Trends in Performance and Growth by Students With and Without Disabilities on Five State Summative Assessments (original) (raw)
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ETS Research Report Series, 2010
Recently growth-based approaches to accountability have received considerable attention because they have the potential to reward schools and teachers for improving student performance over time by measuring the progress of students at all levels of the performance spectrum (including those who have not yet reached proficiency on state accountability assessments). While the use of growth in accountability holds promise for students with disabilities, measuring changes over time in their academic performance is complex. This paper summarizes models and approaches that use individual student test scores from multiple years for 3 different purposes: determination of adequate yearly progress under the federal accountability system, research on individual growth trajectories, and evaluation of the contribution of teachers and schools to student learning. Practical challenges in measuring and modeling growth for students with disabilities are then discussed. Finally, 3 areas in need of research on the measurement of growth from large-scale annual accountability assessments are identified and described: testing accommodations, test difficulty, and understanding the longitudinal characteristics of the population of students with disabilities.
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Educational Policy Reform Research Institute, 2007
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4. THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
There is no question that much is expected from our education system in terms of preparing future citizens, workers, and leaders. To that end, schools are expected to influence students' learning, socialization, and even vocational preparedness. This agenda is perhaps even more keenly applied for students with disabilities than for those in the general population. Indeed, NLTS2's conceptual framework reflects this comprehensive view of educationally relevant inputs and achievements both in and outside of school. Despite the attention paid to a broad definition of outcomes, however, academic performance remains central. Academic instruction is arguably the primary business of education, and it was poor performance that spawned the recent era of reform after the publication of A Nation at Risk two decades ago (U. S. Department of Education, 1983). Further, it is academic performance that is central to the efforts of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 to make schools and school districts accountable for assessing and improving student performance annually (Linn, Baker, & Betebenner, 2002). Further, limitations in academic achievement represent the primary implication of disability for most students receiving special education services, and those limitations, if left unaddressed, constrain their ability to pursue postsecondary education and well-paid employment after high school. Although the importance of academic achievement is rarely questioned, reaching unanimity regarding its measurement has been elusive. The measurement of academic performance, particularly for students with disabilities, continues to be a controversial topic among policy-makers, measurement experts, and performance can occur at multiple levels and serves multiple purposes. For example, classroom teachers often conduct formative and summative tests to evaluate student mastery of course content and provide grades for students and parents. State tests are designed primarily to measure progress at the school or school district level. In particular, graduation tests are used to determine whether a student has mastered the minimum content and competencies required to receive a high school diploma. Each of these kinds of assessments engenders significant questions related to test design, types of decisions supported by the results, alternative assessments, and accommodations (Heubert & Hauser, 1999; Minnema, Thurlow, Bielinski, & Scott, 2001). Although this is a time of change in the educational arena, within this evolving accountability environment, it is crucial to understand the progress of all students, including those with disabilities, and the factors that contribute to their positive academic performance. NLTS2 is in a unique position to provide a national perspective on these issues. This chapter presents both descriptive findings and multivariate analyses of multiple measures of academic performance. It also compares results of the multivariate analyses with those achieved in similar analyses as part of the original NLTS.