The Impact of Co-Teaching on the Graduation Test Scores of Students with Disabilities

The Impact of Co-Teaching on the Graduation Test Scores of Students with Disabilities By Jeannette Stach MA, Louisiana State University, 1997 BA, Oakland University, 1993 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Psychology Walden University August 2016 Abstract According to the U.S Department of Education, co-teaching is an intervention used to give students with disabilities access to the general education curriculum while in the general education classroom. It’s necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of co-teaching as it relates to academic performance. However, there has been a dearth of research on quantitative studies related to co-teaching and their results have been inconclusive. This quantitative study explored whether co-teaching has a positive effect on academic performance compared to collaborative teaching, and adds to the literature in this area that is considered current. On an annual basis from 2002 to 2011, junior and senior students from each school district in Georgia were given the GHSGT. Descriptive statistics were performed on the demographics of the respondents, including gender and ethnicity. The Mann-Whitney U Test was performed to evaluate if there were significant GHSGT mean scores differences between the co-teaching and collaborative class settings. Results indicated that students with disabilities performed better in the collaborative setting in math, English, and writing; and students in the co-teaching setting did not perform better than students in the non co-teaching setting in all subject areas. These results support that co-teaching is not meeting the needs of all students with disabilities (SWD) in this school district. Butts County education professionals may want to use this research to help guide them in designing a special education program that focuses on the needs of the SWD and how to meet those needs. This study contributes to positive social change because it supports previous research that concludes the needs of all SWD are not being met. More research still needs to be conducted to determine how to meet the needs of these students.According to the U.S Department of Education, co-teaching is an intervention used to give students with disabilities access to the general education curriculum while in the general education classroom. It’s necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of co-teaching as it relates to academic performance. However, there has been a dearth of research on quantitative studies related to co-teaching and their results have been inconclusive. This quantitative study explored whether co-teaching has a positive effect on academic performance compared to collaborative teaching, and adds to the literature in this area that is considered current. On an annual basis from 2002 to 2011, junior and senior students from each school district in Georgia were given the GHSGT. Descriptive statistics were performed on the demographics of the respondents, including gender and ethnicity. The Mann-Whitney U Test was performed to evaluate if there were significant GHSGT mean scores differences between the co-teaching and collaborative class settings. Results indicated that students with disabilities performed better in the collaborative setting in math, English, and writing; and students in the co-teaching setting did not perform better than students in the non co-teaching setting in all subject areas. These results support that co-teaching is not meeting the needs of all students with disabilities (SWD) in this school district. Butts County education professionals may want to use this research to help guide them in designing a special education program that focuses on the needs of the SWD and how to meet those needs. This study contributes to positive social change because it supports previous research that concludes the needs of all SWD are not being met. More research still needs to be conducted to determine how to meet the needs of these students. The Impact of Co-Teaching on the Graduation Test Scores of Students with Disabilities By Jeannette Stach MA, Louisiana State University, 1997 BA, Oakland University, 1993 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Psychology Walden University August 2016 Acknowledgments I would like to thank my parents, Robert and Bettie Stach, for their support during this long process. I would like to thank my chair, Dr. Little, for his support and tutelage. I would also like to thank my committee member Dr. Lionetti and Dr. Harris. Table of