What Matters for Staying On-Track and Graduating in Chicago Public Schools: A Focus on Students with Disabilities. Research Report (original) (raw)
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Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 2014
We examined aspects of the experiences of postsecondary students with various disabilities that facilitate higher grades and stronger intention to graduate. Specifically, we focused on experiences that could be modified by the student, the community, or the school. Self-reports of 611 junior/community college and university students with various disabilities show that the best predictors of intention to graduate were the absence of social alienation on campus, strong course self-efficacy, and school environment related facilitators (e.g., good schedule, positive attitudes of professors) as well as personal situation facilitators, such as having friends and high levels of personal motivation. In addition, students registered for campus disability-related services were more likely to intend to graduate as were full-time students. Intention to graduate and grades were only weakly related. Grades were best predicted by course self-efficacy. Stronger social self-efficacy and more personal situation and school environmentrelated facilitators were also related to better grades. Results also show that junior/community colleges are more "friendly" to students with disabilities than are universities (i.e., students feel less alienated and experience more school environment related facilitators). Recommendations are made based on the findings on aspects that can be modified to facilitate academic success.
This study investigated the impact of a range of variables as predictors of graduation potential for students with Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) or Emotional Behavioral Disorders (EBD) within a large urban school district. These factors included the following characteristics and elements: (a) primary exceptionality, (b) gender, (c) race/ethnicity, (d) grade, (e) current enrollment, (f) academic history, (g) behavioral history, (h) Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) performance, and (i) educational setting. Results indicated that a successful academic history was the only significant predictor of graduation potential when statistically controlling for all other variables. While at marginal significance, results also yielded that students with SLD or EBD in inclusive settings experienced better academic results and behavioral outcomes than those in self-contained settings.
Students with and without Disabilities at Dawson College Graduate at the Same Rate
In an archival study, the academic outcomes of 653 Dawson College students with and 41,357 without disabilities were compared over a 12 year period starting in 1990 and ending in 2002. Results indicate that students with both physical and learning disabilities had graduation rates that were virtually identical to those of nondisabled students, although students with disabilities took approximately one semester longer to graduate. When average grades and course pass rates were examined, students with disabilities generally did at least as well, and in some cases significantly better than their nondisabled peers. The overall trend for grades and course pass rates was for students with learning disabilities/attention deficit disorder (ADD) to have similar or slightly poorer outcomes than the nondisabled sample, and for students with all other disabilities to have slightly superior outcomes. Males had poorer results than females with respect to all indicators. This was true for students...
Increasing Graduation Rates for Students with Disabilities: Success Stories from West Virginia
In 2010, the National Dropout Prevention Center for Students with Disabilities (NDPC-SD) partnered with the West Virginia Department of Education Office of Special Programs to provide intensive technical assistance to 12 school districts to help them design and implement evidence-based programs to increase the graduation rates of students with disabilities. In this article, we describe the initiative and interventions implemented in five districts that successfully decreased dropout and increased graduation among students with disabilities. We provide graduation data from the 2008-2009 school year along with graduation data from 2012-2013 to demonstrate the gains made in these rural school districts. All names of districts and schools have been changed
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.
Differences in College Readiness Rates in Two School Years for Students in Special Education
Global Journal of Human-Social Science Research, 2017
Examined in this study were the college readiness rates (i.e., reading, mathematics, and both subjects) of students who received special education services in the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 school years. Data from the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 Texas Academic Progress Reports were obtained and analyzed. Students who received special education services had a statistically significantly higher reading college readiness rate in the 2013-2014 school year than in the 2012-2013 school year. Mathematics college readiness rates were statistically significantly lower in the 2013-2014 school year than the 20122013 school year. The college readiness rates for both subjects approached statistical significance and college readiness rates were lower in the 2013-2014 school year. Of importance were the very, very low college readiness rates of students who were enrolled in special education. Implications of these findings and recommendations for future research are discussed.
Determining Academic Success in Students with Disabilities in Higher Education
International Journal of Higher Education
Students with disabilities have not been fully welcomed in higher education in spite of litigation, court cases, and positive shifts in public perceptions. The transition from high school to college is challenging for students without disabilities. Students with disabilities often get overlooked by their institution and overwhelmed during this transition, contributing to an achievement gap for these students. Student success is measured by retention, academic achievement, and on-time graduation. This research study examined how student success was impacted by a student’s registration with the campus disability office, use of accommodations, and use of institutional and social support systems. This study explored a new frontier of research that dispels the myth that students with disabilities are a homogenous group. The results of this study can be used to increase knowledge regarding students with disabilities and their success in higher education. The results will assist college an...
1990
This report presents findings from a multi-year project on handicapped and non-handicapped high school dropouts, including a longitudinal study of high school students in five Colorado school districts and a social ecological study to identify community characteristics which predispose a school district to high dropout rates. The longitudinal study tracked 460 students from 9th to 12th grades or until they dropped aut. The ecological study examined all 177 Colorado school districts. Findings from the longitudinal study are reported for dropouts, stagnators, thrivers, and middlers, witn data on: basic adjustments/bonding patterns to high school; family background; differential school climrtes and student experiences; peer relations; personal characteristics and behavior; changes in youth between 9th and 12th grades; and prediction of dropping out and school withdrawal. Results of the ecological study are reported for handicapped and nonhandicapped students and include the following: variation in dropout rates across school districts; correlations between dropout rates of different groups of students; characteristics of communities with high dropout rates; the importance for prediction of both community characteristics and school district educational variables; and a typology of school districts. Appendices include: (1) discussion of .-cdes and measures used in the study; and (2) the questionnaire. Includes 91 references. (DB)