Field testing the Inclusive Teaching Rubric (ITR): Assessing the effectiveness of the ITR in the development of the knowledge, skills, and values of inclusive education in pre-service teachers

The Inclusive Teaching Rubric (ITR) is an instructional/assessment tool developed to facilitate the preparation of student teachers for inclusive settings. The ITR is made up of five frames: Preparation, Presentation, Instruction, Management, and Foundations. Each frame of the ITR is a self-contained rubric that serves as a guide for students to use in developing lesson plans, and managing the classroom, for increasing self-efficacy and reflective practice.; The purpose of this study was to determine the utility and value of the ITR. Student teachers and supervisors at five universities and colleges in New York State field tested the ITR. The study used a mixed-methods design including pre- and posttests, survey responses from supervisors and students, e-mail communication, student teacher focus groups, and in-depth supervisor interviews to determine the effect of the ITR on student knowledge, teaching practice, sense of efficacy, and reflective practice during practicum in inclusive classrooms, as well as its usefulness for supervisors.; Results of this research found that implementation of educational change, in this case the use of the ITR, is a complex process. In addition to underscoring the difficulty of educational change, the field testing of the ITR exposed conceptual and language differences between general and special educators. These differences preclude a shared knowledge base as well as a shared educational philosophy necessary to the move from a segregated model of education to an inclusive one. The results of this study have direct implications for future teacher preparation.