Considerable evidence now suggests that the educational interventions provided to students in the different disability categories are more alike than different. Interventions applied after a child has failed in reading for two or three years may not be effective for several reasons, including the student's declining motivation and impaired self-concept. Even children with relatively subtle linguistic and reading deficits require the expertise of a teach who is well trained. Instruction in phonological awareness at the kindergarten level has significant positive effects on reading development during the first grade. Teachers who are most effective at raising overall academic standards are likely to have a lower tolerance for students with special needs.
Schools routinely exclude special education students from schoolwide standardized testing.
The use of cooperative learning approaches promoted students' frequent interaction with nonhandicapped peers. In general, studies have indicated that students without disabilities do not suffer from being in classes also serving students with mild disabilities or severe mental disabilities. Students with disabilities in cooperative schools had significantly higher achievement with regard to reading vocabulary and reading comprehension. The best outcomes were attained by the project that used frequent, structured meetings between general and special education teachers. At the time they entered high school, more than three-fourths of students with disabilities were at least a year older than their age peers.