CTE will research, advocate for, and disseminate evidence-based, technology-supported instructional strategies that have been shown to foster collaboration between general and special educators, improve outcomes for all students, and support students with disabilities as they progress in the general education curriculum.

Recent legislation has raised the bar on accountability standards in education. Assessment of individual student performance and overall school progress is unprecedented in the history of the American educational system. Guided by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) and the Individuals with Disabilities Act of 1997, the federal government and state boards of education are holding schools accountable to strict standards in curriculum areas to improve educational outcomes for all students, including those with disabilities. This is a new era of enforced responsibility for state and local school districts, which must institute strong academic standards in reading, math, and science in all grades, for all children, including those with disabilities, and must ensure that all children meet those standards. As a result, teachers are facing increased pressure to both employ effective strategies that help students with special needs (including those students in special education, Title I, and English Language Learner programs) meet high curriculum standards and to prove that their methods are working. This has introduced a concomitant challenge to educators who must determine appropriate methods for collecting and analyzing data, both of which are inherently complex processes. Therefore, we have developed a novel approach to instruction, called Boundless Learning, to equip special and general educators with a full complement of evidenced-based instructional practices, instructional and assistive technologies, an online Instructional Planner, and student progress monitoring tools (e.g., Online IEP and Student Compass) so they can provide effective instruction that supports students with special needs in making adequate yearly progress on state proficiency assessments.

The CTE Research and Development Branch will collaborate with numerous school districts throughout Maryland and nationwide to transform instructional delivery in the general education classroom and help thousands of students, including those with disabilities, reach state proficiency standards of adequate yearly progress. The primary catalyst for effecting this remarkable change will be CTE’s premier program, Boundless Learning, which includes bountiful evidence-based instructional strategies, student progress monitoring tools, and a full complement of technology and multi-media resources. Over the next five years, Boundless Learning will evolve and attain notoriety as an effective approach for promoting high quality collaboration between general and special educators, improving instructional decision-making, and maximizing learning opportunities for diverse learners. A varied portfolio of funding sources such as business partnerships, federal and state grants, and local school district contracts will support the program.

IN THIS PROGRAM AREA, WE WORK TO ACHIEVE THE FOLLOWING GOALS OF CTE

Individual Instructional Planning and Student Performance Monitoring: To improve student progress monitoring by using efficient online decision-support technologies which provide accurate representations of student performance and promote quality goal-setting and effective instructional planning.
Evidence-Based Instructional Model: To increase student achievement through implementation of Boundless Learning, an evidence-based, technology-supported instructional model.
Effective Organizational Structures: To create effective organizational structures and continuous improvement processes that promote collaboration between special and general educators, build positive learning environments, and maximize learning opportunities for diverse learners.

The Center for Technology in Education is part of the Johns Hopkins University School of Education.

CTE 6740 Alexander Bell Drive, Suite 302 Columbia, MD 21046
PH 410-516-9800 | FAX 410-516-9818 | cte@jhu.edu