Date of Award

Summer 8-2007

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education

Committee Chair

Dr. Hollie Filce

Committee Chair Department

Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education

Abstract

This study examines the affect o f time spent in special education on the rate of progress for students in Mississippi with special education rulings o f Specific Learning Disabilities. Socioeconomic status, race, and the school’s percentage o f disproportionate eligibility for special education services o f minority students were examined for predictive effect. The results indicate that students with special education rulings served in special education classrooms for less than 21% o f the day and students served in a special education classroom for more than 21% but less than 69% showed a greater rate of progress than students with special education rulings receiving no instruction in a special education classroom. The rate o f progress was based on a comparison o f scores collected from three administrations of the Mississippi Curriculum Practice test. However, even with a higher rate of progress the students with special education rulings were not performing at the same rate as the students in general education. The school’s percentage o f disproportional identification of minority students for special education services and socioeconomic status were identified as predictors o f a greater rate of progress. The findings supported the need for consistent, appropriate inclusion practices, strategic staff development, and more established reliability for the testing instruments.

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