Relationship between disability category, time spent in general education and academic achievement

ABSTRACT

Federal law under the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Improvement Act stipulates that services provided to students with diagnosed disabilities must be (a) individualised based on the assessed needs of each student and (b) include the fewest restrictions necessary to achieve students’ personalised goals. However, determining the level of service and educational placement best suited to each student can be challenging. Recent legal rulings are also placing increased pressure on schools to provide services that yield substantive achievement. The following study examines the relation between time spent in general education settings and outcomes on state assessments. Results indicate a significant positive association between time spent in general education and scaled scores on state assessments for reading and math; no association was found for alternative state assessments. Ethical and practical implications as well as recommendations for future research are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Least restrictive environment (LRE)
• inclusion
• pullout programmes
• academic achievement

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Courtenay A. Barrett

Courtenay A. Barrett, Ph.D. is a Research and Instructional Data Consultant at Ingham Intermediate School District in Mason, MI. Her research and practice interests include coaching and consultation in MTSS/RTI systems, and data-based decision making

Nathan A. Stevenson

Nathan A. Stevenson, Ph.D. is Assistant Professor of Special Education at Kent State University. His research interests include the development of systems to support struggling learners (i.e. RtI, PBIS, and MTSS), inclusive practices, and adoption of evidence-based instruction. He has presented nationally and internationally on the topics of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, Curriculum-Based Measurement, Multi-Tiered Systems of Support, Assessment, and Universal Design for Learning.

Matthew K. Burns

Matthew K. Burns, Ph.D. is a Professor of School Psychology at the University of Missouri, and Director of the Center for Collaborative Solutions for Kids, Practice, and Policy. He has published over 175 articles and book chapters in national publications, and has co-authored or co-edited 12 books. He is also the immediate Past Editor of School Psychology Review and Past Editor of Assessment for Effective Intervention. Dr. Burns is one of the leading researchers regarding the use of assessment data to determine individual or small-group interventions, and has published extensively on response to intervention, academic interventions, and facilitating problem-solving teams.