Previous Reference Desk Digests

• Phonics Instruction — July 23, 2010
• Single-Sex Education — July 16, 2010
• Teacher Candidates' Field Experiences — July 9, 2010
• Kindergarten Entry Age — July 2, 2010
• Equitable Distribution of Teachers — June 25, 2010
• Drug Abuse Prevention Programs — June 18, 2010
• Data Use by Teachers— June 11, 2010
• School Start Time — June 4, 2010
• Balance Balls and Student Attention — May 28, 2010
• Student Mentoring — May 21, 2010
• Alternative Schools — May 14, 2010
• Low-Performing Schools — May 7, 2010
• Extended Learning Time — April 30, 2010
• 21st Century Skills — April 23, 2010
• Dropout Prevention Legislation — April 16, 2010
• High-School Grade Configuration — April 9, 2010
• Middle-Grades Configuration — April 2, 2010
• Music and Infant Development — March 26, 2010
• Homework and Student Achievement — March 19, 2010
• Foreign Language Technology — March 12, 2010
• Standardized Testing — March 5, 2010
• Charter Schools — February 26, 2010
• PD for Principals — February 19, 2010
• Formative Assessment — February 12, 2010
• Limited English Proficiency — February 5, 2010
• Teacher Evaluation Models— January 29, 2010

The Reference Desk, using available evidence and research, provides quick-turnaround responses to questions submitted by education stakeholders around the Northeast and Islands Region. Every Friday, REL-NEI highlights one or two questions submitted to its Reference Desk.

How Does the Placement of Special Education Students Impact Academic Achievement?

Over the last year, the Reference Desk has received a variety of questions asking about student placement issues. Some have asked about English language learners (ELLs), others about gifted children, and many more about placing students with disabilities. This week’s digest takes up the last of these three topics: the impact of placement on the academic achievement for special education students. The question originally came to the Reference Desk as part of a set of questions from the Connecticut State Department of Education’s Division of Special Education Resources.

Question

What is the impact of different placement strategies on academic achievement for students with disabilities?

Research Synopsis

Following an established REL-NEI Reference Desk research protocol, Reference Desk researchers conducted a search for research reports as well as descriptive and policy-oriented briefs and articles in this area. Our researchers found that many studies suggest a positive relationship between inclusive classrooms (placing special education students in general education) and academic achievement (see Louie, 2008; Newman, 2006). On the other hand, one study indicates that high school students with learning disabilities in inclusive classrooms performed no differently in reading and math than students with disabilities who attended special education classes (see full Reference Desk Report).

Publicly Available Resources

1. Math Education Practices for Students with Disabilities and Other Struggling Learners: Case Studies of Six Schools in two Northeast and Islands Region States. Louie, J., Brodesky, A., Brett, J., Yang, L.-M., and Tan, Y.; U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, Issues and Answers Report, REL 2008–No. 053; August 2008; 172 pages.
   

   “This report describes in-depth practices at six schools that are making targeted efforts to improve math education for students with disabilities and other struggling learners.” Five of the six schools used an inclusion model as their primary classroom-placement tool for students with disabilities.
   From page 4, “The Special Education Elementary Longitudinal Study (SEELS) of more than 11,000 students with identified disabilities finds that ‘schools can influence the level and trajectory of students’ learning through decisions regarding instructional settings and activities’ (Blackorby et al. 2007, p. 9). In particular, for students with disabilities taking more academic classes in general education settings was positively correlated with higher reading and math scores.”
   From page 5, “Research on urban districts with high-performing students with disabilities finds that successful schools emphasized providing students with disabilities access to the general education curriculum and aligning the curriculum with the state frameworks” (University of Massachusetts Donahue 2004).

2. General Education Participation and Academic Performance of Students with Learning Disabilities. Newman L., SRI International; U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Special Education Research, NCSER 2006-3001; July 2006; 8 pages.
   

   From page 1, “National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2) analyses reveal that the percentage of courses students with learning disabilities take in general education classrooms is related to both their academic performance and their social adjustment at school, independent of other differences between students (Blackorby et al. 2003; Marder, Wagner, and Sumi 2003). Including students with disabilities in general education classrooms has been found to be related to beneficial outcomes for both students with disabilities (Baker, Wang, and Walberg 1994; Waldron 1997) and their general education peers (Salend and Duhaney 1999; Stainback and Stainback 1996; Staub and Peck 1994). For example, inclusive practices have been found to be related to more appropriate social behavior and higher levels of achievement for students with disabilities, as well as to increased comfort with and awareness of human differences for students in the general population (Baker and Zigmond 1995; Walther-Thomas, Bryant, and Land 1996).”

3. Does Educational Placement Matter in the Performance of Students with Disabilities?

   Luster, J. N., and Durrett, J.; Paper Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Mid-South Educational Research Association (Biloxi, Mississippi); ERIC #: ED482518; November 2003; 20 pages.
   “This study explored the relationship between general education placements and performance of students with disabilities on state level assessments for grades 4 and 8 and graduation rates of students with disabilities. Analyses were for all 66 school districts in a Southern state. Results indicate there may be a relationship between the percent of students with disabilities receiving their education in general education classes and indicators of educational results. It has been asserted that the movement toward greater inclusion leads to greater positive educational results for students with disabilities. The findings of significant correlations of greater inclusion to higher rates of high school diplomas and of eighth-grade test passage are encouraging.”

The Reference Desk also found these organizations and their websites to be helpful in learning more about special education and student placement issues :

1. Center on Instruction: Special Education Strand.
   “The Center on Instruction offers materials and resources to build educators’ knowledge on instruction for students with disabilities, including guidance on the application of scientifically based research and, specifically Response to Intervention.”
2. National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities.
   

   “National information center that provides information on disabilities and disability related issues. Children and youth, birth to age 22, are the focus.”

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