Selection and Use of Online Instructional Materials for Secondary-Age Students With Intellectual Disability

Effective instruction for students with intellectual disability (ID) requires thoughtful planning and careful selection of instructional materials. One of the most popular websites for educators is TPT (formerly called Teachers Pay Teachers), an online marketplace that allows users to buy or sell instructional materials. The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine how special education teachers select and use instructional materials from TPT with students with ID. Study participants included 245 special education teachers of secondary-age students with ID who downloaded at least one item from TPT. Most of the participants reported that they considered the match between TPT materials and content taught, made modifications after downloading, and paid for items without reimbursement. Additionally, teachers of students with profound/pervasive support needs were significantly more likely to consult the TPT website on a regular basis than those with less extensive support needs.