with HID. Despite the research and literature regarding STT for students with disabilities, there has been minimal research regarding the use of STT for students with HID during classroom instruction and, more specifically, state standardized tests. This study examined data collected by general and special education teachers of third, fourth, and fifth grade general education inclusion classrooms in Texas. Twenty current and former general and special education teachers participated in this study. All participants had prior experience teaching 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students with HID in Texas classrooms. Data were collected through online questionnaires, rating scales, and interviews. The data suggested that ongoing professional development is still warranted to help general and special education teachers effectively implement STT in their classrooms. The results of the study also identified three overarching themes that may impact the preparation of students with HID to use STT on the STAAR test. The three themes reflected components identified by the participants that affected the effective implementation of STT for students with HID in preparation for the STAAR assessment. These themes are 1) student device availability and district funding, 2) the redesign of the STAAR assessment, and 3) the increased written output of students with HID.