Publications in 2022
Bringing Assessment-to-Instruction (A2i) Technology to Scale:
Exploring the Process from Development to Implementation
Bringing effective, research-based,
literacy interventions into the classroom is challenging,
especially given the cultural and linguistic diversity of today’s
classrooms. We examined the promise of Assessment-to-Instruction
(A2i) technology redesigned to be used at scale to support
teachers’ implementation of the individualized student
instruction (ISI) intervention from kindergarten through third
grade. This study represents both an exploration of what it takes
to bring an educational intervention to scale and a
quasi-experiment on the literacy outcomes of learners whose
teachers used the technology. Our findings suggest that with some
caution, A2i demonstrates promise of effectiveness and is ready
to be used at scale.
Authors. Connor, May, Sparapani,
Kyoung Hwang, Adams, Wood, Siegal, Wolfe, & Day. (April
2022). Bringing Assessment-to-Instruction (A2i) Technology
to Scale: Exploring the Process from Development to
Implementation. Journal of Educational Psychology
Tribute to Dr. Carol McDonald Connor: Dr.
Carol Connor passed away May 14, 2020 while revising this
manuscript. True to her diligent nature, she worked until the day
before she passed away after battling cancer. Implementing
Assessment-to-Instruction (A2i) in schools across the nation was
Dr. Connor’s dream, as her life’s work was centered on ensuring
that all students read proficiently by the 3rd grade. She
developed the Individualized Student Instruction (ISI) framework
and patented the algorithms that drive A2i, publishing her first
of many randomized controlled trials in 2005 to support this
work. Dr. Connor has made extraordinary impact both nationally
and internationally. She truly touched the lives of everyone who
had the honor to cross her path. Her legacy will live on through
the mentees and colleagues that have had the privilege of knowing
and working with her and through A2i, as educators across the
nation use the technology to individualize instruction for their
students. Most importantly, her legacy will live on through the
many children that have and will continue to benefit from ISI and
A2i. Dr. Carol Connor did not work hard for accolades. This
became increasingly apparent as her time was running out. What
she worked for, was the future of others. She will be deeply
missed everyday but never forgotten.
The Development of a Social-Sexual Education Project for Adults
with Neurodevelopmental Disabilities: Starting the
Discussion
Most people with neurodevelopmental disabilities want to have
relationships but few are given the tools and opportunity to do
so in a safe and meaningful way. This strong desire, coupled with
a lack of information, puts people with developmental
disabilities at a high risk for sexual abuse and exploitation.
People with neurodevelopmental disabilities are sexually
assaulted at much higher rates than the general population, and
they often miss out on employment, housing, and social
opportunities due to unexpected social-sexual behavior. The
research team set out to create a social-sexual education (SSE)
tool to teach people with neurodevelopmental disabilities how to
create safe and meaningful relationships while also giving them
information about sexual abuse and coercion. We recruited
licensed professionals to pilot test the SSE tool, and then we
evaluated the tool using quantitative and qualitative methods.
Our findings provide preliminary support for the SSE tool.
Authors. Pedgrift & Sparapani, May
2022, Disabilities and Sexuality
Publications in 2021
Evaluating Teacher Language Within General and Special Education
Classrooms Serving Elementary Students with Autism
Nicole Sparapani & colleagues recently
published a manuscript in the Journal of Autism and
Related Disorders (JADD) examining how teachers and
paraprofessionals in 126 kindergarten-second grade classrooms
talked with their 194 students with autism, and further, how
individual student characteristics in language, autism symptoms,
and social abilities influenced this talk. You
can read the full article here!
Authors: Sparapani, Reinhardt, Hooker,
Morgan, Schatschneider, & Wetherby,
2021, Journal of Autism and Developmental
Disabilities
What Are the Odds?: Predicting the Likelihood of a
Negative Episode in a Sample of Toddlers with ASD
Congratulations to
Amanda Dimachkie Nunnally,
postdoctoral scholar, recently published her 1st
first-author manuscript in the international
journal, Autism!! In this study, Amanda and colleagues
evaluated emotion dysregulation in 71 toddlers with ASD
while working on a task with their caregivers.
See the full article here.
Emotion Regulation Skills Predict Friendship Quality in Children
with Autism
Nicole Sparapani &
Amanda Dimachkie Nunnally co-authored a
manuscript recently published in the International
Journal of Developmental Disorders. This manuscript is
a joint collaboration between UC Davis, the University of
Pennsylvania, UCLA, and the University of Rochester.
Authors: Heather J. Nuske, Wendy Shih, Nicole J. Sparapani,
Lauren Baczewski, Amanda Dimachkie Nunnally, Samantha
Hochheimer, Consuelo Garcia, Fernanda Castellon, Lynne Levato,
Erin Fischer, Zabryna Atkinson-Diaz, Jennica Li, David S.
Mandell, and Connie Kasari
Project Description: Within this project, we evaluated the
association among self-regulation, mental health, and friendship
quality in a sample of 106 children with autism between 5–12
years of age. We found a positive predicative association between
self-regulatory skills and social companionship. In addition,
difficulties with self-regulation were associated with increased
conflict. These data highlight the importance of self-regulation
and mental health as intervention targets for school-aged
children with autism.
Publications in 2020
Secondary Analysis of Interactions Between Students with Autism
and Their Interventionists within a Scripted Reading Curriculum
Sparapani and co-authors, Solari, Towers,
McIntyre, Henry, and Zajic, published a paper in
the Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing
Research evaluating the language used within a pilot reading
intervention for children with autism.
Read the article.
Students’ Problem Behaviors and Teachers’ Warmth, Responsiveness,
and Classroom Control as Predictors of Students’ Classroom
Instructional Experiences in First Grade
Sparapani co-authored a paper examining
students’ instructional experiences in 1st grade. The manuscript
was published in Contemporary Education
Psychology. (McLean, L., Sparapani, N., Day, S., Connor,
C.M., 2020). Read
the article.